Show Stopper

by BJ Harvey

  Closing my eyes again, I hug my pillow and decide to doze until Marco returns.

  I wake again when the mattress shifts beside me. Looking up, I meet his warm chocolate gaze, watching as he reaches out to brush away the hair from my face.

  “God, you look good in my bed in the morning.”

  I tilt my head with a sassy smile. “I think I could look good in your bed at any time of the day.”

  “I like your way of thinking, princess. Are you hungry?”

  Pushing myself up to lean against the headboard, I catch sight of a brightly-colored serving tray placed on the nightstand beside the bed, a carafe of orange juice, and two plates with toasted bagels and cream cheese next to them.

  “Wow. You give good sex and breakfast in bed the next morning. I approve,” I say, not missing his amused grin.

  He shakes his head before hooking his hand around the back of my neck and softly tugging me forward so our lips meet halfway. It’s a gentle, probing, lazy kiss that I feel right down to my toes and everywhere in between. When he pulls back to end it, I’m already so addicted to his touch that I try to chase his mouth for another one. His cheeky grin is so cute—well, as cute as a big buff Italian stallion firefighter can be.

  “You’re far too good at that, Lieutenant,” I say. “Breakfast and turning me on before I’ve even had coffee. You’re just kicking goals everywhere today, aren’t you?”

  “As long as I score with you, I’ll be happy.”

  I snicker and shake my head, unable to stop myself from grinning too.

  “Hang on,” I look over at the tray, my smile falling. “Hang on. There’s no coffee. I’m sorry,” I say, making moves to get out of bed. “That’s a deal-breaker for m—”

  Quick as a flash, I’m spun around and am flat on my back, an amused Marco looming over me, his body holding me in place from hips to feet. Damn, he’s good.

  I look up at him with an arched brow and shake my head. “You think you’ve found the man you want to date, and then he falls down at the last hurdle. And so close to the finish line too.”

  “You already came first last night,” he says, his interest in repeating that feat making its case rather incessantly known through his pajama pants right against my core.

  “I think . . . I might have forgotten all about that. Maybe I need a reminder. You know . . . just to ensure I’m making an informed decision . . .”

  Marco shoots me a devilish grin before he plants a hard and fast kiss on my lips and moving off me, laughing when I groan in disappointment.

  “First I feed you, then we talk, then we shower.”

  Now, I’m liking this plan. Except . . . “Talk?”

  “Yeah, princess. Talk. You say things. I say more things. We clear the air and make sure we’re on the same page of this story we’re writing.”

  “Okay . . .” I say, narrowing my eyes at him.

  “Hey, it’s nothing to be suspicious about. I’m just the kind of guy that says it like it is, and I made it clear last night that this connection between us meant something. And since I didn’t want to interrupt our post-date activities then, I figure now, before we recommence those activities, we can just chat.”

  “And eat?”

  “Yep,” he says, elongating the P and grinning at me as he takes a big bite of a bagel.

  I gasp and reach over him, nabbing my own pastry and sitting straight. “Hey. Didn’t your mama teach you about ladies first?”

  He chuckles. “My mother taught me everything I ever needed to know about how to treat a woman. My papa showed me how to do it.”

  My heart melts. This man has so much love for his family, and I can see just how profound their impact on him has been. He’s a good man. A trustworthy man. Someone who wore me down and charmed me, who’s always right where I need him

  How did I ever think I could resist him?

  I sit to his side, crossing my legs and facing him, grateful that I stole a tee and boxers from Marco before we went to sleep. “Okay, let’s talk. What would you like to know?”

  Marco’s head jerks. “Really?”

  “Of course. I can’t expect honesty if I can’t be open and honest too.” I point my finger at him. “And I’ll tell you now, lying is a deal-breaker. I’m not a woman with many rules but that, cheating, and disrespect are my limits.”

  He nods, looking impressed. “Are you real? Because I swear you’re fucking perfect.” He leans in for a kiss, but I stop him with a hand on his chest.

  I snort at the confused look on his face. “Nuh-uh, buddy. No touching the goods until the terms surrounding the touching of the goods are agreed upon,” I say. “Unless you just want to just get down and dirty and talk to me while you’re doing it?”

  “I’ll agree to whatever you want if I get a kiss. You’re being all sassy and demanding, and it’s doing crazy things to me,” he says, his voice dripping with sex. When did I turn into this crazy wanton woman who can barely think straight around this man?

  I narrow my eyes. “Marco . . .”

  He straightens and holds his hands up in surrender. I take another bite of my bagel while I wait for his reply.

  “So this is where I’m at with this thing we’ve started.”

  “You mean sex?”

  “God no,” he spits out, his dark eyes pinned to mine. “I would not have brought you to my bed without knowing I want this to be more. I want to see where this relationship can go.” He laces his fingers with mine on the mattress between us. “I want to be with you, Renee. I know you’ve got your misgivings about firefighters, and I hope that one day you’ll tell me about it. But being a firefighter is the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. I love my job. I’ve spent eighteen years dedicating most of my time to climbing up the ranks. Now that I’ve finally met you, I want to spend some time working on that too.”

  I’m speechless. Like, I have absolutely nothing sitting on the tip of my tongue. I also wanna pinch myself and make sure this is actually happening because Marco is too good to be true.

  His lips curve into a smirk. “Don’t tell me I’ve rendered my princess speechless?”

  “You are so much more than I ever gave you credit for.” Yep—he says this amazingly honest and raw thing and that is what I blurt out.

  “Baby,” he says softly, and that one word washes over me like a soft, fluffy blanket, surrounding me in warmth as I prepare to unload the heavy weight in my gut. It’s what has been holding me back with Marco, and it’s time to let it go.

  “My ex-fiancé was a firefighter.” I sneak a glance up at Marco, his encouraging nod all I need to continue. “We were together for four years before he proposed. I thought that was my life sorted. I figured he was financially stable, I was happy and in love, and I was starting to do well in my own career. I had my place, he had his, and it worked. He worked twenty-four on, forty-eight off, and often between doing that, the catching-up-on-sleep-and-life after his shifts, and the side jobs to make extra money, he was busy and I understood that.”

  “The life as a firefighter’s partner is not always easy.”

  I give his hand a gentle squeeze and send him a wry smile. “No, but for the right man, you know the work they do for the greater good, and you cherish the time you do spend together.”

  “Fuck,” he curses.

  “What?”

  “Just when I think I’ve got you figured out, you say something like that and it makes me wanna lay you down and show my appreciation.”

  “But we’re still talking,” I say, unable to wipe the grin off my face.

  “Yeah, we are. And I want you to know that whatever you say next, it won’t change a thing except maybe make me wanna hunt a fellow fireman down and earn myself a suspension.”

  My mouth drops open, my eyes staring in disbelief. ”You don’t even know what he did.”

  “I can hazard a guess.”

  “Yeah, well, there was a reason he was always busy, and it had nothing
to do with work and everything to do with him and fire bunnies wanting to slide down his inadequate pole.”

  Marco’s lips twitch. Soon his shoulders start shaking, and I know he’s not laughing at me, but more at how ridiculous it sounds.

  He lifts my hand to his mouth and smiles as he kisses my knuckles. “Baby, it’s a crying shame you were willing to marry a man with an inadequate pole, but I damn well hope I’m more than enough.”

  I snicker, then it turns into a giggle, and by the end of it, I’m leaning against Marco’s shoulder and we’re both laughing.

  “Would I know him? Your ex?”

  “I don’t know. I try not to waste my time thinking about him,” I say with a shrug

  “I’m sorry that happened to you because he obviously didn’t deserve everything you were giving him, and he definitely didn’t appreciate it.” He reaches up and cradles my jaw, tilting my chin so he’s staring deep into my eyes. “I swear, princess. I would never disrespect you like that. I’d never intentionally hurt you.”

  “Honestly, I wouldn’t be right where I am now if I ever thought you would.”

  “Fucking show stopper. Should’ve known you’d be fucking fantastic when I finally found you.”

  “Stop being swoony,” I whisper.

  “I’ll stop when you stop me,” he challenges, knowing exactly what he’s doing.

  I pounce. The bagels go flying. Soon, we’re making out on his bed and I somehow end up with cream cheese in my hair. Luckily for both of us, Marco has a big double shower and he knows how to be creative in it.

  Marco Rossi is now my boyfriend. Hayley is going to have a field day with this one.

  Now there’s just one more thing we have to do . . . get Gram’s approval.

  But if Marco can warm my cold heart, there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind he can charm my grandmother. Or maybe it’ll be the other way around. I guess we’ll see.

  12

  Marco

  Sunday afternoon and our entire crew and Gio are sitting around Rhodes’ backyard, having our monthly potluck get together. Rhodes, Zach and I started it a few years ago as a way of keeping our fingers on the pulse of the group as a whole. We may spend a lot of time working together during the week, but when you trust your life in each other’s hands on almost a daily basis, the friendships and camaraderie we have as a group is just as important as the trust we need to have on the job. Besides, it’s also good to just let loose among friends now and then. So we rotate these BBQs at each other’s houses, and all bring food and drinks, talk shit, unwind, and often, decompress.

  I’m still on a high after an incredible night and half the day with Renee. I’d love to rip her ex a new one, but had he not been an asshole and screwed her over, I wouldn’t have my shot now—and that’s something I’m eternally grateful for. Except for the fact that someone—namely, Gio—has obviously opened his big mouth and spread the news of my new relationship around the group.

  “Scotty, I’m telling you. We’re not going to be related.”

  “But if you seal the deal with Renee, and Hayley returns my calls, then I could be your brother from another mother,” he says sounding far too into the idea.

  I lean in, my lips quirking up. “Scotty, if a woman isn’t returning your calls, she’s just not that into you.”

  He scoffs. “Yeah, right. Women love the Scottmeister.”

  I meet Gio’s amused eyes across the table from me as he joins in on this ridiculous conversation. “Here’s a tip, Scottmeister. Women aren’t into guys who call themselves anything-meister.”

  I snort, as do Rhodes and Jake beside me.

  Scotty pulls his phone out of his pocket and scrolls through his contacts. “How about I call any one of these hot chicks in here? They’ll all vouch for just how much they liked it.”

  Jake screws his face up and holds his hand in the air. “This conversation just went above my classifications rating.”

  “Says the kid discussing the pros and cons of free and paid porn with me just last night,” Rhodes scoffs, earning a chorus of chuckles around the backyard.

  “Smartass,” Scotty grumbles, making us laugh harder.

  “How about we change the subject and get back to talking about the lieutenant and his realtor. How are things going with the lovely Renee?” Skye asks, sitting in Cohen’s lap and looking my way.

  “Or not,” I mumble, lifting my beer bottle to my mouth.

  “Well, she did stay last night,” Gio adds, not helping.

  My sister lights up. “So, things are getting serious then?”

  Rolling my eyes, I send pleading eyes to Rhodes to save me. He looks at me with a “What do you expect me to do?” expression. He’s as private as I am about my life, the difference being Rhodes’ life is all about work, Jake, and that’s about it.

  “Marco? You didn’t answer my question,” Skye says in a singsong voice that tells me she’s enjoying this far too much.

  “Yes, brat?”

  “Is it serious?”

  “It’s something, and that’s all you’re gonna get.”

  She pouts. “You’re no fun.”

  “And you’re far too much fun.”

  “That’s what he says.” She leans her back against Cohen’s chest, his arms wrapping around her waist.

  “Hold up,” Luca calls out, peering around Zach and narrowing his eyes on our sister. “Why are you touching her stomach?”

  All eyes turn to Cohen and Skye, and his hands cradling her abdomen. He goes to move them to her hips but Skye stops him, a slow-growing grin curving her mouth.

  “Brat?” Gio asks.

  My gaze softens as my baby sister looks my way.

  “We’re having a baby!” she announces.

  A round of cheers and applause fill the air. Gio gets up first, gently pulling Skye off Cohen’s legs and wrapping her up in a huge hug. Luca follows, doing the same thing, and I’m stuck staring at the little brat who—try as I might—I still see as a little girl with blond pigtails and a pink ballerina dress who would always follow me around and look at me like I’d hung the moon and arranged the stars.

  I’m the last to offer my congratulations, needing the time to swallow the lump in my throat. I’d never live it down if Scotty saw me choked up, even if it was for a damn good reason. I stand and make my way around to the now emotional Skye, who even with tears in her eyes and wet cheeks, still manages to pop a hip and narrow her gaze. “If you make me cry, Marco, I’ll make your life a living hell,” she says, absolutely no malice behind the words.

  I pull her in for a big bear hug and bring my mouth to her ear. “Brat, I’m so happy for you,” I murmur. “You’re going to be an amazing mom.” I move back but she stops me before I can step away.

  “Uncle Marco has a nice ring to it,” she says with a smile.

  “My favorite Uncle Marco sounds more like it.”

  “That too.”

  “I love you, brat.”

  “Love you too, big brother.”

  “But now, we need to go deal with your husband because I don’t care if you’re married, we now have proof he’s touched you and—”

  Her eyes bug out of her head and her mouth drops open before she quickly recovers. Then she grins. “Oh, okay,” she sighs, melodramatically. She’s used to us three Rossi brothers riling Cohen up. Besides, he brought a lifetime of it when he broke the rule and hooked up with our sister. He’s just lucky that I already knew he was a good man before he threw himself on his sword in front of us to tell Skye he loved her. “Just don’t hurt the important parts. I may be pregnant, but I’m not dead.”

  “Hey, wife! I heard that,” Cohen says, appearing at her side and wrapping his arm over her shoulders.

  Skye gazes up at him, looking happier than I’ve ever seen her. “You were meant to.”

  Cohen scowls back but with those two, it’s probably just foreplay. Eww.

  “Does this mean we don’t get to rough Cohen up this time?” Luca calls out from where he
’s now manning the grill with Rhodes.

  “Marco always spoils our fun,” Gio moans. “Just let us get a few licks in. It’ll do the boy some good.”

  “I’ll show you, old man,” Cohen says, him and Gio circling each other with their fists up like they’re sparring, both with huge grins on their faces.

  “You’re all a bunch of teenage boys,” Skye says, laughing as she sits down and leans back, watching our brother and her husband.

  “Leave him alone, G,” Zach says, chuckling as he brings out the BBQ meat from inside. “As someone who did get punched in the face by my wife’s brother, I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”

  “What about that time when you were too busy getting it on and you set your apartment on fire? Would you wish that on anyone?” Rhodes says, smirking at his new grill partner.

  “Fuck,” Zach replies, shaking his head. “Will I ever live that down?”

  “No,” every single one of us says in unison.

  “Damn.”

  I move back to my chair, finding Jake with his head down, his attention on his phone.

  “Hey. You good?” I ask, sitting next to him.

  He looks my way and gives me a chin lift. God, it’s scary how much he’s like Rhodes . ”Yeah, Uncle Marco.”

  I nod to the phone. “Who’s that?”

  “Dee Duncan. She’s this big YouTube chef who’s going viral at the moment. Dad watches her with me. I even catch him cheating and watching her new videos before I do.”

  My brows go up. “Really?”

  “Yep. She likes doing traditional dishes in new and healthy ways and making it all from scratch, not out of a box.”

  “So no Kraft mac ‘n’ cheese then?” I ask, nudging his arm.

  Jake’s lips twitch. “I haven’t had that since I was ten when you let me try and make it by myself.”

  “It was just lucky you had your fireman uncle nearby to limit the damage, huh?”

  He rolls his eyes but I don’t miss his half grin. “Whatever.”

  “Rhodes, Jake whatever’d me,” I say, sounding like a petulant teenager.

  “Jake,” Rhodes calls out. “I’ve told you not to tease Marco with your superior intellect. You know he just can’t keep up with us.”