I chuckle.“Yeah, but there’s nothing to apologize for, because I’m already looking forward to a chance to repeat, and maybe build on the experience.”
She grins back.“Apparently, we have the chemistry part down.There was definitely no communication breakdown there.Sign me up.”
She slides her arms around my neck and kisses me deeply.I growl into her mouth and tighten my arms around her.Still, I’m the one ending the kiss, and shove my face in her neck.
“You’d better get out of here now, or your kids are gonna have to do without their damn pizza.I’m seconds away from dragging you to my bed,” I grumble against her tender skin.
“Promises, promises,” she whispers before escaping my hold and rushing down the stairs.
She stops at the bottom and looks up at me.
“Almost forgot the reason I stopped by in the first place,” she shares, slapping her hand against her forehead.“Remi is going back to school Monday and he wants to come back here after to work on his truck.I told him I’d have to check with the security team and you first.”
“Fine by me,” I agree, but I understand her concern so immediately add, “I have Battaglia Security monitoring the shop and the cameras outside, but I’ll give Roy a call in the morning to make sure they keep an extra eye out.”
She smiles, and I start walking down the stairs, drawn to her.
“Well, I’m not going to say no to the extra eyes.Are you sure though?”
“Of course,” I assure her when I reach her.
“Thank you.”She grabs my hand and we start moving to the front.“I know he’ll appreciate it, it’s his sixteenth birthday tomorrow.”
“Wow.Does he have his learner’s permit?”
“He does,” she confirms, turning to me as she stops by the door.“But I stopped taking him out after he got himself in trouble back in Spokane, and then things got busy.He’s nowhere near his required hours.”
“If you’d like, I can help with that and take him out from time to time, once things settle down for him,” I offer, reaching out to strum the pad of my thumb along her bottom lip, which still looks a little swollen.
I can’t resist kissing her.
“You continue to be a surprise, Clem Tanek,” she states as she opens the door and steps outside.
I watch from the door opening as she walks toward her Jeep, and call after her.
“A good one I hope!”
She glances over her shoulder with a grin.
“Oh yeah.”
Tessa
The phone callcomes as I pull into the driveway.
I put the Jeep in park, turn it off, and fish my cell from my pocket, noticing Linc’s name on the screen.
I answer and immediately launch into, “Yes, I already ordered, the pizza is on its way.”
“Mom?”
The moment I hear his voice, my heart drops to my stomach and I’m instantly nauseous.
“Linc?What’s wrong, baby?”
“I can’t find Remi,” he confirms my worst fear.
“What do you mean you can’t find him?”I snap, jabbing the keys I’d just removed back in the ignition.
