Page 28 of Playing Santa

We order and she’s impressed with the food, the ambiance and Louie.

“This place is great,” she says. “Not too chi-chi to make the likes of me uncomfortable.”

“Sweetheart, I could take you anywhere and you’d improve the place.”

Then she blushes. And my dick applauds with a jump, hardening and growing to almost uncomfortable proportions. It’s been half-hard all night and doesn’t need much to send me over. She turns away, aware and embarrassed at her blush.

“Looks like you’re the one with admirers here,” she says with sarcastic cheer, jutting her chin toward someone to my left and behind me. I turn. Mistake.

The leggy blond woman who’d been standing at the bar rushes forward as if turning in her direction constitutes an open invitation.

“Crystal,” I say as she stops at the table and leans forward like she’s going to kiss me right there in front of Ronnie. I jump from my chair and hold her off with two hands. She turns that into a hug until I manage to separate from her. Jesus.

I’m hyper-aware of Ronnie’s eyes on me.

“Sean it’s so good to see you. I can’t wait to go to the game. Thank you so much for the tickets—”

I hear Ronnie suck in a breath and shoot her a look, trying to tell her it’s not what she thinks. Except it is what she thinks. I gave Crystal those tickets over a month ago, long before I met Ronnie.

“I’m…” I have no idea what to say that won’t make me a douche. Maybe because I am a douche. Or I was one. “Crystal, this is Ronnie,” I gesture toward Ronnie who’s wearing a tight smile, her jewel eyes snapping, making her look like she’s ready to lash out. Probably at me. So I add, “She’s my date. We’re having dinner, so if you’ll excuse us..” I step back and give Crystal a hard look, harder than I would normally because the poor girl’s done nothing wrong, not really. A little rude and thoughtless intruding at my table, but maybe she was just trying to say thank you.

Who the hell am I kidding? She was looking to score another night or maybe more tickets. Not that I blame her. She’s the kind of woman I courted for years, hers is the kind of behavior I enjoyed for years. Women who would fall all over me to be with me and please me in shallow meaningless relationships mean to be an ego rush on both sides and not much more. It doesn’t make Crystal a bad person, or me either for that matter.

But I’m so not into that scene anymore and I need to make that clear to her.

“Oh… okay,” she says, flicking a gaze at Ronnie, looking her up and down assessing her. “Sorry.” She smiles. Then she mouths something to Ronnie and winks. It looks suspiciously like she said something about good in the sack, but I can’t be sure.

Ronnie’s response is a pair of raised eyebrows. She doesn’t say a word. Can’t blame her. What does a woman say in a situation like this? Luckily Crystal disappears, going back to her spot at the bar, her back to us as she finds some guy there to talk to. I return to my seat, wary doesn’t even cover how I feel.

I have some splaining to do.

“An ex?” Ronnie says, sitting back in her chair. She still has half a plate of chicken Marsala in front of her, but there’s no mistaking that she’s done eating. Hopefully she’s not done with me. Time to get honest. I heave a breath.

“Not exactly. More like a hook-up. From a while back.”

“How far back?” she asks and I don’t miss the note of accusation which makes me smile—on the inside.

“More than a month ago. I haven’t been with anyone in more than a month.”

She says, “What are you waiting for?”

I do a double-take. Does that mean what I think it means? Studying her expression, I see the slight tease, the defiance and yes, there’s a hint of jealous woman staking a claim motivating her, I would bet the next game on it. My smile is slow and sizzling and answered by hers. I raise an arm and wave toward Louie.

“I’ll take the check, Louie. We’re leaving now.”

“No desert?” he says looking from me to Ronnie and back again.

“I didn’t say that…” I answer him, but I’m looking at her for her reaction. Nothing but that sizzling stare.

We don’t talk about what we’re doing or where we’re going as I drive to Garino’s house to pick up Jimmy. It’s late and Jimmy falls asleep in the back seat almost immediately. It’s a short ride to my place. I don’t ask her permission to take her here and she doesn’t object. We pull in the garage and lift Jimmy from the back seat ad carry him into the house to my guest room where he can sleep.

We close the door to the room and find ourselves standing close in the silent dark hallway. “I should have had you bring us straight home,” Ronnie says, a flash of doubt crosses her face, but she doesn’t hold much conviction behind the words.

“Why didn’t we?” I say. We stand right outside the door to my master bedroom. My voice vibrates with the tension of wanting her. My hands touch her like it’s the natural thing, stroking her cheek, reaching around her head to take hold of her lush wavy hair. I take a deep long breath of her scent, letting it run through me like a wild fire, igniting the sparks in me. My cock goes from interested to bolt upright and ready to cut diamonds.

Her mouth twitches. She opens it, but doesn’t speak. Instead she tunrs her chin up and meets my lips with hers, tasting me and moaning with pleasure. Her kiss is sensual and complete, soft and thorough and mind curling.

There’s no more talk, no questions, not a speck of awkward what-do-we-do-now hesitation. I back her into my bedroom and close the door behind us.