Chapter 3
After dinner, Zero and I sat on the back porch steps. We sat beside each other. His right arm draped across my shoulders as I rested my head in the crook of his neck. He reached over me to hold my right hand as I wrapped my left arm around his waist. My hand settled on his hip. Zero entwined our fingers. "Sitting here with you feels like I'm home," he confessed.
"I feel content," I said. "Zero?"
"Yes, Steph?"
"How long are you visiting your grandparents?"
"Four weeks. I return the Saturday on the eight am flight."
"Saturday, April the sixteenth?" I asked to clarify.
"Yes, why?"
"Curiosity," I replied. I decided to book my return flight on the same day.
We sat cuddled beside each other as the sky continued to darken. Zero broke our comfortable silence to ask, "Why don't you know how to cook?"
I laughed as I twisted to look into his eyes. "Mom wasn't patient with me, and she kept rambling about learning to cook for my husband. What she expects from me and what I want couldn't be more different. Saint Valerie was content to get married, have kids and live the life of a perfect housewife, but I crave more excitement than a life of domestic responsibilities," I explained.
"So you rebelled and refused to learn how to cook. Not because you didn't want to learn, but to avoid finding a husband," he said, summarizing my explanation.
"Yup," I answered with pride. "Now that I'm older, I think it's time to learn how to feed myself properly. Take-out and prepared foods are both expensive and unhealthy. I can't rely on my remarkable metabolism forever."
"I can help," Zero offered. "Nonno taught me how to cook." I was surprised his grandfather was responsible. "He retired and helped nonna by preparing dinner. It kept him busy and freed up some of her time. They cooked together whenever we had company."
"That's what I want," I whispered.
"Me too," he confessed. "Do you think we could have that?"
"Only if we build upon a solid foundation," I replied. Zero and I have been friends for a few years. Unknown to us, our childhood connection bled through to our adult relationship. "I have to fix myself first."
"I'm a patient man," Zero stated. "One day and one step at a time, Stephanie. We will be together if the fates allow."
"Okay. I can handle that. I'm tired. Goodnight, Theodore," I said, then kissed his cheek.
"Goodnight, Steph," Zero helped me to my feet and held the door open for me. He kissed my forehead before running around the side of the house to get to his home. I watched him disappear around the corner before locking the door and turning out the lights. My hand rubbed the spot above my heart. Why did watching him go home hurt so much? I felt a piece of my heart had walked away with Zero.
Grandma and grandpa had already gone to bed. I slowly climbed the stairs, willing my body to move. My legs felt heavy as though made of lead. Something was preventing me from going to bed. I made it up a few steps when someone tapped on the front door. My legs cooperated when I walked down the steps, feeling lighter with each step.
I opened the door after peeking to see who had knocked. The moon was mesmerizing as it illuminated Theodore standing on the front porch. He pulled me through the door, letting it close behind me. We briefly gazed at the moon before we slammed our lips together. His lips were soft as we kissed. I felt the warmth pass through my body and gasped from the electricity moving between our lips.
My hands tugged on his hair as he pushed his tongue into my mouth. At that moment, I realized I was never in love with Ranger. I was in love with the idea of winning the unobtainable man. It was no different from Morelli loving the idea of us getting married. Neither were a solid foundation on which to build a relationship upon. "What was that, Teddy?" I asked when we broke from the kiss.
"The fates telling us we belong together, Steph," he replied. "I tried to go upstairs to bed, but my legs felt as though they were filled with lead or weighed down by concrete. When I walked down the steps, they were back to normal."
"Me too, Teddy. Do you know what?"
"Not personally," he joked.
I lightly slapped his shoulder. "It reminds me of an old song called Lover's Moon. My dad said it got based on a clear night with a full moon. Everything shone brightly as the lovers held each other beneath the stars. I remember dreaming that I would find my life partner under the lover's moon."
"Steph, we have had a connection since we were infants and toddlers. Vince sent you on vacation at the same time I decided to visit family. Our grandparents are best friends and tried to set us up over the years. The pull we experienced tonight, leading to this moment, means that our time to be together has arrived. I know you wanted time to fall out of love with Ranger, but I don't think you truly loved him. Let me love you, Steph. We will move forward at your pace," he said, wiping the tears from my eyes. My skin felt tingly where his fingers touched.
"Teddy," I whispered. I didn't know what to say.
"Steph, I'm all in. You know I respect you, Steph. I promise to be in a loving, committed and monogamous relationship with you. When or if you need more, we'll do it together. Stephanie Plum, will you be my girlfriend?"
I nodded as the tears dropped from my eyes. Zero kissed away my tears. "Yes, Teddy. I'll be your girlfriend." I wondered how long it's been since Zero had sex. I'm not sure why the thought entered my mind.
"Three years, one month and ten days," Zero replied, answering my silent question.
"Why so long?" I asked, blushing.
"That was the day I got introduced to a curly-haired brunette with mesmerizing blue eyes." He stroked his finger down my cheek before tugging on my chin. Why didn't I notice Zero before now? "Steph, you were emotionally unavailable. Ranger and Morelli had you wrapped up in their twisted back and forth game. All that matters is the two of us here, right now."
I lightly kissed him and entered the house. He kept looking over his shoulder until he got to the end of the sidewalk and disappeared from view. My lips tingled from our kisses.
When I returned to my room, I checked the time, then called Vince. He answered on the first ring. "Miss me already?" Vince joked.
"Yuk it up, Vince. How's Rex?" I asked.
"The little guy is fine. I dropped some grapes into his food dish. He stuffed a few pieces into his cheek pouch before hiding in his soup can." His response made me smile. Vince didn't like rodents of any kind, but he always cared for Rex. "Why are you calling? Is everything okay, Steph?" I could hear the concern in his voice.
"I'm fine, Vince. Stop being a worrywart. I wanted to ask if you knew Zero was travelling to Italy?" I asked, getting to the point.
"Nope. I didn't know he was visiting his grandparents until I got to work tonight. Is he treating you well? Because if he isn't, I will teach him a lesson or two," Vince replied.
Chuckling, I said, "You have nothing to worry about, Vince. Zero and I are officially dating. I know my trip was to get over my feelings for Ranger, but I have a deep connection with Zero. We had only discovered we knew each other as toddlers."
Vince whistled before asking, "Are you the girl in the photos?"
"He told you about the pictures?" I was stunned.
"Zero has one of them framed in his apartment. He's sitting beside a pretty girl. Her head is on his shoulder. She has the most content smile on her face and her eyes are closed," he replied as I went to take a picture of the photograph.
"I'm sending you an image. Let me know if I got it."
"Yup. That's the one, all right. He's been trying to find the girl for years."
"Why?" I asked.
"Something about how content he looked in the photograph and the pull he feels every time he looks at the picture," Vince explained. "I hope you both find what you're seeking."
"Thank you for sending me here. I appreciate everything you've done for me since moving to Trenton." I wiped a tear from my face. "Stay safe, Vince."
"You too, Steph," Vince said before telling me to have sweat dreams.
Did he really mean sweet dreams? I had clearly heard him say sweat, not sweet. After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I climbed into bed. I fell asleep thinking about Vince's words.
"Damn you, Vince," I mumbled when I woke up the following morning. I was covered in sweat from my erotic dream.
I climbed through the second-floor window and down the trellis to the ground below. The clematis vines had thorns that tugged on my clothes. I wore gardening gloves to prevent my hands from getting scratched by grabbing the trellis through the vines.
He waited at the bottom for me to descend far enough to place his hands on my hips. I released my grip, allowing him to catch me in his strong arms. He turned me around to face him. His hazel eyes appeared bluer in the light of the moon.
My hands went to his hair, weaving through the silky locks. I felt his hands move to the back of my thighs, lifting as he encouraged me to wrap my legs around his waist. "Let me love you, Steph," Theodore repeated the words from earlier that night.
I kissed him in response, unable to get my tongue to form the appropriate speech. He deepened the kiss by running his tongue along my bottom lip, requesting permission to enter. Our tongues tangled as I ground my core into his erection.
Teddy carried me to the shack in the back of the yard. He laid me on the cot before covering my body with his. As he kissed my neck, he pulled my tank top up. Teddy broke the kiss long enough to remove my shirt, baring me to him. "You're beautiful," he whispered before nibbling on my nipples.
"More," I moaned. I felt Teddy smile as he kissed his way down my body. He paused to remove his clothes and my panties. His body put the statue of David to shame. I had no idea that Teddy was this ripped. "Now, please," I begged. Teddy pushed into me and moved in and out, driving me into a frenzy. I felt our chests slide, slippery from our sweat mixing. My orgasm started building as I met his thrusts.
I woke up before I orgasmed. My skin was damp from a thin layer of sweat. "It's been too long since I've had a social orgasm," I mumbled. The shower massager was no longer effective. I needed a release before I explode from my raging hormones. My dream certainly didn't help matters. Joe only cared about his own release. He was a selfish lover. My last orgasm was when Ranger and I had sex eleven months ago, during one of my off times from Morelli.
It was 5 am. I climbed from bed and pulled on my shorts and sports bra. I'm not one to enjoy running, but I needed to burn off the frustration. Midway through my stretches, Zero exited the house next door. He raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. I wiped the drool off my chin when I stared at his bare chest. Zero was more muscular than I realized. We ran close to five miles before returning home. "I didn't peg you as the type to get up early to run," Zero said, smiling.
"I'm not, but I woke up from a… um… dream. I needed to burn off some pent-up energy," I replied, blushing beet red.
"Will you share the details with me? I want to know what you like," he asked, correctly assuming it was sexual in nature.
"Maybe I'll show you instead," I teased.
His eyes darkened as he pulled me tight to his chest. I felt his sweat on my abs and moaned. Zero lifted me by my thighs, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. His tongue sought mine as we kissed. We got lost in our actions that we barely heard his grandma say, "Theodore, Stephanie, get in here before you give the neighbours a free show."
I blushed as I buried my face into Teddy's neck. He carried me into the house and up the stairs. "It's too soon," I moaned when he placed me on the bathroom vanity. I needed the sexual release.
"Stephanie, Amore mia, let me love you," he whispered against my lips. I looked into his eyes. After seeing the love and affection in the depths, I nodded. Neither of us wanted to rush into a sexual relationship, but my hormones were screaming for the physical connection.
