Laying a Foundation: Bonus volume: Includes series prequel, The Groundbreaking (The Love Under Construction Series) (33 page)

Tony was starting to panic. He’d expected his mother to go after Nikki, but not so soon, and not so ruthlessly. He turned to Nikki, afraid she’d burst into tears and run from the room; if she did, she’d be done. His mamma would destroy her. And they’d be over before they even began.

To his shock and delight, Nikki did neither. He saw her take a deep breath, straighten her spine, and turn to Raffaella. Her face was expressionless save for one eyebrow that was slightly raised. When she opened her mouth, her voice was even, clear, and very strong. “Mrs. Walters, I’ve more than taken a chance on your son. I’m in love with him, and he’s in love with me. I may only be a retail clerk, but I’m smart, and frugal, and friendly, and kind. I’d do anything for Tony and his children, and I believe he’d do anything for me. And for the record, the jewelry I’m wearing? All gifts from my late husband over the years. And my clothing? If it’s anybody’s business, which it’s not, it all came from Goodwill or a thrift or consignment store. I don’t have the money a lot of women in this town have, but I have more love to give than most. Now, I’m going down the hallway to find the bathroom. I don’t know where it is, but I can assure you if I come back to the same level of disrespect and disdain I’ve just experienced, I
do
remember where the front door is.” Nikki scooted her chair back and rose. Tony started to rise too, but she put her hand on his shoulder and pushed him back into his seat, then took off down the hall without saying another word.

The bathroom was the second room on the left, and she locked the door behind her. Her lungs couldn’t pull in enough breath, and she practically heaved in air. Putting the toilet lid down, she sat and dropped her face into her hands. What had she done? Tony had said to stand up for herself. Had she gone too far? She sat, trying to catch a ragged breath and calm her slamming heart, and then she heard a gentle knock. “Tony, I know that’s you. Go away,” she snarled, and the knocking stopped.

Tony had sat, glaring at his mother, until he’d gone to check on Nikki. When she told him to go away, he came back to the table, beyond furious. “Mamma, I . . .” he began.

Raffaella put a hand on his. “Antonio, that young woman has fire. She may not be Italian, but she will definitely be a challenge to you. I am impressed with her tenacity and strength,” she told him brightly, taking a huge bite of bread and smiling broadly at Tony.

He stared at her in utter astonishment. “You insulted my girlfriend, no, the woman I love, in every way I could think of and a couple that surprised me, and you’re telling me how much you
like
her?” He didn’t quite trusting his hearing.

“No. I do not know if I like her or not. But I do admire her.”

And that was when Nikki appeared in the doorway. Tony expected her to look shaken and pale; she was anything but. Slightly flushed, she walked into the room, put her hands on the back of her chair, and, gave Raffaella a piercing glare. “May I sit back down? Or perhaps the question would be, should I?”

Raffaella beamed at her. “Please. You seemed to enjoy the mussels. My spaghetti Bolognese is legendary. I hope you will enjoy it as well. Tony, would you please serve?”

“Well, how was that?” Nikki asked, grinning, once they were back in Tony’s truck.

“What the hell just happened in there?” Tony shook his head, a bewildered look plastered on his face. “One minute she was trying to tear you limb from limb, and the next, she was eating out of your palm. Woman, you are a true wonder,” he whispered, reaching for Nikki’s hand.

She broke into a smug smile. After Tony had served the spaghetti, they had talked and laughed the rest of the evening. Raffaella had asked questions about Nikki’s childhood, and talked about her own in Italy. She told them stories about Tony’s grandparents and about her time in school. Then she spoke with a sparkle in her eye of a young Italian hunk with an odd, decidedly un-Italian last name who’d stolen her heart and dragged her to the United States, where she’d started a new life she never could’ve imagined and raised five truly amazing, handsome boys who, according to her, were a cross between Superman and Saint Peter. Nikki had listened, riveted, and asked questions here and there to let Raffaella know she was interested in what the older woman was saying. As they’d left, Raffaella had kissed Nikki on both cheeks and said, “Please come again and bring my son with you. He rarely visits.” She’d frowned and kissed Tony on both cheeks, then swatted him on the behind as he turned to walk down the steps, catching him off guard with her playfulness. Yes, Nikki thought, the evening had gone quite well.

“So, am I in?” she asked, turning to look at Tony.

“Oh, baby, you are so in. And by the way, I’ve never wanted to fuck somebody’s brains out as badly as I do right now. The way you stood up to her? That really turned me on.”

“Really?” He answered her question by taking her hand and placing it between his legs. She could feel his erection, hard as steel, through his jeans and gasped. “Wow. Well, Saturday is almost here. Can you hold out?”

“Saturday? I’ve got news for you, little girl. I’m calling Carter tomorrow to see if the plane is ready. We’re leaving Friday night. I can’t wait any more.”

N
ikki was a wreck on Friday afternoon. Tony told her he usually drove to Gatlinburg, but he didn’t want time wasted in travel that weekend. Carter had assured Tony that the plane was ready and waiting, and he’d taken her on Thursday evening after dinner to the mall to pick up things she wanted or that he wanted her to have. They’d even made a trip to Clarenda’s, the nearest adult store, to pick up some cute lingerie, some toys Tony wanted, and plenty of lube.

Packing had taken her the rest of the evening until later than she wanted to stay up. She tried to pick out clothes, then chuckled to herself – she was hoping she wouldn’t need anything to wear all weekend, just food and maybe clean sheets. Annabeth had shown up early to get instructions on caring for Bill and Hillary, who were staying with her and Katie for the weekend. It seemed everything was falling into place.

Discussion over dinner that night had led to a serious decision – no condoms. Their lack of sexual activity over the previous years and the testing they’d had done made it clear that protection wasn’t an issue. That meant they’d be totally and completely together, nothing held back. Neither had thought the other would agree to it, but between their low risk and the impossibility of pregnancy – she’d had a hysterectomy years before – that kind of precaution seemed unnecessary. A quivering sensation flooded through Nikki when she thought about that moment, the familiar warmth and wetness inside her, and she wanted to experience that with Tony.

Marla came out to the front counter and shook her head at Nikki. “Please, for the love of god, would you just go on home? You’re making
me
a nervous wreck!” she laughed, hugging Nikki.

“Are you sure?” Marla pointed silently to the door. “Oh, thank you!” Nikki squealed, sprinting out.

“Have a good time!” Marla called after her.

Once she got into her car, she called Tony. “I’m on my way home!” Nikki gushed into the phone when he answered.

“I’ve got about thirty minutes here, then I’m on my way too. My bags are in the car.” Tony hesitated for just a second, then asked, “Are you as excited as I am?”

“Oh, god, honey, I’m about to jump out of my skin!” she cried in a hoarse whisper.

“Good. I’ll see you in a few, baby.”

Tony had invited Carter to bring his wife, and had gotten the couple a room at one of the resorts in the Gatlinburg area. Nikki and Carter’s wife, Adelaide, chatted on the plane and found they had some things in common, especially their love of healthy cooking. Adelaide was a beautiful young woman, blond and stacked, and Carter was just as adorable and good-looking. Dinner arrangements were made for Sunday evening between the two couples, which sounded like fun to the two ladies. Rental cars picked up at the airport, the Walters and the Carters parted ways.

Since she was familiar with the area, Nikki was surprised when Tony drove out past the Save-A-Lot grocery and turned down Buckhorn Road, her favorite area in town, then kept driving. “Hey, drive slow. There’s a house down here I’ve always wanted to see inside of.” She pointed to the left-hand side of the road. “It’s down here not too far past the pub. Even though it’s dark, maybe they’ll have the window treatments open. I’ve always wanted to catch a glimpse.”

She was excited to see that the pub was still there and open – the neon signs advertising beer were glowing, and there was a good smattering of cars parked outside. They had the best bangers and mashed she’d ever eaten, and if they’d closed it would’ve been a crime. Tony slowed and Nikki watched. Up ahead she could see the lights of the house, and she whispered, “There it is! It’s so beautiful! Look at all those windows!”

Tony slowed even more, then turned on the left-hand blinker. “What are you doing?” she cried out, aghast. “We can’t drive up there! That’s somebody’s house!” He drove on up to the front door and shut off the car.

Opening her door, he took her hand, helped her out of the car, and closed the door behind her. Then he pointed at the house.

“What?” she asked, confused.

“Precious,” he smiled, his perfectly white teeth glowing in the light from the windows, “welcome home.”

The chicken salad in the fridge, bought from one of the local eateries, was especially tasty; Roselle, his property manager, had brought over a few things so they’d have a little something to eat when they got there. A roaring fire fended off the spring nip in the air, and Tony handed Nikki a glass of wine as she enjoyed the fire’s warmth. “Like it?” Tony asked, looking around the room.

“Like it? That’s like asking if winning the lottery cheered somebody up.” She sipped the wine, then pointed at her glass. “Where’s this from?”

“One of the local wineries.”

“Very nice.” She took another sip. “This place is, well, I don’t know what to say. I’m stunned. I’ve been looking at it for years now, wondering what it would be like to have a house like this. It’s so beautiful. I can’t believe I’m here.”

“If you think this is beautiful, wait until you see the bedroom,” he said, rubbing her back. Then he leaned over and kissed her ear.

A bolt of sexual energy hit her clit, and she felt herself getting moist. Her nipples hardened immediately, painfully, and she remembered why she and Tony were there. She wanted to strip off her clothes and climb astride him that very minute.

As if he could read her mind, Tony said, “I want to talk to you about something.”

“Shoot.”

“I want to rip your clothes off and fuck you like a maniac.”
At least we have the same idea,
Nikki thought. “But this is our first time together, and I don’t want that to be how we remember it. I want us to take our time. I want to make love with you, really connect, you know?” The warmth in his brown eyes made her blush.

Nikki leaned in and kissed him softly. “I agree,” she moaned into his lips. “I want to really get to know your body, and I want you to take the time to really get to know mine. Soft lights, no shame, no embarrassment, no holds barred. On the same page with you?”