Lacey Luzzi: Sauced: A humorous, cozy mystery! (Lacey Luzzi Mafia Mysteries Book 4)

by Gina LaManna

  “I thought it’d be more special than taking you to a restaurant everyone else in the Cities has eaten at,” Anthony said, offering a shy smile. “But who else can say they’ve dined at the first home of Casa Anthony?”

  “This is utterly, completely unique. And the most special night of my life,” I said. This time, when my lips met his, they stayed pressed together longer than I’d intended. I wanted more, but also…

  The cake was calling my name.

  “Open it,” Anthony said, pulling back first. “Go on.”

  I peeled back the frosting to reveal thin, blue-gelled lines scrawling a question on the surface.

  I sucked in a breath.

  Lacey Luzzi,

  Date me?

  I didn’t dare look up, for fear my misty eyes would turn into waterfalls.

  Instead, my eyes traveled further down the cake to the three boxes outlined in red icing.

  Yes – No – Maybe

  I reached over and ever so gently swiped away two of the words with the tip of my finger. When I looked up at Anthony, all that was left was a Yes.

  Anthony grabbed my hand in his and pulled it towards his mouth. He licked half of the frosting from my finger and then gave me the rest. By the time my finger was clean, I was wracked with a fit of sweet, happy laughter and Anthony’s face had burst into a genuine grin.

  “Of course,” I said. “Of course, Anthony.”

  I fell into him and his arms caught me. As he held me tight, one last, gigantic display of fireworks burst from the horizon in a perfect display through the open doorway. The neighboring county fair had a carnival running all weekend, with fireworks every night leading up to the Fourth.

  Feeling that all was right in the world, I welcomed his sugary kiss with my own frosted lips. All of my Sugary Senses went haywire, as my mind turned blank and my heart grew far more than three times its size with joy.

  My last thought, as we lay next to each other on the blanket, my head nestled snugly in his shoulder, was that despite facing murderers and kidnappers, chasing drugs and felling prostitution rings, nothing had prepared me for this moment.

  I ran my hand through my new boyfriend’s thick, wavy hair and inhaled his deliciously unique scent, and felt another flutter of anticipation. The thrill that made life worth living.

  This was just the beginning of a whole new adventure with Anthony.

  THE END.

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  Note from the author:

  Thank you to all my readers, especially those of you who have stuck with me from the beginning of Lacey’s story. By now, I’m sure you all know how important reviews are for Indie authors, so if you have a moment and enjoyed the story, please consider leaving an honest review on Amazon or Goodreads. I know you are all very busy people and writing a review takes time out of your day – but just know that I appreciate every single one I receive. Reviews help make promotions possible, help with visibility on large retailers and most importantly, help other potential readers decide if they would like to try the book.

  Now, onto the fun stuff!

  Thanks again for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the story! I wouldn’t be here without all of you, so from the bottom of my heart – thank you.

  To continue with Lacey’s story…

  See other books by Gina here:

  List of Gina's Books!

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  Lacey Luzzi: S’mored—out Fall 2015!

  For a FREE Advanced Reading Copy of the next Lacey Luzzi Mafia Mystery,

  please sign up for my newsletter at www.ginalamanna.com and send me a link (gina.m.lamanna@gmail.com) to a review of your favorite Lacey book!

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