decorated with an assortment of tableware. She was full of surprises like that, though.
“Do you want dessert?” he asked, his gaze on her chest. Maybe they could go back to the house for a quick… nap. He loved the way the panels of her red sweater opened when she leaned forward to reveal her enticing cleavage. His fingers itched to push those panels open and look at her beautiful body.
Then he looked up and saw her face, unguarded, and saw how truly tired she was. “Why don’t I drive you home, Marie? You look exhausted.”
“I’m just a little tired today, that’s all. We didn’t get to sleep until 3 am, you know?” A smile played around her lips, a delighted smile that held just a little hint of naughty promise.
“I do know, and you were amazing, as always.” He pulled her hand to his and signaled with the other to the waiter for the bill. “You took a taxi over?”
“Yes, I’m terrified to drive in this city.” She looked down, a flush of embarrassment heating her skin. “I know you got me the new car, but, I just can’t manage it.”
It was a small, red sports car, and she hadn’t driven it yet. He suspected she was afraid of damaging the thing, but he didn’t care, so long as she could be independent and didn’t hurt herself.
“We’ll go out this weekend and I’ll help you to get used to it. Don’t worry, you’ll soon be a pro at getting around traffic here.” He stood up as the waiter brought their bill over in a plastic folder and then left with a wish that they come back soon. Matteo nodded at the man, paid at the cash register, and guided Marie out to his car.
Once they were in, he leaned over to kiss her. She tasted of the wine they’d shared and mint. She’d snuck one in while they were at the cash register, he guessed. “You always taste so good.”
He murmured the words hotly against her lips, unwilling to pull away just yet. She pulled her face back to his and he knew it wasn’t just him that didn’t want the kiss to end. His hands were between her thighs, pushing up her skirt, and her breathing said she wanted him. The way she moaned when his fingers slid inside of her said the same.
There went that idea of letting her have a break, he thought, but the guilt washed away when she begged him for more. Letting her rest was going to be hard work, he thought with a chuckle as he gave her exactly what she wanted.
17
Spring was in the air and the world was coming back to life. That tended to happen in April, though. Marie looked down at the world below and saw splashes of pinks and white that weren’t snow. She’d been delighted when it snowed the day after Christmas, and then again on New Year’s Eve. By February, she was over her childlike excitement and saw each new flake of snow as the next drop of brownish-black sludge that it would turn to in the city.
Now, green shoots were poking up from the ground and flowers started to bloom. The world was about to bloom back into life. She sipped at her coffee and her thoughts drifted back, all the way down to the bayou, where crawfishermen would be busy trapping and families would be coming together to eat the fruits of that labor. Not that she’d ever taken part in such get-togethers, but she’d seen them from her car. Everyone smiled, laughed, and had a good time with each other.
It was a far cry from the city so far away in the north and from the family she’d found with Matteo. Matteo’s family had thawed towards her, a little, well some of them had. Celeste had only made an appearance in Marie’s life that one evening on Christmas day. Trina had become a fixture in her life, though, a constant that kept Marie smiling.
Matteo and his cousin made life easier up here, where everyone sounded strange, and even the food was different. There were plenty of restaurants claiming to make Cajun or Creole food, but it wasn’t the same. And she was starting to miss the quiet nights that weren't quiet at all. The road noise, the constant drone of a million machines, everything made a noise, a vibration, that came up through the floors and walls of the penthouse as a low