Page 33 of Meet Me in Montreal

“That’s ‘cause youarea nerd.Mynerd. The total package. Juicy boobs, a nice butt, and a big, beautiful brain. What’s not to love?”

Vanessa was flooded with embarrassed delight that erupted into laughter. “I can’t tell if that was the best compliment I’ve ever had or the worst.”

“Either way, you said it didn’t bother you that I wasn’t a suit and tie guy with a bunch of degrees, working in a boardroom or head of a company like Nico. But sometimes, I wondered if itdid.” His face was flushed, and the wrinkle on his forehead had deepened.

Was he also thinking about Scott, who’d accomplished all those things? He had mentioned that during their “elevator moment” but as there were other more urgent things on her mind during that encounter, she hadn’t given it much thought at the time.

She had to stop and stare at him. “Are you serious? You’re a firefighter. People love you guys. Lawyers, not so much. They make jokes about us dying and everyone laughs. Ha ha, so funny!” He chuckled at that. “But you guys are bona fide heroes. I was really proud of you, too. I was proud to say I was with someone who’d risk his life for people he didn’t even know.”

The look he gave her, with his eyes shining with such sudden and earnest adoration, made her turn away quickly. She wished he’d stop looking at her like that.

She took an inhale of the fresh outdoor air and said, “I can acknowledge that I might have played Knowledge Nerd once too often. And I shouldn’t have made jokes about you in front of other people. You never did that to me. I’m sorry for that.”

A grin stole over his face. “Holy fuck, an apology from Professor Donahue? This is a great vacation already.”

Vanessa resisted that grin and faced forward again. “Treasure it. It’s probably the only one you’ll be hearing from me. Whew!” She fanned her face with her hand. “This was a little heavier than I was expecting for my first night in town.”

“It’s a start,” he replied cryptically. “Welcome to my new show, Relationship Rehab.”

“What the fuck?” she exclaimed, then burst out laughing a second time, so hard she had to stop walking. “You really need to stop watching so much HGTV.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he grumbled. “Alright, I’m all talked out. Let’s go do some fun shit.”

They turned back to the hotel to drop off the shopping bag and head back down to the restaurant, where the Michelin chef served up a great meal of fresh seafood, including smoked fish, garlic scallops and the creamiest lobster bisque she’d ever had. After dinner, they went out to listen to a band in an open-air park, sitting on a blanket on the grass. Santino had brought wine, which they drank while lounging and listening.

Things were light and easy until later that night, when it was time to sleep. Vanessa stood by her side of the bed after her shower, staring at the cool white bedding. Santino slipped under the covers on his side, wearing just his boxer briefs as he usually did. His body was all long, tanned goodness, and she turned away from the sight of his bright eyes, his smooth, muscled chest and arms and the veined Adonis belt. His thighs were still thick, also veined. She’d once known every single raised line, had traced them with a loving tongue. And those weren’t the only parts of him that were deliciously thick and veined that she’d loved licking and sucking.

Before she got in, she hastily rushed to her closet and came back with a dressy scarf, wrapping it around her neck so he couldn’t possibly reach her “on “switch. That, coupled with her bonnet and the hotel robe belted and knotted around her waist, would hopefully send him the message she was closed for business. Looking over at his nightstand, all she saw was a half-empty glass of water, but when she scanned for that feather, it was nowhere in sight.

He had been in the process of typing something into his phone and was still focused on the tiny glowing screen. “I’m texting Virgil to say we’re settled in, and the room is awesome. Also, to let him know your brother andherwill be joining us for the rest of the week.”

“Uh-huh.” It was more of a squeak in her throat than an affirmation. Fuck, her nerves were jumping. Just the sight ofthat firm chest with the golden-brown nipples was causing her heartbeat to pulse in places that she desperately needed to stay cool and disinterested. The sheet was up to his waist but what was underneath…

Apparently done, he put the phone on his nightstand. That’s when he turned and saw her standing awkwardly by the bed, shifting from foot to foot. He grinned, his gaze touching her from head to toe. “What’s up with the outfit? I know its Canada, but it’s notthatcold.”

“I feel something coming on,” she said, clutching the robe tighter and burrowing her chin into the scarf.

“Hm,coming. Interesting choice of words.” That grin turned lazy, and despite the fuzzy robe and the bonnet, his gaze turned hot. That blue fire swept up and down her form. “Are you gonna stand there all night or are you gonna lie down?”

Rolling her eyes as if annoyed at the question, she lay down with awkward, jerky movements far away on her side of the wide expanse of mattress. She faced the ceiling with her body rigid, arms crossed over her stomach, legs crossed at the ankles. He also stayed flat on his back and put one arm up under his head. Vanessa was excruciatingly aware of his intake and exhalations of breath, the way he absentmindedly scratched his thumb across that lickable rollercoaster of abs.

“Did you have a good time today?” Santino asked after a long, weighty pause.

“Well, considering you hijacked my trip and are forcing me into hanging out with you, yeah, sure. It’s absolutely great.”

“Come on, admit it. You had fun,” he scoffed. “Maybe not as much fun as we used to when you weren’t mad at me.”

“According to you, that was almost never,” Vanessa reminded him archly.

“Nah, I always had a good time with you.” He fell silent. The room was cool, but the robe and the remnants of the wine in herbloodstream were making her feel warm. Lying still, it was easier to track where the warmth flowed. Tingling palms, restless feet, the rising flush in her chest. The flaring heat of his body beside her. Then he spoke again, soft laughter lacing his words. “Remember that night at Dom’s birthday party?”

She’d been to three of his cousin’s parties, but she knew exactly which one he was referring to. A reluctant smile tugged at her lips.

“Who could forget that? Everybody was smashed. Even Gina. We sang so loud the neighbors called the cops, and it was one of your friends that showed up. He was like, ‘Yo, I’m off duty now,’ and joined in. He was even worse than the rest of you.”

“Yeah, maybe he shoulda just left at that point.”

Now Vanessa was laughing softly. “When he came out the bathroom with no clothes on and ran across the yard, I could have died. His ass was so white it glowed. It literally glowed.”

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