The Spia Family Presses On - By Mary Leo Page 0,33

show me.”

My mouth went dry. My mom had sent Leo to the exact murder spot.

I froze for a moment trying to think of what to say, what to do. Then, without hesitation, I did the only thing I could think of to keep him from taking another step into the barn.

I leaned in and kissed him.

EIGHT

And Then There Was None

Leo’s mouth tasted sweet and familiar, and when his tongue touched mine, those old feelings flooded my body with intense desire. I wanted him so much it hurt; funny how something so bad for you could feel so damn good. I pressed my body up against his as tight as I could, going for all the sensations I could stand and still not lose my cool, although if it went on much longer I’d be pleading with him to take me on the floor. The kiss lasted until I was on the brink of complete surrender, with enough heat between us to power half the county. My only holdout in all of this was the simple fact that he couldn’t combine his kiss with an embrace, because if he could it would have been all over.

Leo still held onto the case of wine, thank you very much.

When he pulled away, there was a look of both uncertainty and lust on his beautiful face.

The good news was my headache had vanished.

The bad news was I wanted more of him.

Much more. I took a few steps backward.

“Where are you going with this, Mia? I thought we were through, forever, this time. I’m quoting,” he said, looking all flushed putting the box down and walking toward me looking totally hot and sexy, a look I could never resist.

I held up both hands and gently pushed on his chest, stopping him from getting any closer. “We are through. We both know that. So why did you stop by tonight?” I asked, knees weak, the taste of him still caressing my lips.

He was so close I could feel the heat coming off his body.

I wanted him more than I had ever wanted him before. My body ached for his touch.

“You invited me,” he said in his raspy bedroom voice while gently running two fingers down my cheek then over my swollen lips. I stopped breathing and walked in closer, nodding, longing to be wrapped tight in his arms, kissing him, loving him . . . “Wait, what did you say?”

“You invited me,” he repeated.

That broke the spell. I moved to the other side of the doorway. “Where did you get that idea?”

He looked genuinely confused.

“My assistant left a message that a woman called inviting me to the party. I naturally assumed it was you. Wasn’t it?”

I didn’t reply.

He went on despite my silence. “Plus she said that you wanted to buy two cases of red wine, and could I please bring them? You know I would never take your money for my wine. Whatever you want, kitten, it’s yours.”

He moved in closer, but this time when I took a step back I was thinking someone had gone to a lot of trouble to get Leo to come to the party. But why?

“I’m sorry I was so late, but I had a dinner party that I couldn’t blow off. Two wine critics from Italy. I know how the Spia parties usually go well into the night, so I didn’t think my timing would be that far off. Obviously, I was wrong. I left you a message that I’d be late. Didn’t you get it?”

“No. Sorry, it was a busy day.” How could I have missed his call? This wasn’t making any sense, unless he was lying again.

I had to find out the truth in all of this. I didn’t want to believe that Leo could somehow be mixed up in Dickey’s murder.

Leo flung the box off his shoulder. “I need to put this down. I have one more case out in the car. It’s our Muscato and Chardonnay blend. I brought it especially for your mom. I know how much she likes a sweeter wine.”

“You can leave the wine here,” I said, standing directly in front of him. “I’ll take care of it later.”

He peered around me. I knew there wasn’t one empty shelf. They were all filled with rows of our bottled extra virgin oils, and our flavored vinegars. If he left the wine on the floor it would be in the way of the doorway. This was becoming a problem. He readjusted the box in