Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Dani couldn't sleep. You looked stunning. She rolled to the side to shake off the conversation she'd had with Toni. His insight into the way she had been feeling was uncanny, and unsettling. Being vulnerable was bad enough, but vulnerable in front of Mister Confidence? No, thank you. And it wasn't like he could relate. He was tall and fit and always put together. She'd seen the way women looked at him. His mother was trying to make him fatter, not slimmer.

Venus in a half shell she was not. If only it was the 1400s.

The moon emerged from behind a cloud and shot a ray of light through the window to her nightstand where Marcello's book lay open. She sat up and let her eyes adjust to the writing on the pages. Tomorrow she'd begin testing the entrées, praying she could do them justice. Her eyes slid to her phone: 3 a.m. It was tomorrow.

Dani threw on sweatpants, zipped her hoodie over her tank top and padded barefoot down the stairs to the kitchen. She placed the book on the counter and as quietly as possible, began going through the cupboards. If Grace was anything like her brother, there would be huge jars of home-dried spices, sauces in the fridge, several cooking sherries, homemade pastas in the freezer and cuts of meat.

She found nothing. Other than the fresh herb pots lined along the wall, there wasn't a clue that the woman asleep upstairs even cooked. Dani walked back toward the mudroom and stopped when she saw a wide door to her right. It opened with a loud squeal, and Dani's jaw dropped. It was the walk-in closet of a chef's dream—a full steak locker, a full wine locker, jars of spices, pastas, canned sauces, barrels of ripe root vegetables and a giant refrigerator-freezer with every produce imaginable.

Dani turned on the burners and hit the ground running. Steak sizzled. Pasta boiled. The fish cuts luxuriated in butter. She tasted her first entrée and spit it out. Too much tarragon. Her second try was too spicy. Her third, meh. Fresh basil, truffles, a hint of dried persimmon. Gorgeous.

"Are you crazy? It's two in the morning." Dani whipped around to find Sophia in a big T-shirt and socks with her phone in hand.

"Yeah, maybe I'm a little crazy. I wanted to get a start on the menu. Did I wake you?"

"No. I just couldn't sleep. I thought I'd get some water." She shuffled to the counter and stuck her nose in the big pot. "What are you making?"

"It's a cream sauce."

"Can I have a little?"

"Of course! Take a seat."

Dani found a plate and served her a small helping.

"You're not going to eat?"

"I never eat when I'm cooking. Just tastings." Dani watched Sophia take a bite. The young girl closed her eyes and cocked her head dramatically. Then her eyes popped open.

"It's really good."

It was good to hear, but Dani wasn't yet satisfied and planned to make it again. She fetched the girl a glass of water and set it down when Sophia's phone went off. A text message from W came through saying, send me a pic. From the way the girl blushed and avoided her gaze Dani suspected it was from the boy.

"I used to code my boyfriend under bubbles. I don't know why I ever thought that was clever."

"Don't tell Papà."

"Okay. But maybe you should say good-night to W," Dani said before turning away. She did not want in the middle of that. Nor did she want to know what type of pics they were sending. She grabbed an onion and began dicing. When she looked up Sophia was next to her with a knife. Dani found her a cutting board and gave her several tomatoes. After a quick tutorial, Dani and her young sous-chef began to cook.

"Dani, have you ever sent a naked pic?"

Dani stopped dicing, she fixed her face and turned to Sophia.

"Um, I have. It was to a boyfriend whom I hadn't seen for several weeks."

"He says he misses me and wants a picture."

"Uhh, did he ask for a naked picture?"

"He wasn't specific, but..."

The girl's face said it all.

"He sent you one. Didn't he?"

"Yes."

"Sophia. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do and I advise against it. You don't know where that picture will end up. Send him a pic of the dog."

She giggled. "It's my fault. I asked him to send it."

Oh Lord. Dani's brows shot up, and then she pushed them back to neutral.

"It's none of my business."

"I didn't think he'd send it. We aren't having sex or anything."

"Whoa, I wasn't even thinking it."

"I'm not that type of girl." She frowned.

"I never thought you were."

"Papà thinks I am."

"He does not. He loves you so much. He's just trying to protect you from the big bad world."

Sophia's bottom lip trembled and Dani didn't know what to do, so she grabbed the tiramisu from the fridge and cut them both a piece. Dani coaxed Sophia to the table. They sat down and, after a loaded several seconds, Sophia shoved a piece in her mouth.

"I saw all of your trophies upstairs. Your father told me that you quit soccer. I mean calcio."

She shrugged. "I didn't want to play anymore."

"You don't miss it?"

Sophia shrugged with nothing else to say and Dani dropped the subject, happy that she was no longer on the verge of tears.

"Mamma and Papà fought about it a lot. I thought if I was a better daughter..."

Dani saw a tear plop into Sophia's dessert.

"You thought they wouldn't get divorced."

Another tear made it into the tiramisu and Dani grabbed her hand.

"Oh no, honey, it's not your fault. Trust me I know."

"How do you know?"

"My mother and father were never married, but we did all live together for a few years. I thought if I lost weight, then my mother wouldn't be so angry and my father would be able to tolerate her, so I starved myself for a month. No one noticed. But my mother kept complimenting me on how much weight I was losing, and then one day I passed out and woke up in the hospital."

Sophia gasped.

"My father moved out a week after I came home from the hospital and my mother blamed me and my ‘stunt.'"

"That's crazy."

"My mother is crazy."

Sophia laughed. She finished her dessert and looked less on the verge of a breakdown.

"You should talk to your father."

Sophia grimaced. "He doesn't listen, just barks orders."

"You really like this boy, huh?"

Sophia blushed.

"You should get some sleep."

"I wanna help a little more. Cooking is fun."

Dani smiled. She thought so too.

Who the hell was up this late at night? Toni could no longer listen to the footfalls above him. He silently climbed the stairs and stopped in his tracks just beyond the entrance to the kitchen. Before him, Dani and Sophia had their heads together over small cuts of tiramisu. Not a bad idea, his mother's tiramisu was delicious. He took a step forward and stalled. Sophia wiped tears from her eyes.

A powerful need to rush forward gripped him, but he stayed when he saw Dani's hand settled over his daughter's. They exchanged soft words he couldn't hear and Sophia nodded sincerely, then smiled. After a few seconds, the two of them got up and began chopping vegetables at the kitchen counter.

Toni caught himself smiling at the pair they made. He contemplated going back to his room, content that Sophia was smiling again, unlike during their talk when she confessed that Ava had told their daughter they were getting back together.

He blamed himself, afraid that his promise to "think about it" had somehow led Ava to believe their reconciliation was actually happening. But he knew better than that. Ava was using their daughter as a pawn to trap him. It wasn't the first time. But, dammit, he needed to make sure it was the last.

Sophia's giggles broke into his thoughts. Dani wouldn't act like that. He shook his head, admonishing himself for the comparison. He wasn't on the market for another woman in his life, and yet he couldn't take his eyes from the scene in front of him. He'd be lying if he said his conversation with Dani hadn't been part of the reason why he couldn't sleep. The sadness in her eyes had made him want to hold her.

He motioned to slide his hands into his pockets, clenching his fists when he found he had none in his pajama pants. Something had shifted when they had been in that room together. She had looked at him with those sad, dark eyes, her body framed by his extra-large bed, and all he could think about was picking her up and pinning her underneath him. His lips at her throat and the swells of her breasts. His hands smoothing over her belly and down over her thighs.

"You can come out, Papà."

Dio.Now he looked like a Peeping Tom. A resigned smile on his face, he stepped out of the shadows and stopped just over the threshold of the kitchen.

"I was just seeing what all the noise was."

"You were lurking." Sophia popped something in her mouth.

"No, I was going back to bed."

Dani zipped up her sweatshirt before turning around. The action bothered him, like she was putting up another barrier over herself and her body. Dani gave him a weak smile.

"Sorry, Toni, this is my fault. Did we wake you?"

Toni mentally grimaced at her terry cloth armor that zipped to her neck. "No, I was awake, but I thought animals had broken in. What are you two doing?"

Sophia dipped her spoon in a pot and stirred. "We're cooking Uncle's entrées."

Dani flipped off a burner. "I couldn't sleep so I decided to practice a few dishes. Do you think your mother will be mad? I'm going to clean everything."

Toni held up a palm and came toward them, the smells making his stomach rumble. "She won't care. But you—" he pulled his daughter close for a kiss on the head "—bed. Now."

Vibrations came from the table and Toni turned to see Sophia's phone lighting up. Father and daughter lunged for the phone, but Sophia snatched it first and held it to her breast.

"Give it to me."

"No, please. I'll turn it off."

"You said that earlier and you haven't done it. Is that who I think it is?"

Sophia's gaze shifted to Dani, who quickly turned away and began stirring a large pot. "I won't answer him."

"The deal is off."

"No!" She quickly deleted the texts, turned off her phone and held it up for him to see. "It's off."

"Give it to me."

"No!"

"Now."

She slapped it into his hand and ran out of the room. He hung his head for a moment, then tossed the offending technology on the dinner table. He tugged at the collar of his T-shirt, wondering if his frustration was making his temperature rise or if it was the heat from the kitchen. Half turning, he stared into the hallway, unsure how to mend the volatile relationship he and his child were having lately. Dani continued to cook.

"She's having sex with that boy," he said to Dani's back.

"No, she's not." His head whipped up to see Dani handing him a small plate of cavatelli and a fork. He pulled out a chair and settled his plate in front of him.

"How do you know?" Without taking his eyes from her, he speared the pasta and popped it absently in his mouth. His brain stopped, the garlic sauce was laced with saffron and basil, and left an aftertaste so subtle he couldn't put his finger on the spice. He forked more into his mouth and almost moaned.

"She told me just now. She's a good girl, Toni, she's just feeling a little off balance. And she's in puppy love, or whatever you want to call new love."

"She told you all of this just now?" His mood lifted dramatically. His baby wasn't having sex yet. He'd do cartwheels if he could. He'd—After another bite of Dani's heaven, Toni's mind ran toward the perfect wine pairing. He jumped up.

"Yes. She—Where are you going?"

Toni whipped open his mother's pantry and pulled out a black wine bottle, gathered two glasses and set them on the table.

"Taste this." He popped the bottle and poured with gusto.

"It's 4 a.m."

"Yeah, and you're cooking a seven-course meal. Taste it."

Her lips pursed but she acquiesced. Giving it a swish and sticking her nose in the glass before taking a sip. He smiled when her brows went up.

"Now try it with the cavatelli."

He watched her take careful bites and sips. She sat back and rolled her tongue over her teeth.

"I like it. Is it a Barbera?"

"No, a Montepulciano."

"Whose?"

"Mine."

She took another sip. "No, I mean, whose vineyard?"

"Mine. It's the family wine."

"Well... I hope it's showing up on the menu."

"Alongside Marcello's cavatelli," Toni said.

"Oh...this isn't on the menu. It's my recipe. I was just playing around."

Toni blinked. "I like how you play. It's going on the menu."

Dani looked stricken and shook her head. "I think Marcello has a better dish in his book, I'm just getting started really. I'm sure there won't be room for it."

Toni blinked, unable to figure out what had just happened. They'd been on the same page for a moment, and then it was as if someone had dumped cold water on them both.

"I should clean up." Dani grabbed her wine and crossed to the counter, scraping what was edible into bowls and tossing scraps into the garbage. Toni finished off the few bites of his plate, then began to run water into the sink. "I can do it."

"No, the cook doesn't clean."

Their gazes locked for a moment and Toni wondered at the sadness that seemed to have touched her eyes again. Dani broke their staring contest to hand him a plate and he noticed a small bit of sauce on her bosom.

"You have something here." She looked down at her sweatshirt and he swiped at the glob with his finger, pulling it back so she could see.

"I should have used an apron. Here."

She held out a towel, but he refused it, licking the sauce from his finger. Her dark eyes settled on his lips, then ran up to meet his eyes.

Toni stepped forward and slid his hand around the back of her neck. Before she had time to question what he was doing, his lowered his mouth and kissed her full on the lips. He wasn't prepared for the electric heat that burned through him. Her lips were soft and warm, his mouth moving over hers in a slow thorough exploration. He shifted and brought them closer, needing to feel her body against his.

Her hand moved from his neck to his cheek and he felt the warmth of her palm as she cupped his face and kissed him back. Flashbacks of Brazil urged him on. He should have pulled away, but he could no longer hold himself back. Ground rules be damned.

He dragged her against him and plundered her mouth as if her kiss was an antidote he needed to survive. He was vaguely aware that his daughter and mother were upstairs, but his whole world came down to her mouth, the jagged rhythm of his heart and the slow, relentless pumping of his blood.

Toni continued to kiss Dani as he unzipped the offending sweatshirt and cupped her breasts through her tank top. Her moan was wild and needy, sending his brain into a fuzzy state of single-minded awareness. He needed to hear her moan again and his brain handled the logistics.

A flight of stairs to his bedroom or steps to the pantry?