SEALed With A Kiss(33)

“Oh, I know what you’re thinking,” Vinny drawled. “I don’t think we could get that lucky twice.”

They’d found an empty pantry on their last cruise and made the best possible use of it.

“Besides,” he continued, pitching his voice lower, “tonight, I plan to take my time.” He leered. “I haven’t had you to myself in weeks.”

She arched a skeptical eyebrow. “Since when have you ever taken your time?” she quipped.

“Do I hear you complaining?”

“Nope.”

“Didn’t think so.”

The only thing in the world Ophelia could possibly have complained about at that moment was the speed at which their ship was moving. She could not wait to get home to their condo on Shore Drive to continue the life they’d started together five years ago.





Epilogue




‡


“Happy Valentine’s Day, sweetheart.” Ophelia greeted Vinny at the door in a red lace teddy, matching garters, black stockings, and five-inch heels.

“Jesus, God,” he exclaimed, running a stunned gaze down and up her body and shutting the door hastily behind him, lest every man on Shore Drive get a peek. “Sorry I’m late.” He thrust a bouquet of long-stemmed roses at her. “I had to run over an old man and steal these from him ’cause the store was all sold out,” he asserted.

She clucked her tongue. “Poor old man.” Accepting the bouquet, she took a long dreamy sniff. “They’re lovely, thank you. How was work?” she inquired, as he shrugged out of his winter BDU jacket.

“Busy,” he said tiredly. But suddenly, seeing her like this, he didn’t feel tired at all, even though he’d been on the job since five. He reached for his wife, unwilling to talk about work, when the smell of something burning hit the back of his throat. “What’s that smell?”

“Dinner,” she said with a shrug. But for once, instead of it seeming to bother her, she swiveled on her bare feet and sashayed ahead of him into their kitchen.

He realized with a rush of tenderness that, as always, she’d done her best to make the evening perfect. So what if she couldn’t cook. “Smells great,” he lied.

“The scallops didn’t come out the way I expected.” Running the rose stems under the faucet, she reached for scissors.

He stepped up behind her, searching for supportive words. “That’s okay. It’s the effort that counts. You’ll get the hang of it.”

“Doubtful,” she replied, snipping an inch off the stems and sticking the roses in the vase that sat on the windowsill.

Vinny put his hands on her bare shoulders and turned her around to face him. “And if you don’t ever get it right, then we’ll eat takeout every night,” he persisted. “As long as we’re together, I don’t care.”

Her gaze trekked to the table where he saw that she’d set it with their best china, a bottle of wine, and a lacey tablecloth. “I wanted to make it perfect,” she admitted.

“It is perfect.”

“Well, the salad turned out okay,” she said a little more brightly.

“I’m on a diet anyway.” He slid another appreciative gaze over her lingerie-clad body. “You want to eat now or later?”

“Later,” she said with a slow smile. “Right now I have a present to give you.”

Figuring he knew what kind of present she had in mind, Vinny scooped her up, ignoring her shriek of protest and carried her into the living room, where the drapes were drawn. A gas fire flickered warmly in the fireplace. She’d draped a fur throw over their L-shaped couch.

“Nice,” he commented, depositing her gently on top of it. His lips, like a heat seeking missile, closed unerringly over hers.

“Mmm. Wait,” she said against his mouth. One hand pushed against his shoulder, urging him off her. The other sank into his short, crisp hair, pulling him back for another sultry kiss.

“What do you want?” he asked, confused by her mixed signals.

“I mean I really have a gift to give you first. It’s right there on the end table.”

Peering over the arm of the couch, Vinny spied what looked like a box of chocolates wrapped in red cellophane and topped with a white bow. “You want me to open it now?” The dusky suggestion of her nipples peeking up at him proved distracting. “I’d rather unwrap you first,” he declared, lowering his head to lap at the firm nubs through the gauzy fabric.

“Later then,” she decided breathlessly.

At her encouragement, he slipped to his knees beside the couch and proceeded to divest her of her enticing garment, inch by tantalizing inch.