Chapter 14

Fourteen

Leo

I headed over to Matteo’s early so I could talk to him. Harper was going to meet us, and then we were going to go out. It was a little unconventional, but then I’d never dated anyone with a child.

Matteo grabbed a beer and handed it to me. “You know what you’re doing?”

I laughed and shook my head. “No idea.”

“I support you, but—” Matteo began.

“Harper isn’t what Mamma and Papà want for you,” Carlo reminded me.

“If you remember, their perfect match for me cheated on me,” I reminded them, thinking of Bianca.

Carlo winced. “I’m not saying they know better, just that they won’t be happy.”

“I’m not sure I care about that,” I said, a little shocked that I’d said that out loud.

Matteo whistled. “You must really like her.”

“Tonight’s about figuring out if we have a shot at something real.” If things were awkward without Evie acting as a buffer, then I’d have my answer. But I had a feeling these emotions that had been swirling in my gut since I considered the possibility of us weren’t going away any time soon.

“You know we support you in whatever you decide. I just wanted to be sure you understood the ramifications.” Carlo played with the label on his beer bottle.

“And I appreciate that.”

A knock sounded at the door, and I hurried to open it.

Harper looked down at her dress and sandals. “I wasn’t sure what we were doing—”

“You look perfect.” I leaned in to kiss her as Evie asked, “Are you kissing my mommy?”

“Just on her cheek,” I said as I pulled back. “Is that okay?”

She pursed her lips. “I guess so.”

“We’re going to dinner while you hang out with these yahoos,” I said, with a thumb thrown over my shoulder in their direction.

She pouted. “Why can’t I come?”

Harper squatted in front of her. “We talked about this. Leo’s taking me on a date. You’ll play with Matteo and Carlo, and we’ll be back before you know it.”

I was hoping for more time alone, but it didn’t sound like we were going to get it. But Evie’s comfort and needs came first. I wondered if Harper would end things if Evie didn’t like the idea of us. I had a feeling that might be the case, and it didn’t sit right in my chest.

“Yeah, okay,” Evie finally admitted.

“You want to play a game?“ Matteo said.

Evie brightened at his question. She loved spending time with my brothers. I think she loved the male attention, although I wouldn’t tell Harper that. She already felt inadequate when it came to raising Evie. I wouldn’t add to it.

Harper kissed and hugged Evie before letting Matteo lead her away.

“This is our chance,” Harper whispered as they disappeared into the kitchen.

I opened the door. “Let’s drop your car off at home, and then we’ll eat. That way, we can pick up Evie together.” I wanted to extend our time together as much as possible.

Harper nodded, not asking why I’d made that request. We dropped off her car, and when she was finally in my passenger seat, I relaxed. She’d added a jean jacket because the evening was cool. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you. I can’t tell you the last time I had to get ready for a date. Where are we going?” she asked, shifting in the seat so she faced me.

I’d initially thought about the traditional dinner at a nice restaurant but then decided against it. “What do you think of mini golf?”

A smile spread over her face. “I don’t get to play because Evie’s not patient enough for it.”

I chuckled. “Next time, we should take her.”

“She takes it so seriously, and then when her ball falls into the water, she gets upset.”

“Poor thing,” I said, trying to imagine her pouting or even her stomping her feet.

“It’s not cute when your five-year-old is throwing a temper tantrum in the middle of the green. I’m always worried someone is going to kick us off the course.”

I reached over to touch her bare leg, my cock twitching in my pants at the contact. “Call me next time she wants to go. I can help.”

“I’d love that.”

Something warm settled in my chest when she looked at me. It felt right being here with her. I could easily imagine more nights like this one, with or without Evie, maybe even with a child of our own. The realization jolted me out of my musings.

Bianca wasn’t right for me, but her betrayal was still fresh. Could I put myself out there with another woman, hoping she didn’t crush my heart? I didn’t think Harper was one to take a relationship lightly. She’d said it herself that she didn’t date much because of Evie.

As we parked at the mini-golf location, I pushed aside the worries about us and Evie. Tonight was just for the two of us, and I was going to enjoy it. Who knew how many more evenings we’d get for just us?

“They have a range,” Harper said as we got out.

“Maybe we can do that after we finish the mini-golf course.”

She smiled as I reached out my hand to take hers.

Something about this evening, and the company, made me think of first dates. Not as an adult, but as a teenager. It meant so much more that we had this time together, and I wanted to make the most of this. There was a sweetness in the air mixed with anticipation.

I couldn’t wait to be alone with her. I’d been imagining all the things I’d do to Harper if that ever happened, and tonight was my chance. We only had a few hours, and I needed to make them count.

I paid for the two of us, and we grabbed balls and putters and moved to the first hole.

“You go first,” I said, wanting to watch her more than anything.

She smiled sweetly at me as she lined up with her ball and hit it a little harder than necessary. It popped over the small brick border, and I said, “I’ll get it.”

When I returned, she gave me a sheepish look. “I’ll use a little less force this time.”

I stood off to the side, watching as her skirt rode up her bare thighs when she leaned over. She was gorgeous tonight. I wanted to touch her, to feel how soft her skin was. I wanted to kiss her.

She wiggled her butt when the ball landed only a few inches from the hole. “Did you see that?”

“Much better,” I said as I got ready to take my turn, even though I’d been completely distracted.

She cocked a hip and gave me a look. “Did you even see my shot?”

“I might have been momentarily distracted.”

She laughed and shook her head.

When we finished, I recorded our results as we waited for the next hole, where a family of five was still playing.

The boy who looked to be about six or seven kept starting over if the ball didn’t go where he wanted it to. The parents were exasperated, but I thought it was cute. “Is that how Evie is?”

“A little bit.” She sighed.

I moved closer, drawing her back into my space with a hand on her hip. She leaned into me, and the warmth of her body pressed against mine felt good. We were next to a waterfall and a little pond that provided ambiance and shade. We waited until the family of five had their turn and moved on to the next hole.

“Should we make a bet on the winner?” I asked her when she placed her ball.

She straightened, her eyes bright. “You mean, if I win, I get something?”

“If I win, I get a kiss,” I said, lowering my voice, even though there was no one behind us for now, and the family ahead of us moved around the corner.

I brushed her hair off her shoulder, and her breath hitched. I shifted the strap of her dress to the side so I could kiss the exposed skin.

A shiver ran through her. “Yeah, okay.” Then she swallowed hard. “What do I get if I win?”

“Whatever you want,” I said, easing back as she set up to take her shot.

She threw a saucy look over her shoulder. “Whatever I want? Hmm… Now I have to figure out what that is.”

I steadied her with a hand on her hip and then took a step back so she had room for her swing. “I’m looking forward to it.”

“I like the sound of that,” she said, my eyes fixated on her ass while she lined up for her shot.

Mini golf shouldn’t be sexy, but it was. Especially when Harper was wearing that dress. I was having fun imagining whether she was bare underneath her skirt or if she was wearing a scrap of lace panties. As much as I would have loved the idea of her bare, the thought of a piece of lace covering her pussy had me adjusting myself in my pants.

When she cheered, I finally looked at her face.

Her hands raised, she exclaimed, “I got a hole in one!”

“Great shot,” I said as I high-fived her, even though I hadn’t seen anything other than her legs and her ass as she moved.

I needed to get my head in the game. Although, what was the incentive? If I won, I got a kiss; if she won, would she want to have her way with me? I liked that idea a lot, and either option was a win for me.

“Are you going to give me an idea of what I get if I win?”

She shot me a saucy smile. “Oh, trust me. You’re going to like it.”

I wanted her to win. This was the most ass-backward wager I’d ever made. For fun, I attempted to distract her with a hand on her back or hip and a kiss on her neck when she lined up for her shot. Each time, she paused, sucking in a breath.

She didn’t seem to mind the distractions, and she got into the same game by rubbing her ass against me when I moved close to show her good form.

I was starting to throw my shot more and more. When it came to distraction, she’d get me each time.

Then I changed tactics and whispered Italian words into her ear, like bellissima and my personal favorite, piccola . I’d called women beautiful or gorgeous, but I’d never used little one . Each time, a shiver ran through her, and her breathing grew uneven.

While we were waiting at a hole, I pulled her into a tiny cave where no one could see us. I pressed her against the wall and kissed her, my hands running down her back and onto her bare leg. I moved my leg higher as I explored her mouth.

I thought I was in control until she lifted her leg and hooked it around the back of my thigh and pulled me tighter against her. My cock nudged against her pussy, and all the blood drained from my head. I felt her warmth through the thin layer of her dress and the cotton of my pants.

I rocked into her, wishing we had more time.

She nipped at my lower lip. “It’s probably our turn.”

“Mmm,” I murmured as I cupped the globe of her bare ass. I felt the thin strap of lace disappear between her cheeks. “You’re wearing a thong.”

She smiled, and it was a little naughty.

“I want to shove it to the side and slide inside your slick pussy,” I said before I remembered this was Harper.

She melted into me. “I like when you talk dirty.”

I groaned as I pulled away, adjusting myself and sucking in a breath. “We need to get out of here.”

She lowered her leg and maneuvered under my arm to get free. “You started this game. You should be strong enough to see it through.”

“Oh, I’m strong enough,” I insisted as she laughed and moved away. The problem was, I was indecently hard for a guy at a mini-golf course. I needed to get my thoughts under control. So, I thought of my mother and Evie until I was presentable again. When I joined Harper, she told me she’d finished the hole in three strokes, and I recorded her score.

We focused on playing after that. Both of us were tense, biding our time until the eighteenth hole, when we could make a break for one of our houses.

At the last hole, I asked her, “Do you want to hit the range or grab food to go?” I was up for either, but since our time was limited…

“Let’s order food. I heard they have good burgers here.”

We returned our clubs and ordered burgers to go. On the drive to my house, she balanced the to-go boxes on her thighs.

After I parked in the garage, I grabbed the boxes and placed them on the counter in the kitchen before I turned to face her.

“Did you tally up who won?” Harper asked.

I raised a brow. “Does it matter?”

Harper’s eyes widened as I erased the distance between us. “I think we’re both going to win tonight.”

“Me too,” I said as I started up where we left off, with her pressed against a wall while I kissed her. It wasn’t slow or exploring; it was hard and demanding. It was like I’d finally let go. I could do whatever I wanted.

I didn’t waste any time lifting her skirt and touching her how I wanted to, the soft skin of her inner thighs and, finally, to the damp patch of lace between her legs. “ Ti voglio. I want you now. I can’t wait.”

“I want that too,” she said breathlessly.

My fingers slipped underneath, and I caressed her softly, with a barely there touch, until she whimpered in protest. “ Mi fai impazzire .” You drive me crazy.

Then I pressed firmer as her hands tangled in my hair, pulling and tugging. She wanted me as badly as I wanted her.

This wasn’t about wanting to take care of her or about her daughter, Evie. I wanted Harper in a way I hadn’t wanted any other woman. I’d die if I wasn’t inside her in the next thirty seconds.

She widened her stance, giving me better access. My finger dipped inside her heat, and I kissed my way down her jaw, along her neck, and sucked on the skin of her collarbone, needing and wanting more. I tugged her dress down until her breasts spilled out.

She hadn’t been wearing a bra, and my brain short-circuited for a second before I got back in the game and sucked one perfect nipple into my mouth. With her hand pressed against the back of my head, I sucked first one, then the other nipple until they were hard peaks. Fuck. She was gorgeous with her hair tousled, her breasts spilling over the top of her dress, and her legs bare.

I eased back a step as she lifted her dress over her head, leaving her in yellow lace. It was sweet and delicate, and I wanted to rip it off with my teeth. Before I could lower to my knees, she said, “I want to touch you, taste you.” She lowered herself to the floor, unbuckling my belt and pants.

I was already hard, but the sight of Harper on her knees was too much.

When my dick finally popped free, she licked the pre-cum from the tip of my cock and sucked it into her mouth. There was a roaring in my ears as I touched her hair, forcing myself to keep my touch light.

She licked and sucked, jerking me with her hand. It was perfect, yet not enough.

“I need to be inside you,” I said, my voice guttural.

Instead of stopping, she gripped me harder and sucked me down, swallowing when my dick hit the back of her throat.

I groaned as I lifted her up. I didn’t waste any time grabbing a condom from my wallet and ripping the wrapper and then smoothing the rubber over my cock.

Then I lifted her, nudging my cock against her wet pussy.

“You want this?” I asked her, barely restraining myself from slipping inside. It would be so easy.

Harper’s eyes were wide with lust. “I want you, Leo.”

Something about her statement, that she wanted me and not my cock, made me pause. It felt good to hear her say that, especially when we were risking everything to be together. She wanted me.

“Fuck, yes,” I said as I surged into her in one motion.

She tensed and then softened around me. “Move, Leo. Please.”

I eased back to the tip and thrust inside, alternating long and quick strokes, wanting to draw it out. Needing to give her the most pleasure possible.

“It feels so good,” Harper said breathlessly when I ground my pelvis against her clit.

“Need you to come,” I ground out, knowing I was barely holding on.

I lowered my head and sucked her nipple into my mouth, and she went off, her pussy spasming around my cock. I couldn’t stop myself from following her over. I rested my head against her forehead, wondering how I’d ever recover from this.

“That was—” I started to say as I slowly eased her to her feet. Her skin was flush, and I couldn’t help but think that I liked seeing her naked in my kitchen.

“Incredible,” she said softly, picking up her dress and covering herself with it.

My only regret was that I hadn’t gotten to taste her. I wanted all night with her, but it wasn’t possible. I wanted more. Instead of saying everything that was in my head, I asked her, “Are you hungry?”

“Starved.”

I pulled on my briefs and pants and washed my hands as she opened the boxes of food and pulled down glasses for water. It wasn’t the first time I thought she fit in my space.

I sat next to her. I should say I was sorry we didn’t make it to the bedroom, but I wasn’t. We ate in silence for a few moments before she said, “These are good.”

I didn’t want to be talking about food, or anything else, for that matter. “How much time do we have before we need to get Evie?”

Harper frowned at her phone. “Maybe an hour.”

“Then let’s make the best use of the time we have. As good as that burger was, I need to taste you.”

Her eyes widened at the promise in my words.

After checking to see that she was finished eating, I tugged her up from her seat and led her up the stairs to my room. The few times she and Evie were over, they hadn’t entered my bedroom. I’d cleaned, hoping we might end up here tonight.

I pulled her to the end of the bed and slowly lifted her dress. She hadn’t bothered to put her panties on, so she was blissfully naked. “How do you feel about me eating you for dessert?”

She scrambled onto the bed, letting her knees fall wide as she planted the heels of her feet flat on the bed.

There were no other words for the sight of her naked on my bed, her hair spread out over the comforter, and her pussy open for me. I sank to my knees and pulled her closer to the edge. I kissed her inner thigh, wanting to savor this moment. “ Bellisima .”

Her pussy clenched at the word.

“You like that?” I asked as I licked her.

“Yes,” she breathed and arched into my mouth. I wanted to drive her wild, show her that we could let go and forget about everything else. What happened in this bedroom was our business, no one else’s. The bond we were forming, the connection we had, wasn’t up for discussion. It was ours alone.

I licked and sucked, building her up before using my finger to give her the friction she so desperately needed. I wanted to be inside her, but I wanted her to come on my face first.

When her thighs tightened around my head, I reached up and tweaked her nipples. She cried out, arching off the bed, as she spasmed around my finger.

I didn’t let up until she was coming down from the orgasm. I wiped my face and shoved down my briefs and pants, grabbing a condom before placing one knee on the bed. I lifted her with an arm banded around her back and moved her farther up the bed. She was languid as I teased her entrance with my cock. “I could do this all night,” I said, kissing her.

Harper didn’t answer me, but her hands ran up and down my sides and back, as if she couldn’t stop touching me. I hoped she was telling me how she felt with how she touched and kissed me. I whispered Italian phrases in her ear as I eased inside. I stayed close to her, my body pressing over hers. I wanted to stay this way always.

Her breath hitched as I moved inside her. “You’re so beautiful. No words in any language can express how I feel about you.”

Her eyes glistened, and she tightened her hold on me.

It was like I’d been waiting my whole life for her. Nothing felt as good or as right as being inside her. It was way too early to be thinking about the future or what any of this meant. But I suspected Harper was it for me.

She was worth whatever hell I was going to go through to be with her. I’d protect her and Evie. “You feel so good,” I said as I braced myself on my hands.

She bit her lip. “I’m so close.”

“Touch yourself,” I urged, moving so that she had room to get her hand between us.

She bit her lip as her hand moved slowly down her belly, making me harder. I watched as her slender fingers circled her clit, slowly at first and then faster.

She moaned as I increased my pace, the telltale sign that my orgasm was overcoming me.

She shattered a split second before I followed her over. I rested on top of her, both of us breathing heavily as we came down.

“It was just as good as the first time.”

I moved to her side. “Did you expect something different?”

“I don’t know what I expected. This is so different from anything I’ve ever experienced before.”

I played with her hair, loving the feel of the soft strands. She was finally mine to touch. “You’ve never been with an attentive lover.”

She laughed softly. “I guess not.”

I kissed her shoulder. “I’ll always take care of you, Harper. You deserve to be treated like a queen.”

“I like the sound of that,” she murmured as she turned to face me.

The expression on her face was one of awe, as if she couldn’t believe we were here in bed together.

“I want to stay here forever.”

“Me too.”

“Can I take you and Evie home? Stay for a bit? We don’t have to do anything, but I’m not ready for the night to end.”

“I’d like that. Do we need to have a conversation about what we are or what this is?” Her forehead wrinkled.

I wasn’t sure about labels and things like that. My fingers tangled in her hair. “You’re my girl. Sei mia . If I have free time, I want to spend it with you.”

She licked her lips. “I want to be your girl.”

“Then it’s settled.” I didn’t like monikers like girlfriend or boyfriend; I just wanted her to be mine.