Sunday afternoon and Marco and I are lying down on his thankfully wide sofa, watching the Cubs play the White Sox. Last night, I finally got around to cooking dinner for Marco. He still wouldn’t let me do dishes, but that’s okay because I made sure I rewarded him well after he cleaned up anyway. Then he repaid the favor, which led to us both needing to clean up. It was fabulous.
I had to pop out for a quick private showing at Ezra and Gilly’s Gold Coast apartment earlier but the minute I came back, Marco claimed me, and we’ve been on the sofa ever since.
Typically, Hayley and I would’ve gone to this cross-town derby to experience it firsthand, but today is a little different, because in a few hours, I’m taking Marco to meet Grams.
And if we had gone to the game, Marco couldn’t have used every ad break and mid-innings interval to cop a feel and turn me on. The only good thing is knowing he’s suffering the torture of delayed gratification right along with me since his hips are wedged between the couch at his back and my ass at the front.
What’s been an added challenge is staying quiet, since Gio worked a night shift and is sleeping just one room away.
Seeing that the sports channel has cut to a quick news bulletin, I turn around to face my erotic torturer, meeting his glazed, hooded eyes and pressing my front into his.
“You’re distracting, you know?” I ask, my voice rough.
He quirks a brow, his lips twitching as he does. “I don’t hear you complaining. In fact,” he says, dipping his chin and rubbing his rough, stubbled cheek against mine, “the way you’ve been squirming and moaning under your breath, I think you like the fact I’m drawing this out.”
“You think?” I breathe as he gently sucks my earlobe between his lips.
“If it helps,” he rasps, moving his body down the couch and dragging his mouth over my neck, nipping and sucking and kissing as he goes. I bite my lip, my whimpers muffled in my throat when his hands join the party and start roaming, one drifting down my back, one cupping a breast, his thumb and forefinger rolling over my pert nipple through my thin top.
He stops and looks over my shoulder, his hands shifting from my boobs to my waist.
“Hey, G,” Marco rumbles, making my entire body tense.
“Hey. Afternoon, Renee. Nice to see you again.”
I bury my face in the crook of Marco’s neck, a snort escaping my lips before I give up and start giggling, my entire body shaking with it.
“Hi, Gio,” I murmur.
“Good shift?” Marco asks, still holding me in place, probably more for his benefit than mine since his body is far more obvious about its current state than mine is.
Then again. Maybe I should have some fun with this.
Since my hand is now wedged between us, I wiggle my fingertips, brushing them against his hard-on.
“Yeah. Typical Friday night. Attended a scene with Firehouse 22. He’s on one hell of an ego trip at the moment, isn’t he?” Gio says, walking past the couch and through to the kitchen, leaving us out of view.
“Yep. He’ll learn.”
“If he doesn’t, I know a fair few cops that are more than willing to teach him anyway,” Gio says.
While Gio is talking, I wrap my hand around Marco’s cock and give it a firm squeeze. He grunts and taps my ass in warning. “Be good,” he growls low and quiet in my ear.
I tilt my face so it’s buried in his neck. “I always am,” I whisper before running my tongue up the column of his throat.
“Got much planned today?” Gio calls out.
“Going to Renee’s grandmother’s house for afternoon tea,” Marco replies.
“Wow. Meeting the nonna. That’s a big deal.” Amusement is obvious in Gio’s voice.
“Grams is a sweetheart. Fierce but sweet, and one of the scariest, craziest, most overprotective women I’ve ever met,” I say proudly, then I return to the task at hand, giving one last, teasing squeeze of Marco’s hard length.
“Fuck . . .” he whispers roughly.
I kiss the hinge of his jaw. “Shh, Lieutenant. We have an audience remember,” I whisper, then roll back over to face the TV and watch the game.
“You’ll keep,” he rasps roughly in my ear.
“Anyway,” Gio says, walking past us and stopping at the hallway door, a steaming mug of what smells like coffee in his hand, “I’m heading out to run some errands, then catch up with Val to fix something at the spa.”
“God, she needs to find herself a man,” Marco mutters.
“Why does she need one when she’s got three brothers to help her out? Anyway, I’m jumping in the shower so I’ll leave you guys to it.” His amused eyes go from me to Marco. He waggles his brows. “Just don’t mess up the couch,” he says, making me giggle and Marco chuckle. Gio winks before turning and disappearing down the hallway.
Now that we’re alone again, Marco’s hands resume their languid roaming, and he peppers the back of my neck and collarbone with soft, wet, openmouthed kisses.
“You’re a menace,” he rasps. “Teasing me when I can’t do anything about it.”
I turn my head, my amused gaze locking with his. “If the Cubs win, you can do whatever you want to me before we go to Grams’,” I murmur against his mouth.
His eyes drift to the screen then back to mine, his lips curving up into what can only be described as a devilish ‘I’m gonna get me some’ grin. “You’re on, princess.”
That’s when my own smile widens. “I damn well hope so. But a word of warning. Grams will know. And so will Hayley.”
His head jerks back. “What?” he asks with a disbelieving laugh.
“Yep. Grams has a sixth sense about these things.”
“A sixth sense about sex?”
I giggle, pressing my ass back against his still very interested groin. “A way of knowing when her granddaughters are happy.”
Marco nuzzles the back of my neck and tightens his arms around me, holding me close. “Glad I’m making you happy, baby.”
“Not as much as I am.”
“Not as much as you will be in an inning’s time either.”
“Fly the W,” I cheer with a giggle:
Marco’s chest shakes behind me. “Never mind that. You’ll be flying the O a few times before I’m finished with you.”
“Then Grams will definitely know.”
“Bring it on. If I can charm one Hamilton woman, I can charm them all.”
“Oh wow, aren’t you a big, strapping man,” Grams says as soon as we walk into her den, her eyes looking Marco up and down. Hayley snickers and I bite my lip to hold back my own laugh. “Just imagine all the money I’d save with the handyman jobs you could do for me around the house.” She turns to me. “Renee, I approve.”
Chuckling, Marco holds out his hand and Grams covers it with hers. “It’s lovely to meet you, Mrs. Hamilton,” he says low and soft. Damn, he’s good.
“Oh, son, please call me Grams like my girls do.”
His lips twitch. “Okay.”
I shake my head with a grin. “Hey, Grams. Remember me?” I ask wryly, leaning down to kiss her cheek.
“Could never forget you, my sweet child. By the way,” she whispers, her eyes drifting past me to Marco’s butt, “ten out of ten so far.”
I snicker. “Behave, Grams.”
“Never,” she mouths back. “Now, take a seat and Hayley can get you refreshments.”
Refreshments? I quirk a brow at my sister, who’s struggling not to laugh herself.
I take Marco’s hand and we sit on the sofa across from my grandmother. “Thanks, Hayls.”
Hayley rolls her eyes. “I can do one better than that. I’ll serve up food and drinks.”
My head jerks back. “You cooked?”
“Well, I wasn’t going to make Grams cook for all of us. Her doctor said she needs to take it easy.”
“Hush now, child,” Gram says, waving her off. “Young Marco doesn’t need to hear about an aging woman’s woes.” She looks over at the young man in question and smiles sweetly. “I’m not an invalid just yet, but my sweet girls think I’m ready to be shipped off to the good lord upstairs. I happen to think I’ve got at least another twenty years left on this earth. There’s still so much more mischief to get up to, don’t you think?”
“You don’t look a day over seventy, Grams,” Marco replies smoothly. I cover my mouth to smother my giggles, my shoulders shaking with them. Grams narrows her eyes at me but I don’t miss the flash of amusement on her face either.
She nods. “Such nice manners. A gentleman should always compliment a lady. Your parents raised you well. My George had a way with words too.”
“Mama always said manners will get you far.”
“She’s right,” Grams replies, smiling up at Hayley as she returns with a tray of sandwiches and pastries, and disappears again. Not long after, she comes back with another tray, which Marco stands and helps her with, this one with a teapot of what will undoubtedly be Gram’s favorite English Breakfast tea, along with a jug of iced tea with matching tumblers.
Like the trained hostess Grams taught her to be, Hayley serves everyone, before joining Grams opposite us.
“You have a lovely home. My parents live not far from here,” Marco says, looking around the living room. Grams has always prided herself on keeping a clean and tidy house. She has a cleaner come by twice a week but she still would’ve made sure the place was perfect before we arrived today, purely for Marco’s benefit.
“Thank you. My George always loved coming home to a nice tidy house with a good home-cooked meal after his long, hard day at work. I’m sure my granddaughters will be just as thoughtful when they finally settle down too.”
Hayley snorts but covers it quickly with a cough, her dancing eyes widening as she looks over at me, my expression mirroring hers.
To his credit, Marco doesn’t miss a beat, but he does reach out and rest his arm over the back of the sofa behind me. “I can already tell you’ve done a fine job with both of them, too.”
I blink in shock as Gram’s cheeks turn pink. Oh, my. Marco Rossi has just charmed my hard-to-please grandmother in the space of twenty minutes. My ex tried—and failed miserably—to make a good impression on her. Grams has always supported the decisions Hayley and I have made in our lives, but when it came to my engagement, I knew she was worried.
Listening to Marco, Hayley, and Grams talk, I’m amazed—but not all that surprised—that Marco has just slotted into our close-knit family of three.
“Now, Marco. You may or may not know, but we haven’t had much luck with firefighters in this family,” Grams says, snapping me out of my revelry. My mouth gapes open.
“Grams!” Hayley and I gasp in unison.
She arches a brow. “What, sweet child? Am I lying?”
“No, but I—”
“But nothing, Renee. Any man worthy of my granddaughter’s time and body must be able to rise above the woman’s past dalliances.” To his credit, Marco doesn’t even flinch.
“I agree with that sentiment, Grams,” he replies, locking eyes with her intense gaze. He laces his fingers with mine and squeezes me affectionately. “And I can unequivocally promise you that I am absolutely nothing like that particular poor excuse for a man.”
She tilts her head as if studying him, looking for any sign of uncertainty. When she seemingly finds none, she smiles at him. “I’m glad to hear that. Let me warn you—my Renee here is hell on wheels when cornered and she’s as a stubborn as I am when it comes to standing her ground, regardless of whether she’s right or wrong.”
Marco chuckles. “Good to know.”
“And she loves thoughtful gestures. Not expensive ones. She’s determined and feisty and bull-headed, but she’s ambitious, and when she sets her mind on getting something or going somewhere, she never gives up till she makes it happen. She loves fiercely. She’s also the most loyal, thoughtful and supportive wom—”
Hayley giggles. “Grams, you sound like you’re selling him on a prized cow, not your granddaughter.”
“Oh pfft,” she says, waving my sister off. “One look at those two and I already know Marco appreciates what he’s got in his arms and his bed.”
Marco’s amused grunt almost sets me off. I did warn him Grams would know, and there’s a dazzling twinkle in her wise old eyes confirming she’s not blind and is definitely still as sharp as a tack.
“I know all about you macho firefighters.” A sly smile plays on Gram’s lips as she leans toward Marco, her eyes bright. “When I was a young sprightly thing, my girls and I were known to get up to a little mischief.”
“Something tells me you and your friends got into more than your fair share of trouble, Grams,” Marco says, making even me swoon, and I’m the one who just two hours ago was panting and whimpering under his touch as a result of a lost bet. But I clearly came out on top thanks to his talented mouth, fingers, body . . .
Grams holds up her fingers. “Maybe,” she says, a sly smile playing on her lips. “But what’s the point in living life to the full if you don’t have fun while doing it?”
“There’s fun, then there’s getting stuck up a tree in a miniskirt at three a.m. on your fiftieth birthday, Grams,” I say with a giggle.
Grams laughs. “Hey. A woman only turns fifty once, and in the end, I was saved by five very hunky firemen with a big ladder.”
“And Grandpa blew his stack when you conned the firemen into dropping you home and turning their lights on, giving him one hell of a fright.”
“Your grandfather was a good man who hooked his star to a wild woman. He knew what he was getting into, believe you me,” she says.
“I think your husband and I would have had a lot in common then,” Marco says before turning my way. His intense gaze and quirked lips make my stomach flip, my heart sigh, and my lady parts clench. “At least the part about having a soft spot for a wild woman.”
Holy spontaneous orgasm, Batman.
“Oh, my sweet child,” Grams says. “I approve. I wholeheartedly approve.”
And all I see in her expression is relief, something I’ve never seen before. She’s not just saying it, she means it, and it’s not until now that I realize I really needed Grams’ okay. I needed to know I wasn’t just seeing everything I wanted to see in Marco. He’s the real deal. He’s everything he says he is, and if Grams can see it, and Hayley can too—well, she liked him before she even met him—then I can trust my gut when it comes to my growing feelings for this man.
It was never anything about Marco; it was me and my own baggage that were the problems. But not anymore. When it comes to Marco Rossi, I’m all in. With my moment of self-realization passed, I lean into his side. His hand comes down to rest around my shoulders, pulling me in closer as I melt against him. And when I sneak a look at Grams and Hayley, both of them are grinning over at us and I don’t even mind.
That’s until Grams opens her mouth again. “So Marco. Now that Renee’s taken care of, have you got any handsome single friends for my Hayley, here?”