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Lara had loved her father, but she always had a special connection to her mother. How would she feel if her mother had become emotionally unavailable? She’d be hurt. She’d be damaged.
Cold sweat slicked her palms. “I don’t have children, so I can’t tell you how to parent nor would want to. But, as a daughter, I can say even as adults, we need our parents. They don’t have to always agree with us or say or do the right things.”
Alessandra wiped the tears from her cheek, as new ones brimmed her lids. “You’re right, dear. I grew up in an old-fashioned family, and thought the best I could do for my boys would be letting my husband take the lead.”
Lara erased the distance between them and gave her a hug. Alessandra hugged her back, the emotion in her sobs rumbling through Lara’s body like a powerful energy. Tears welled up inside Lara as well. She stroked Alessandra’s back gently until silence cast over them, and Alessandra disengaged from the embrace.
“You’re a good woman, Lara. One day you’ll be an excellent, caring mother. I hope to be for those children a much better grandmother than I was a mother.”
Lara drew a deep breath. She only hoped she’d get to that point with Troy…
12
“So you never told me how it went with your brother,” Lara said when they entered their room. He’d arrived shortly after she had set at the table with his parents, and kept the conversation light. She’d assumed he didn’t want to talk about Mateo in front of his parents, so she didn’t poke him about it.
But now, especially after the revelation from his mother, Lara felt unease. A pulse throbbed in the base of her throat. Should she tell him what she found out? He’d lived it—he knew what kind of mother Alessandra had been. Agreeable, easy going, and mainly reserved. Didn’t chastise her children for bad behavior, but didn’t deal with it either. She resorted to her husband, who was happy to take the lead. Neither of them was awful people by any means, but those actions had consequences.
Troy removed his shirt and put it on the chair. Then, he went on to undo his buckle and placed it on the desk. She had to peel his eyes from him not to get distracted. “It went okay, I guess. I don’t see us toasting to world peace anytime soon, but he said he’ll be more approachable about work stuff, so that’s a start.”
“Is that enough for your father?” Is it enough for you? A little progress was better than no progress, and she wasn’t about to make him feel bad for what he’d achieved tonight.
“I hope so. It’s progress from all the phone calls he avoided from me.”
She threaded her fingers together, fidgety. “Did you see Michelle?”
“Yeah. She was surprised to see me, but I’m sure deep down she wants this drama to end too.”
“I can imagine,” she said. Michelle had seemed like a good caring person. She probably didn’t want this tense situation to expand for much longer. No one gained anything from it.
Slowly, he shortened the distance between them until he stood dangerously close to her. The notes of his scent swirled around her, and she cleared her throat. Tingles of awareness spread through her, her body responding to his nearness in a degree which stunned her.
“My mom told me how much she likes you,” he said.
Lara lifted an eyebrow. How long ago had that been? His mother could have said it before their chat in the kitchen, just being cordial. “When did she say that?”
“After dinner, when I was having coffee with Dad.”
Warmth fluttered in her chest. So she hadn’t ruined her chance in the family… good. “I am… glad. About your mother—”
Shameless lust twinkled in his eyes, and he pulled her into his arms. His strong, bare arms.
She felt herself soften, her mouth parting, all of her caught in a net of desire. She rested her hands on his chest, but the courage to push him away and finish the conversation disappeared quicker than flying birds in the rain. “I talked to her and—”
“And you’ve made an impression,” he said, his gaze blatant and fiery. “Now, I say we forget about my mom and impress each other instead.” He snatched her even closer, and the moment she felt his hard-on against her, a thrill of anticipation traveled through her. Yep. That conversation could surely wait.
He skimmed his hands down her body, causing shivers of awareness to course through her from top to bottom. Then, he turned her around so her back touched his front and tugged at her hair just enough, coaxing her to lean on him.
The moment his lips slid down her neck, she moaned. He sank his teeth on her flesh, and goose bumps raised on her arms. Her knees nearly betrayed her, and he let out a hearty sound, a mix between a growl and a deep chuckle—the sound of a man who knew he drove his woman crazy. And she wanted to be his woman, more than anything.
He worked his way to her ear, and when his breath fanned over her earlobe, her nipples tightened achingly. A stir of fiery hot need formed behind her breasts, and as if sensing her, so attuned to her needs, he glided his hands down her breasts and cupped them over her shirt. “You’re so fucking sexy.”
He kept caressing her tits over her shirt, earning a couple of more moans from her. She bobbed her head, disoriented, loving how he played her like a violin. He nipped her neck, and she thrust her hips into his. In response, he let out a sexy sound that rumbled through her. Damn…
Knowing how crazy she made him only aroused her one notch higher. It also encouraged her to drive him crazier—for longer. Crazy enough to agree they were good together. A fake marriage perhaps, but a real connection had formed.
She turned on her heels, and before he pulled her closer again, she lowered herself to a kneeling position in front of him. Excitement built inside her, and she undid his zipper and pulled down his pants and boxer briefs.
His cock jutted out, enormous and delicious.
