by Reina Torres
Teo flattened his palm against her belly, fitting into the bared skin beneath the sleep twisted hem of her camisole and the edge of her panties. Before she could say a word, his hand had found its way in and his fingers were tangled with her heat.
She shifted enough to give him easier access, and was rewarded when he curled two fingers deep inside her.
Her body closed around him, slick with heat, and his breath fanned over the shell of her ear. “You are going to kill me.”
She stretched, a long languid movement. “I want you alive,” she sighed, “and inside me. It works better that way.”
“I know,” his thumb swept over her, making her gasp, “but my pants are on the floor, I have to-”
“I thought you were a scout,” she groaned, “don't you plan ahead for these things?” He didn't even need an answer. "Give me a second."
He wasn't going to question where and when she'd picked it up, what mattered was that she had. He enjoyed the view of her as she rescued a foil packet from her drawer.
“You’re wearing too much.” He heard the harsh rasp of his voice and smiled when he saw her tremble a little. “Once I get that on,” his wicked smile lightened the tone of his voice, but he still heard her moan, “I'm going to be inside you.”
He watched her push away from the nightstand, kneeling among the tousled sheets. And when he drew his gaze up from the taut curve of her backside, he met her eyes in the mirror above the dresser.
She lifted the foil packet and placed it between her teeth, her eyes locked on his. While he watched, she reached for the hem of her camisole and peeled the garment off over her head. He didn't see where she dropped it, his attention was focused on her breasts, their tips tight and flushed with color.
“I think you forgot something.” He heard the barest hint of a growl in his voice and blamed it on the lack of blood, so much of it had rushed down into other more vital parts of his body.
He saw the look in her eyes and felt a subtle frisson of fear in his chest. Her eyes were bright, but the unspoken meaning had him breathless. She raised her hands to her hips, slid her thumbs under the elastic edge of her panties, and in one swoop, she leaned forward and slid them down to her knees, giving him a heartbreaking view of everything she had covered up.
Teo lunged across the bed, wrapped his hands around her hips, and pulled her back to the center of the bed. Spooning her against his body, his hand found the tangled cotton around her knees and swept it to the floor. With that done, he used his hand to work his boxers off his hips and feet. Finally, he felt her against him, all curves and naked glory.
She wiggled against him and he closed his teeth over the nape of her neck. Her satisfied shudder felt so good against him.
He captured the packet from her, and had it on in seconds.
When she tried to turn around he held her in place, his warm voice tickling her. “I think I like you right here.”
Angling his hips with his hand on her inner thigh, he pressed against her center. Mira’s breathy moan melted from her lips as he rocked into her body.
He saw her startled gaze reflected in the mirror. “Don't close your eyes, I want to see you.”
And she had to see him, his thick length sliding into her body over and over, his fingers tracing lazy patterns across her stomach, moving lower and lower until his fingers slipped between her thighs.
She tightened around him, wringing a soft moan from his lips. “So beautiful,” he turned his head and nipped at the line of her neck, “I love seeing you like this.”
Mira smoothed her hand down her belly, her fingers tangling with his as he found a faster, deeper rhythm. Her breaths were barely more than soft puffs of air.
She saw the way his eyes darkened as his thighs tightened against her. And when he saw her watching him in the mirror, he met her gaze, their hunger laid bare.
“Teo?” She heard the plea in her voice, thready and soft.
“Whatever you want,” he felt the words on his lips but he couldn't hear past the roaring of blood in his ears. “Tell me.”
He saw the word form on her lips as she trailed her hand over her pale stomach to cup the curve of her breast. “Deeper.”
And he gave her what she asked for. His hand pinning her against him, his fingers driving her pulse faster and higher. When he felt her stiffen in his arms, he leaned forward, his lips brushing against her neck. “I need this,” he felt her buck at the touch of his hand, “I need you, Mirella.” Her body clamped down on his and he felt his muscles tighten and clench. “I love you.”
She came apart in his embrace, her eyes closed to keep her tears from spilling down over her cheeks while he pulsed inside of her.
When he withdrew, turning her in his arms to hold her close, Mira couldn't look up into his face, couldn't lift her gaze to meet his. Instead, she pressed her cheek against his chest, smoothing her hand over his heart, “I love you, too.”
Chapter Fourteen
His arms full of papers from Linen Blanc, the local card & copy shop, Teo made his way around to the kitchen door and managed to open it with the tips of his fingers. He heard the gentle sounds of his grandmother’s laughter and a deeper answering chuckle. Nearly dropping the stack of papers, he stopped short and looked over at the kitchen table.
His grandmother leaned back into her chair, and set her glass down. “Need some help, piccolo?”
Teo shook his head and set the papers down on the counter. “I’ve got everything ready, Nonna. Just relax.”
Mr. Vincenzo stood up and crossed over to stand beside Teo. “You think she’s ever going to stop calling you that?”
Shaking his head, Teo gave the older man a little sigh. “I think I’m in it for the long haul on that nickname.”
Taking half, Nico separated the papers on the long kitchen counter. “You could always give her another target.” He looked over his shoulder and smiled at Velia. “I keep trying to nudge Stella in the same direction.”
Teo looked up from his half of the papers. “I'm sorry, what?”
Barely focused on separating the paper, Mr. Vincenzo continued with a chuckle. “Babies, son. Velia and I are both at the point where we need babies to spoil.”
Teo felt his face start to burn. Glancing at his grandmother in the reflection of the glass cabinet doors, he saw her sweet smile and another knot twisted in his middle.
“I was just asking Stella when she was planning on settling down, and she gave me this stare,” he sighed.
“Oh, I've seen it a time or two myself,” Velia piped up, “only Teo’s been too far away for me to tease him much. Now that he’s back home, I’m making up for lost time.”
Mr. Vincenzo gave Velia a tender smile of his own. “So am I.”
Reading the energy in the room, Teo finished setting out the rest of the packets for their meeting with the other olive growers. “Maybe I should wait outside for the others.” He smiled when his grandmother blushed. “I’m sure Stella’s on her way-”
“Stella?” Mr. Vincenzo turned a startled gaze at the younger man. “She came with me.”
“That’s right,” Velia’s expression changed slightly, twinkling in her eyes as she sat forward in her chair. “They came together, but she saw my dress,” Velia smoothed her hands over the smooth lines of the sheath dress, taking a moment to school the gentle draping of the neckline so that her bronze necklace lay flat amongst the folds, “and said she had to go see what else Mira had in the works.”
“She’ll likely be over there until we’re about to start.”
Velia nodded to Nico. “I think so, she said she’d bring over the tray that Mira made up for the meeting.” She turned toward Teo and explained. “When I told her about the meeting, she said she’d make some Lemon Drizzle cakes for us.” Velia sighed. “It’ll save her a trip over here.”
“I could have gone to pick them up, but,” his jaw tightened as he let frustration bleed through, “this is easier for us both.”
Nico an
d Velia shared a look and he stepped away from the counter, clearing his throat. “I hope you two don't mind if I use the facilities.”
Velia shook her head and crossed the room to stand beside her grandson, brushing his forearm with a gentle sweep of her fingers. “Teodoro-”
“I’m fine, Nonna,” he shrugged, “there's nothing to talk about.”
He knew she could hear more than the forced lightness in his tone. Folding her arms over her chest she gave him an arch look. “Grumpy is one thing,” she cautioned, “but you're only fooling yourself with that flippant answer. I'm not old enough for you to think I'm going dotty… yet.”
He opened his mouth and shut it again.
“Good, maybe you should listen for a bit.” She leaned her hip against the counter and looked up at him, really concentrating on the look in his eyes.
Feeling like he was under a microscope, Teo wondered if his grandmother could see the warm flush of color on his cheeks. But, if the smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth was any indication, she knew she’d hit home.
“I’ve hardly seen her since the festival and you’ve been walking around like you’re nursing a bruise,” she placed her hand over her heart and gave him a sympathetic wince. “What happened between you two?”
“Everything was great,” he insisted and believed it wholeheartedly. “Hayrides, cider,” a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. The memories ran through his mind like a movie on an old projector. “It all fell apart when a woman thought she recognized Mira.”
“Oh?” Velia’s bright response dimmed. “Not someone from here, I take it.”
“No,” Teo blew out a breath, “and before I knew what was going on, I was taking Mira home.” He shook his head. "She was upset and I stayed the night but since then..."
His grandmother’s expression sobered a bit, her lips pressing together slightly.
“I've tried, Nonna,” he leaned against the counter, the back of his head connecting with the wooden cabinet door, “but she doesn’t answer the door, she doesn’t answer her phone.” He looked at the stacks of paper on the kitchen counter. “If we didn’t have the meeting tonight, I’d go over there right now, and find out where I went wrong.”
“You and Lorenzo have had it a bit easy when it came to women, Teodoro. The ladies have always swarmed around you boys. From what I see on the computer, Lorenzo never lacks for company, but sometimes there’s more going on than what you can see.”
He folded his arms across his lean and muscular chest. “I don't know how much I'll find out if she won't talk to me.”
Her expression sobered as she leaned closer to press a kiss on his shoulder, “You know you can share that heartache with me.”
Teo wrapped an arm around her shoulders, drawing her gently into his side. “You don’t need to hear my sob story, Nonna.” He returned her kiss, brushing it gently across her forehead.
Velia turned into his embrace, so that she could see his somber expression. “I’ve mended skinned knees, bruises, and bumps. It pains me to know that you won’t let me help you with this.”
He heard the pang in her voice and knew she truly meant her words. His grandmother had helped make him the man that he was and he owed her the world. He didn’t want to put this kind of yoke on her shoulders. He had let himself be dazzled by Andrea's beautiful face and a body built for pleasure. He hadn’t looked beyond her pretty smiles and batted eyelashes. But he had meant what he said to Mira and wondered if she'd meant her words, or had she just tried to please him in the moment.
“Hello?” A sharp knock at the front door punctuated the big-voiced greeting.
Teo shook his head. Somehow he'd missed the sound of Mr. Pedroni’s pickup in the driveway.
Velia gave her grandson a quick kiss on his cheek. “You go let Calvin in, and I'll let Nico know it's safe to come out of the bathroom.”
They would have to shelve the conversation for now. The olive growers were assembling for the meeting he called, and while his relationship with Mira was on shaky ground, this meeting was important to the livelihoods of people in St. Helena, and he needed to focus.
“Teo?” Velia’s voice stopped him a few feet away from the door. “Maybe you should invite her to dinner when Lorenzo comes to town. Having a few extra people around may break the ice a bit, ease things between the two of you, until you can really get to the bottom of it.”
He felt a muscle tense in his cheek at the thought. “Even if I managed to get her on the phone, I’m sure she'd find a way to be busy that night.”
Velia’s answering sigh was a lilting laugh of sound. “Then I will call and talk her into it, piccolo. You,” she moved off down the hall, “will owe me, again.”
Nearly a week later, Mira was about to call Velia to cancel dinner plans when the doorbell rang at the front of the house. “It can’t be them, not yet.” With a quick look at the clock and then a surreptitious look along the edge of the window, she crossed to the door and opened it to Shay’s eager smile.
“Sorry I didn’t get here sooner. Harper wanted to come, but she’s got her hands full with a new window display.”
“A new line?”
“That,” fanning herself, Shay leaned in with a mock whisper, “and a whole new batch of photos to go along with it. I know I’ll be picking up a few pieces for myself.”
Mira tried to keep her smile bright, but it did waver a bit.
“Hey,” Shay stepped inside and gave her friend a hug, “you still have me! I'm good for a fashion recommendation.”
“I’m sorry,” Mira was already flustered, “I didn't mean-”
“Ohhh, you really are worried, if you think I was upset.” She didn't let Mira ruminate over her words. Grabbing her by the arm, she dragged her toward the bedroom. An excited quack and the swish, swish of the duckie door announced Mr. Peabody’s presence in the house. “Harper charged me with helping you pick out the perfect dress. Don't worry. You don't need her marketing skills for this.” Shay chuckled as the Cayuga duck attempted to herd the two women, wings flapping.
Mira nodded and pointed at the dressing screen in the corner. Hooked to the top of the screen was a padded hanger with a green and ecru tea dress, complete with a high collar and buttons offset along the high waisted skirt. “I loved her brilliant idea of turning my tours into Living History events. I had enough time to pull an old pattern that I had drafted for an Edwardian period piece for a TV movie, and made it over in these colors.” Her smile brightened in the soft sunlight of the room. “I think it will really add a new dimension to the tours especially for the schools, almost like taking the children back in time.”
“And,” Shay added, “once Velia and her group see this dress, they'll all want to dress up for events in town.” She flopped down on the chair beside the window and immediately her lap was full of glossy black and green feathers. “If you're not careful, they'll create a new event and make you sew them new dresses, every year.”
Mira rolled her eyes and moved toward the closet. “Make me? I'd be thrilled! Imagine the orders! I love making period gowns, it keeps me from missing costuming too much.” A quick shadow crossed her features. “Anyway, let me get those dresses and you can tell me what to wear for dinner.”
Mr. Peabody nipped at Shay’s fingers. “Silly goose.” The drake took umbrage with her words and sulked on her lap. “Where are you going to dinner again?”
“Velia said it was called La Maison d’Ambre.”
Whistling, Shay shifted position on the chair. “Fancy! Are you sure Velia’s going, or maybe it's a ploy for Teodoro to get you out to a fancy restaurant?”
“Ha ha,” Mira’s voice rose and fell in volume, as she searched through her closet. “Velia said Lorenzo’s coming into town with friends, something about business. Something low key, but still fancy, not that I know what that entails. Now, where did I put that other dress?”
Shay leaned back in the chair as Mr. Peabody slid his head under her hand, basically demanding her att
ention and a good scratch. He stretched his neck and leaned his glossy black head against her shoulder. “Are things better with Teo?”
Something dropped in the closet. “What?” Mira popped her head out to look at her friend, her voice a little too bright, her expression frozen on her face.
Ignoring her friend’s frazzled look, Shay wiggled her fingers at the base of the duck’s neck and he nearly sighed in response.
“With Mr. Peabody?” Mira grasped at the topic eagerly. “Sure, they get along just fine.” She paused and managed to mumble a few more words. “But, I haven't seen Teo since the festival, so it’s not much of an issue.”
That got Shay’s attention. “Why hasn’t he been over?” There was a long pause as she waited for an answer. “It looked like things were going great between the two of you.”
Something dropped in the closet, a sound that rolled along for a moment. “Things are… okay.”
Shay shared a look with the duck and sighed. “I'm calling bullshit.”
Something else dropped in the closet, this time it hit something on the way down.
Laughing silently at the colorful expletive that was only partially muffled by the distance between them, Shay rolled her eyes. "Seriously, that tone of voice speaks volumes."
Stepping out of the closet, one hanger in each hand, Mira gave her friend a look that would have sent a lesser person running for the hills. "Seriously," she mimicked Shay’s pointed tone and held out two dresses, "which one?"
Leaning down to press a kiss to the duck's head, Shay 'whispered' to her little feathered friend. "Deflection. Good tactic with other people, but I'm a girlfriend, we don't let those things slide." She ruffled the feathers on Mr. Peabody's head. "What happened between you two?"
"Nothing." Stubbornly holding out the dresses, Mira lost the battle as the weight of the dresses pulled on her arms. "Okay, I did something incredibly stupid."
Shay sat up a little, earning a disgruntled noise from the duck. "This sounds good."
"No, it was horrible!" Mira leaned heavily against the wall and lowered her arms. "He told me he loved me."
