25
I collapsed back down onto the mat, disappointment and embarrassment filling every inch of my body. Thankfully we’d had the room to ourselves for our session, so there was no one around to witness my desperate attempt to get the guy that I wanted so fucking badly.Toby’s rejection stung so much more now that he had done it to my face. I shouldn’t have pushed him, kissing him had been such a stupid move. I lifted my fingers to my swollen lips and let out a shuddering breath. I didn’t want to give him up, even if he wasn’t really mine anyway. But I knew I’d have to. He didn’t want me.I steadied my breathing as I unwrapped my hands, letting the damp fabric fall to the floor around me in a messy pile. Usually, I’d have neatly folded them as I unwound them, and the fact that I hadn’t only added to my annoyance. I needed to get out of here, now.I composed my face, grabbed the pile from the floor, and marched out of the gym, heading down to the locker room. I wasn’t concerned about bumping into Toby, he wouldn’t be lingering, he wouldn’t make this any more uncomfortable for me than it already was. Unfortunately, underneath how he was acting towards me, he was a nice person. It might have been easier if he wasn’t.I quickly showered and tossed my sweat-covered clothes into my bag. I didn’t bother to dry my hair, instead, I twisted it back into a braid and threw on my clothes. I had been home between leaving Cooper and coming here, and had changed into a baggy band t-shirt and little denim shorts. Comfort won today and I was glad of that.My car wasn’t parked far away, but the walk in the warm evening air helped calm me. I tried to be thankful that the only thing that had really been hurt was my pride. I was embarrassed and annoyed, but my heart was still intact. Now I knew how Lorenzo must have felt when I had all but rejected him.
I got into my car and turned on the engine, my body deciding what I was going to do before my mind caught up.
“He isn’t expecting me, but can you please let me through,” I asked through my rolled down window. I had reached my destination faster than I thought I would, and my thoughts still hadn’t settled themselves.
Who kisses someone like that if they feel nothing? Toby, apparently.The man ducked back inside the small brick building, and a few moments later the gate began to open. I raced through and sped up the winding driveway. As I approached the building, I saw that the front door was open, and a silhouette of a man stood on the threshold.Toby didn’t want me, and that stung. But someone else did. My bruised ego needed a boost, and I knew where to get it. But was I ready to give him what he had asked for? Was an ego boost really worth making a rushed decision over?I grabbed my bag from the passenger seat and quickly came up with an ultimatum for him as I stepped out of the car. An ulitmatum that would hopefully get me what I needed.“I have a proposition for you,” I said as I made my way to the front door.“Whatever it is, the answer is no,” an unexpected voice replied. The wrong man was standing in front of me. Adonis smirked down at me, and I shoved past him.“Arsehole, where’s Lorenzo?”He didn’t reply, he just closed the door and stayed standing where I’d left him with his arms folded and an amused look on his face.“Fine, I’ll just call him then,” I huffed and rifled through my bag for my phone before chucking my black duffle bag down on the console table next to me. I pulled up Lorenzo’s number. It only rang out twice before he answered.“Mal, Is this important?” he asked in a low whisper.“Shit, are you working?” I nibbled my bottom lip and avoided looking at Adonis.“Yeah, but I can drop it if you need me.” His words came as such a shock, I hadn’t expected him to be so… nice.“Erm, no, no it’s not important. I’m at your place though, shall I go home? Or wait?”I continued to chew on my lip and kept my gaze on my feet, feeling all sorts of uncomfortable. A cold hand touched my face and tugged my chin slightly, releasing my lip from my teeth. I bought my gaze up and found Adonis frowning at me. He quickly removed his hand, jolting away as though I had electrocuted him. I shook my head at him, and my brows pulled together in confusion.What the hell was that? “…I won’t be long.” Lorenzo’s voice caught my attention just before the line went dead.“Don’t ever touch me again,” I scolded Adonis as he remained standing in front of me.“Stop biting your lip like that then. You are so fucking transparent, at least try to hide your emotions a little.”What was it with these men and telling me to try today?“I am not transparent,” I protested and stormed into the lounge. Adonis followed me in and laid down on the long red sofa as I slumped into the armchair that I desperately wanted to take home with me. It was so comfortable, and I felt like a boss bitch sitting in it.“You are.” He glanced at me. “When you’re happy you literally bounce up and down, when you’re turned on your eyes get all hooded and turn a darker green than usual, when you’re angry you grind your teeth, which is really bad for you by the way…” Like he was one to talk, his jaw was almost permanently ticking away. “When you’re sad or scared you play with your earlobes, and when you’re nervous you chew your lip. You do this thing where you tap your chest sometimes, I’ve not completely worked that one out yet, but I will.” He shot me a sarcastic smile and then threw his head back against the cushion as though he was about to have a nap.“Fuck me, Donny. Obsessed much.” I spluttered, shaking my head.“Ha.” He barked a humourless laugh but didn’t raise his head to look at me. “Being observant is hardly the same as being obsessed. I’m sure anyone who’s ever met you could tell you the same things.”Irritation flooded me, it was a nice distraction from the rejection pain that was still lingering, but it wasn’t exactly what I had wanted to feel coming here.“Whatever, Why are you here, Don?” I asked in an attempt to move away from talking about me and the emotions that I thought I had hidden quite well.“Because I live here. And don’t call me Don.” He opened one eye and narrowed it at me.“Yes, I know that, but why are you in here, in this room, annoying me.” I crossed my arms.“Because I live here,” he repeated slowly, and I noticed that his usual smirk was curling his lips again. He was enjoying himself.I stood up and went to pour myself a large drink, throwing it back in one long mouthful and refilling the glass. Now I had to hope that Lorenzo would accept my proposition and not throw me out, because if he did throw me out, I’d be walking home, and the driveway to this place alone would take me an age to descend on foot.“So what’s this proposition that you have for dear old dad?” Adonis asked as I went to sit back down. His eyes were barely open, but he was tracking me across the room.“Call him that again and I will make myself your new mommy,” I shot back, aware that it didn’t really make sense, but it was enough to make him sit up and sneer at me in disgust.“You’re not that special, Mallory. You really think he’ll keep you around much longer?”I ground my teeth at my name on his lips.“Oh dear, you’re angry.” His expression changed to one of smug cockiness, and I slammed my glass down onto the coffee table, splashing the dark liquid onto the wood.“Fuck you.” I hissed, standing up and crossing the room to him. “Fuck you, Adonis. I’ve had a crappy day and I really don’t need your shit right now.”He stood up as I reached the sofa and pushed his body hard against mine. He towered over me like a villainous shadow, but in that moment, I was too irritated to find him intimidating.“You know where the door is then,” he growled.“So do you, and you don’t get to dismiss me. Ever.” I shoved him and walked away, deciding that he wasn’t worth any more of my energy. A fight with him—surprisingly—wouldn’t cheer me up. I could find somewhere else to wait.“Cagna.” I heard him mutter under his breath as I walked out into the foyer. I spun around and marched back in, apparently unable to ignore him.“Excuse me?” I stood in the doorway with my hands planted on my hips.
He didn’t repeat himself, just looked me up and down and smirked.Before I had a chance to say anything else, a broad hand gently caressed my shoulder, fingers curling, putting just enough pressure to stop me in my tracks. I turned to find Lorenzo standing behind me.“Down girl,” he whispered in my ear, and I sucked in a sharp breath as the tone of his voice instantly flooded my panties.I looked back over at Adonis, he had sat down in my favourite chair and was ignoring us. Lorenzo’s hand slipped down to the small of my back and he guided me into the foyer.“Bedroom or office?” he asked, knowing that my answer would tell him exactly what I was here to discuss.My stomach rumbled and I realised that I had skipped dinner. “Kitchen?” I countered and he narrowed his eyes at me suspiciously.“Okay,” he said after a beat. “Kitchen it is.”He kept his hand in place on my back as we headed down the hall to the kitchen. A couple of women were in the room, and they jumped in shock as we entered.“What do you want to eat?” Lorenzo asked me and the two women approached us to listen to my request.I looked at Lorenzo and tilted my head. “Can you cook?” I asked.“Yes,” he replied simply.“Will you cook me something?” I pushed gently, if he said yes then it could lead nicely to my proposition.“Can you cook?” he asked me.“Not well,” I admitted. My cooking skills were basic, like cheese on toast basic.He looked thoughtful for a moment, and I drank in the expression on his face as he pondered my request. He always looked so serious whenever I had seen him in thought before, this was different, he looked happy. His lips curved, dark eyes sparkling.“Ladies,” he addressed the two women, “we shall be cooking for ourselves this evening, take a break.”The women both looked shocked, but they quickly vacated the room, leaving us alone in the large kitchen.“I know you’re probably expecting something Italian, but do you mind if we do something else?” he asked and I smiled at his genuine question, I had presumed that I’d get no say at all in what he made for me.“What do you have in mind?”“Burritos.” He looked hopeful and my smile turned into a wide grin.“Absolutely.”He directed me to a stool next to a counter, and quickly gathered up the ingredients that he needed. “Watch carefully and you might learn something.”He rolled up the sleeves of his deep blue shirt and slipped on an apron, tying it around his waist. I failed to stifle a giggle at how seriously he was taking his task, and he gave me a warning look that had me clamping a hand over my mouth and squeezing my thighs together.“Talk while I cook?” It was more of a demand than a question, but I guessed he was trying. “I presume you are here because you have thought about my request.”“I have,” I began, and resisted the urge to play with my earring. Since Adonis had pointed it out I had realised that I’d not been making enough of an effort to stop doing it. “And I would like you to hear me out before you get mad at me for making demands.”He glanced at me as he began slicing raw chicken, and rolled his tongue. “Go on.”“I’m willing to try, but…”He tensed, and I second guessed my decision. It was a hastily made choice anyway, but one that I hoped would work out for the best. I couldn’t lose this man, even if I didn’t love him, I couldn’t do it. I had already lost one man today. I needed to bend a little.“But I need you to try something too,” I went on.He tossed the chicken into a hot pan and washed his hands as the meat started to sizzle. He threw in an assortment of spices and poured rice into a pot of water.“Are you going to tell me what that is?” he asked with his back to me as he continued to prepare the rest of our food.“Yes,” I said quickly, “Lorenzo, I don’t trust you, and you scare me,” I stated and winced as he turned to face me.But he didn’t look angry like I had expected. “Understandable.” He nodded. “And you have a solution for that?” His brows lifted as he waited for me answer.“Sort of. It’s quite simple really. I will try to come around to the idea of something more between us, if you can try to be honest with me, and control how often your mood switches on me.” My lip made its way between my teeth, and I released it quickly, mentally cursing Adonis for making me so fucking aware of what I was doing.“Deal,” he said, and I frowned at how easily he had agreed.He came over to where I was sitting, and swept his thumb over my forehead, smoothing over the worried lines that had no doubt formed there.“Now tell your other men that you’re done with them,” he demanded, but there was a playfulness to his tone that I had never heard before.“There are no other men,” I admitted, attempting to keep the sadness from my voice.I didn’t want him to think that I was settling, even if it did feel a little like I was. But I had a man standing before me who was willing to try. A man who not only understood the darkest parts of me, but worshipped them. We lived together in this world that others couldn’t understand, I wouldn’t ever have to keep him safe, and one day lust could grow into love. Couldn’t it?His lips met mine in a passionate kiss that dragged the air from my lungs and replaced it with hope.“Good.” He smiled and turned back to finish making our dinner.
I watched him and sighed. I doubted I’d see him cook for us again, so I rested my head on my hands and enjoyed the moment as the view, and the smells filling the kitchen, made my mouth water.He plated up our steaming hot wraps and placed them on the counter. “Buon appetito.” He gestured to the food.I stood up and tentatively wrapped my arms around his neck. He hesitated then placed his hands on my hips.“Thank you, Lorenzo,” I whispered and pushed up onto my tiptoes to kiss him softly.He looked down at me. His eyes locked on mine. “No, Thank you, amore mio.”“It only works if we both try though. I’m not good at this stuff, casual is all I know, so I need you to be patient with me, and I’ll be patient with you.” I said, sliding my fingers down his arms until I reached his long fingers.“I know. I will. And I will make you mine,” he promised.“I look forward to seeing you try.” I smirked, feeling a buzz of confidence.“I’ll show you right now,” he breathed and dipped his head to my ear. “I’ll make you mine right here.” He pushed me against the counter. “Over and over again.”I wrapped my arms around to his back and tugged on the cord of his apron, smiling playfully. “Only if you keep this on.”He pulled back and raised a brow at me, then took a couple of steps away from me. He held eye contact as he slowly, slightly awkwardly, stripped. I felt my cheeks flush. I didn’t think he would do it, but it wasn’t long before he was stood proudly before me in nothing but his apron.“Happy?” he asked.I licked my lips and let my eyes travel over him appreciatively, lingering on the clear bulge that lifted the fabric. “Yes.”He cleared his throat, and I looked up to meet his stern gaze.“Yes, Chef.”