I turned on my side and smiled at him. I would’ve expected to be embarrassed about being naked and on my side. Even my small breasts looked weird from this angle. But Rico looked at me with a smile in his eyes. Sort of an admiration. I found I couldn’t bring myself to be self-conscious around him.
That was a nice surprise. I guessed that was what the best sex of my life got me. A Lack of Inhibition.
“I’ll show you my inner beast sometime,” Rico said as he scooted closer to me. “He’s not as scary as you’d think.”
I giggled, going along with the joke. “Oh, I’d love to see him, especially if he makes you do more of that.”
Rico puffed out a gust of air. “Shit. That was nothing. I held back as long as I could and gave as much foreplay as I could stand, but it being our first time together, it went far faster than I wanted it to. You are just… Damn. I promise, we’ll build up to some real doozies.”
I glowed under his words. I’d never had anything close to as good as what he’d just given me, much less a doozy.
Damn, but I was game to give it a try. My blood was already warming up for another round and I had to fight it back, give Rico a chance to come down. Regardless of how porn made it look, I knew real men couldn’t keep that up indefinitely, no matter how in shape he was. I was certainly willing to put him to the test, though, in time.
We snuggled and talked for a long time until I remembered the dinner I’d left sitting on the stove. Luckily, it had finished cooking, so nothing would be burning, but it would all be cold. “Shoot,” I whispered. “Dinner.”
Rico’s eyes lit up. “I’m starving.”
I rolled off the bed and picked up my discarded clothes, untangling them and dressing as I talked. “I didn’t have time to do much, not that I’m that great of a cook anyway. It’s just some baked chicken and veggies.”
“I love baked chicken and veggies,” he said. “If you know how to season, that is.”
I blanched and looked at him. He was already mostly dressed.
Too bad. I could’ve gotten really used to him walking around in the buff, or close to it. He was freaking hot. “My father, well, foster father, says I tend to overseason.”
Rico grinned and pulled his shirt down over his head. “Good. My kind of seasoning.”
After I popped our plates in the microwave to reheat them, we sat at the table to eat. Conversation flowed much easier than I expected it to.
“You’ve mentioned having a foster father once or twice since I’ve known you,” Rico said. “And you told me a bit about your parents that drunk night.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, sorry. I’m not sure what all I told you, but I’m not secretive with it or anything.” I gave him a quick rundown again. “My biological parents were crackheads. They live here in town and have no idea who I am. I changed my name to my foster family’s name. By the time I found them, I was a bit old for adoption, so I just changed my name. I love them very much, and Melody feels like a real sister to me, but somehow, I never could get to calling him Dad. I guess I was too old when we met.”
“Do you consider him your father?” Rico asked.
I nodded, smiling at the idea. “I do. If I ever get married, he’ll be the one to walk me down the aisle. I call him for advice and stuff. He worries about me until I hire practically useless apprentices.” I winked at him to let him know I wasn’t serious about him being useless. “I help him work on old cars when I get time. He’s my dad.”
He chuckled. “Ah, so he’s the one I have to thank for a job. Hopefully soon I’ll carry my own weight.”
Shrugging, I scooped up another bite. “He heard about the incident with Nick through the local gossip channels. Wanted me to be safe and hire some help.” I flashed him a smile. “And you’re doing a great job. You’ll be flying circles around me in no time.”
Rico gave me a sharp look, but then relaxed and smiled. His eyes lowered to his plate. “I get it. My Uncle Perry and grandparents raised me after my parents died.”
I couldn’t help my wide eyes. I hadn’t known his parents had died. He’d carefully avoided discussing them in previous conversations, but I hadn’t thought much of it since it wasn’t such a great topic for me, either. Now it made more sense.
“You grew up without parents, too?” I asked.
He sighed and nibbled on the vegetables. He’d eaten three servings of chicken but barely touched his veggies. Like a dang kid. But it was cute.
“Yeah, a car accident. My uncle mostly raised me. My grandfather is the head of a large family business and it keeps him very busy. I guess they spoiled me a bit, and it took me longer than I would’ve liked to realize I’d become someone I didn’t want to be.”
He couldn’t meet my eyes.
“You know, I think it’s okay for someone like us, who went through something that traumatic, especially you losing your parents like that… Well, I think it’s okay if it takes us a bit longer in life to figure out where we fit in and what course we want to be on.” I reached out and touched his hand. “I’m sure your family understands that, too.”
“They do.” He squeezed my fingers and didn’t let go. “I think they’re making me work now to try to undo some of the damage they inflicted by letting me get away with murder for so long.” He chuckled wryly. “I should give them more shit along
