she chews. “Only a few times.”
“Of course, you have.” I grin and shake my head.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” She pins me with a menacing look.
“You had heartbreaker written all over you when we first met. And you were very free with your feelings back then. Whatever you felt, you said.”
She tsks knowingly. “I suppose that’s true. Although, looking back, I’m not really sure I knew what love truly was. My experiences since then have changed me a bit.”
“I can see that.” I watch her thoughtfully for a long moment, amazed that she’s here with me right now after all this time. Could we have been this open with each other five years ago? It’s doubtful.
We end up talking for another hour over a second espresso, and as we finish cleaning up, she says, “You know what? I’ve been here three times now and still have never seen your bedroom.”
My cock stirs in my trousers over the thought of her in my bedroom. “What happened to taking it slow?” I ask, brows lifted curiously.
She props her hands on her hips. “Getting a tour of the rest of your flat doesn’t mean we’re shagging, okay? Come on now, give me a tour of your splendors, Mr. Rossi.”
“Very well, Ms. Logan.” I hold my hands out dramatically. “This right here is the kitchen.” She narrows her eyes at me, but I won’t be deterred. “This is a stove.” I touch it mockingly as her lips thin. “This here is called a taaable. Over there is a lamp.”
“You are such an eejit.” She darts for me, but I take off out of the kitchen, making a mad dash through the living room and around the corner to the hallway that leads to the bedrooms.
I call over my shoulder, “This is the guest room,” and am shocked to see she’s right behind me. She wraps her arms around my waist like she’s trying to tackle me. “Fuck, you’re faster than your brother, I expect. Not very strong, though.”
“You are such an arsehole,” she cries, trying and failing to sweep my legs and laughing the entire time. God, it’s sexy.
I grab her by the wrist and toss her over my shoulder. Using my most pompous voice that I know she’ll love, I smack her bottom and carry her into my room. “This is the master suite. It features sweeping views of Bethnal Green city lights, a real up-and-coming neighbourhood based on all the latest trends. Here we have a luxurious king bed with high thread count sheets, and a large en suite bathroom featuring a soaker tub and a walk-in tile shower, naturally.”
I turn us sideways so I can see our reflection in the mirror. Her red hair is hanging and covering her face as she braces herself on my arse. She moves her hair out of the way to glower at me in the mirror. “Stick to the brooding Italian vibe, Santino. You’re not even close to funny.”
God, I love her like this. Cheeky mouth, challenging, and entirely at my mercy. “You don’t think I’m funny?” I ask as I step into the tiled shower and put my hand on the water faucet. “Would you like to inspect the water pressure? That could be very funny.”
“Don’t you dare!” she exclaims, thumping her fists into my back to fight me. “I have my mobile in my pocket.”
“No, you don’t. It’s on the table. But nice try, Trouble!”
When I turn the water on, she screams. It’s fucking freezing. This was a bad life choice.
“Just give it a minute,” I call out, wincing through the onslaught of cold water and her kicking and screaming. “It’ll warm up in a tic.”
“You are the biggest arsehole in the world!” she growls.
“Oh, come now, I’m sure my arsehole is of average size.”
“Put me down!”
She squirms over top of me as the water finally begins to heat. I put her down, holding her by the waist so she doesn’t make a run for it as her fist lands on my chest. She looks up at me through the streaming water, and I can’t help but laugh. Eventually, her anger turns to amusement as well, as she swipes the water out of her eyes and grins up at me.
One moment, she’s pissed, kicking and screaming. The next, our lips are locked, tongues thrusting, and hands groping every available square inch of each other’s bodies over top of the really annoying and highly inconvenient wet clothing.
A guttural noise echoes from my chest when