Page 65 of The Mafia's Surprise Gift

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MAE

“You’re thinking about him, aren’t you?”

Jian’s words cut through my distracted thoughts and pulled me back to the present. He sat next to me at the bar, glass in hand and a small smile on his face.

“How upset would you be if I said yes?” I asked with a dry chuckle. “Every guy dreams to hear their date is thinking about another man, huh?”

“I invited you out for a drink to make up for when I turned you down,” Jian said softly. “And because you need a break. But I’m very aware of how cautious you are about leaving your son with Rocco.”

“My mom will make sure nothing happens,” I replied, turning my attention to the cherries floating in my own drink. “And it’s good that he wants to spend time with him. It’s just… hard. I rarely leave him, if ever. So, trying to shed the Mom cap and just be me is… tough.”

“When was the last time you went on a date?” Jian wrapped one hand around his beer glass and angled his body toward me. “Before Zack?”

“Uh, geez, you’re really putting me on the spot here.” I laughed softly and took a drink of my fruity cocktail, savoring the mix of sweet and sour that danced across my tongue.

Jian’s invite had been very sweet, and I was more than happy to spend time with him. It was just strange to leave Zack after everything that happened. Rocco had sworn up and down that he had made peace with the people who attacked him and that the war was over. Maybe it was easier for them to believe that because I just could not shake the constant subtle prickle at the back of my neck.

One other piece of good news this past week was about my mother’s health. Her illness was only a mild kidney infection and inflamed bowel, but she had perked right up after her first round of medication. She was on the mend, Zack was happy, Rocco was reaching out… and I was distracted while on a date with a gorgeous man.

“Mae?” Jian prompted as my silence dragged on.

“Sorry, I was just trying to remember the last date I had. I think it might have been my one and only date after Zack was born. My best friend set me up with a guy because she was trying to get me back out into things. She wanted to boost my confidence and show that I was still sexy after pregnancy.”

“I can attest to that.” Jian winked. “Did it go well?”

“Goodness, no.” I snorted, amused. “He wanted to go go-kart racing, and I had squeezed a watermelon out of my vagina like six months before. If I got in that cart, I would have burst. So, I talked him into bowling, and he became insanely competitive. We ended up arguing over three points, and then when he took me home, he had the cheek to ask me if he could come in.” Chuckling at the memory, I took another sip.

“Safe to say, I did not see him again. My friend Denise was insanely apologetic and tried to set me up again, but I was not letting that happen.”

“Wow.” Jian sighed, his lips pulling into a light smirk. “Was he really the competitive one, or was it you?”

“I existed in truth.” I smirked. “Those three points were definitely mine.”

“Got it.” Jian set his beer down. “I promise there will be nothing like that tonight.” He slid from his stool and held out one hand to me.

“Are we leaving?” I asked, hastily popping one of the cherries into my mouth.

Jian shook his head. “Dance with me.”

“What?” I glanced around at the bar. While it was loud enough to give us a bubble of privacy, there weren’t many people up dancing yet. Jian’s gaze didn’t waver, though, and he wiggled his fingers at me.

“Dance with me,” he repeated. “Please?”

The rugged handsomeness of his face melted into a puppy-dog sweetness, and I couldn’t resist.

“Alright.”

I took his hand, and he guided me out to the dance floor. He slid one arm around my waist and pulled my body snugly against his own, then clasped my right hand in his. Just as my lips parted to speak, Jian dipped his head and captured my lips in a soft, sweet kiss, a gentle press of lips that immediately turned filthy when his tongue slid into my mouth and stole the cherry from on top of my tongue.

“Hey!” I laughed as we parted and he showed off the crimson berry between his teeth.

Jian smirked. “You’re welcome to try and get it back.”

We moved in time to the music, and the rest of the bar faded away to the background. Nothing else mattered but the hot, solid line of muscle against my body, the way Jian’s hips swayed with mine, and the teasing game of trying to catch a kiss to steal the cherry back.

It was a losing game. Jian was much more talented with his tongue than I was, but that didn’t deter me. His laughter was addicting, his warmth was alluring, and each sweep of his tongue in my mouth to steal the cherry back raised my heart rate.

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