Page 71 of Swept for Forever
I pressed a kiss to her temple. “I know just the place.”
18
AUTUMN
Dom took me to the pizzeria, and it messed with my guard.
Not because I couldn’t shake the man Lulu had barked at, but because of how easy this was. How natural it felt.
Fredo, the owner, met us at the door. He had that old-country energy, all animated hands and charm that didn’t try too hard. He said he’d lived everywhere, from Naples to Rome, then Florida, before somehow choosing Buffaloberry Hill over all of them.
“Too many people in the big places. Here, I know who burned the crust and who burned their marriage,” he said with a laugh that made it impossible not to like him.
We sat in a corner booth, tucked away from the chatter drifting through the room and the occasional ding of the order bell. The air was filled with the scent of melted mozzarella, garlic, and oregano. Quirky art covered the walls—vintage tomato-sauce ads, a framed jersey signed by someone no one had heard of, and a crooked wooden sign that readPeace, Love, and Pepperoni.
Dom’s knee brushed mine beneath the table, and every so often, his hand slid down to trace circles over my thigh.
Then he stole my straw and sipped my lemonade, smirking like he was getting away with something.
I nudged his foot, and he caught my ankle between his.
It was not just playful touches, not just passing heat.
It was something more.
Something that made me wonder if this wasn’t just a fling. If we weren’t fooling around in that undefined space between friends and lovers.
He’d said it. He wanted me.
And for goodness’ sake, we’d talked about colors forhishouse. That wasn’t the kind of thing you discussed with someone temporary.
Then there was what he’d done to me in the river.
I wasn’t new to kissing. But letting someone explore me like that—reallyknowmy body? That was different.
And somehow, it hadn’t felt terrifying.
His hands had moved over me like he already knew the shape of me, memorizing and worshipping. He didn’t stall, didn’t fumble. He justfelt. Confident and sure.
And I let him.
That was the most shocking part.
I pressed my fingers to my neck.
Dom smirked at the bite mark. “It looks good on you.”
I was probably blushing now. Becausethathad started everything else. My nipples tightened, and my core throbbed with little pulses that refused to fade. Apparently, water and romance mixed all too well.
“I like wearing it,” I replied.
But it was more than that one bite. There was one moment—one stroke.
I’d never let anyone get close to the place I’d only touched in secret. Never wanted to. It was a spot no one had everearned before. But with him, it hadn’t just felt okay. It felt divine.
And yet, nothing more had happened.
Because my body and mind hadn’t been in sync, like a swimmer with a perfect dive but mistimed strokes. I’d wanted him, deeply, hungrily, but the second his fingers grazed me, I tensed. Just enough to break the rhythm.
