One Night Stand (The Complete Story) (12 page)

“I told them that I was bringing someone special.  I thought we could tell them about the baby together.” He smiled that sexy, cocky smile that lit up my core. “I know they will be thrilled.”

He walked me to the door and kissed me again on the sidewalk. “I’ll be dreaming about all the horribly dirty things I want to do with you all week,” He whispered in my ear before pressing his lips to mine once more. “Wear your tiniest panties on Sunday so we can have some fun after dinner.” With a wink, he turned and walked down the sidewalk.

I was left staring after him with moist panties.
Damn, he knew just how to get me all riled up
.  I shook my head and smiled. It was going to be a difficult week without him, but having something to look forward to would help me get through.

When I got back to my apartment, Ava and Riley were waiting for me with a big bowl of cookie dough.

“Sooo…how did it go with the detective?” Ava asked as soon as I walked in the door. “Also, we added nuts and chocolate chips to the dough. We figured you wouldn’t mind.”

“That sounds delicious.” I looked at the bowl longingly, but I knew that I shouldn’t eat raw dough now that I was pregnant. Instead, I helped Riley drop spoonfuls of the dough onto a baking sheet. “It turns out Detective Russo actually knew Lorenzo from when they were younger and was just trying to get back at him for stealing his girlfriend in high school.”

Both my friends turned and raised their eyebrows at me, so I explained the whole story to them.

“That’s a relief then,” Riley said as she put the cookies in the oven. “It sounds like you have nothing to worry about anymore.”

“Except the baby and meeting the whole mob family,” I replied with a sigh. “But it is a relief to know that everything is still good between Lorenzo and me.”

“And how is the baby daddy?” Ava asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

“Ew, please don’t call him that. And he is perfect, as always.” I couldn’t stop my mind from immediately returning to a dirty place.

“Fine, I’ll call him your gentleman caller. Or gentleman mobster.” Ava laughed and I couldn’t help smiling with her. I knew things were about to change, but it was nice being home in my little apartment with my two best friends. I was going to miss this once we graduated.

“Alright ladies, let’s study some economics while the cookies bake,” Riley finally said, sensibly.

We all grabbed our books and got to work, spending the rest of the evening with cookies and our textbooks until our eyelids grew heavy.

Sunday came both too fast and too slow. I had been so mired in my studies that the week had turned into a strange blur, but every night I lay in my bed and touched myself, fantasizing about Lorenzo’s fingers, his mouth, and his long, thick cock.

An hour before Lorenzo was to pick me up, I showered and did my hair and makeup. I picked out a simple purple sundress to wear with a white cardigan and ballet flats. Ava and Riley both inspected me and assured me that I looked sweet and pretty, just like a girl any guy would want to take home to meet his family. I smiled and thanked them.

Lorenzo’s family wasn’t just any family. I knew that meeting the Romano crime family wasn’t going to be like a normal family meet and greet, but I was glad I looked nice and respectable anyway.

Lorenzo arrived right on time.  “Emma, your gentleman caller is here!” Ava called out from the kitchen with a giggle.”

“You look gorgeous!” Lorenzo proclaimed as soon as I stepped out of my room.

I looked him up and down, shocked at how he still could give me butterflies every time I saw him. He was dressed in dark slacks and a blue and grey striped button down with the sleeves rolled up at the forearms. He looked so incredibly handsome and sexy that I could barely contain myself from running my hands all over him. The way his muscles strained against the fabric of his shirt and his dark hair fell perfectly over his forehead just made my core twist with desire.

He had a car waiting for us outside.
Of course he did.
I needed to keep reminding myself that being with Lorenzo was nothing like dating an ordinary college guy. Nothing about him was ordinary. Visions of his cock started flying through my mind, so I quickly asked him about his week to distract myself.

The car ride passed quickly. Lorenzo and I chatted about our weeks as the driver took us to the outer edge of the city. We finally pulled up to a large, ornate iron gate. As the gate opened and we drove forward, I got my first glimpse of the Romano mansion. It was huge and intricately decorated. Large, sprawling grounds were covered in manicured gardens and expensive sculptures. I looked around in awe. It was hard to imagine growing up in such wealth.

We pulled into the circular driveway in front of the mansion and Lorenzo helped me out of the car. He kept his arm protectively around my shoulder as we walked up to the front door.  He used the ornate metal knocker to announce ourselves and only moments later the door opened.

“Lorenzo! Emma! Please, come in,” Giovanni Romano proclaimed with a smile. He looked decidedly friendlier than the last time I had seen him. “The others are in the dining room already.” He looked at me and winked. “My boys love to eat. Food is the only thing that could convince those boys to show up early.”

We followed him down the hall to the welcoming open dining room. A large table had been set up and it was covered in delicious looking food. I spied lasagna, several other types of pasta, bowls of sausage and meatballs, along with garlic bread and salad. In addition, there were two fancy looking bottles of wine. I could feel myself salivating.

“This looks incredible!” I said in awe.

“All real Italian men know how to cook,” Lorenzo replied, grinning at me. “It is one of the many tools we use to woo our ladies.” He winked, and then leaned in to whisper. “I’ll show you one of the other tools later.”

“Antonio! Marco! Come greet our guest,” Giovanni called out. I looked over and saw two handsome looking men jump up from their seats. They were both grinning and pushing at each other, with a seemingly endless display of energy.

They were obviously Lorenzo’s brothers. At a glance they all looked almost identical, with sharp cheekbones, strong jaws, dark hair and muscular builds. But on closer inspection, I could see their differences. Antonio was a little slimmer and taller than his brothers, while Marco had a broader face. I had to admit that they were all incredibly handsome, but even his brothers couldn’t match Lorenzo’s sexiness.

“It’s nice to meet you, Emma,” Marco grinned at me as he extended his hand.  “You are way too pretty for my brother.”

I blushed and Lorenzo pushed him playfully and shook his head.

“Ignore my idiot brother. He can’t stop himself from being a moron when pretty girls are around.”

“Yeah, but he had a point,” Antonio said with a laugh. “She might be too good for you.”

“She definitely is, but she is mine anyway,” Lorenzo replied. I smiled at him and he squeezed my shoulder before helping to guide me to my seat.

Giovanni said a quick grace, and then they all started to pass the food. It was crazy and chaotic, but I couldn’t help but smile. Lorenzo helped me pile portions of everything onto my plate before I dug in.

“Mmmm,” I moaned after the first bite of lasagna. “This is delicious.”

All four Romano men looked proud. “It is a secret family recipe from back in Italy,” Antonio replied.  “Nothing else like it.”

I nodded my agreement.

“Would you like some wine, Emma?” Giovanni offered.

I shook my head.  “No thank you.”

“Me neither. We aren’t drinking right now,” Lorenzo offered gallantly.

“We?” I asked in surprise.

“Yes, we. We are in this together.  In fact, will you guys all shut your loud mouths for a minute so Emma and I can announce something?” He gave his brothers a stern look and they laughed but complied. “Emma and I are going to be having a baby.”

There was a long moment of silence while Lorenzo’s father and brothers stared at us. And then the noise began.

“Holy shit! Seriously?”

“Lorenzo, you dog. You’re all grown up now!”

“I hope the baby takes after the mommy.”

“Congratulations to both of you.” Giovanni stood up and walked over to us, placing his hands on our shoulders. “I am proud of my son, and glad he found a girl like you. I know you will both be wonderful parents and we are so glad you will be part of our family.”

Tears sprang to my eyes and I could only nod and smile. I was surprised and gratified by their reactions. Being pregnant no longer seemed quite so scary to me.

“Emma, can I have a minute with you before dessert?” Giovanni asked.

“Yes, of course,” I replied, suddenly feeling nervous again. Lorenzo smiled at me reassuringly.

“Boys, please clear the table and bring out the dessert.”

Giovanni led me down the hall to his study. It was a smaller room, but felt very regal with tall bookcases and a thick mahogany desk. He gestured to a seat and then sat beside me.

“Emma, I want to apologize for how I treated you when we first met.” Giovanni looked at me seriously.

“Oh, that’s alright,” I responded, twisting a strand of hair in between my fingers.

“No, it wasn’t alright. I just hope you understand that I need to be particularly careful of people in my line of work. I didn’t understand at the time that you were different from the usual girls Lorenzo used to spend time with. Now I understand. You are special to him, and you are a wonderful woman. I am glad that you two have chosen one another.”

“Thank you.” I looked up at Giovanni and noticed the mob boss’s eyes were watery with tears.

“I don’t want my son to ever suffer the loss that I suffered. I lost my love, his mother. I do not want him to lose you or your child. I know that he never wanted to be part of my business and I’m telling you now that I will never ask him to be involved. I want you two to live your lives in whatever way makes you happy.”

I smiled up at the old man. “Thank you!” I couldn’t stop myself. I jumped up and hugged him. “Thank you!”

He smiled and hugged me back. “No, thank you, Emma. I know you will be a wonderful mother to my grandson or granddaughter and a great influence on my son.”

We walked back to the dining room where Lorenzo and his brothers had cleared off the table and laid out dessert. In addition to a pot of espresso, there was a platter of tiramisu, another platter of cannolis and various assorted cookies, and a bowl of fresh cut fruit. Despite stuffing myself at dinner, I eyed the dessert hungrily. It seemed that my unborn baby had a sweet tooth.

“Before dessert, there is just one more thing I would like to say,” Lorenzo said, turning to me as I walked into the room.

I looked at him expectantly.

“Emma, I love you. I know everything with us has moved at lightning speed, but I have never been happier or more sure of anything in my life. So Emma…” he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. Then suddenly he was dropping to his knee.

My hand flew to my mouth as he brothers cheered loudly.

“Will you do me the great honor and great happiness of being my wife?”

I could feel the warm tears on my cheeks. I could barely breathe. Lorenzo Romano was asking me to marry him.

“Yes!” I finally managed to squeak out before he jumped up and pulled me into a big hug, swinging me around and kissing my lips over and over.

His brothers cheered again and Giovanni Romano congratulated us. I felt like the world around us blurred as Lorenzo pushed the gorgeous diamond ring onto my finger. We all ate several portions of dessert while everyone grinned and chattered about our future. My heart felt like it was going to explode from happiness.