Page 21 of Leaving Lando

Promises

I make lasagna.It’s an Adamo family specialty, the recipe handed down through the generations, and fuck knows we need the fuel.

Brianna’s sprawled in the banquette I built into my dining nook, wrapped in my robe, watching me work. Even now, I’m hungry for her, though her eyes are half lidded and she’s as limp as overcooked spaghetti.

Sure enough, by the time I’ve got the lasagna in the oven, she’s passed out. I lift her carefully into my arms, taking care not to bump her head on the table, and carry her into the living room, where I settle in my recliner with her cradled in my lap.

Bree stirs, but I tuck her against me and murmur wordless reassurances and she settles again. I turn on the tv and tune it to a game, with the sound down low, then reach for the book sitting on the side table.

* * *

A beepingfrom the kitchen wakes me. It’s a good thing I set the timer on the stove. Bree’s still out cold, snuggled against me, and my cock is hard as iron.

I dreamed about her. Again. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, I stand up with her and start for the kitchen.

She wakes and looks around. “Huh?”

“Just need to take the lasagna out.”

“I fell asleep. Sorry.”

“It’s all right; I did too.” I’ve never done that before, held a woman in my arms while we dozed. In fact, I’ve seldom slept with a woman at all, not in the literal sense.

I put her down by the dining nook and go to deal with the lasagna. She doesn’t sit. “Can I help with anything?”

“You can set the table if you like.” I set the lasagna on the counter and slide the bread into the oven. “Placemats and napkins are over there, silverware in this drawer here.”

By the time the bread’s done, I’ve thrown a salad together. Brianna’s found the wineglasses without prompting, so I grab a bottle of red. Now I just need to act like a half-civilized human being and get through the meal without fucking her again.

I knew I’d have a hearty appetite for Bree, but she’s got me feeling more than lust. It’s almost need, as though I could never get enough of her, even if we did transport ourselves to a magical dimension where we could fuck nonstop for a year and a day.

She’s put our place settings facing each other across the table, which is just as well. I take my seat and ask, “Are you warm enough?” I pulled on some sweats and a t-shirt when we got out of the bath, but Bree wanted to keep my robe on.

“I’m fine.” Brianna salutes me with her wineglass. “Thanks for cooking.”

“My pleasure.” I serve her a generous portion of lasagna, then do the same for myself, watching as she forks up a bite. Her eyes close. She moans.

My cock kicks.

“This is fantastic.” She takes another bite. “Orgasmic.”

I stifle a groan. “Do me a favor and don’t use that word right now.”

That gets me a wicked grin; she seems revitalized by her nap. Finishing her wine, Bree tucks into the lasagna, using her garlic bread to mop up the extra sauce. “Seriously, this is amazing. Why aren’t you running a restaurant or something?”

“For one thing, a bunch of my cousins are already doing that. And for another, I knew I wanted to be a cop.”

She props her head on her hand. “Did you always know?”

“Pretty early on, yeah. What about you? I got the impression from Rome that you and your sisters didn’t plan the bakery.”

“No, we always loved to bake, but we never thought of making it a business. But then Dad died, and we weren’t making a go of the farm, and that lawyer started hassling us to sell it. It was your cousins Bianca and Anjelica who said we should sell our stuff in town. Without them, we’d still be trying to figure it all out.”

That lawyeris a man named Ralph Turnbull who works for Bruno Santiago, a brutal criminal who masquerades as a successful businessman. He wanted the Callahan farm to expand his drug business into the northern part of the state.

I suspect he’s also Zachary Oman’s boss, so nailing Zoma could put us one step closer to stopping Santiago. We know he hasn’t given up his plans for our town; he’s just biding his time. The man’s both crazy and obsessive.

“So what did you want to do?” I ask Brianna.

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