condoms in the drawer of the nightstand.
“Jeff,” she said in warning.
She pulled her hand out of his and he crossed his arms, his black eyes guilty as sin.
“Did you buy those condoms at the store?”
His arms fell. His mouth dropped open. That was all the confirmation she needed.
“Jeff!” Her finger shot out without warning. She wagged it back and forth in the style of her Grandma Lombardi. “And you’d better not lie to me.”
He snapped his jaw closed. He cleared his throat. “Well, you see it’s like this…”
That was all she needed to hear. “Ugh, never mind, I don’t want to hear it. I’m leaving, Jeff. I’m done.”
She needed to get away from him, fast, before she said something she would regret. She was going home and never so much as looking at a man ever again.
The convent needed nuns. Maybe they would take her.
Torrid images of the night before flashed into her mind. Okay, so she wasn’t exactly pure anymore, but maybe her dad could pull some strings.
Either way, Jeff Benedetto was never touching her again.
♦ Chapter Nine ♦
EFF WATCHED PAIGE stomp off and slam the door to the bedroom. He heard her click the lock. Just in case he had any naïve misconceptions about following her, that deafening bolt forced them to shrivel up and die.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Every word out of his mouth was ticking Paige off. And he couldn’t blame her. He might as well have said he’d planned to bag her from the first minute he’d laid eyes on her yesterday. It couldn’t have gone over any worse than what he’d really said.
But while it was technically the truth, it wasn’t the whole truth either. Despite what Paige now thought, his feelings had never been just physical. It had never been about just getting Paige into the bedroom with him.
It had been about wanting her. Wanting everything about Paige. Anxious, desperate desire for all that she was. To have her, to touch her, to be with her.
To hear her laugh and to fit her body flush against his.
To love her.
Christ, he didn’t know how he was going to fix this.
Making himself some black coffee, heavy on the caffeine, he took it into the living room to see if Justin was still sleeping.
His nephew was still on his stomach on the sofa, his arms spread out up over his head.
He was getting kind of fond of the little guy. He might even offer to babysit for Gina once in awhile. Now that Gina was giving Frank the boot, Justin was going to need male influences in his life. Jeff and his brothers could step up to the plate and teach Justin how to play ball and spit long distances.
The kid was on his own when to came to women though. Jeff had no advice to give there.
Unless Justin needed instructions on how to tick off the woman you love in three easy steps.
Jeff brooded in the leather recliner and prepared to wait. Paige had to open that bedroom door sooner or later. He’d be sitting here when she did.
Paige threw the offensive T-shirt and shorts Jeff had bought for her in a crumpled up ball on the bathroom floor. If her father’s apartment had a fireplace, she’d burn them.
She settled for kicking them, wishing it was Jeff’s rear end. Every time she thought they were on the verge of happily ever after, Fate laughed at her and said,
Wrong!
That was getting old.
Sometime during her twenty minute shower, when she had blubbered freely into the hot stream of water, she had come to a conclusion.
It was either Jeff Benedetto or it was no one.
After ten years of caring about him, and sharing two wonderful nights with him, it was no longer a possibility that another man could have that place in her heart.
Which meant the convent idea was starting to sound like a real possibility.
Or she could be a modern old maid at twenty-six.
Put that on her resume.
With a sigh, she pulled on her red business suit that she had picked out so carefully the day before. She would get out of this apartment, see Justin safely delivered to Gina, and
“Jeff,” she said in warning.
She pulled her hand out of his and he crossed his arms, his black eyes guilty as sin.
“Did you buy those condoms at the store?”
His arms fell. His mouth dropped open. That was all the confirmation she needed.
“Jeff!” Her finger shot out without warning. She wagged it back and forth in the style of her Grandma Lombardi. “And you’d better not lie to me.”
He snapped his jaw closed. He cleared his throat. “Well, you see it’s like this…”
That was all she needed to hear. “Ugh, never mind, I don’t want to hear it. I’m leaving, Jeff. I’m done.”
She needed to get away from him, fast, before she said something she would regret. She was going home and never so much as looking at a man ever again.
The convent needed nuns. Maybe they would take her.
Torrid images of the night before flashed into her mind. Okay, so she wasn’t exactly pure anymore, but maybe her dad could pull some strings.
Either way, Jeff Benedetto was never touching her again.
♦ Chapter Nine ♦
EFF WATCHED PAIGE stomp off and slam the door to the bedroom. He heard her click the lock. Just in case he had any naïve misconceptions about following her, that deafening bolt forced them to shrivel up and die.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Every word out of his mouth was ticking Paige off. And he couldn’t blame her. He might as well have said he’d planned to bag her from the first minute he’d laid eyes on her yesterday. It couldn’t have gone over any worse than what he’d really said.
But while it was technically the truth, it wasn’t the whole truth either. Despite what Paige now thought, his feelings had never been just physical. It had never been about just getting Paige into the bedroom with him.
It had been about wanting her. Wanting everything about Paige. Anxious, desperate desire for all that she was. To have her, to touch her, to be with her.
To hear her laugh and to fit her body flush against his.
To love her.
Christ, he didn’t know how he was going to fix this.
Making himself some black coffee, heavy on the caffeine, he took it into the living room to see if Justin was still sleeping.
His nephew was still on his stomach on the sofa, his arms spread out up over his head.
He was getting kind of fond of the little guy. He might even offer to babysit for Gina once in awhile. Now that Gina was giving Frank the boot, Justin was going to need male influences in his life. Jeff and his brothers could step up to the plate and teach Justin how to play ball and spit long distances.
The kid was on his own when to came to women though. Jeff had no advice to give there.
Unless Justin needed instructions on how to tick off the woman you love in three easy steps.
Jeff brooded in the leather recliner and prepared to wait. Paige had to open that bedroom door sooner or later. He’d be sitting here when she did.
Paige threw the offensive T-shirt and shorts Jeff had bought for her in a crumpled up ball on the bathroom floor. If her father’s apartment had a fireplace, she’d burn them.
She settled for kicking them, wishing it was Jeff’s rear end. Every time she thought they were on the verge of happily ever after, Fate laughed at her and said,
Wrong!
That was getting old.
Sometime during her twenty minute shower, when she had blubbered freely into the hot stream of water, she had come to a conclusion.
It was either Jeff Benedetto or it was no one.
After ten years of caring about him, and sharing two wonderful nights with him, it was no longer a possibility that another man could have that place in her heart.
Which meant the convent idea was starting to sound like a real possibility.
Or she could be a modern old maid at twenty-six.
Put that on her resume.
With a sigh, she pulled on her red business suit that she had picked out so carefully the day before. She would get out of this apartment, see Justin safely delivered to Gina, and
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