Page 48 of Gary

Clearly it was more than just attraction. She could honestly say to herself that she had never felt this way before or slept with a man she barely knew. Not to mention spending the entire night with him. She had enjoyed every minute of it and the lovemaking- She took several deep breaths to steady herself.

She was an avid reader, and romance was her favorite genre. She had read many of the best authors and admired their attention to details. She had felt tingles through her body while reading the love scenes, but nothing had prepared her for Gary Russo. He was in a league of his own. Closing her eyes briefly, she shuddered out a breath.

Her body was still tingling and her nipples… “Oh dear God,” she groaned. They were too sensitive for words. Warmth flooded her body as she recalled what he had done with his mouth. Putting away the coffee, she took up the cushion and hugged it against her chest.

And pondered. So, they had only just met each other – just two weeks now and she had gone to bed with him. She did not know much about him at all, aside from a few basic facts and one of those facts was that he seemed to come from money.

His clothes were expensive if understated. The only jewelry he wore was a very pricey Apple watch. His phone was also expensive - she had googled both of them.

He was attentive and great to talk to. They had been out on one date to a restaurant tucked in the middle of nowhere. Which made her wonder if he was hiding the fact that he was seeing her.

He wasn’t married, that much she was certain of – or was she? He told her he had been living in Italy for five years. What if he had a wife and children there and just escaped to have sex in the country of his birth?

“Now you’re being ridiculous,” she muttered. Picking up the cooling coffee, she took a sip and let her mind wander back to last night. The shock of him inside her- deep inside her- Oh God! He hadn’t used anything, and she was not on any contraceptives.

It had been so long for her that she had not bothered to renew her dosage. There had been no need for it. One hand flew to her stomach, and she found herself wondering what it would feel like to carry his baby nestled inside her womb.

“Stop it!” She snapped at herself. “Now you’re being crazy.”

But she could not get the image out of her head. Nor could she stop thinking about his body on hers.

“Touch me.” Her eyes drifted close as his deep voice filtered into her mind.

“Where?”

“Everywhere.” He whispered in her ear. “Yes, just like that. Baby, you are killing me.”

She jumped when the bell tinkled and almost spilled coffee all over her clothes. Taking a deep breath, she forced a smile and went to see to her customer.

Chapter 10

He could not stop smiling. He was still flushed and feverish from the sexual marathon and could feel her wrapped around every inch of him. God! He felt good. He felt wonderful and alive for the first time in his life, and it was because of her.

Yes, the sobering thought was that he was hiding things from her. Like the most basic of things. His damn name, one that he was ashamed of. One that he was determined to do something about. He could not stand the chance of her rejecting him for what he could not change, and something had never been a part of.

His smile collapsed and was replaced by a frown. He had to tell her and soon. So far, she had not recognized him. Maybe she was not up to date with celebrity news, not that he was in any way a celebrity, but his family was infamous.

They had been in the news so much in the past that there wasn’t a day that went by without the name being mentioned, for one reason or another.

In the past it had been investigations by the IRS, rumors of unexplained disappearances of employees, shady business dealings, extortion – Christ! The list had been long. Not to mention the corrupt law enforcement officers, the judges and politicians the family had in its pocket. It had sickened him. No wonder he had turned tail and run.

He could explain all of that to her, but the fact remains that his name was Moretti, and he had no idea what else they had been up to when he left. He had refused to receive or even listened to news about them. Lately, he was relieved to see that had changed drastically. Now, Moretti was into charity, trying to right the wrongs of the past.

But the name was still tainted, and he was not certain he could in all honesty ask or expect her to want to share it.

Wait! What? Share? As in ask her to marry him? It hit him like a thunderbolt - it was precisely where this was going. Sliding into the large hospital parking lot, he shut off the engine and stared out at the trees waving in the November breeze.

He wanted forever with her, the whole damn deal. A home with a big backyard with trees where he could make a swing, he wassure he could handle that. Possibly a dog – definitely not a cat, he was not tolerant of the feline creatures.

A cheery kitchen that overlooked a pond or a lake, with ducks, horses, several of them and children, to fill the rooms, possibly four, two if she balks. A huge living room with a big fireplace, with stockings hanging up at Christmas, something he had never experienced before. He wanted all of that and he wanted it with her.

He had kidded himself into thinking that he didn’t. Well, to be fair, he had never had the urge until he met her. He wanted it so badly; he could practically taste it.

He jumped slightly when his phone vibrated and felt his heart picking up speed as he wondered if it was her. He had not gotten the chance to kiss her goodbye and he felt deprived. Squelching his disappointment when he looked at the LED, he forced a jocular tone to his voice.

“Uncle Graham.”

“Why are you sitting in the parking lot?”