Page 241 of The Havenport Collection

Matteo

I t had been years since I had done this.

Not only was I out of practice, I was completely panicked about ruining things with Eliza.

Valentina was really attached to her, and I couldn’t risk losing a reliable babysitter.

But after last weekend, there was no going back.

The chemistry between us was too intense, too intoxicating.

I needed another hit. But more than that, I needed to make sure she was okay.

I was ashamed of how I had acted. How I had frozen her out. I set out not wanting to complicate things and then I did just that by playing mind games with the poor woman.

A stronger man would bow out now. She deserved someone young and unencumbered, who could worship her and make her his priority. But when it came to Eliza, I was weak.

By the time I got home, it was later than I had expected.

Eliza had offered to stay late, but I felt terrible about monopolizing her Thursday night.

Two people had called in sick, and I’d had to stay until closing.

I would obviously pay her overtime. I walked into the house, fully expecting Valentina to still be awake, but was pleasantly surprised to find Eliza snuggled up on my couch with a book.

She smiled at me, and I wanted nothing more than to climb onto the couch and wrap my arms around her. “Is she asleep?”

She nodded. “8:30 on the dot. I made sure she took her meds and brushed and flossed. I also cleaned and filled her humidifier.”

Damn. Val was asleep, and I didn’t have to do anything? This woman was a saint.

She stood and faced me. She looked so pretty in the dim light. Her hair was down, and she wore a baggy denim shirt and leggings. She was casual and pretty and my brain ceased to function properly.

I cleared my throat. “Do you want a beer?”

She nodded and sat back down.

I returned with two beers and handed her one. I sat down on the couch opposite her and kicked my feet up on the coffee table.

“Hard day?”

I took a sip of beer. “Brutal. Thank you so much for staying.”

“I don’t mind at all. We had a lot of fun.”

“I’m sure you did. Val adores you.”

“She’s a kick-ass kid.”

“I agree.”

We sat companionably for a while, just chatting. She was easy to talk to, and I found myself slowly unwinding as we talked.

“What about you?” she asked. “Tell me about your childhood.”

I shifted so we were facing each other. “There’s not much to tell.

My parents ran a restaurant and had six kids.

I never experienced a moment of quiet in my life until I was nineteen and moved out.

My mom left, and my dad was spread too thin.

There was not enough time or money for everything we needed, so we got pretty self-sufficient at a young age. ”

“Five siblings though. That must have been crazy.”

“Bruno is the oldest and the golden child—my dad’s clone.

Went to culinary school and has been at my dad’s side ever since.

Gio and I were next, fraternal twins and inseparable since birth.

Then there’s Enzo, who lives in California.

Moved out there after college with his friend Ben and got a job at a movie studio.

He produces independent films now and is kind of a big deal. ”

I grabbed her another beer.

“And you know Christian; he’s married to Dante.”

“Yes. Dante cuts my hair.”

“Of course he does. They are amazing really. They dote on Valentina so much. She adores them.”

“And then Nora?”

“Yup. The baby and only girl. Also a huge pain in my ass.”

“Hey, that’s my landlord you’re talking about. I don’t know her well, but she seems to be a pretty awesome person.”

“That’s all true. But she’s also my baby sister. She loves to mess with us and give us shit.”

She tapped her chin. “Something tells me you might deserve it.”

“Probably, but she’s still a pain in my ass.”

“But my family is large, messy, and a pain in my ass. What about yours?”

She laughed. “The opposite. Only child. Desperately wished for siblings. As you know, my parents are both dentists. Sold their practice a few years ago and now split their time between here and Florida. They are good parents, loving and supportive. I guess I’m boring.

” She shrugged. I was happy for her, a boring and happy childhood with loving parents was something to cherish.

I glanced at my watch, realizing how late it had gotten. “I’m sorry we kept you so long. Did you have to cancel fun plans tonight?”

She snorted. It was adorable. “Not at all. People assume I’m wild and crazy. A good friend once asked me about the craziest rave I’d ever been to. She just assumed that’s how I spent my time.”

She rolled her eyes dramatically. “I’ve never been to a rave. I’m not cool enough to get invited to a rave. Raves are places where people with funky haircuts and hallucinogenic drugs hang out. I have never been and will never be cool enough for that stuff.”

I laughed. I loved her self-deprecating humor.

“Eh. I went to a couple of raves in my twenties, and they are not all they are cracked up to be. It’s a lot of people touching and spinning around. There was a period of time—you are way too young to remember this—but the rave kids would all suck on pacifiers. The nineties were a dark time.”

She laughed loudly. “Sorry,” she sputtered as she doubled over. “You? Matteo? The dorky dad who drives the sensible SUV? You have gone to raves and I haven’t? Shit. I need to go home and reevaluate my life choices.”

I shifted uncomfortably on the couch. “I’m not that dorky, am I?” I stuck my tongue out at her, and she wrinkled her nose.

“No, you’re not. You have cool hair and sexy tattoos.

” She quickly looked away, and I could see her face reddening even in the dim light.

But damn, if that wasn’t one of the best compliments I had ever received from a woman.

It was hard not to beat my chest and scream “she thinks I’m sexy” so loud the entire town could hear.

I leaned in. “You think my tats are sexy?”

She looked flustered, and I was loving it. “No. Yes. I don’t know.” She covered her face with her hands. “It’s a whole vibe. The bad boy thing.”

Filled with liquid courage and the knowledge that she found me sexy, I stood up and offered her my hand. “If you think I’m a bad boy now, let me show you something.”

She looked at me skeptically and then grabbed my hand.

I led her through the kitchen to the small mudroom and slipped on my shoes while silently, she did the same. I opened the door to the garage, turning on the overhead lights and leading her past my car to where I kept my tools and lawnmower.

“Before I had Val, this was my great love.” I gently pulled the cover off and revealed my bike.

Eliza gasped. “I knew it! I knew you had a motorcycle.” She did a little dance that was completely adorable. “Why is it back here under a cover?”

“I don’t take it out much anymore. I get out on it every once in a while for a ride around town, but I’m so busy and it’s not practical.”

She walked over slowly, admiring the bike and running her fingers along the handlebars. I watched her admire it, her hair shining in the dim overhead light.

“It’s a Harley?” she asked, tracing her hand over the logo.

I nodded.

“I always thought Harleys were all big and bulky?”

“This is a roadster. It’s a sleeker bike made for speed.”

“I like it. And it fits you. You should ride it more often. Cut loose a bit.”

I walked over to where she stood and caged her in my arms against the bike. “Have dinner with me.”

She looked flustered.

“Tomorrow night,” I pleaded. “Totally casual.”

She crossed her arms, and I could feel the hesitation radiating from her.

I knew I had to man up and apologize. Hurting her had not been my plan at all. “I’m sorry about last weekend. We were interrupted, and I should have called or texted.”

“It’s fine.” She stared at her feet, and I could tell she was embarrassed.

I tipped her chin up until her eyes met mine.

“It’s not fine. You deserve better. I was just overwhelmed.

I did not expect that kiss. It’s been a while since I’ve done this.

” I felt like such an ass. I had probably blown my chance with her.

“And I can’t offer anything more than casual, but I’d love to spend more time with you. ”

“Hey,” she said, touching my arm. I looked up into her dark eyes. “I could have said something, but I was freaking out that you didn’t like it and were letting me down easy.”

I exhaled. This was not what I had been expecting. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Not like you? Please. I am borderline obsessed with you, Eliza. I can’t get you out of my damn head. And I thought maybe if I let my guard down and kissed you, the feelings and urges would go away…”

She reached down and squeezed my hand. “…but they are only worse than ever?”

“Yes.” I stared at her for a beat, feeling the crackle of attraction between us. “I want to spend time with you. I have no free time and my life is crazy. And I don’t want Valentina to get hurt or confused.”

“I would like to spend time with you too. And I don’t expect much. I get it—we are in different places and you have a lot of responsibilities. I don’t want to cause you more stress.”

God, could she be any more perfect? “Tomorrow?”

“Sure.” My heart soared. I hadn’t been out on a date with someone I was this attracted to in…never, actually.

She took a step back and squeaked. “Oh my God. Matteo, you’re smiling.”

I was. I had a big grin on my face. It felt strange, like my facial muscles would be sore in the morning after this unexpected workout.

“Yeah, yeah. I know I’m grumpy.”

She threw her arms around my neck, crushing me into a hug. “You are grumpy. But this is worth it. Your smile is amazing. You look so extra yummy right now I just want to kiss your face off.” She touched my cheek, and I froze, reveling in the feel of her touch.

My smile grew wider.

“But…” she continued, patting my chest, “I’m a lady, so I’ll wait until our date tomorrow. Can I ask one tiny favor?” She bit her lip again. The fucking lower lip would be my undoing.

“Anything.” I would commit several minor felonies right now if she asked me to.

“Can you take me for a ride?”

I swallowed. I could take her for multiple rides. I mean, the first one might be short, but I would make it up to her.

“On the bike?”

She looked at my bike, raised one eyebrow, and nodded.

“Of course.”

She walked over and gave me a kiss on the cheek before turning and heading toward the door. I stood still, afraid if I moved she would see the tent in my pants and realize how pathetic I was and cancel our date.

“And Matteo?” She stood in the doorway, backlit by the moonlight. “I might want a different kind of ride too.” She winked and closed the door behind her.

Fuck. I didn’t know if I would survive Eliza. But I didn’t really care.

She was sexy, that was a given, but I had so much fun talking to her. Listening to her be honest and funny further lowered my defenses. This adorable woman had already filled my brain. If I wasn’t careful, she would also fill my heart.