AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
MELANIE
Tara Esposito was stubborn. When I explained via text that I didn’t know when I’d be able to take a night off, she marched right down to Esposito’s and through my office door.
“Come on, Mel, the restaurant’s been open for over two weeks,” she said huffily as she stood there with her wispy blonde hair coiled on her head in a princess braid. “All you people work too much.”
I laughed. “It’s three o’clock on a Tuesday afternoon, Tara. Where else would I be if not at work?”
“I know,” she grumbled. “But I’m selfish. Gio’s been working crazy hours, and I’m desperate for adult conversation. If I watch one more episode of Yo Gabba Gabba!,I swear I’m going to lose it.”
“Yo Gabba what?” I said.
She snorted. “Never mind.”
Tara plunked right down on a nearby chair and rubbed her eyes. She might have chosen another seating option if she knew what had gone on in that chair this morning when Dominic and I were the only ones here, but I certainly wasn’t going to be the one to enlighten her.
“Where’s Leah?” I asked.
“Spending a few minutes, wrapping her uncle around her cherubic little finger.”
“I bet she is.”
Tara was looking around at the bare walls. “You need some pictures in here. Won’t Dominic let you decorate?”
“I haven’t asked.”
“You should,” she said. “Walls might as well have character if you’re going to spend a lot of time looking at them. Dom probably doesn’t agree. Take his condo, for instance. He’s been there for well over a year, and it looks like he just moved in yesterday. He buys pictures, but then sticks them in the hall closet because he can’t be bothered to hang them. Ridiculous. I keep telling Gio I’m going sneak in there one day when they’re both working and transform the place.”
As Tara talked, I was struck by the thought that I hadn’t even seen Dominic’s condo yet. Nights were always spent at my apartment. Every night. Then he always took off early in the morning to go home and get cleaned up before heading to work. We talked a lot about the things we wanted to do together, the places we would go, but we had gotten together somewhat unconventionally, and since we’d been so busy with the restaurant, we hadn’t so much as gone out to dinner together. We hadn’t told anyone at the restaurant about us, not yet, and for now I liked it that way. When we were together, I could pretend there were no complications. No restaurant, no need to justify to anyone why we were together.
Of course I knew things would come to a head sooner or later. I just wanted to have Dominic figured out a little better when they did. The last two weeks had been filled with more sizzling sexual escapades than I’d had in my entire life. And then last night Dominic was especially intense. He’d been in a frenzy, not even taking the time to go to the bedroom before stripping off his clothes and mine. We wrestled to the floor, and then he took me from behind with all the vigor of a wild bull.
And my god, I loved every second.
But it was what happened afterward that really made my heart beat faster. In fact I’d been running it all through my mind today. As we lay on the floor, spent and sweaty, Dominic had rolled over and tenderly brushed my hair from my forehead.
“You tired?” he asked.
“I’m hungry,” I answered.
That did it for him. After carrying me to the couch and covering me with a nearby throw blanket, he pulled on his boxers and headed right for the kitchen. Fifteen minutes later he emerged with a plate of perfectly scrambled eggs, always my dish of choice. My mother used to make scrambled eggs and toast for Lucy and me every Saturday morning as we lounged in the living room, watching cartoons. A simple comfort food that was one of my favorites, yet I never managed to get it quite right when I tried to make it myself. Ever since Dominic had heard that story, he whipped them up for me every chance he got.
“Thank you,” I said, marveling over the way he garnished the plate with cilantro and included a small bottle of hot sauce, exactly how I liked it.
Dominic wore a satisfied smile as he watched me gobble up every bite.
“I love the way you cook,” I told him when I’d polished off the last of the eggs.
He slipped a strong arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. “And I love cooking for you.”
I set the empty plate on the coffee table while Dominic grabbed the television remote and started channel surfing.
“It’s late,” I said, cuddling against his chest. “We should go to bed soon.”
“We should,” he agreed and tucked the blanket around me.
I was starting to doze off with my cheek pressed to his warm skin when his voice broke through. “I know that bakery,” he said excitedly. “It’s in Vegas. Best freakin’ Italian pastries this side of New York.”
