is not perfect. Far from it.”
I stare at him in wonder because I see nothing but a beautiful, perfect man in front of me, and I’m bringing in a truckload of baggage to drag him down. “You have an amazing career, a great flat, a lovely family. Meanwhile, I’m living with my brother. You have your shit together, Sonny. You can’t deny that!”
“Everyone has their demons, Tilly.” His tone is serious as a flash of pain crosses his face. “But it’s not something I want to talk about right now. Bloody hell. What happened? Can we calm the fuck down for a moment?”
“Okay.” I cross my arms over my chest nervously as we both go quiet. I hate that I had to stop things, but the idea of Santino taking me to his bed right now scares the shit out of me. It’s been so long, and I barely remember the last time I had sex. What if I freak out in the middle of it?
Santino exhales heavily, breaking the tense silence. “Look, I know you and I have a past, but that doesn’t mean we have to fall right back into where we left off. We can take things slow. Start fresh. Let’s just see each other for a bit. Hell, people on their first dates don’t unload years’ worth of baggage on each other, right?”
I shrug helplessly. “I suppose not.”
He nods slowly and steps into me. “So, let’s treat this like our first date, okay?”
“Do you let all your first dates make sauce with your entire family?”
“You haven’t met my zio yet.” He steps between my legs, his hands skating up my thighs and making me regret everything I’ve just said. “We’ll save that for the second date.”
“If you get a second date,” I reply coyly, resting my arms on his shoulders as I sift my fingers through his short, inky locks.
He presses his lips to mine and murmurs, “No turning back now, Trouble.”
“Okay then.” My body swirls with need over his pet name for me that brings back all sorts of erotic memories we’ve shared in the past.
“We’ll take everything slow. No sex. No stripping off clothes. It’ll be fun. Like we’re teenagers again.” He pulls back, a smirk teasing the edges of his lips as he plays with a lock of my hair. “Tonight, however…” He pauses, his gaze roving over my face with complete adoration. “Just let me kiss the fuck out of you.”
My heart instantly lightens. I don’t know how he managed to turn this fucked-up conversation around, but he did, and he did it well. “Very well then, Sonny.”
He smiles victoriously and leans in to kiss me again. It’s softer, gentler, but all fucking man.
I pull back, parting our lips with an audible pop. “Maybe we can add in a little dry humping?”
He presses his forehead to mine and growls. “You are too much trouble for your own good.”
“Good morning!” Freya calls out the next day as I enter the kitchen to find her seated at the table with Hercules draped over her shoulder. Jasper is hot on my heels, and Hercules doesn’t seem to like it. He stares at our sudden appearance with unmitigated irritation, like we’ve just interrupted a peaceful morning. “You were gone for ages yesterday,” Freya says with a knowing tone to her voice.
I stride over to the kettle with a sheepish look on my face. “Did you need me here?”
“Oh, heavens no. Allie and I rewatched the first three episodes of Bridgerton in bed while Mac played a new video game he’s been working on with Roan all afternoon. It was a lovely, lazy Sunday. Allie even painted my toes.” She wiggles her feet under the table. “It’s getting difficult to reach them.”
“That sounds lovely.” I fill one of Freya’s kitty coffee mugs that she seems to have an endless supply of. This one features a cat wearing a raincoat with big bold letters spelling out “WAP” on the side. Maybe not a great cup to have around once the bairn is old enough to understand.
I sit on the seat across from Freya and glance down to see that her breakfast appears to be celery and clotted cream. Definitely not a combo I’ve seen in my life, let alone for breakfast, but Freya’s pregnancy cravings are as unique as her personality.
“Is Mac off to work already?” I ask, glancing toward the other side of the flat to see if there’s any sign of his work bag in the