wondering if she should just tell them the truth and show Marc for what he was: a good guy who was trying to help a friend. “About that.”
Then everyone went silent, and she couldn’t speak past the nerves in her throat.
Silence stretched on. Awkwardness filled the room, mixed in with so much testosterone and Italian machismo that it was hard to breathe. Or maybe it was because everyone was looking at her, waiting for her to admit that they had had sex.
Lexi felt like she was on center stage, and her stomach started to knot. Even though they hadn’t had sex yet, Lexi was pretty sure that was on the menu for tonight. Not that she had told Marc she wanted him to sleep over, in the nakedest sense of the word, but she thought that the dress choice was a pretty good sign. And by the way he’d looked at her when she’d answered her door, he had gotten the memo.
“We’re taking things slow,” Marc interrupted, sending her one of his apologetic smiles and saving her from explaining things.
She smiled back. Lexi had never been comfortable around Jeffery’s family—not surprising when his mother took every opportunity to make it painfully obvious how lucky she thought Lexi had been to snag her only son. Never once, over all their years together, had Jeffery ever acknowledged her discomfort or defended her when his family started questioning why they hadn’t started a family, why they bought a house in New York, why he had married her in the first place. Yet Marc had picked up on her unease immediately. Not that she didn’t like his family; she just wasn’t used to having that many eyeballs zeroed in on her.
And Marc got that. He got her. Because he said, “Now everyone clear out so I can make sure my girlfriend isn’t going to pull an Abby and jump out the window.”
“I did that once!” Abby snapped, heading for the door in a huff.
“Twice,” Tanner mumbled, following behind her.
“Show her the plate, Pricilla, and then we’ll get out of their hair,” ChiChi said, taking off the lid and exposing a plate of food. Situated in three segregated piles sat ricotta, cooked noodles, parsley, and a steaming bowl of bolognese sauce that smelled like heaven.
“What’s that?” Lexi took in a deep sniff and groaned.
“Dinner,” ChiChi retorted, digging her meaty hands into her meatier hips.
“Shouldn’t it be”—Nate moved his hand as though tossing a salad—“mixed together?”
“Exactly!” ChiChi waddled out of the bathroom, and Lexi could have sworn she mumbled, right before she disappeared out of sight, “Deconstructed, my ass.”
Marc’s eyes went soft, silently apologizing for his family.
Regan stopped at the door and turned around. “You really will get used to this. I promise.”
Lexi bit down on her lip and nodded. Because Regan had said it as though there would be other DeLuca family dinners in Lexi’s future. A part of her wanted that, wanted to come here every Friday with Marc and share a meal with his family as though she was a part of this crazy bunch. The other part, the part that knew with family dinner and a future came the possibility for heartache, was scared. Because she was fast learning that although Marc tried to portray himself as a shallow playboy, there was nothing shallow about him. Even worse, there was nothing shallow about her feelings with regard to him.
CHAPTER 14
Three hours, two helpings of lasagna, and a slice of Pricilla’s famous burnt-almond cake later, Marc took Lexi’s hand and followed her to the apartment door. He watched as she dug around in her purse for her keys and scrounged up the courage to ask him in. He knew she wanted to; he could see it in the way she kept looking at him during dinner. It was the same way he’d been looking at her.
She located her keys, unlocked her door, and when she turned around, she met his gaze. It was nervous and so damn adorable it made his head spin.
He stepped forward, just enough to let her know he was interested, but leaving enough space for her to run the show.
“Thank you.” She reached up and gently kissed his lips. “For tonight.”
“You’re welcome.” Marc caught her face before she could get too far and brought it back to his. Upping the heat level, he moved slowly against her mouth, tugging at her lower lip when he pulled back. “For tonight.”
Neither moved. They stood on her front porch, sharing breath and