Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
The next few days were a blur of domestic activity that Kara was entirely unused to.
Grocery shopping at a leisurely pace, buying quantities of food that made her eyes bulge, and visiting the Field museum with Angelo’s family.
Although Christmas was over, they were headed towards New Year’s Eve, and it was that time of year where time seemed suspended.
Kara’s life for the first time was filled with family, friends and hot nights with Angelo that she’d treasure forever.
She’d found herself relaxing and slipping her hand in Angelo’s as they watched Nicholas and Millie frolic among the skeletons of dinosaurs and recite facts they learned to the adults.
More than once, Angelo had put an arm around her waist and leaned in to kiss her temple, the moment so natural and easy that it made her heart quiver with quiet longing.
She could hear the smile in his voice as he whispered her name each time he kissed her.
Kara… Kara… Kara… the sound of her name had once filled her with dread when it was said by anyone besides her mother, but now hearing it exhaled from Angelo’s lips was a gift she would always cherish. It ignited such a sweet fire in her chest and a blush in her cheeks.
She had never dreamed a night in the soup kitchen could have led to all of this… to a family.
Angelo had coaxed her into cooking, but she realized what she really liked was watching him cook.
He moved about his kitchen so effortlessly, his muscled forearms moving as he chopped vegetables, stirred sauces or needed dough.
He made cooking fascinating. Her favorite part was whenever he would bring her something to taste.
One moment he would be chatting with her about their day together or plans for the restaurant, and the next moment he would come over to her, spoon held up to her lips as he offered something sweet or savory.
She had surprised herself and Angelo when she’d taken a bit of cookie dough once from his fingers using her mouth.
His eyes had darkened and he had leaned closer, watching her mouth with hunger in his gaze.
A second later, his body pinned hers against the counter by his body as he kissed her, sharing the exquisite taste of his cooking between their mating mouths.
It was like nothing she’d ever experienced.
But this man who loved food and loved to cook, was also a man with carnal hungers.
Being the thing he hungered for most was the most intoxicating feeling she’d ever experienced in her life.
They hadn’t made love since that first time, but not for lack of wanting.
It was merely that she was too exhausted at the end of the day to stay awake.
But she loved spending the night in his bed anyway.
The way he would tuck her into bed and pull her close, his mouth gently, exploring hers while she ran her hands through the dark, silken strands of his hair until she’d fallen asleep.
She discovered quite by accident that lightly raking her nails against the back of his skull made him groan in sheer unadulterated pleasure.
She stopped pretending these private moments between them were for the sake of their fake relationship.
These moments were for her and her alone, to know what it meant to care for Angelo and be cared for by him, to feel his hands, his mouth, his body providing pleasure and comfort.
It was a paradise she would never forget for as long she lived.
“Daydreaming?” Angelo’s voice tugged her back.
They were settled on his couch in the mid-morning light, just existing quietly together.
“Actually, yes.” She smiled dreamily and nuzzled her head against his shoulder.
“Good. You deserve to dream,” he murmured so softly she was almost certain she had imagined it.
She woke a while later from a light sleep as Angelo slid off the couch.
“I’ve got to go to the restaurant for a few hours. But I’ll make dinner when I get back. Asher will stay here with you.”
She woke more alertly this time. “What about you?”
“Colton is coming with me. He’ll keep an eye on me.”
She relaxed. He’d be safe. Asher and Colton were like invisible shadows, so much so that she often forgot they were there most of the time.
“You won’t be gone too long?”
“Only for the afternoon,” Angelo promised with a grin as he leaned over her on the couch caging her within his arms. “Will you miss me?”
She wanted to kiss him, and with the way he was grinning at her she simply couldn’t resist. She curled her fingers into his sweater and tugged him down, pulling his mouth to hers.
“Hmmm…” he hummed against her mouth before he slipped his tongue between her teeth and playfully touched hers. Angelo knew just how to make a kiss impossibly sweet and also seductively naughty at the same time. Heat pooled in her lower belly.
“I’ll see you tonight.” He finally pulled away and lightly tugged on one of the wild, red locks of her hair that had caressed her cheek.
His gaze softened as he seemed to be drinking in the sight of her.
Then with a sigh that held so much regret, he got up from the couch and left.
Colton was at his side as they headed toward the street.
Kara watched them go and decided to run some laundry through the machines. She wrote some poems in her new journal before she noticed the snow was coming down outside again. Angelo would be back in a few hours, and she had the sudden desire to do something special for him, something magical.
Struck by inspiration, she dug around his collection of cookbooks until she found a binder that contained very old looking recipes that had been photocopied and slipped into clear sheet protectors.
“Perfect.” Kara started to flip through the recipes looking for one she felt comfortable she could try.
Angelo got to the restaurant a little after noon and met his uncle in their shared office.
“Ahh, Angelo.” Luigi got up and hugged him. “How are you feeling?”
“A lot more like myself, to be honest.”
“Good.” Luigi placed his hands on Angelo’s shoulders, studying his face deeply. “And Kara? She is good?”
He nodded. “Kara is wonderful.” He meant it.
The last few days had been like a strange and wonderful dream. It was a taste of the life he had wanted for so long and it made him that much more determined to find a way to keep it, keep her. If there was a chance Kara could fall in love with him, he was going to fight for it at all costs.
In the last few days he had teased out details about her life, her hopes, and dreams. Now he wanted to have those dreams fulfilled, for her to have a chance to live and discover herself.
“Love looks good on you, nephew,” Luigi said, his searching expression turning gentle.
“Thanks.” He grinned. “Now let’s look at some of the cooking schedules for the gala. I want to make sure the catering staff will be comfortable with the instructions for the kitchens.”
He stayed at the restaurant until around six o’clock. Then he called his mother to see if she and his father were at home. Thankfully they were.
Francesca met him at the doorway, hugging and kissing him as if she hadn’t seen him in years.
“Come in.” She waved him inside the house. “Where’s Kara?”
“At home.”
“Oh?” His mother’s happy gaze turned serious. “Is she all right?”
“Yes, she’s fine.” He took his mother’s hands in his own. “Mom, I came to ask for Nonna’s ring.” He drew in a steady breath. “I want to give it to Kara.”
For a moment his mother was quiet, then tears formed in her eyes. “Oh yes, of course.” She hugged him again. “I’ve been waiting for you to ask for it.”
“I wanted to wait, to make sure we were both ready and I think I am.” Lying to his mother didn’t sit well with him, but he did want to give Kara the ring.
“Is she ready?” His mother asked.
“I think she might be.”
“What’s love without a little risk?” Francesca chuckled. “Just be sure to let her have time to think, even after you ask. I do not know her as well as I would like, but I sense she’s very cautious, and there’s nothing wrong with that.”
“I understand.”
He knew so much more about Kara’s life now, the need to be cautious, to leave no ties, no trace.
And he was going to give her his grandmother’s ring in hopes she’d realize she could tie herself to him and his family, leave a trace of herself in the world, and make a life with him if that was what she wanted.
It was a gamble, but one he had to take.
He followed his mother to the bedroom where she kept a small jewelry box that was decorated with painted flowers and birds.
She used a key she kept hidden under a book to unlock it and sorted through the jewelry pieces and mementos of his grandmother before she found the ring.
The ring was a freshwater pearl nestled in a circle of small diamonds.
It had cost his grandfather dearly at the time, but as Angelo took the ring, he felt the promise of happiness, the same happiness it had brought his grandparents.
This ring held love and hope. He prayed it would grant them a future as bright, if not brighter than anything they ever could have imagined.
“Do you think she will like it?” he asked his mother.
“If she loves you, she will love it.”
It wasn’t a huge ring, nor was it flashy or expensive. But it carried the love of two generations of his family. He tucked the small ring into the velvet box his mother handed him and tucked the box into his coat pocket.
“Angelo… who’s that?” His mother nodded at the shadowy presence of Colton in the passenger seat of Angelo’s car outside. Colton had strict orders to as unobtrusive as possible by everyone in Angelo’s family except Dante.
“He’s a server from the restaurant. His car broke down and I offered to give him a ride.” Another lie. But what could he do? He couldn’t tell his mother the truth.
“Oh…” her tone held none of confusion.
“I’m dropping him off before I head home,” he added.
“Right. Well, call us after you give her the ring.”