“Which park are you hitting tomorrow?” Joe asked as he hooked an arm around Fiona’s waist and eased her back against his chest. Dipping his head, he nuzzled her neck, and her brain fogged over when he zeroed in on that one really sensitive spot.
“Hollywood Studios,” Stephanie said. “From what I’ve heard, they have a lot of cool stuff there. Any suggestions for which attractions we should see first?”
Joe lifted his head and said, “Star Wars,” at the same time Fiona said, “Toy Story.”
Fiona laughed, and then wriggled out of Joe’s grip because it was almost impossible to form a coherent thought when he was doing that thing with his teeth. Needing to clear her lust-addled mind, she moved to the counter beside the stove, reached for one of the empty holiday containers, and started to fill it with cookies. “I guess it depends on which movie franchise you prefer. There’s also aFrozensing-along show that’s a lot of fun. Oh! And Muppets. You can never go wrong with the Muppets.”
“It’s a lot of ground to cover in one day,” Joe said. “You might be too tired for us to meet up for dinner tomorrow night.”
Stephanie scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous, you big dope. The whole point of coming down here was to visit you.”
“Hey, I’m just putting it out there. We’re looking forward to seeing you guys too.” Joe crossed to where Fiona stood, picked up one of the containers, and followed her lead with the cookies. “By the way, where’s Ma?”
“She’s taking a break at one of the cafes while we ride the rapids. All this walking wore her out.”
Joe chuckled. “Tell her Fi and I said hi.”
“Will do. Oh, we better go. The line’s moving. I think we might make it onto the ride this time.”
“Sounds good. You guys have fun. We’ll see you tomorrow.”
As soon as the call ended, Joe switched off his phone and tucked it into his pants pocket.
His focus shifted back to Fiona, and the mix of need and lust in his eyes made her feel a whole lot of things she’d almost forgotten how to feel. “Now, where were we?”
As he started toward her, a security alert sounded from her phone on the counter by the fridge.
Joe froze in his tracks and glared at the phone like he wanted to beat it with a hammer. She understood the feeling. “Christ, what now?”
Fiona checked the video feed and saw Liz at the door, a bottle of wine in her hand. She’d forgotten their plans—okay, that wasn’t true. She’d remembered up until about ten minutes ago, when her hormones hijacked her brain and wiped out every rational thought.
As if sensing their gaze, Liz glanced up at the camera and gave a finger wave. At any other time, Fiona would have welcomed the visit, but now…not so much.
“If we ignore her, will she go away?” Joe asked.
“I doubt it.” As if on cue, Liz knocked at the door, and Fiona mentally groaned. “She has a copy of the new key. If she thinks something’s wrong, she might come in to check.”
Joe sighed. “I better go.”
“You don’t have to.”
“Yeah, I do.” Resignation filled his voice and dampened the lust in his eyes. Bending his head, he kissed her again, and then snatched another cookie. “If I don’t leave now, I won’t leave until morning.”
Chapter 15
Freshfromtheshower,Pinto threw on clean clothes and shoved his feet into shoes. Traffic had sucked on his way home from work, which had seriously put him behind schedule.
He ran a comb through his short dark hair, checked his reflection in the mirror, and scowled. His five o’clock shadow looked more like ten thirty, but he’d run out of time for a shave. Fiona should be at his apartment any moment for their second dinner date with his family.
Hopefully she preferred her men scruffy, because he had plans for later, after his family was back at their hotel and he had Fiona all to himself.
Speak of the devil— he heard a knock at the door, and he nearly tripped over his own damn feet as he hurried out of the bathroom.
It was all he could do to keep the churn of emotions under control. He hadn’t felt this strongly about a woman in a very long time, if ever, and the realization unnerved him. And yet he was dying to see where this went, because even though he’d been burned in the past, his gut told him that this could lead to something truly spectacular.
Pinto opened the door and nearly swallowed his tongue at the sight of Fiona in a red dress that hugged her figure in all the right places and made him wish they were staying in for the night. Her glossy blonde hair hung loose in flowing waves, while thigh-high black leather boots made her legs appear to go on forever. No makeup—not that she needed it. She was gorgeous inside and out.
It took a bit of effort for him to regain the power of speech. “Nice outfit.”
