Valentino smiled as he slipped one of the daisies out, and snapped a bit of the long stem off, then tucked it behind Maddie’s ear.
“How about that?” he asked.
Maddie wasted no time running over to the mirror, gasping as she looked at her reflection.
“I love it!”
I chuckled, the whole thing pretty darn cute.
“How about you say thank you to Dr. V.? That was really nice of him to give you one of those.”
Maddie, thankfully finding her manners, came back over to us. “Thank you, Dr. V.” After she spoke, she opened up her arms and marched right into a hug for Valentino. His eyes went wide with surprise, and I could tell right away that he hadn’t been expecting such a gesture.
“You’re, uh, you’re welcome.” Regardless of how awkward he might’ve felt, he hugged Maddie back tenderly.
“She’s a huge hugger,” I said. “As you might’ve noticed with Mick.”
Maddie’s eyes lit up again as she let go of Valentino. “Is Mick here?”
“No, Mick’s not here,” I said. “Tonight’s a grown-up night.”
“Aw…” To say that Mads was disappointed would’ve been the understatement of the century. But when she looked up at Valentino again, her expression perked up right away. “Can I eat dinner with you?”
“Mads, you already had your dinner. Dr. V. and I are going to spend some time together alone after you go to bed.” As soon as I said the words, I realized how sexually charged they were. I glanced over at Valentino, his slightly pursed-lip expression suggesting that he picked up on the same thing.
“Please Mommy? I’m still hungry.”
“I don’t mind,” Valentino said. “But it’s totally up to you. I don’t want to step on your toes.”
At first, I didn’t like the idea. But as it sank in, I realized that having a little time for us to get used to being with one another in such a setting might be a good thing. I was nervous as hell, and while Valentino was the type of guy to alwayslookcool and collected, deep down he could’ve been freaking out as much as I was.
Maddie clasped her hands together in a pleading sort of way.
“Please?” The way she looked with that little daisy in her hair, it was impossible to say no.
“Oh, alright. But just for a little while. You can have a little bit more, and that’s it. Then, you’re going to bed.”
“Yes!” She pumped her fist so hard the flower almost fell out.
Valentino cocked his head a bit and sniffed the air. “What’s that I smell? Smells delicious, whatever it is.”
“A little pasta specialty. Come on in.”
“Yeah, come on!” Maddie cried as she rushed out of the entry room and toward the kitchen.
Valentino and I shared a look. It only lasted a moment, but the heat of those dark eyes on mine was more than enough to make me a little wet.
“Right this way.”
I gestured toward the kitchen, letting my eyes linger on him as he passed, a sly smile on his face. His ass was perfect in those slacks, looking so good that I knew it was going to be hard to stick to the plan instead of trying to get him into bed.
Tonight wasn’t about sex, I had to remind myself. It was about giving Valentino the biggest revelation of his life.
No pressure, right?
Chapter 17
VALENTINO
