Love by the Slice (Harbor Point Book 1)

by Heather Young-Nichols

No idea what Joe was talking about, but a break wasn’t happening anytime soon. Finally pushing myself away, then immediately wishing I hadn’t, Gio slipped out of the room mumbling something about getting more sauce from the back fridge. As quickly as I could I went over the order with Joe, who scrunched his face up at a few of the items. I couldn’t have agreed more. But there was something up with him. I could see it.

  “What’s that face?” I asked the old guy I’ve known my entire life. “You look like a cat with a mouse.”

  “Gio’s been annoying as hell today,” Joe finally spit out. “He’s been happy or something. I assume it has to do with you.” I shrugged but the corners of my lips pulled up even more. “Don’t get me wrong. He always works hard and is generally pleasant to be around, but today…he’s fucking whistling.”

  That brought a full belly laugh out of me as Gio came back in with the canister of sauce he’d been after. A sheepish grin made me wonder if he’d heard what Joe said. I wasn’t going to tease the guy about it but I wanted confirmation that I put him in such a good mood. I mean, last night was pretty great.

  Getting my thoughts off his hands running over every inch of my body the night before proved difficult. But I had work to do. Gio called me back right as I got out of earshot of the other guys in the kitchen.

  “See you tonight?” he asked quietly against my ear.

  “If you want to.”

  “Want to? Fuck, Bianca, I’d move in right about now if you let me.”

  A quick push sent him on his way, and I didn’t see him until much later in the break room. I leaned over the table to put my receipts in order when I felt a pair of hands on my hips pulling my ass into his crotch.

  Sighing, and without looking back, I said, “Joe, I told you not at work.” Suddenly I spun around to face him but not by my own accord.

  “Oh, ha ha. You think you’re real fucking funny don’t you.” I liked playful Gio. He’d been nice, funny, sweet, moody and downright irritable but never playful. “I’m done. You done?”

  “Yeah. I can head out.” Gio started by pushing me back against the table until I had almost no choice but to sit on the edge as he weaseled his way between my legs. Before he could kiss me, I blurted, “Mom saw you leave this morning.”

  “That a problem?”

  “Not for me, but I wanted to warn you. They’re leaving tomorrow. I need to see Dad to get my stitches out and they can be a couple of weirdos. My dad may get his shotgun out.” I thought about how it sounded. I didn’t mean for a shotgun wedding. How ridiculous would that be? “For intimidation.”

  “I think I can handle it. So, we’re going back to your place?” His eyebrows wiggled suggestively.

  “I’m not going to Mrs. Wardin’s if that’s what you mean. She may ask to join us.” Gio groaned but it wasn’t the sound I’d heard in my bed. His groan wasn’t the sound of a man who was imagining how hot it would be in a three-way. He sounded as disgusted by the thought as me.

  “Don’t say shit like that, Bianca. I may be impotent now.”

  “Unlikely,” I shrugged. “We could stop by and pick you up some stuff. I mean, if you want to. You don’t have to spend the night.” Where did that come from? Of course, he’d stay over. Neither of us had to work the next day.

  Chapter Twelve

  A few days later, Gio had the brilliant idea to remind me that he’d heard the beginnings of one of my more embarrassing stories and wanted to hear the rest of it. Maybe not the most embarrassing but it pretty far up there. Any time your Grandpa opens the door to find you wrapped in a blanket naked as the day you were born, it’s a bad day.

  “So, come on,” he goaded me, “do I get to hear this story or what?”

  He’d been bugging me to tell him the entirety of why I’d been brought home by police sans clothes. I made a mental note to kill Gramps for bringing it up and Nick for making it happen in the first place.

  “Fine,” I sighed, “it was a dare. You’ll get a better picture if I take you there. Feel like a ride?” We made the ten-minute trek in his truck without talking about the incident until he stopped beside Johnsons’ pond surrounded by a dark, quiet, peaceful wooded area.

  “You don’t want to do that,” I warned when Gio went to roll the windows down. “The mosquitoes are hell out here after dark. Better to leave the air on if you don’t want to be eaten alive.” We were completely surrounded by woods and the pterodactyl-sized bugs were no joke. Instead, he turned the lights off and left the motor running, keeping the cab cool instead of stifling and filled with his smell.

  “So….” He smirked at me.

  After sighing I told him the whole story. Rumor had it that back during prohibition Harbor Point was a hotbed of bootlegging activity. Part of the legend said mobsters used Johnson’s Pond to hide their wares. Allegedly, when prohibition got repealed, a ton of money and whiskey were forgotten at the bottom. Just a run of the mill town legend really. Until my friends got a hold of it.

  “Wait, wait, wait. A treasure hunt?” He shook his head smiling.

  “I told you it was stupid.”

  “Yes, but what I’m curious about is how you ended up naked.”

  “You would be,” I mumbled. “Ok, when I went in, with Nick and Bailey and a couple of other people standing by since I’d taken the dare, my bathing suit, top and bottom, got tangled on … I actually don’t even know what, on the way back up. My head was barely above water and there were police sirens in the distance. So I had to strip to get the hell out of there.”

  “And Nick didn’t stay to help you?”

  “His parents were…strict. If the cops would’ve brought him home, his dad…” I didn’t finish the sentence hoping Gio got the point. Mr. Scherzer’s favorite pastime involved disciplining his kids with corporal punishment. When he died three years ago, I don’t think Nick got too upset. “Anyway, let’s just say old Sparky was pretty surprised when he ordered me out of the water.”

  “Christ, did you give him a heart attack?” His words came out through barking laughter as I’m sure he pictured everything I’d told him.

  “Nah, he loved it. His face turned red and everything. Probably because his family has known mine since forever and his older brother dated my mom. He wasn’t even old. Like, thirty maybe.”

  “So you really are a handful, aren’t you?” His voice dropped a few notches to a level which always made my stomach do acrobatics from the mere suggestion in his words.

  “Yeah, Gramps wasn’t surprised.” Sliding closer to me, the mood changed as his hand found mine.

  “Wait, does that mean your bikini is still out there?”

  I shrugged, “Probably.” He laughed again, quieter this time.

  I don’t know if it was the fact that we were secluded with the moonlight flooding the cab or if being in such close proximity to Gio pushed me over the edge, whatever it was, I attacked. My lips crashed into his. Catching him by surprise, he recovered, clasping his hand around the back of my neck to pull me even closer. Then he took over. I loved that about him. He liked to be in control, and most of the time I liked him to be. But not this time.

  Nudging him back, he ended up right in the middle of the bench seat, which gave me plenty of room to climb on top of him and use his shoulders to steady myself. Passion and urgency pushed my lips open deepening the kiss. So deeply that in no time we were both gasping for air. Slipping my hands down his body, I opened his pants as if I’d snapped my fingers and parted the red sea. Quickly and completely. Just feeling how hard he was turned me on even more. Without breaking apart, Gio knew what I wanted him to do. I wanted his pants out of my way. My hands urged him to allow me to expose his most intimate part to the clammy cool air of the truck. Lifting his hips, he took me with him like I added no weight to the effort whatsoever.

  I pumped his length a few times before I removed my panties in the darkness. There were always benefits to skirts and I felt brazen and in control. That control gave me a level of confidence I didn’t kno
w existed. Climbing back on top, I slid down around him in one move causing his head to fall back against the seat. A strangled groan escape his mouth. It brought a smile to my face knowing it felt as good to him as it did to me. Every sound he made caused a physical reaction from me. My heart beat harder, and my nerve endings tingled in the best possible way.

  When my hips started to move, his hands clasped on hard before moving up to my shoulders. I pulled my mouth away to catch my breath. His hands ran from my shoulders, down to my waist, leaving my shirt and bra a pool of material above my hips. He cupped my breasts before his mouth replaced his fingers. This time, I moaned then shivered.

  Our hands touched everywhere we could reach and our mouths kissed and nipped at any exposed flesh. As I slid against, the pressure began to build. His hot skin under my fingers was like smooth and soft. Heavenly. The faster I moved, the tighter that coil in the bottom of my stomach got. I could feel it happening, I was almost there and within the next couple of seconds, the almost disappeared. Gio filled my heart more than he filled my body. My body fell against his, sapped of all energy and unable to move on its own. Gio laughed quietly against my ear, the sound of him filling me warmth again. Then he took over because he wasn’t done yet. I tried to help, I did but seriously I think he liked being back in control anyway. I let him.

  The hands on my hips started pushing at me slower and slower until they stopped. His hands ran up and down my back, calming my pulse down with each movement. I have no idea how long I sat there with my head on his shoulder. Long enough that he had to encourage me to move. All I could muster was to collapse back against the door, one leg still across his.

  After pulling his pants back in place, Gio slipped behind and held me to his chest. Gently he ran his hand through my hair as we both tried to come down. I sat there between his legs breathing until I started to giggle. I couldn’t help it.

  “What?” His post sex deep voice made me want to go again. Sexy and manly and something I wanted to record so I could hear it anytime I wanted to.

  “The windows.” A fine mist covered every inch of the glass. If anyone came along there’d be no denying what we’d been up to.

  “Totally your fault.” It was. I take the blame.

  Eventually, we had to leave whether we liked it or not. The whole point of my story was about old man Johnson (never learned the guys’ name) not appreciating trespassers. When I tried to scoot back to the passenger’s side, Gio pulled me back next to him and handed me the middle seatbelt. That’s how we rode home. At a snail’s pace.

  “So, do you want to stay over?” I asked as Gio walked me to my door. I felt awkward asking him that. Like I was inviting him to a slumber party but I liked having him next to me. Loved waking up next to him.

  “I want to, but I can’t.” That wasn’t the answer I wanted to hear. “I have to leave early. Go out of town for a few days.” I shook my head because this was the first I’d heard about it. “Figured I need to check in with the folks.” Yet he looked like he’d rather have all of his teeth removed without anesthetic.

  “Makes sense.” I leaned back against my door. He moved in taking up every bit of my visual field.

  “I’d offer to take you with me—”

  “I’m good.” I knew if things stayed on track, I’d have to meet them eventually, but they didn’t sound overly pleasant. Which made me wonder why he’d go visit in the first place.

  “Yeah, they’re not exactly the type of people you bring your girl home to.”

  Ridiculously, my heart clenched then raced like a gangbanger eluding the cops after a drive-by when he called me his ‘girl’.

  Instead of letting him know how much he affected me, I decided to address something else which had occurred to me moments after we’d finished in the truck.

  “So—” Didn’t get the chance to continue.

  “I never have sex without a condom, Bianca.”

  I’d been thinking about it since we finished but couldn't know he would be. At least he didn’t look upset or angry that I kind of … went with it.

  “Never," he said forcefully.

  “Sorry about that. I guess I got carried away.”

  “You weren’t the only one. I only told you so you wouldn’t worry I gave you genital warts or something. That shit’s forever.”

  “Oh my god,” I groaned. He would think of that. “Hadn’t crossed my mind. I’m good, too. I mean, I think I am. I’m usually careful and my history is a bit … limited. But I can get tested if it’d make—” The word vomit got cut off with his lips. The gentle movement against me ended much too soon.

  “Only way I could think to shut you up.” He sighed. “That won’t be necessary. But there are other concerns.”

  “I don’t think so.” I didn’t keep exact track but I thought I was clear of the ‘fertile zone’. “I’ll hit the pharmacy in the morning to be sure.” His brows crashed against his eyelids in confusion. “Well, when Plan A fails or is forgotten it’s time for Plan B.”

  “Have you used it before? Is it safe?”

  “No, and yes it’s safe. Bailey needed it in college.”

  The air around us changed. Gone was the awkward, unpleasant conversation mood we’d momentarily been lost in only to be replaced by Gio’s warmth moving in closer, cupping my face and leaning his forehead against mine.

  “I love you, Bianca. I’ve never said those words to anyone in my life, but I fucking love you.”

  Yet another cheesy grin spread across my face.

  “I kinda figured that out,” I smirked up at him, faking a calm coolness I didn’t feel. Quite the opposite. Tiny ballerina’s danced to an orchestra in my stomach while my heartbeat acted as metronome. “I love you, too.”

  His lips crushed against mine harder and more urgent than ever. I thought he might have forgotten about leaving early the next morning. But he didn’t.

  “See ya in a few days.”

  Nodding, no words would form on my tongue because it still wanted to be tasting his. Instead, he took a big step back then waved his hand toward my door. Leaving him turned out to be so much harder than it should’ve been. My key missed the deadbolt twice and I accidentally locked it after unlocking it again. Whatever. Gio’s low chuckle brought a flush of embarrassment to my face so I had to flip him off over my shoulder. Had to. He knew what he was doing to me.

  The next morning, I woke up and got ready half an hour early to make sure I’d have enough time to make my purchase. Having sex without a condom was stupid and one rule I did not break. But I did and had to make sure things were taken care of. However, when I opened the door to leave, a brown paper bag waited on the welcome mat. Inside was exactly what I needed. Gio made the stop before leaving town so I wouldn’t have to. That man!

  “You didn’t have to do that,” I said as soon as he picked up his cell phone. The low sound of his truck engine hummed in the background.

  “I was already out,” he said as if that’s why he did it.

  “Uh-huh.”

  “And…I don’t know. I felt better talking to the pharmacist before you took anything.” He constantly surprised me with his answers. “I hope that’s ok.”

  “Oh yeah,…it’s more than ok.” We both fell silent as I started to pace around the kitchen. We’d already put everything on the line last night, there shouldn’t have been anything weird about this. I didn’t get it. “So, where are you?”

  “Couple hours outside Harbor Point. What’s on tap for you today?”

  “Work. Gramps hired a few extra kids which means I’ll probably be training. Actually, I should get going. Call me tonight?” God, I hoped I didn’t sound as desperate as I thought I did.

  “Wouldn’t miss it.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Since Gemma and I had to work the late shift the next day, we met Bailey at the beach mid-morning to hang out. The sun felt wonderful, warming my skin and within the hour, I knew Bailey and I may have found our third musketeer. The position previousl
y held by Nick who wasn’t around much anymore.

  “So, Gemma, you have a boyfriend?” Bailey would ask the question right off. Her hormones were always in overdrive. Gemma only shook her head in response. The way her face fell would’ve been enough for anyone to move to a new subject. Either Bailey didn’t notice or she didn’t care. “Are you a virgin?”

  “I didn’t say that,” Gemma mumbled, her face falling even more if possible giving me the impression that this was not a happy subject for her.

  “What about you, Hay Bale?” I asked with a half-smile.

  The infamous death glare focused on me. “First, Gemma, do not ever call me that. Second, Bianca, we can’t all have the hotness that is Gio sniffing around.”

  “Sniffing around?” I giggled. “Nice.”

  “Gio? Hot?” Gemma prodded sounding skeptical. She had to be messing around because there wasn’t a person with ovaries in three counties who didn’t know how sexy Gio was.

  “Oh yeah,” Bailey said with excitement. Her eyes lit up whenever she got the chance to bring someone into the inner sanctum of our world. It wasn’t often. “He is the epitome of male hotness.” She went on to describe Gio, as she saw him, in detail, even though Gemma had obviously met the man. A little too much detail for my comfort, including areas she couldn’t possibly know about, personal areas, yet was completely accurate. Course, she also made him sound like a man-whoring lothario but again, I didn’t think she was all wrong about it. Not that I thought he still caroused as Gramps would say but he definitely had experience. Gemma grew more and more uncomfortable—shifting on her blanket several times—the longer Bailey spoke.

  “Ok, enough. Jesus, Bailey, let’s try not to forget he’s my boyfriend.”

  “Trust me,” she said falling back in her chair, “who could forget? The boy loves you the way I love cake. I could run buck naked and drop spread eagle in front of him and he wouldn’t give me a second look.”

  “Gross.” She gave a visual like nobody else, “please…don’t.”