definitely off the menu for you darlin’. Trust me, you’ll love every mouthful.”
I love the flush that creeps across her face and the spark that ignites those gorgeous green eyes. She runs her tongue around her lips and I inch a little closer, wanting nothing more than to lick the ice-cream off her naked body and hear her moan my name. I don’t think either of us remember there are kids present because her breath hitches and she breathes a little faster and then blushes as Cassie says in a sing song voice, “Sophia and Maverick sitting in a tree, k.i.s.s.i.n.g.”
Jack laughs loudly and Sophia looks at them in shock as I grin. Fucking kids.
Shaking her head, Sophia says quickly, “Honestly, Cassie, you’ve got that wrong.”
Cassie grins at me and I wink, making her giggle and whisper behind her hand to Jack, who nods vigorously. Hell, even these kids see it and so I try to distract my attention onto them.
“So, you’ve got a new baby brother since I was gone, what’s he like?”
“Daddy said he’s named after a prince because his daddy’s a King.”
Cassie looks so proud it draws a rare smile from my lips and Jack looks a little put out. “I heard he cries all the time.”
“He does, but that’s what babies do; mommy told me.”
Cassie looks so serious as Jack shrugs. “Babies can’t play football or climb trees. I’m glad he’s not in our house.”
“Shut up, Jack, don’t talk bad about my brother or I’ll punch you.”
Cassie looks so fierce I almost want to laugh out loud and thankfully the ice-creams arrive in the nick of time, diverting their attention from a possible fist fight.
The kids fall on their ice-creams as if they’ve never seen one before, and Sophia looks at hers warily as it stands before her in all its decadent glory.
I take my spoon and god only knows why, I push it in the middle of the bowl and offer a huge spoonful to the woman looking wary beside me.
“Open.”
Without saying another word, I hold the spoon against her lips and Cassie says loudly, “Try it, Pia, it’s the best.”
Slowly and tentatively she opens her mouth and as I push the spoon inside, I imagine a very different part of me in its place. As her lips close around the metal shaft and pull the cream inside, I discover a raging hard on that’s no business being there.
I watch intently for a reaction and she half closes her eyes and moans with approval and then opens her eyes and stares at me with those sparkling green eyes and nods. “You were right, it is good.”
For a moment, I can’t form words, but then I’m aware of the amused expressions on the kids’ faces and pull the spoon away quickly and turn my attention to the ice-cream instead. “Told you, I’m guessing vanilla is off the menu in the future.”
“Maybe, but then again, I’ve never been a fan of ice-cream.”
She says it slowly and with a sadness to her voice that causes me to look and I see the loneliness in her eyes that only one who knows what that feels like can truly understand. She bows her head with a sigh and continues to play with her food as the kids chatter about school and some kid called Billy Merino.
I tune out and lower my voice, whispering, “You can shut the world away, darlin’, or you can open the door and let it in. You might find it’s not as scary as you think it is.”
I feel her tense and she looks down and I watch the shutters slam shut as she says tightly, “Who said I wanted to? Maybe I prefer my own company.”
“If you do, it’s because you haven’t found the right company to keep.”
Leaning back, she half turns and directs those cold eyes at me and sneers. “And you think that’s you?”
“I’m not saying that. Have I asked to be here? No, the reason I’m asking is that I can tell you’re in a bad place right now and probably don’t know where the exit is. I’ve been there and can show the way. Not because I have any other motive than helping a fellow human being in trouble. It’s what we do. We build up broken angels and mend their wings so they can fly again. If you won’t listen to me, there are fifty more where we come from who would only be too happy to show you the