Page 24 of Secret Sin
His lips quirked upward in the corners. “And who told you I would take that dream from you?”
I shrugged meekly. “Me. I’ve never known a Mafia man who didn’t keep his wife or girlfriend tucked away for safekeeping.”
His eyes sparked to life with a flash of his beautiful dimples. “Lucky for you, I’m Irish, and we’re used to our women being entirely too batshit crazy to control.”
I choked on a laugh as a swarm of bubbling emotions summoned a new pool of tears.
Bishop placed a tender kiss at the corner of each of my eyes. “I’m not asking for forever yet, just that you’ll give me a chance. Giveusa chance.”
I leaned forward hesitantly and allowed my lips to ghost against his. “I don’t want to push you away anymore. I don’t want it to be over.”
“Whatever this is, kitten, it’s not the end. This is only the beginning.”
Bishop spentthe next hour with me on the couch, watching a movie and talking. We cuddled and teased and laughed until my heart felt full to bursting. By the time my family returned, I had to rein in my obnoxious smile so that my dad didn’t suspect something more had gone on while he was out.
I was reluctant to let Bishop leave when the time came but pleased when he asked me, with Dad present, if he could pick me up for breakfast the following morning. Dad looked at me as if to verify that I wanted to go and took my giddy grin as answer enough. I was so excited I could hardly sleep that night. It was amazing how freeing it was to allow yourself to feel what came naturally. I’d felt like I shouldn’t want to be in a relationship, adding guilt and frustration to an already uncertain situation. When I simply allowed myself to enjoy the way I felt around Bishop, warm light seemed to flow through my veins.
That electric rush gave me the energy I needed the next morning when Bishop showed up bright and early after thoughts of him had kept me awake late into the night.
“Morning, gorgeous.” His voice was raspy and sexy as hell. He took my hand in his and walked me to his car. “You sleep well?”
“I had a little trouble getting to sleep, actually.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yup. All kinds of happy, tingly thoughts kept me awake,” I teased.
Bishop groaned from deep in his chest. “The things you do to me should be illegal.”
“That’s funny. I’ve thought the same about you—or, more precisely, your dimples.”
He grinned at me. “You like the dimples?”
“Please.” I scoffed, tilting my head to the side. “As if you don’t know how damn sexy those things are.”
“Still good to hear you say it.” He pulled me close and kissed my temple before helping me into his yellow Mustang.
We rode in comfortable silence for a few minutes before I decided to ask a question that had danced in my mind for days. “Bishop?”
“Mmm?”
“Why me?” I asked softly, peering at him from the corner of my eye.
His gaze swept my way with amusement. “Why not you?”
“Because we hardly know each other. How could you have been so convinced you wanted me in such a short amount of time?”
“I don’t have to eat two tubs of mint chip ice cream to know it’s my favorite.”
“Yeah, but people aren’t ice cream,” I chided playfully. My insides warmed at his molten gaze.
“No, but you taste just as sweet.”
Hell, what had I been thinking to push him away? He was everything a sane, rational girl could want in a guy. And I’d been too stubborn to open my eyes and see.
“Where are we going for breakfast.” A wash of embarrassment had me changing the subject.
“Café Bohanan. I hear the chef there makes a mean French toast.” He winked.