very badly. It took me ages to find Bart, and I don’t want that life for you. You work so hard, and you’ve become so successful and made a wonderful life for yourself. You deserve someone to love the real you with no secrets.”
I exhale heavily because this is the reason I haven’t introduced my mum to the women I date. She gets her hopes up, and it stirs up feelings of the past, which is not helpful. “Thank you, Mamma. But right now, we’re just having fun. I don’t want to put pressure on this.”
“Okay.” She sniffles loudly. “Fun is good. You work too much.”
“I know. I really do need to go now, okay?”
“Okay, ti amo, Santino.”
“Ti amo, Mamma.”
When we hang up, I stride over to turn the music on my sound system. I need to shake off that unexpectedly intense conversation with my mother because that’s not where I want my head to be. Tonight needs to be about Tilly, not my fucked-up past.
A bit later, my buzzer goes off, and I let Tilly up, doing my best to pre-arrange the bits I want her to help me with. I know she doesn’t like cooking, but it’ll be fun pushing her out of her comfort zone. And food is like foreplay, so this should be the perfect starter for us.
When she knocks on the door, I open it to find her covered in rain. “Shit, I didn’t even notice it was raining out.” I glance over my shoulder at the dark clouds through my windows.
“It opened up on me just as I parked my car, and I, of course, didn’t even think about bringing an umbrella.”
“Come in.” I clutch her hand and pull her towards me.
She kicks her flats off at the door and removes her oversized denim jacket. I hang it on the nearby hook to dry out and turn to take in the sight of her. She’s wearing a loose pair of high-waisted jeans and a black off-the-shoulder crop top. She looks good enough to eat.
“You look like trouble.” I step towards her to swipe away some raindrops from her cheeks. Her scent is even more alluring mixed with the rain, and I can’t help but lower my head and taste her lips. Her silky tongue slips between my lips, and the friction causes my body to hum to life. My hands slide from her face to her waist, shaping the delicate exposed skin of her sides and teasing the edges of her top. I wonder what would happen if I reached up and unclasped her bra right here in the entry?
As if reading my mind, she pulls away from my lips, her breath shaky as she steadies herself on my arms. “Is that how you greet all your guests?”
My eyes dance on hers. “Only the ones I really like.” She fails to hide her pleased smirk. “Are you hungry?”
“Starving.”
I point towards my kitchen. “Good, you can help me cook.”
She runs a hand through her damp hair, wearing a dubious look on her face. “That’s not a good life choice, Sonny.”
“Why?” I reply with a laugh.
She stares at all of the supplies and wrinkles her nose. “I told you…I’m a takeaway girl. Point me in the direction of a menu, and I’m loads of help.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m just putting you in charge of the antipasto tray.”
She winces. “That’s like charcuterie, right?”
“More or less.” I place my hands on her waist because I can’t not touch her as I walk her over to the workstation I set up by the fridge. Standing behind her, I rest my chin on her shoulder and show her the items I picked up at the market. Cured meats, olives, mushrooms, a couple of different cheeses, plus a loaf of bread. “Most of it is already prepared. Just spread it out on this round board here. Think of it like decorating, but with food.”
She smiles and grabs a knife out of the holder in front of her. “I’ll try not to screw it up.”
I kiss the space below her ear, and she curls into me. It feels so good, it’s hard for me to step away, but I have the first course on the stove and it needs tending to. I move to my own work area and set about chopping up the fresh garlic to toss into the red sauce. “Oh, there are a couple of limonate in the fridge. You want to grab them? The bottle opener is