“I hear Sissy’s pregnant,” I told him.

Sissy was his wife. They’d had some hard times and were separated for awhile but, word was, they’d got back together and were starting a family.

Dom stared at me, still angry at my decision then his face went soft and he muttered, “Yeah.”

“Congratulations,” I told him on a smile. I’d met Sissy a few times though I didn’t know her well she always struck me as being really nice.

“Life!” Vito exploded, making me jump. “Up and down, good and bad, birth and death, celebration and devastation. If you got any balls at all, you roll with the punches and get the f**k on with it, pardon my French.”

My eyes moved to Vito, he was watching me and I could swear (no kidding!) I saw admiration.

That’s when I realized he thought I had “balls”.

I felt another warm, happy glow starting when Vito clapped and then put his hands up in front of him.

“We’re through. I gotta get home. Angela worries.” He made a move and came to me. Hector let me go and Vito gave me another hug. When he moved away, he looked at me. “She told me to tell you she wants you to come to dinner. She’ll call. Bring Chavez and a big appetite. My wife, she cooks, it’s what she does,” he finished.

Oh my.

Dinner with Vito and Angela Zano.

Before I could wrap my mind around that thought, Vito looked over his shoulder and jerked his chin at Dom. He clapped Hector on the arm and took off.

Dom followed. He didn’t clap Hector on the arm but gave him a chin lift, shot me a weird look (still clearly upset at not getting to help Ricky Balducci disappear) but he put up a hand to squeeze my shoulder. Then he took off too.

Hector locked the door behind them and turned to me. “You okay?” he asked.

Without hesitation, I answered, “I’d give my trust fund to be living a life where every other second you aren’t asking me if I’m okay.”

He bit his bottom lip and again I didn’t know what that meant, if he was trying to bite back a smile or hide his frustration. He walked to me, close to me, and his hand hit my neck, fingers sliding up into my hair, thumb at my hairline.

“That day will come,” he promised quietly.

My toes curled and my knees went weak at the look in his eyes. So weak, I had to grab onto his waist to stay standing.

His head bent and his lips touched mine.

Then his head moved a hairbreadth away and he said, “Let’s go to bed.”

Chapter Fifteen

Severed Edges

Sadie

I woke again to a cold, empty bed.

I laid there (my head on one, measly pillow) and allowed myself a lovely, snugly, warm moment at waking up in Hector’s bed before I threw back the covers and I replayed my actions of the morning before. This time, I had to put my pajamas back on (so I did, with the addition of Hector’s flannel shirt) and, with my stuff there, I added brushing my teeth and washing my face.

By the time I hit the stairs, I heard men’s voices coming from the kitchen.

I rounded the stairs and saw Hector through the kitchen door.

He wasn’t in nightclothes, he had on jeans and a tight, black t-shirt but no belt. His feet were bare and his hair was wet which meant he’d been up long enough to shower.

Now, how did I sleep through that?

Seriously, this was getting weird. I never slept through anything.

Maybe it was all the sex.

I saw he had a coffee cup in his fist and his eyes were on someone who was talking but they cut to me when they caught me rounding the stairs.

Even from the distance of across the living room and kitchen, I saw his eyes go lazy and his mouth form a small grin.

At his look, my knees went weak.

Last night, after the Zanos left, we didn’t go to bed to sleep. We went to bed and he made love to me (yes, for the third time!).

The first time had been amazing.

The second time, “working up to it”, meant slow and sweet and even more amazing.

The third time, mostly (but obviously not totally) sated, Hector had taken his time, it was clear he felt like exploring and he did. What he didn’t feel like was allowing me to explore, so he didn’t. His undivided and prolonged attention produced an orgasm unlike any I’d ever experienced in my life.

Amazing didn’t do it justice.

The word to do it justice hadn’t been invented yet.

On this thought, I walked into the kitchen but I did it on shaking legs.

Luke Stark was there, as was Native American Hottie, or who I knew now was Vance.

I walked straight to Hector.

This might have been rude. Perhaps I should have gone to Luke and Vance and offered my hand. Hector seemed in a mellow mood but even though these guys were pretty badass, the whole Hot Bunch/Rock Chick crew was a rather huggy lot. I didn’t want Luke or Vance to hug me in front of Hector. They were his friends but who knew what Mr. Mood Swing’s response would be and, after what happened yesterday morning with Ren, I wasn’t taking any chances.

“Sadie, you know Luke. This is Vance Crowe,” Hector introduced as his arm slid along my shoulders and he tucked me into his side.

I nodded and said, “Hi, Vance.” Then my eyes moved to Luke. “Hi, Luke.”

One side of Luke’s mouth went up in a sexy, half-grin. Vance’s mouth formed a smile that was so confident it was breathtaking.

I stared at them and it struck me that they were seriously hot. Tall, great bodies, clothes that defined their well-toned muscles. Vance had black, shiny hair pulled back in a ponytail at his neck. Luke had short-clipped black hair and a mustache that was shaved precisely down the sides of his mouth.

I decided that Luke’s mustache was absolutely aces. Normally, a mustache like that on a man (in my personal opinion) would look pretty stupid. On him, it was fantastic.

“Mamita,” Hector muttered and my body jerked as I realized, belatedly, I was staring at Luke Stark’s mouth.

Oh no.

I figured certain sure I was in trouble.

Slowly, I looked up at Hector, expecting to be scorched by a Hector Glare.

Instead, his lips were twitching and he looked like he was having trouble not laughing.

Since I’d been awake for about five minutes and hadn’t had time to decide who I was going to be that morning (Ice Princess, New Sadie, Attitude Sadie, Take Charge Sadie, or some other Sadie perhaps After-A-Night-of-Loads-of-Amazing-Sex-with-Hector-Sadie), my personalities decided for themselves.