His fingers trailed over my hip, catching the hem of my shirt and dragging it up until cool air kissed my stomach. With his thumbs tickling the quivering muscles of my abs, I let my hair fall in a curtain around us and block everything else out. "I keep thinking about that lap dance. About the way your body moved," he whispered, pressing his thumbs into the bones at my hip and further distracting me from the conversation about Rebel. "What it would be like without so many clothes."
"You would know if you hadn't forbidden me from taking them off," I giggled, leaning in to touch my lips to his softly. "It's just a body. Who cares who sees it as long as no one else is allowed to touch it?"
"You'd be comfortable being naked around other men?" His voice deepened as I smiled at him.
"Maybe not completely naked," I admitted. "But I've just never felt the need to hide my skin. I'm comfortable with my body, and it's no different than any other woman's. I'm comfortable in my sexuality."
"I know," he said. "The confidence is sexy."
"Well you can't expect me to be that way only with you. I am the way I am, Enzo. I'm never going to give a shit that people watch me. I'll never stop being over the top and dancing to my own music. It's just who I am," I sighed, expecting the turn. "You can't expect me to change because you don't want anyone to look at me."
"I like you a little wild. I love that you can't be tamed or controlled. My only request is that I get to be there with you. I don't want you doing outrageous things when I'm not there to claim you and chase off the perverts. Be wild, Sadie. Just be wild with me to keep you safe while you do it." It was the first time I’d had a conversation with a man who didn’t try to keep me from my more adventurous tendencies outright. His words struck me differently, like he didn’t want to control me so much as protect me.
"Sooo, can I dance on a pole at Tease?" I knew the question pushed his limits, but he dropped his head to his chest and chuckled instead of getting angry with my insistence.
"Maybe someday, but your first dance is mine and mine alone. Fair?"
"Fair," I agreed, leaning down. His eyes held mine as my lips touched his tentatively. Intimately. It was just a kiss, but somehow it felt like more when I was the one to start it. With a groan he deepened the kiss, cupping my jaw and making me feel treasured as his tongue dueled with mine. Only the knowledge that his family would soon arrive kept me from grinding down on him and seeking that friction that I wanted from no one but him ever again.
"Your family will be here soon," I whispered as I pulled back from his rough mouth. His lips were flushed red, much like I imagined mine had to be.
"Fuck," he groaned, lifting me off his lap to set me on the couch next to him. He bent his neck, letting his head hang over the back of the couch as his hands scrubbed over his face. "You're becoming a problem."
"Me?" I laughed. I hadn't put myself in his lap or deepened the kiss. I hadn't stroked my bare skin or brought up a lap dance.
"I can't control myself with you. That's...new territory for me."
"Hmm. I like knowing I affect you that way since I self-combust the second you touch me," I confessed. Touching my hand to his forearm, I traced the vein that popped out the top, watching as his hair raised in response and the muscle tightened at my touch. Rebel's sharp bark was the only warning before the sound of beeping from the front door keypad came from the other side of the door. Seconds later, a crowd of people stepped inside, already chattering among themselves as they invaded Enzo's home like they were totally and completely comfortable in his space. Enzo chuckled in that deep voice of his as I stilled at his side.
Somehow nobody had spoken to him as they dropped bags and purses on the kitchen island. The smallest of the children was the first to notice us where we sat, squealing as she raced over. "Puppy!" Throwing her arms around Rebel, she squeezed her tight and my heart filled when Rebel wagged her butt excitedly and licked the girl's face over and over as she giggled. "Who's this, Uncle Enzo?" she asked, abandoning Rebel to throw herself into Enzo's lap and hug him just as tightly.
"This is Sadie," he said, tapping the girl’s nose affectionately. "How is my littlest girl?"
She giggled in response, tapping his nose in return while she grinned. Missing her two front teeth, she turned that bright smile my way and lunged off Enzo's lap to land in mine. "You're pretty," she said, ignoring Enzo as he laughed and stood from the couch. I got up to follow, wanting the safety that my nearness to him would offer as I glanced up from the girl in my arms to find the other people staring at me in shock.
"Gabriella, you don't just jump on people you've never met. Where are your manners?" one of the women asked as I hefted her up to hold her more firmly. She wrapped her legs around the side of my hip as I supported her, even though she was far too big to be carried. I couldn't bring myself to put her down even if I didn't want to stay where I was either.
"The little terror in your arms is Gabby if you didn't guess," Enzo laughed. I turned my face down
