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The bite of pain and his words sent a spark of heat straight between my legs. “After dinner?”
“Later. We have somewhere else to be first.”
He wouldn’t tell me, no matter how much I badgered him, and our meals arrived shortly after. The burger definitely ranked in my top five of all time and the poutine was strangely delicious. “What is a cheese curd?” I asked as I forked up another bite. “And why are they so good?”
“They are formed from the whey when it separates during the cheese-making process,” Vito said, reading from his phone after looking up the answer. “It’s super cheese, apparently.”
“How do you not eat this every day?”
“If I did, you wouldn’t be able to trace my abs with your tongue.”
Slowly and deliberately, I slid the poutine plate far out of his reach. It caused Vito to laugh, one of his rare genuine reactions that radiated out from his entire body, and I grinned at him. This was surprisingly easy. Maybe it was because we were away from the winery? Away from a small town with prying eyes and ears? I didn’t know. But I was enjoying every second of this date.
We finished eating and said good-bye to the staff. I was so full, but happy. When we got outside, I impulsively wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him right there on the sidewalk. “That was fun. Thanks for taking me.”
“Prego, angelo mio.” He gave me a harder kiss this time, then led me to the SUV. “Now, your next surprise.”
“Are we going for dessert somewhere? Is it one of those places where they sell giant cookies for twenty dollars each?”
“It’s not food.” He handed me up into the car and shut the door.
Cesare and another guard were in the front seat. “Hi, guys,” I greeted. “Quick, tell me where we’re going before Vito gets in.”
“Ciao, Maggie,” Cesare said, while the other guard just grunted.
Vito slid into the seat next to me and I lost my chance for intel. When he took my hand, he said, “You know my men work for me, no?”
Of course he’d heard me ask. “Doesn’t mean I can’t try.”
His free hand came up to the side of my neck, his fingers pressing to hold me in place. His deep voice whispered in my ear. “Then I look forward to disciplining you later.”
I tried not to squirm. Vito’s mouth curled seductively, but he didn’t say anything else. The ride was short. As we turned the corner and slowed down, a line of people waited on the sidewalk, their bodies shifting to stay warm in the cold. A giant marquee loomed overhead.
I blinked. And looked again.
The car stopped right in front of the entrance.
“No way.” I glanced at Vito. “No fucking way.”
According to the black letters on the bright sign, one of my favorite bands was playing at this music hall tonight.
“I can’t believe this.” I glanced out the window, then back at Vito. “How did you know I liked Stereolab?”
“I had Maz go through your collection of t-shirts.” He lifted a shoulder. “Once I had a list of bands, I was lucky enough to find one playing in Toronto this week.”
I didn’t care about the guys in the front seat. I lunged across the seat and sealed my mouth to Vito’s, kissing him deeply, with plenty of tongue, for a long minute. When we broke apart, we were both breathing hard. “Thank you, baby.”
He flicked open his door. “Let’s go.”
I was still grinning as we rode the elevator in Vito’s building later that night. I’d watched concerts on TV over the years, but nothing compared to actually being there in person. Feeling the percussion in your chest. Seeing the faces of the band, watching them play their instruments. Singing along with the crowd.
Totally fucking cool. And Vito had made it happen for me.
He seemed to tolerate the concert, drinking a beer while standing behind me, his hand permanently attached to my hip. I’d loved dancing and rubbing against him, doing whatever Icould so he would growl in my ear and tell me to behave. One thing I noticed? He hadn’t looked at his phone all night. I had one-hundred-percent of his attention and my heart soaked it in, craving more. I wanted to be the only person he thought about, period.
Maybe it was time to stop fighting whatever this was between us. I was falling for this man . . . and maybe he was falling for me, too? You didn’t fly a woman to another country for a single concert withoutsomefeelings . . . right?
Shoving that aside for later, I bounced on my toes, ready to get him alone. I’d already thanked him more than once, but I couldn’t wait toreallythank him. Except there were two of his guards in the elevator with us, so I had to keep my cool for a few more minutes.