Read Online All Wrapped Up by Braxton Cole - Free Book Online Page A

beer to the fridge. He dished the chili and set our servings, along with a loaf of heated and sliced French bread on the table. He also served a crisp green salad with feta and bacon crumble.
    “What do you think?” Rather than sitting across the table, he sat in the seat closest to me. He moved his chair even closer and rested his hand on my knee. My dress slid to the side allowing skin to skin contact. He ran his thumb back and forth absently as he waited for my assessment of the meal. It was an eclectic mix that blended well.
    “It's beautiful, Luca. Thank you.” I leaned in and gave him a small kiss. He'd even filled a bud vase with a single rose. Yes, it was a totally cliché move, but it still made an impact. His attention to detail was romantic and sweet. “I love it.”
    “Good.” Satisfied with my approval, he started on his salad.
    We ate and chatted about all the things that seem unimportant but work together to weave the fabric of a relationship. He told me about the new software they were piloting in his office and how it was frustrating and exciting. I shared Rachel's newfound lesbianism and her scheduled date for the next night.
    “It's no surprise, really.” Luca laughed. “You're pretty amazing with that mouth.” His eyes darkened as he stared pointedly at my lips. I sucked my bottom lip between my teeth as a matter of nervous reflex and Luca moaned. “You need to not do that again if you want to finish this meal.”
    I didn't really care about the meal, but knew I'd regret it later if we skipped it in favor of other activities.
    “Sorry.” Under Luca's intense scrutiny, I was barely able to whisper my apology.
    Luca growled softly and his grip on my thigh tightened. “Eat.” He scooped a bite of chili and held it to my mouth. “You're going to need it.”
    I shook my head to clear it and grasped at a subject change. “Did your grandma teach you to make chili, too?” Everything that Luca knew how to cook was the product of his grandmother's tutelage, I’d learned. The chili would be no different, I was sure. And, bringing his grandma into a conversation tended to cool down his sexual impulses.
    His eyes lost their intensity and he eased back into his own space a bit. He shook his head with a smile and said, “No, I taught her.”
    “What?”
    “I dated a girl from Tennessee my freshman year of college. She invited me home with her for spring break, so I went. I was a college man, and as a college man, I didn't need to go home to see my grandma over spring break. Not when I could spend it with my hot girlfriend and her family.” Luca's smile softened with the memory. “My priorities were a little upside down.
    “Her daddy took a special interest in me. Taught me a lot of things over that seven-day trip. How to clean and shoot a shotgun, how to saddle a horse, how to get up and brush my seat off when I fell off of the horse I'd saddled. And he taught me how to make chili.”
    “Did you get to spend any time at all with your girlfriend?”
    “In retrospect I realize that his goal was to keep us apart, but I didn't know that at the time. I'd never had a father. His attention was important to me. It also made me miss my grandma even more. He tried to teach me lessons, like real men don't cry when they fall down, but they do if their lady falls. Or real men love their family. Stuff like that. I suppose he was trying to teach me how to be a good husband.”
    “I'll be sure to send him a thank you card.” My face flushed with heat as soon as the words were out. I had no idea where they came from. I was resistant to sharing an address and the thought of sharing a last name gave me palpitations. I gulped down a drink of water and prayed Luca would let it pass.
    He did. “I brought some of his lessons, like making chili, home to my grandma. After that, I spent spring breaks here with her.”
    “Why in the world did that girl’s father even know how to make chili?” It was such a random