Page 10 of Tammaro DeLuca

“You don't think ‘DeLuca's’ works?” His expression conveyed his question. He really thought — “Chill, bro.” He chuckled. “I'm calling it something else. I don't want it to have anything at all to do with Pop. No, this is mine.”

I didn't miss the haunted look on his face when he mentioned our father. There was a story there that I wondered about. Massimo said that Papá treated his mother like a queen. What he didn't mention was how he treated his children.

YOLANDA

Iagreed to take Ro to the new coffeehouse, my favorite one–Wired. They brewed their coffee fresh, regardless of how busy they were. One waited for perfection, right? He picked me up from my house and I met him outside so that he didn’t distract me with how damn sexy he was.

“It better deliver.” He joked.

“Trust. There are a few things that I won’t joke about, and coffee is one of them.” I wrinkled my nose at how offended he thought I would be by bringing him to try a mediocre brew. Not in this lifetime.

“I’ll remember that.” He kissed the top of my hand and held it against his lips as he drove.

I cleared my throat at him when he nibbled it. “Ro…”

“Yes?” but he never turned his head from the road or looked my way.

“I thought you promised to be good today.” I gently reminded him, but I’d been thinking about him since I last saw him two days ago. And I couldn’t admit that to him, though.

“I am being good. This…” he kissed my hand again, nipping it at the end, “is good.”

“No, it’s teasing me.” I exhaled a breath that was half sigh, half moan.

“Just because you’re getting aroused doesn't mean that I'm the one being bad. I love the taste of you, and I don't know why I have to be the one punished for your actions.” I joked.

It's not funny. Not at all. Because he was arousing me, and I'd already decided that I wouldn’t fuck him. We were getting coffee because he missed Italian blends. We'd agreed that this thing between us was purely sexual. That meant not getting to know one another or complicating it more than it had to be. It was the exact exchange that I needed it to be. I hated dating, and I didn't need any clinging guys around while I was trying to work.

I had goals and becoming a partner at my father's firm because I earned it was high on that list. I didn't want love impeding that. My daughter is the love of my life and right now, that was good enough for me.

This coffee run was only done as a favor, and he knew that. Besides, I wanted some, too. I was out of my regular blends and need to make it a beneficial trip for myself as well. When we were there, I exhaled, and my coffee-addicted heart smiled at smelling the coffee beans when we entered. I showed Ro what blends I thought were best for the strong flavors he was used to, and he ordered all three to sample with a splash of milk and two cubes of sugar. He was the reason I now knew that a cube of sugar was a teaspoon or four grams of sugar.

Learn something new every day.

While they prepared his cups, I browsed the selection they had and decided on a medium roast French vanilla, medium roast cranberry walnut, dark roast currant and orange. And my last one was smokey molasses, caramel, and almond—dark roast. I also got my usual black truffle latte with a shot of espresso.

“$110.25.” The cashier said to me.

“The fuck did you buy? Coffee for the entire line behind you?” He asked. He pulled out cash and handed it to the cashier.

“I buy my coffee.” I tried to give the woman my card, and he pulled it from my hand and nodded to her.

“You'll pay for nothing when you're with me.” He handed me my card back after he got the receipt and change.

Thinking he'd won that argument, he walked to the pickup counter. I grabbed the white chocolate almond and the toasted butter pecan French ones. Both medium blends and I'd been holding off on them. But since he paid for my usual ones, I may as well get what I wanted. The cashier laughed at me and shook her head.

“I'm staying out of it. Just make sure your husband doesn't shoot the messenger.” She teased.

“He's not my husband. He's a friend and I won't let him near you.”

“A friend that spends a hundred dollars on coffee? Where do I find one?” She snickered and turned away to get my order.

“A friend's wedding, apparently.” I mumbled.

“Then who did the friend marry?” Her back was toward me, and I didn't think she could hear me when I responded before.

Well, the least I could do was answer her question.

“My brother.” Ro said, startling us both. He leaned down to my ear and spoke so only I could hear. “Be careful talking about me. People may think I'm more than a casual fuck.” His tongue traced the shell of my ear and then he pulled away.

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