That's Amore (8 page)

He was really ticked that he had passed out like that. Not exactly what a guy wants to do when he’s trying to make the moves on a woman. Hit the floor like some wuss who can’t handle a paper cut.

Then to make it even worse, at the ER, every male between the age of thirteen and ninety had gawked at Paige in her short shorts and clinging top. Jeff had a headache from glaring all those guys down.

It was unreal. I mean, it was obvious that she was a married woman with a baby, dealing with a family crisis. How could guys be so disgusting?

Wait a minute.

They weren’t married. Paige wasn’t even his girlfriend. They didn’t have a baby.

Then why had it felt so right, so natural, to be there with his arm wrapped around Paige’s shoulders while she held Justin tightly in her arms?

Because he was an idiot, that’s why.

He had been suffering from a thing for Paige for ten years and it was not getting better. It was getting worse. It wasn’t going away.

It had settled into his chest and was showing every sign of spreading, growing, reaching out into every inch of him.

Like cancer.

“Can you open the door for me?” she said finally, looking at him expectantly.

He blinked. “Yeah, right. Of course.”

He got out of the car, went around and opened the passenger door. “Here, let me get Justin.”

The sleeping baby was warm and snuggly in Paige’s arms, and he whimpered when Jeff lifted him up. Jeff settled him in his arms, heavy and smelling like apple juice from the bottle Paige had given him at the hospital.

A funny little jolt jerked through Jeff.

What would black hair and blond hair look like blended together in a baby?

Mud, that’s what. Jeff knew better than to get all squishy and warm over the thought of having a baby with Paige. He knew better.

Girls like Paige didn’t marry guys like him.

In three years he hadn’t learned a damn thing. He was still fantasizing about making Paige his.

Wake up and smell the power tools, Benedetto
.

Paige unlocked the apartment after they went up the stairs, and Jeff was careful not to jostle Justin.

“What time is it?” she asked.

“I can’t see my watch.”

“It’s six-twelve,” Paige said as she leaned around to eye the kitchen clock.

“Is that all?” It felt like they had been in this apartment for three weeks instead of eight hours.

“Yeah, I guess I should get started on that chicken. I’m sure you’re starving.”

His stomach growled dutifully. “You don’t have to cook, Paige. We can order a pizza or something. After sitting around the ER holding Justin for three hours, I’m sure you’re tired.”

She stopped in the kitchen doorway and looked at him in surprise. Then she smiled. “You know something? You can be really sweet when you want to.”

“Is that a good thing?” While he had her relaxed and confessing, he might as well fish for more.

“It’s a very good thing,” she said in a soft voice as she reached her arms out over her head and stretched with a yawn.

The belly shirt rose up, up, up, until Jeff could see the swell of the underside of Paige’s breasts, covered in white lace.

Time to put the baby to bed.

Uncle Jeff wanted to play with Auntie Paige.

“Can you order the pizza while I put him to bed? On a blanket on the floor,” Jeff added, thinking of their disastrous mistake earlier.

Hey, they couldn’t be expected to know these things. Paige had laid Justin on the bed for his nap and it had made perfect sense to Jeff. A bed is where
he
slept, after all. It had never occurred to him that a one-year old could roll off and clobber his chin on the nightstand. But that still didn’t keep him from feeling guilty as hell.

“Okay, I’ll call Antonio’s. Sound good?”

“Sure.” Jeff went into the bedroom and assessed the situation. He was a smart guy. He could figure this out.

First he laid Justin dead center in the middle of the bed, eyeing him for any spontaneous rolling while sleeping that might go on.

Then he grabbed the entire blanket and folded it over Justin. He picked the bundle up, careful not to jostle him and wake him up, then laid him on the floor, smoothing the blanket back out and tucking the bottom over him to cover him up.

Justin’s grimy, blood stained shirt marred the innocence of the image. Jeff reached over and slipped the shirt off the kid’s head and breathed a sigh of relief when he didn’t cry.

There. Much better. He looked downright adorable.

Except for the glaring bandage on his chin that pointed accusingly at Jeff.

“I’m sorry, big guy.” Jeff leaned over and brushed his fingers through Justin’s soft black hair, studying the amazing image of a tiny face, with miniature features.

“Good idea, putting him on the floor,” Paige whispered from behind him.

He grunted, embarrassed to have been caught caressing Justin.

Paige looked over his shoulder at Justin. “He’s such a cute kid.”

He was pretty adorable. “That’s because he takes after our side of the family instead of Frank’s.”

Then Paige’s hands dropped onto his shoulders and the word flashing through his head was not
adorable
.

Paige, with no clue as to his guttural thoughts said, “Come on, I ordered the pizza.”

While he was content just to sit there on his haunches, feeling Paige pressing lightly down on him, he was hungry. First he could feed his stomach and then maybe another appetite or two.

He stood and said, “Do you think he’ll just sleep all night?”

Paige looked at Justin in doubt. “I guess so. He’s a baby. They sleep a lot, right?

Hell if he knew. “I don’t know.”

What he did know is that he was experiencing some strange feelings whenever he looked at Paige. Feelings that were no longer just about attraction and the memory of her warm body beneath his.

Though that was part of it.

It also had to do with the way Paige had handled the emergency with Justin, and the way she looked warmly at the baby. And then there was the smile that played across her face when she looked at him, Jeff.

He wanted to make love to Paige. Desperately. Tonight.

Sitting next to her on the couch, he scarfed down three pieces of pizza then leaned back with a sigh. “I’m exhausted. What about you?”

He was tempted to add, “let’s go to bed,” but thought she might smack him if he did.

Paige blew her hair out of her eyes and wiped her hands on a paper napkin. “I am too. I can’t believe it’s barely after seven. Taking care of a baby is just as hard as I thought it would be. I don’t think I’m ready to be a parent.”

He slipped his hand over hers. “But you’re so good at it.”

“No, I’m not.” She blushed a little.

“Yes, you are. You’re a natural. You know exactly what to do with Justin.” He decided to go for broke. “And you look beautiful doing it.”

“Je-eff.”

“What?”

Her cheeks were pink, her teeth worrying her bottom lip. She tugged yet again on that too tight top. “What are we doing here?” she said, her eyes avoiding his.

“I’m thinking about kissing you.” He wasn’t just thinking, he was moving, zeroing in on her ripe plump cherry lips. A painful and slow death would be better than not getting to kiss Paige right now.

He was just an inch away, hovering, listening to her ragged breathing. He paused, than waited, his hand caressing hers as he listened.

“Why… why did you stop?” she whispered, eyes wide, lips parted.

“I’m waiting for an interruption. Every time I get this close to you, Justin breaks it up.” He cocked an ear, but there was nothing but blissful silence. “Nothing’s stopping me this time.”

“Nothing?” Her chest rose up and down fitfully, her breathing ragged.

“Unless you don’t want me to.”
Please, please, let her
want to
. Jeff waited in an agony of desire, knowing if she said no he would probably be reduced to begging.

Probably?

Who was he kidding?

He’d be on the floor howling like a dog if she said no.

Her tongue slipped out and moistened her lip. “I want you to.”

Score! Jeff didn’t wait for her to change her mind or for Justin’s siren cry to go up. He bent forward and took Paige’s mouth with his.

Oh, yeah.

This had been worth the wait.

Paige was soft and warm and eager, tasting vaguely salty. His brain exploded, fried and frizzled.

She felt so good, so right for him, and he groaned. Paige’s fingers were in his hair and he gathered her close, holding on firmly to her rounded luscious curves.

All woman. All his.

His hand shot out and covered her full breast as he teased his tongue into her mouth. He was out of control already. Gone. Done for. Like a race car in a spin-out heading for the wall at one hundred and eighty miles an hour.

He commanded his crotch to heel for a minute. With a tremendous amount of effort, he forced himself to say, “Is this okay? Am I moving too fast?”

Of course, it would probably be a good idea to stop kissing her neck and fondling her nipple as he asked, but that was more than he was capable of right now.

Paige didn’t seem to mind.

Her head fell back and she thrust her breasts out. “Make love to me, Jeff.”

Yowsa. He stopped breathing.

Then his air all came back in one gigantic whoosh as he groaned into her neck. “Paige.”

Yeah, that was poetic, but hell, he was in a hormonal coma here.

She pulled him back to her mouth, and they tasted each other thoroughly for several long sweaty minutes until Jeff couldn’t wait another microsecond.

Feasting on her breasts straining against the clinging fabric, he reached for her shirt, intent on ripping all of it off for a full and unedited view.

He had it. He was lifting up.

“Jeff, wait.”

Aahhggrr. Wait? Wait for what? World peace? A woman president? Or for him to explode into a testosterone soaked fireball?

“What? What’s the matter?”

Any second now he would start frothing at the mouth.

“Do you have any condoms?” Paige’s eyes were half closed and she was softly grinding her thighs against his, damn her.

Jeff went into a panic. This was a trick question. He had the condoms, but did he admit it?

Possible answer number one—yes, he had condoms. Then Paige would do one of three things. Leap onto him in delight. Accuse him of assuming too much by being prepared. Or worse, accuse him of being some kind of male slut to carry condoms around all the time.

Possible answer number two—he could say no. This would mean he would have to stop, go to the store with the biggest erection in the history of mankind and buy another box of condoms.

During which time undoubtedly his nephew would wake up and ruin all wild and wicked plans for the evening.

Paige was staring at him expectantly.

Third option. Act innocent and pretend to find the condoms in the drawer.

Jeff ran his hands through his hair and stuttered. “I… no of course I don’t, but maybe there are some lying around here.”

Wrong answer. Paige blanched. “This is my
parents’
apartment, Jeff. They don’t need condoms!”

There was a visual he didn’t need. “Okay, well, maybe other people have stayed here before.”

She calmed down a little, relaxing in his arms again. “My cousin Loraine did stay here with her husband over Memorial Day.”

Jeff gulped in relief. “See? There you go. Loraine was always a big…” he cut himself off quickly, wondering if it were possible to swallow his own tongue. He would be less of an idiot without it.

“Loraine was a what?” she asked in suspicion. “Did you date my cousin?”

“No!” Deeper and deeper. Where was a shovel when he needed one?

When in doubt, seduce her. He leaned forward and kissed her, running his fingers through her long hair.

She sighed and nestled against him.

“You go check in the bedroom, Paige, and I’ll look around out here.” Better she find them. More authentic that way. Especially since he was a lousy liar.

“Okay.” She sashayed off, her tight behind wiggling at him in those naughty little shorts.

Man, he was one lucky guy.

He jumped off and pulled out the drawer on the end table to make it sound like he was searching.

Paige’s cell phone rang, and he jumped. He made a grab for it, not wanting to wake Justin up.

“Hello?”

“Jeff? It’s Gina.”

Oh, yeah, his sister who was in the hands of a dangerous criminal. He was ashamed to admit he had forgotten all about her existence until now. “Gina, are you okay?”

She snorted. “I’m fine. I’m just ticked off, that’s all. That bastard Frank has not even noticed I’m gone. Sal and Sam found him slugging back beers at a bar, talking to some tart with red hair.”

Jeff wasn’t surprised, but he was sorry for Gina. “I’m sorry, hon.”

A sniffle came to him. “Yeah, well, that’s it. I’m done with Frank. I hope he gets what’s coming to him.”

At the very least, he was out of a job. There was no way Jeff was paying Frank to jerk around all day if he wasn’t dating Gina anymore.

“So, what now? Is Johnny going to let you go?”

“Yes. He’s figured out I’m not such a good bargaining tool since Frank didn’t even notice I was missing. Sal and Sam are picking me up in half an hour.”

Thank God. “Good. He didn’t hurt you, did he? Because he’ll have three Benedettos to deal with if he did.”

Gina sighed. “Nah, he didn’t hurt me.”

Jeff didn’t like the way she sounded. It was like she was depressed or something, which was very unlike Gina. But then again she had just figured out the man she had devoted four years of her life to didn’t care diddley squat about her.

That was enough to depress anyone.

“You want me to come and get Justin tonight?” she asked.

“No, you go home and get some sleep. We’ve got it covered.”

“You can take him to Mom’s if you want.”

If he was stupid.

Taking Justin back would mean waking him up and driving over to his mother’s, who was about the last person in the world he wanted to see right now, since he was sporting a major hard-on.