by Maggie Gates
“I want you,” I shouted. “And I’m pretty fucking used to getting what I want. So, if you back out now, just know that eventually, this—us—is going to happen.”
“How are you so sure?” She cried.
Maddie let her forehead rest against my chest, and I felt her walls begin to crumble. I held her, letting her hide in my arms before she raised her head to look at me. “Tesoro, if you don’t think I have anything to lose here, then I haven’t done a good job of showing you just how much I want you.”
“I get jealous. I don’t like feeling inferior or like I don’t belong with you.” Her usual professional tone had a heavier dose of her southern drawl. Her cute little twang came out when she was either tipsy or pissed.
I scraped my thumbnail over my lower lip and shook my head in confusion, “Why would you feel like you don’t belong with me? Especially here.”
“I’m not talking about here. New York? The awards?” She lowered her voice and added on, “Someone like Celeste is who you’re supposed to be seen with.”
I winced. I had hoped that she hadn’t been close enough to hear Celeste’s proposition, but that just reminded me that I had an assistant to kill. “You heard that part?”
Maddie nodded. “Luca, we both have careers to think about. I need to be able to do my job without everyone thinking that I’m sleeping with the boss and you need someone on your arm who can help you maintain your image. I get that. Look, last night—”
“Last night was not a mistake,” I said, effectively cutting her off. “Neither was dinner at my place or being with you the night of the watch party. This is not a mistake. You’re scared.”
“And you’re not?” She exclaimed.
I grinned and placed a soft kiss on her lips. She let out a little sigh and I felt some of the tension melt away from her shoulders. “Of course I am. You scare the hell outta me, Mad.”
Maddie giggled and I saw the sunshine return to her eyes. She tucked her forehead into the crook of my neck and rested there. I pressed a kiss into her hair and stroked my fingers along the back of her neck. “Everyone’s watching, aren’t they?” She asked.
“Yep.”
She tilted her chin up so that her forehead was pressed against my lips. I gave her a little kiss with a smile. Maddie closed her eyes. They crinkled at the corners just like they always did when she was happy. “So much for keeping it quiet. People are gonna talk, you know.”
“I know. Let ‘em talk.”
Maddie turned her head and looked over her shoulder to where the entire staff stood watching—Craning over the railing from the rooftop dining area, spilling out the back door of the pastry kitchen and main kitchen, peering out the windows of the dining room. No one was getting any work done, and for once, I didn’t care.
I remembered that there was something I still needed to do. In all the last minute mayhem caused by Celeste showing up, I never went to the pastry kitchen to kiss Maddie. “Madeline?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m gonna kiss you now.”
She didn’t say anything—just lifted her chin and let her lower lip graze mine as her mouth parted and she sucked in a quiet breath. I kissed her soft and slow, cradling her cheeks in my hands, stroking her soft skin, sliding my hands down her neck to her waist and resting them on her hips, pulling her closer. Maddie snaked her arms around my neck and kissed me back. Whoops and cheers carried through the warm air and Maddie broke away from me, laughing.
“We should probably get back to work,” I grinned, wrapping my arms around her.
“Probably,” She giggled.
I picked up her hand and kissed the back of it before lacing our fingers together and turning back toward the building.
“You two lovebirds done making out behind the dumpsters?” Scott asked. He was leaned up against the brick wall with his arms crossed.
Maddie turned a deep scarlet, but we both knew Scott wasn’t mad.
“Back to work, everybody,” I laughed.
Scott pushed away from the building and started our way. “Not so fast. Weather report has got that hurricane that’s out in the Atlantic turning and coming our way.”
“How many days until it hits?” Maddie asked
Scott shrugged, “Right now we’ve got forty-eight hours, but you never know. She’s stalling as a category 4 right now and getting stronger, so it could get real bad. Carol’s got her staff already starting on weatherizing.”
I look down at her, “Fill the outsider in. What’s happening?”
Maddie gave my hand a squeeze before letting go. “We have a hell of a lot of work to do.”
28
———
MADELINE
I loved hurricanes. I loved the buzz of energy in the air before a big storm. There was really nothing like it. It got your blood pumping and your senses heightened. We worked non-stop getting the restaurant ready to take a beating.
My team doubled up on our wholesale orders and delivered extras to all the businesses that carried our pastries so that if we were shut down, they still had plenty of product to sell. Everything that could be stored in the freezer was moved over so that it was packed as tightly as possible. Everything would stay much colder with it being full, so if we happened to lose power, we wouldn’t lose ingredients while we waited for the generators to kick in.
We still had about six hours before the storm made landfall. I did the final checks of the restaurant before locking up and praying for the best. It wasn’t uncommon for me to be the last one at Revanche before a storm. Scott and Carol both had families, so I always volunteered to do the final walk through so that everyone else could get home.
I made a stop at Harlowe Bay Assisted Living to see my mom just in case I couldn’t make it on Monday, but by the time I ran out of the building and through the parking lot, the rain had picked up and was letting loose in a torrential downpour. The second I slammed the door to my Jeep and cranked it up, my phone rang. I swiped across the screen as soon as I saw Luca’s name. “Hello?”
There was a pause. I could barely hear him over the battering rain on the top of my Jeep. “Tell me you’re not still out in this mess.”
“I’m about to head home.”
“Where are you?”
“Morehead City. I came out here to see my mom before the storm came in.”
“Stay where you are and send me the address. I’m coming to get you.”
“Luca, you don’t have to do that. I’ll be fine—I’m heading home right now.”
I heard the faint sounds of a door slamming before he growled, “To a fucking houseboat.”
“Not my first hurricane, DeRossi.”
“Send me the damn address, Mad.”
I huffed and fired off a text. His beach house was closer than driving back to my place. My Jeep really needed new tires and it would save Steve from having to put up with me. I usually stayed in the guest room at his house if I didn’t feel safe on the water. Staying at Luca’s sounded nice, especially after the hectic days leading up to the storm making landfall.
I felt stupid for losing my cool over Celeste Montgomery throwing herself at Luca. I was embarrassed and kicked myself for being so immature. I was rarely threatened by other women, but something about being with Luca made me insecure as hell. Every time I looked at my phone, I was reminded just how different we were.
Maddie who?
OMG, she’s so normal.
She’s got tits and an ass. No wonder he’s tapping that.
That’s his rebound from Amalia? Yikes.
Last night we took a picture together. He came home with me and we sat on my roof and had a late, late dinner before calling it a night. He snapped the photo when I fell asleep on his chest. Only half of my face was visible since I was using him as a pillow. My eyes were closed and I was serene. The selfie had Luca craning his neck down and kissing the top of my head. He posted it to his social media with the caption, Il mio Tesoro—my treasure.
As the kids say, the internet w
as shooketh. I deleted my Twitter entirely.
Still, every time I looked at Instagram and saw the picture of us snuggled up, I smiled. And then when I saw comments about his ex-girlfriend, Amalia, I was constantly reminded just how normal I was. He had dated a fucking supermodel. I was just… me.
Headlights cut through the parking lot and I saw Luca guiding his BMW through the deep puddles. Fuck off, Amalia. I’m the one he drove through a hurricane for, I told myself.
Luca got out and hurried to my door with an umbrella. “Is your Jeep gonna be okay staying here?”
I nodded as he guided me to the passenger’s side of his car. “Yeah, it’s fine, but I don’t have clothes or anything with me.”
He chuckled as he shut my door. Luca ran to the other side and slid in behind the wheel. He shot me a devilish grin and said, “Well then—I guess you’ll just have to wear what I let you wear while we’re stuck at my place.”
✽✽✽
To my surprise, Luca actually had clothes for me to wear. Kind of. He took my hand and led me straight to the bedroom after he pulled his car into the garage.
“I had Astrid pick up some stuff for you in the event that you decided to spend time with me more than a night at a time. I, uh, I hope it’s alright.”
It was mostly pajamas and loungewear, but it was more than any other boyfriend had ever done—even if it was done by his assistant from hell. I found them already folded and tucked into a drawer in Luca’s room. It was a little surprising since this was just a rental, but the effort wasn’t lost on me.
“Hai trovato quello che cercavi, Tesoro?” Luca came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my middle as I held the drawer open.
I leaned my head back on to his shoulder and kissed his neck. “You know I love when you ramble in Italian, but you either have to teach me or translate.”
He craned his head around and kissed my cheek. “Find what you were looking for?” His husky murmurs vibrated against my skin. Fire zipped down my spine and I curled my toes against the hardwood floors. Hell yes, I found it.
I nodded, unable to form even the simplest of words. Not when he was kissing down my neck. Not when his hands slid under my drenched shirt and massaged my hips. Not when his bulge was pressed against the crease of my ass. His stubble roughed up my skin, leaving it raw and red as he turned me and peppered my throat with kisses.
My chest heaved and he pushed his hips into mine until I was trapped between him and the dresser. He peeled the wet top off my torso and tossed it aside. He grabbed my hands and laced our fingers together before bringing them to his lips and kissing across my knuckles.
Outside, the rain battered against the windows and the wind howled as the storm got closer and closer. Lucky for us, it had lost power and was coming in as a category two hurricane. Nevertheless, watching the raw, untamed power of mother nature left me with a high better than anything else. It was barely after five in the evening, but the sky was pitch black.
Luca tilted his head and nipped at the soft skin under my ear. “Cook with me?” He asked in a gravelly timbre. I nodded in agreement. His hands moved to my waist where he unbuttoned my damp shorts and dragged the zipper down. He pushed them down to my feet and hooked his fingers in the waist of my simple cotton panties. “Are these wet too?” He asked as one finger slid down the line between my thigh and my throbbing pussy.
I gave a listless nod as my eyes closed and I waited for the delicious pressure of him shoving two of those exceptionally talented fingers deep into my core.
It never came.
Luca leaned in, his hot breath snaking around the shell of my ear as he said, “Good.” He slid his hand into my panties and cupped my sex. I let out a quick gasp, but Luca didn’t give me any relief. “That’s how I want you, Madeline.” He pulled his hand away and I whimpered at being toyed with. My nipples were diamond pointed and my pussy ached for relief. “Cook with me,” he said again. “So that we can eat and then I can have you for dessert.”
Hot damn. The culinary gods had smiled upon me. At this point, I’d sell my soul to a sea witch if only to have Luca taste every inch of my body at his leisure.
I made a move for a pair of pajama pants, but he shook his head.
“Trust me,” he grinned. “You won’t be needing those.” Luca slowly unbuttoned the light blue dress shirt he was wearing, pulled it off, and handed it to me. It still had traces of his cologne and I wanted to bury my nose in it.
I slid my arms in and noticed the monogrammed initials on the sleeve. Because of course he did. I mean, I was southern—we monogrammed everything we could. My Jeep had a curly, vinyl cutout of my initials on the back window, but this was rich person monogramming. This was don’t lose my expensive as hell dry cleaning monogramming. I pushed that thought to the back of my mind and fastened the two buttons just below my breasts. My ass hung out the bottom, but there wasn’t much I could do about that.
Luca had already walked back to the kitchen and was checking on something in the oven when I tiptoed in. He gave me a smile as he set the oven mitts aside. “You’re much different when you’re here, you know that?”
“What do you mean?” I leaned across the island and watched his knife fly through the vegetables he was chopping. It was mesmerizing. For someone who wasn’t in the kitchen everyday anymore, his knife skills were still impeccable. He had done a julienne that would make chef instructors everywhere weep from the sheer perfection.
He shrugged, “You’re quiet here. Not, uh, not shot-gunning beers and having dance parties on top of bars.”
“Must be the company.”
“Am I really that boring?” He chuckled, “I know I’ve got a few years on you, but I thought I still had some game left.”
I slinked toward him and stood to his left. I peered around his shoulder and watched as he finished slicing and dicing. “You’re not boring,” I quickly clarified. “I dunno, I just think I’m comfortable around you.”
Luca hummed and nodded. “I like that.”
“Is that an issue for you? The age difference?” I asked. Seven years wasn’t a lot, but it wasn’t nothing either.
He shook his head and pointed for me to check on the sauce he had simmering on the range. I gave it a little stir and grabbed a spoon to taste it. Not bad. I poured some salt in my hand and took a pinch, sprinkling it over the surface before stirring it in. Luca brushed by to get to the fridge, trailing his hand across the small of my back with a kitchen warning of, “Behind.”
That’s how we made dinner. The two of us were quiet as we danced around the kitchen—Stealing glances and touches here and there. His hand on my hip as he leaned over me. I gave his ass a squeeze when I spun around to grab a tray off the island. It was a waltz. We moved with ease around each other. Reading each other's mind and predicting what to do next. It was a comfort I hadn’t felt in a long time.
Luca left me to plate the pasta and got the fireplace roaring. Sure, it was a balmy eighty degrees outside, but with the storm raging, it felt natural.
The flames crackled as we sat at the dining room table and ate. The raviolo al’ uovo was divine. The pasta was perfectly tender and the runny yolk in the center blended with the sage butter sauce and blistered tomatoes. “Luca, this is divine.”
He dabbed his mouth with his napkin and smiled, “Should be. I’ve been making it since I was a kid. Family recipe.”
“You cooked a lot as a kid?”
Luca nodded. “My Nonna taught all of us as soon as we were big enough to stand on a chair and watch.”
I smiled into my wine and sipped, enjoying the medley of flavors on my tongue. “So you just kept cooking? Did you always know you wanted to be a chef?”
He chuckled, “Are you interviewing me?”
“Just trying to get to know you,” I admitted as I swirled my fork through the last streaks of sauce on my empty plate. “I don’t really know a lot about you.”
“You didn’t know me, but you just decided that you didn’t l
ike me?”
“Something like that,” I sighed. “Have I apologized for that yet?”
Luca cleared our dishes and loaded them into the dishwasher, kicking it closed with his foot. “You haven’t,” he began. “But I’m glad you didn’t like me.”
“Until I thought you were just a guy named Luke who hit on me at the gym.”
He dimmed the kitchen lights and walked into the living room, taking a seat on the couch. I followed him, eager to snuggle up and get warm since I was still in just his shirt and a pair of thin panties. Luca tucked me into his side and said, “Remember when you asked how I was so sure that I wanted you?”
I nodded.
“It’s because of that—because you were so convinced that you didn’t like me. I knew that if I could make you want me as much as I wanted you, that this would be real.”
My heart pounded against my ribcage. I had been fighting him hard, or so I thought. I tried everything to keep from falling for him—hell, I even tried to quit my job. Somehow or another, Luca stuck to me like a tick on a deer and the more I was around him the harder I fell. There was no escaping it. He blew into my life like a hurricane—whirling around and turning everything on its head, wrecking every obstacle that I put in his way. There was no stopping it. No hiding from it.
“Luca,” I panted, full of trepidation. Electricity blazed through me, the current shaking me down to my bones.
“Yeah, Tesoro?” His brown eyes were dark and fraught with lust.
My chest rose and fell and by the time I looked up at him, he was already working at the buttons that fastened the shirt I wore. “I want you.”
Luca’s patience drained. He jerked the sides of the shirt away and pulled it off my arms. He grabbed my panties and yanked them away, leaving me naked and desperate for him.
The windows shook and the storm waged war with the coast, but in here—here with him—I was safe. Luca grabbed the neck of his undershirt and pulled it over his head. He loosened his belt buckle and unbuttoned his jeans, but left them on. “You like storms, Madeline?” He growled as he pulled me to my feet.
