by Aria Cole
It was almost time for staff to start arriving as it was.
“You’re the angel sent to save me.”
“You didn’t need saving,” she breathed, nipping at my lips. “Just loving.”
My heart hammered with her words.
She was so right. I’d be an idiot ever to question a word out of her mouth. This woman got me.
“It’s takin’ everything in me right now not to sink myself inside you.” I sucked at a spot on her neck. “Need to feel you again.”
“Almost starting time.” Her words rolled across the skin at my neck. “Guess we’ll have to save the good stuff for later.”
“Lane?”
And with that one word, my world came apart.
SEVEN
Delaney
“She’s a grown woman. Stop treating her like a goddamn kid, Nero.”
“She’s my niece! You and I both know you’re not good enough for her, JL. It is what it is, man. You made a decision, we both did, but don’t make her pay for them.”
I strained closer, gnawing on my bottom lip as Jean-Luc and Zio Nero had it out in the tiny office behind the kitchen.
The voices grew muffled, and then unintelligible, before the door was flung open and Jean-Luc stormed out, a dark look on his face that shook me to my bone marrow.
“What did you do?” I advanced into the office, accusing Zio Nero.
“Only what’s best for you, Delaney, and it’s not him. Trust me on that.”
“No! What are you talking about? You don’t get to decide that for me!” I slammed my palm on the tiny desk, an empty coffee cup rattling across the top.
“Just trust me, nipote. He isn’t the man for you.”
Angry tears welled up behind my eyelids before I turned and shot out the door on a desperate search for Jean-Luc. I sped through the kitchen, then punched out the back door, expecting to find him leaning against the brick wall, cigarette hanging from his lips like a rogue James Dean.
My heart cracked when I found the back alley empty. I spun back into the kitchen, letting the heavy door thud closed before I launched through the front of the house, eyes searching for the tall, rakishly handsome, wildly moody man who had stolen my heart.
But he was gone.
Somehow, he was gone.
I gnawed on my bottom lip, fighting the conflicting emotions inside me.
I had no idea where he lived, so it wasn’t like searching for him was really an option. Besides, he could be back. Éloïse was too important to him, the job meant too much to him. And he was the star. If the chef didn’t show up for work, Zio Nero would have to take over, and while I knew he could do it, the kitchen would suffer for the absence.
I slumped down on a barstool next to the front door, fingering a tray of folded napkins.
There wasn’t anything I could do now but wait.
* * *
Jean-Luc sauntered back into my life exactly six minutes before we opened the doors. It took everything in me not to run to him when I caught sight of his broad body in the back of the kitchen. But as the night wore on, and he seemed to be avoiding my very gaze, I realized that I wasn’t going to get a moment with him. And he devolved into shouting matches with the staff, barking orders and curses at anyone who so much as asked him a question. One of the worst nights I’d ever had in the restaurant business.
Every moment of last night played on repeat through my mind the entire shift. He could ignore me all he wanted, but he was on my mind every second of the night.
Thankfully, the crowd picked up, and we didn’t close until after one a.m. So much later than I was hoping for the second night in a row, but maybe that was a good thing.
By the time the busboys were cleaning up their last tables, I was a woman with a plan. I knew I had a very slim window of time before Jean-Luc disappeared on me again.
He couldn't just sweep me off my feet, hand me back my heart, pumping weakly and broken, and then walk away.
Just as the floor manager closed the door and turned the lock, I bolted to the back of the house, determined to give Jean-Luc my two cents. My eyes darted over the heads in the kitchen, cursing out loud when I saw Zio Nero cleaning up Jean-Luc’s station and the tattooed figure of Jean-Luc slinking out the back door, his white chef’s coat already hanging on the hook, indicating he was headed home for the night.
I ducked through the kitchen, careful to avoid Zio Nero’s line of sight, before slipping out the door after the man who’d stolen my heart last night.
“Hey.” I hooked his elbow. His eyes cut to me darkly, a cigarette already hanging from his lips, not yet lit.
“’Sup.” He averted his eyes and nodded, lighter in one hand.
“’Sup?” I exclaimed, anger burning up my esophagus. His eyes turned to me, a deep smile on his lips and that goddamn dimple making my heart beat three times faster than it should have. “Want to tell me why you’ve been a dick all night?”
His eyes flared, teeth working the unlit cigarette back and forth. His gaze rolled up and down my body, causing a flame to ignite somewhere deep inside me.
Damn me for still being drawn to him, for still feeling that pull.
Jean-Luc finally responded. “I was working.”
My heart stuttered in my chest. The fact that he wasn’t willing to talk about the elephant that had suddenly lodged itself between us wasn’t a good sign.
He brought the lighter up, averting his eyes to light the cigarette before I whipped it out of his mouth, frustration that he’d disregarded my feelings burning through my bloodstream. “Don’t do that.”
“Do what?” His jaw clenched, muscles taut with control.
“Don’t just ignore me and pretend that it’s normal!” I was shrieking, and I didn’t even care.
Jean-Luc shook his head, darkness flashing through his beautiful eyes before he cast his head down. “Your uncle’s right. I'm not the guy for you. I shouldn’t have led you on, shouldn't have let you believe I could be him. I'll never be him, Delaney. I’m bad to the fucking bone. I was born a bad apple. Ask my mom, she can testify to that.”
“I don’t give a shit what your mom has to say about you, Jean-Luc. What you did then, you did then. I care about what you do now.”
He shook his head, hand clawing up the back of his neck as if he was working at a cramped muscle. “Why aren't you listening!”
I stood my ground, his words not having the effect he’d apparently intended. “I am listening. I’m listening to all the things you're not saying. I see the way your eyes light up first thing in the morning, the way you can’t keep your hands off me, the way your voice lowers and does that rumbly thing that makes me instantly melt. Actions speak louder than words, Jean-Luc, and I’m calling bullshit on you.”
His eyebrows rose, his lips parted just slightly as if he’d been rendered a little bit speechless.
Then the door burst open, and all hell broke loose. The entire kitchen staff and crew shuffled outside, Zio Nero one of the first. He came to my shoulder, resting a gentle hand there.
“And you!” I spun, landing my gaze on his.
His thick eyebrows scrunched adorably.
“You need to stay out of my business. I’m a grown woman and your niece. Who I date is of no concern to you.”
“Ah, little girl, don’t speak to your elders that way. What will your momma think if I tell her who you've been hanging around?”
“I don’t care! It’s not your business or hers. I make my own decisions, Zio Nero. When are the two of you going to understand that? I don’t know what happened between you and Jean-Luc in the old days, but that’s in the past. That’s so far behind him, and you need to stop feeding shit into his brain that he’s not good enough for me!” I was stabbing my finger at the rock-solid muscle of my uncle’s bulky shoulder.
He frowned, eyes darting from me to Jean-Luc.
“Goodnight, Zio Nero.”
“Lane—”
“I still have a few more things to say to
Jean-Luc, if you don't mind. Maybe we can continue this conversation tomorrow. But right now, Jean-Luc is the most important thing to me.”
The old Italian man frowned, the wrinkles in his forehead deepening. “We’ll talk about this tomorrow, little girl.”
He gave me a stern point with his index finger before turning and heading back down the alleyway and home for the night.
“There’s more?” Jean-Luc lit the fresh cigarette in his mouth.
“Oh, there's more.” I advanced on him, crossing my arms and clamping down my lips with my darkest glare.
His eyes flashed open when I reached him and plucked the cigarette from his mouth, throwing it on the ground at our feet. “I love you, Mr. There’s-No-Going-Back. Remember? So if you’re having an existential crisis, that's fine. You just gotta let me know.”
His eyebrows turned down for a minute, his glance shifting from my lips and then to my eyes again.
“I mean it. I’m here for you. I come from a big Italian family. I listen well, believe me.”
“I’m not used to—”
“Not used to talking about your feelings?” I slipped my arms around his waist, stretching up on my tiptoes.
“Nah.” He shoved a hand through his hair, biting down on his lip as his eyes narrowed on me. “All that fire, just to tell me you love me?”
My lips turned up sweetly, shrugging it off. “I believe in grand gestures.”
“I guess so.”
“Hope you don’t mind.”
Jean-Luc’s arms slipped around my waist then, his giant, gorgeous eyes shimmering back at me just like they had last night…like this morning…like I hoped they would forever.
“I love you too, Delaney. When I said no going back, I didn’t realize that meant for me too. I didn’t realize that last night I was giving you a giant slice of my heart. And when Nero said that shit earlier—”
“Which was wrong.”
He shrugged, continuing on. “Wrong or not, it got to me. You scare the hell out of me, Delaney. I’ve been through a lot of shit in life. Nero saw me at my lowest, waking up on a friend's couch after snorting crushed pills up my nose for three days straight. My mom was diagnosed with cancer when I was twelve, and by thirteen, she was gone. Just disappeared from my life. My grandma took me in, taught me how to cook.” His eyes shimmered with some lost memory. “I named the restaurant after her. But not even she could save a kid determined to ruin his life. I just couldn’t handle losing my mom, and my dad was never around since I was little. By the time I was fifteen, I was going on benders that I don’t even remember.” He paused, his eyes seeking out mine for some sense of reassurance. I gave it to him. I gave it all to him; I always would. “Those days are behind me, Delaney. Have been for a long time, and Nero knows that, but I’ve seen shit no human should have to see. I was a junkie for almost three years of my life.”
“Hey.” I caught his face in my palms. “I don’t care about any of that. I told you. None of it matters. What matters is the man you are today, standing before me. The man who knows what the inside of my heart looks like, he laughs at my stupid jokes, and he wakes me up in the morning to featherlight kisses. I want that guy, and I had him last night.”
Jean-Luc's eyes trailed across my face, arms pulling me close to him in the dark alleyway. “I’m sorry I was such a stubborn ass.”
“Good.” I kissed him on the lips, feeling vindicated. “Next time, can we just skip to the part where you listen to me?”
He laughed, lips trailing up my neck before he nipped at my ear. “Maybe I like to give you a hard time.”
“A hard time, sure. Not a heart attack.”
He laughed, the sweet sound on my ears making the corny joke worth it.
“God, I missed everything about you today.” He nuzzled into my neck. “Every piece of me told me to go to you.”
“I wish you would have.”
“I wish I would have too. Saved us both a lot of trouble, huh?”
“Lucky for you, I grade on a curve,” I teased, pressing a kiss to his lips. Relishing the flavor I’d been denied all day, the decadent dance of our tongues sweeping me under again.
We kissed like that for long minutes, the cool night air swirling around us before he broke our kiss and murmured against my lips, “You ready to head home?”
“Yeah.” I sighed, feeling a little sad that our night had come to a close already. Now he would walk me home, and after the awkwardness of today, he would probably play the gentleman and tuck me in safely before heading back to his own place.
Call me selfish, but I craved more. I’d been like a junkie in search a hit all day, and I needed my fix.
Jean-Luc took out his phone, pulling up an app to call us a car.
“I’m good with walking.”
His eyes shot up to me, that cocky grin deepening. “Not where we’re going, you're not.”
“What? Where are we going?”
“Takin’ you back to my place.” He hooked my hand in his and walked me down the alley to the sidewalk. “And once I get you there, I’m never letting you go.”
EIGHT
Jean-Luc
Fifteen minutes after Delaney had given her uncle and me a piece of her mind, we were walking down the long corridor to my apartment.
“Top-floor? Posh lifestyle, Chef.” She elbowed me in the side as we paused, and I held my keyless entry card up to the reader.
“I can afford to live in comfort, so I do. I could lose it all tomorrow and be fine without it. Long as I can cook, I’m happy.” I pushed open the heavy door, the interior motion-activated lights flipping on instantly.
“Fancy.” She arched an eyebrow at me.
“You hungry?” I whispered, reaching for her now that we were finally in private.
“Very.” She gnawed on her bottom lip.
“Me too,” I breathed before our lips crashed together, our hands trailing up skin, ready to discard shirts and shed pants.
My desire to be inside her, to connect, to know we were okay, was strong. I needed her like I’d never needed anyone.
“Today was a really long day.” I hooked my hand behind her neck and pulled her to my lips, grinding my steely cock against the curve of her hips.
“The longest,” she purred against my lips, fingers sliding the buttons of my shirt through the holes.
I slipped my hands to the waistband of her pants, pushing them down her thighs along with her little scrap of panties.
“Bend over.”
Her eyes flared, and my hands were already twisting her in my arms.
“Been wanting inside you since the second I last left you.” I brushed a hand over the sexy curve of her ass, pressing a palm to her back and bending her over the dark leather sofa. Her breathing hitched, her nails digging into the supple fabric.
“Wiggle your ass for me.”
She twisted, catching me out of the corner of her eye.
I arched one warning eyebrow. “Do it, Delaney.”
She huffed, the little gasp escaping her cheeks stirring my cock like every other pouty gesture she did.
“Love you bent over and begging for my dick.”
“Begging?” She pushed out her bottom lip. “I’m not begging.”
Just to prove her wrong, I glided one long finger through the delicate petals of her wet pussy. She sighed when I slid the finger into my mouth and sucked off her arousal. “Your pussy says different.”
Pushing my hands up her body, I pulled the fabric of her shirt over her head, hands spreading across the smooth flesh I’d been so desperate for. Never again would I stick my fucking foot in my mouth and do anything to separate me from her again.
“Hips apart, gorgeous,” I growled in her ear, nipping at the earlobe as I landed a smack against the curve of her ass. She whimpered sexily, spreading her feet hip distance apart before I stood back, looking down at her pretty ass round and ready for me.
“I own this pussy tonight and every night.” I landed one soft s
mack at the mound of her pussy, a sharp moan falling from her lips.
More glistening arousal spread across her thighs. I pulled at the fastenings of my pants, releasing my dick from the steel cage of my zipper. Beads of precome leaked from the tip as I shifted it in my hand, eyes on her, devouring every single inch before I landed another swift smack on the soft pink pussy I loved so damn much.
Another breathy moan before she wiggled her ass cheeks, the creamy globes jiggling and making my dick leak and twitch in my fist.
“Turns me on so much to see you like this. I might jerk off with my hand and spread it all over your ass.” I cupped the warmth of her pussy, sinking one long finger into her. “Mark my territory.”
Her pussy quaked around my finger, my thumb working in slow, gentle circles at the bud of her clit until she was shaking and arching her back.
“That’s my girl. Show me how good it feels.” I worked my hand back and forth, categorizing every groan and wiggle so I could remember what drove her crazy—and then do it again and again. Just as the walls of her pussy tightened around my finger and she started to come in slow, prolonged waves, I pulled my hand from her body and replaced it with my dick.
In fast, frantic thrusts I bottomed out in her, too desperate, too tired of waiting a second longer for what I craved.
We needed each other. I knew that now.
Whatever our hearts were made of, hers and mine were the same.
And just like that, my future came into focus. The world had flipped, and suddenly Delaney became my axis.
“Delaney…” I panted, unable to keep the words from leaving my lips. “Everything about meeting you has thrown me for a loop.” I pulled out of her in one swift move and turned her around to face me. With my hands on her face, I cradled her cheeks sweetly and touched her lips in a soft kiss. “Everything about you drives me crazy.” I kissed up the line of her neck, laying her back on the couch beneath me, reconnecting our lips, sinking myself deep inside her again.
