Page 50 of Spark

He let out a chuckle.

“What?” Mia asked, turning to him with a playful smile on her lips.

“Your joke from the day we met,” he said, tapping the tattoo.

She thought for a moment before remembering. “Oh my god.” She let her head fall on his rumbling chest.

“I told you it was funny.” His fingers traced her body, catching sight of a tattoo on her hip he hadn’t noticed before. “Wait. Is that your car?” He moved to look at her right hip. It was just a small, light-blue VW Bug with an aluminum roof rack.

Mia's face reddened. “Yeah, I told you, I have had it a long time.” She smiled softly. “I got it when my dad passed away.” She let out a sigh; her heart wasn’t totally sure she was ready to share all the details.

“Oh,” Aurelio said, letting the sheet settle back over them. “It looks great, beautiful.” Mia nodded, shifting to get out of bed, but he caught her wrist. “Wait, I'm sorry.”

“For what?” she asked, meeting his gaze. “You didn't do anything wrong. I am an open book.” She shrugged; her heart called her a liar as it beat slowly; the pain of her dad passing was still sharp.

“Mia.”

“Aurelio,” she replied, trying to mimic his stricter tone.

The attempt elicited a deep laugh, and she laughed, too. The whole thing was ridiculous. She relaxed, and he pulled her,catching her off guard and dragging her back onto his chest. He locked her in his arms.

“Aurelio, I seriously need to get ready for class,” she insisted, batting his arms, trying to free herself.

“Not till we talk.” He grumbled like a giant pouting baby.

“Fine, let me check the time at least.” Eyeing her suspiciously, he nodded and released her. She got out of bed and hunted down her phone, which had fallen on the floor. It was a quarter to eleven; she had roughly an hour before she had to leave. She looked at the bed, but Aurelio wasn't there. She looked around; there were not many places for a man of his size to hide. Suddenly, she was lifted off her feet.

“Gotcha!” he laughed, peppering her neck in kisses as he lowered her back down.

“Aurelio!” she exclaimed, slapping his hands.

“Let’s put some clothes on. I only have an hour.”

Aurelio frowned, making a show of looking her up and down one more time. “For later.” He winked, stepping out of her way as she went to hit him again. He grabbed his boxers and pants, sliding them over his impressive legs. Mia found a bra and underwear and quickly put them on. She grabbed a pair of black slacks and a dark grey blouse.

“Can you help me?” she asked, gesturing to the buttons in the back. Without a word, he stood behind her. His large, calloused fingers delicately attached the buttons.

“Thanks.” He nodded, smiling as he sat on the couch. His shirt was still off, somewhere on her bed, she assumed. “So, um...” She was nervous all of a sudden. They had never talked about being intimate.

“What?” he asked, focusing on her as she stood there. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. Of course. I'm fine,” she rambled quickly, convincing no one she was okay. “I guess... I'm waiting for the call that pulls you out of here before we actually get to talk.”

“Ahh.” He stood up, approaching her. “You think I'm going to disappear again, run off and maybe call later, huh?”

“Well, yes. Kind of.” He got closer, and Mia backed up.

“Maybe all I wanted was this, to come in, bang one out, and disappear?” He threw his hands out, his muscled arms on display.

“Well, no… Maybe,” she stuttered. Aurelio was a breath away, towering over her.

“Maybe I lied about all of it? Maybe this is my game?” His eyes were dark, serious, and scary. She drew in a breath. Despite herself, her thighs were wet once more with want.

“I don't know, maybe?” she said, standing her ground. She would not let him see her cower. In the blink of an eye, Aurelio's face transformed back to the one she knew, and maybe…

“Never,” he vowed, leaning down to place a kiss on her lips. “I want you, Mia. All of you. Forever.” He lifted her chin and locked eyes with her.

“I promise to never disappear again.” Aurelio let his words sink in before placing a kiss on her lips. The kiss was filled with promise, Mia letting herself melt into him.

---