a mama scare him off. "Please. Join us."
"No." The word came out in stereo, as both Tea and her mother spoke at the same time. Tea blushed.
Bianca shot a knowing look at her daughter, then laughed. "No, I can't stay, thanks. I'm meeting someone down the street."
Tea tucked her hair behind her ears. "See, I knew that," she said, then ducked her head to take another deep draw from the straw in her margarita.
Her mother laughed again. "I'll leave you two alone then. It's been good seeing you."
"It's been good seeing you, too." Johnny hoped the devil's snicker sounding inside him didn't show on his face.
Tea's mother started to turn, then she hesitated, frowning. "You remind me of someone."
He stilled, newly alert. His physical resemblance to his father was remote and his coloring completely different. But might she see a similarity? It hadn't even occurred to him that she could have been acquainted with Giovanni sixteen years before. "Is that right?"
Bianca nodded her head. "Someone I've recently met."
"His brother lives in the area," Tea supplied. "Maybe you've seen him."
"Perhaps that's it," her mother said, and then with a little wave, she was gone.
Johnny downed the dregs of whiskey, chasing away the last of his tension. Over its rim, he watched Tea use her fingertip to pick up grains of coarse salt from the edge of her glass then bring them to her mouth. Oh, yeah. With her mother out of the picture it was back to the game.
"Now, where were we?" he asked softly. .
She froze, her lips around the end of her forefinger. Her gaze met his and the flickering light on the table showed the new flush washing up her face.
Though it was obvious she hadn't wanted her mother to join them, it was up to him to remind her why. Reaching out, he took her hand from her mouth, then brought it to his own. He sucked in her wet finger.
She made a little sound. "Johnny," she whispered. "Johnny, I don't think I'm hungry anymore."
He licked the end of her finger and released her hand. "I'll pay the bill."
She nodded, then drew her margarita closer to take another big gulp of the frozen drink.
Johnny closed his eyes. Damn it. Damn Tea's mother, his mother, his boring but unbreakable Main Street upbringing. All three of them were conspiring against him. "We need to eat first, Contessa. You need food."
Thank God the waitress was at that moment bearing down on them with enormous platters, an enchilada combination plate for him and a spinach-and-cheese quesadilla for Tea. They'd eat, they'd leave, they'd fuck. Since he was giving her food, his conscience had nothing to complain about.
It didn't take long for the meal to affect Tea's mood. Gone was the dizzy look in her eyes. She pushed the margarita away though it was still one-third full. The sexual flush on her face faded and she stared at her plate instead of at him.
Johnny cursed his own scruples.
"Second thoughts, Contessa?" he asked. It looked as if her earlier acquiescence was gone and that he'd be going home to an empty bed. He didn't want to think how difficult it would be to get to sleep tonight.
She looked up. "What? Uh, urn, no. Not really." An embarrassed blush bloomed on her cheeks and she clapped her palms over them. "This feels so awkward."
Second thoughts would have killed him. Awkward, he could handle. Smiling at her, he leaned forward to take one of her hands in his. "Maybe I should have gone ahead with my first inclination. I promise you wouldn't be feeling awkward right now."
She narrowed her pretty dark eyes. "What inclination was that?"
He lowered his voice. "I wanted to dare you to take off your panties during dinner."
Her fingers bit into his. "Johnny." She sounded scandalized.
Almost tempted.
"Tea," he countered. "Would you have agreed?"
Her primo ass squirmed against her seat. "Of course not."
"No one would have to know," he whispered. "Just you and me. Our little, sexy secret."
She squirmed more. "Nooo. No."
He grinned, certain that panty-less or not, she was feeling that way right now, as if she was naked beneath her skirt and that he was the only other one who knew it.
"You're evil." She frowned at him.
"I try." He wiggled his eyebrows. "Come on, Contessa, do it."
She hesitated. God, he almost had her.
"It'll be our sexy little secret," he whispered again, sliding his fingers along the smooth insides of hers and shutting his conscience away for good. Tonight he'd have her