Touched by the Music Read online

  “Hi,” she said.

  “Hey, you ready?” I said after I found my voice.

  “Yes, just let me grab my bag. Come in, it’ll only take me a second. I left it in my room.” She held open the door, and I stepped in. “Do you want anything to drink?”

  “No, I’m good, thanks. I’ll wait here for you.”

  “Okay, be right back.”

  I watched her walk up the stairs and took a deep breath. It was going to be a long night for me. Keeping my hands off her was going to be rough. I’d wanted to shove my hands in her hair, then kiss her until neither of us could breathe. Then text Tao and blow him off, take her to my apartment and strip her of everything but those damn boots.

  “You must be Lucio.”

  I turned at the man’s voice. And prayed I didn’t have drool on my chin or that he could read thoughts because I didn’t think Livi’s dad would appreciate either.

  I stuck out my hand. “Yes, sir. Nice to meet you, Mr. Chambers.”

  “Call me, Richard,” he said as he shook my hand. “When Livi said she was going out with Gina’s son, I realized in all this time we’ve never met. Hiring your mother was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. She whipped Livi and me in shape along with the house.”

  “Mom’s good at doing that.”

  “And you’re Tony Da Silva’s nephew?”

  “Yes,” I said and glanced over to the staircase, wishing Livi to appear. I knew her dad was an attorney, and it seemed he was in questioning mode. It wasn’t like I had anything to hide. I just wasn’t used to meeting a parent on the first date. Hell, I’d never even met Lynn’s in the time we were together.

  “Nice man. My firm just handled the paperwork for the new restaurant.”

  “Yeah, he’s pretty happy about the new location of this one. The grand opening is next month. But it’s not like I’ll get to enjoy the food unless there are leftovers when it closes,” I said and chuckled. “Uncle Tony will get upset if I snatch a sample while working.”

  “You work for Tony?” he asked and frowned, which confused me.

  “I only fill in when he needs me now. But I’ve worked on and off for him since I was sixteen when my mom and I moved here.”

  His frown deepened as he stared at me. Then his expression changed, and he shook his head.

  “I knew you looked familiar. You’re older, taller, and filled out more and with facial hair, but it’s you.”

  “Excuse me?” I said more confused than I’d been a second ago.

  “Livi ran into you, literally, when she walked out of the ladies’ room at Da Silva’s.”

  “Livi was the girl who hugged me for knocking her into the bathroom door?”

  “Yes,” he answered, then yelled, “Livi!”

  I glanced toward the staircase, and Livi stood halfway down. She was smiling with her bag clutched against her chest.

  “I heard,” she said, and I watched as she walked the rest of the way down. And when she reached the landing, she did the same as she had in front of the bathroom—she threw her arms around me.

  Chapter Twelve

  Olivia

  “I HOPE YOUR FRIEND wasn’t mad we stood him up,” I said as I handed him a glass of water, then sat down on the other end of the couch from him.

  “Nah, when I texted him, I’d told him I’d explain later.”

  “I just feel bad.”

  “Don’t. As long as there are single women in the club, he won’t even miss us.”

  I laughed. “I can’t believe Tao is that bad.”

  “Believe it,” he said and took a drink of the water. He’d drank one beer with my dad when the three of us had moved to the family room to talk about the revelation from earlier. My dad had stayed in the room for a while, then claimed he had work to look over in his office, leaving Lucio and me alone.

  Lucio had been the one to suggest we forgo the club and then texted his friend. He generally seemed as surprised as my dad and me to find out we had somewhat met before and the circumstances that surrounded my reaction to him outside the ladies’ room.

  I was unable to believe it was him from that day. Especially when I’d vowed I’d never forget the eyes I’d looked into when my sight first returned. I’d even seen them in my dreams for months after. Maybe it was because I’d been fascinated with his body when he showed up to pick up his mom. Or it could have easily been his firm butt in those shorts. It had definitely captured my attention.

  “You sure you wouldn’t rather have soda or another beer?”

  “No, really, I’m good. I limit myself to one beer when I do drink, and I couldn’t tell you the last time I drank a soda.”

  “I wish I could be as disciplined,” I said and then lifted my glass with Pepsi in it and drank.

  “I have splurge days. But if I’m going to be on top in my weight class, I have to stay on track. I imagine you are disciplined with your music, right?”

  “I am. I want to be part of the violin section in the Boston Symphony. That’s my goal. I’m going to apply for an audition after I finish college. I have one semester left.”

  “I don’t know much about orchestra music other than it’s old stuff.”

  “It isn’t all old stuff. The orchestra I’m part of now at Berklee, we play contemporary pieces. Even the big orchestras today play some modern selections. Now, I’m going to have to invite you to a concert so you can see, or should I say, hear what you’ve been missing.”

  “You’re on. But only if you’ll go to a fight,” Lucio countered, then chuckled when I scrunched my nose.

  “I’m not sure I can watch two men fight. Let alone make each other bleed,” I said, then scooted closer to him and reached out. “This had to have hurt,” I added as I gently ran my fingertips over the healing cut over his eyebrow.

  “Not much. Your adrenaline runs high in a fight, so until it’s over and the adrenaline nosedives, you don’t feel much pain. After is a different story. And depending on whether you win or lose—depends on how much the pain affects you,” he said. “Livi.”

  “Hmm,” I answered as I expanded my exploration and ran my fingers down, caressing over the bruise on his cheek. “I count five colors inside this.”

  When he didn’t say anything, I cut my eyes to his, and what I saw made my stomach tighten. I realized then that I had unintentionally moved myself even closer to him with my need to examine the marks on his face.

  He lifted his arms and shoved his hands in my hair and cradle my head. His left thumb ran over my lips, and I sucked in my breath, holding it. Anticipating his kiss. Wanting it.

  “I need you to say no if you don’t want me to kiss you. And if you don’t want me to, please back away. I’m afraid if you don’t, I may kiss you regardless if you say no.”

  I moved my hand from his face and rested it on his chest, then leaned in until our noses almost touched.

  “Is yes an option?”

  He moved me closer, closing the gap and tilting his head slightly, so our noses actually didn’t collide. When his lips touched mine, I wasn’t sure what I expected, but his lips were soft yet firm. He pushed his tongue against the crease of my lips, and I opened them.

  Had I ever been kissed like this? I surely would have remembered, right?

  His hands moved from my hair to my hips, and while he devoured my mouth, he shifted us until I straddled his hips. Once he had me where he wanted me, his hands roamed up and down my back.

  I clutched at his shirt, then pulled my hands from between us, placing them on each side of his head. Twining my fingers through the strands. My heart raced as he pulled me into him, our chest pressed together.

  Overrun with this feeling of need, I rotated my hips, then grinded against his hardness. His hand slid to my butt and he held me down, my core heated as his hardness pressed against me. All thoughts vanished other than for ramped desire.

  He broke the kiss and rested his forehead against mine. “We need to stop, Livi. I don’t want your dad walking in
and find me mauling his daughter,” he said breathlessly, and I was glad I wasn’t the only one fighting for air. Then his words registered.

  “Oh my God, how could I have forgotten about my dad down the hall?” I felt his chest vibrate. “Are you laughing?”

  He raised his head and grinned. “I was listening for footsteps when I first kissed you. I pulled away because when you grinded down on me, I lost my hearing. Pretty sure a couple of more minutes and an earthquake could have rocked Boston and I wouldn’t have given a shit,” he said, and I giggled when he lifted me off and plopped me down away from him.

  He stood and adjust himself. “Problem?” I asked and wondered who’d taken over my body because I wasn’t a flirt or bold when it came to men.

  “I’m going home, smarty pants. It’s late. I’m sure your dad wants to go to bed.”

  “He went to his office to work.”

  “He works past midnight in his office after pulling a full day?”

  I laughed. “No.”

  “There you go. Now walk me to the door.”

  We walked out of the family room and into the hallway. We hadn’t taken five steps when my dad popped out of his office. “You headed home, Lucio?”

  “Yes, sir. Thanks for the beer. And sorry to have stayed so late.”

  “All is good. It was nice to finally get an opportunity to thank you and explain what had happened. I remember you were as shellshocked as we were. You just didn’t know the reason behind it. Drive safe, Lucio.”

  “I will.”

  “Livi, let me know when you’ve locked the front door, and I’ll arm the alarm,” my dad said as Lucio and I stopped at the front door and my dad headed up the stairs.

  “Hey, you got plans Sunday?” Lucio asked.

  “No.”

  “Want to go to my mom’s? She’s cooking dinner.”

  “I wouldn’t want to intrude?”

  “You won’t be intruding. Ask Mom tomorrow if it makes you feel better. You’ll actually be helping me out because she will make a ton of food and a triple-layered cake. If you’re there, she won’t try to force it all on me.”

  I shook my head with a grin on my face. “Okay.”

  “Great, I’ll pick you up around noon. On Sundays, she likes to serve the big meal early. That’s not a problem for you, is it?”

  “Not at all. I’ll see you Sunday.”

  “Bye, Livi,” he said, kissed me on the cheek and pulled the door opened. As he was pulling it shut behind him, he added, “Don’t forget to lock it.”

  I locked the door, then went to the family room and picked up our glasses, turning off the lights in the room. After I set the glasses in the sink, I headed for the stairs. I let my dad know everything was shut down and locked up, then made my way to my room.

  Once my nightly ritual was done, I slid into my bed. Instead of going to sleep, I laid there and thought about how strange life could be. When my eyelids grew heavy, I closed them and thought of a pair of brown eyes and the man associated with them.

  Every minute I was around him, I liked him more. He was easy to talk to, plain easy to be with. And I couldn’t wait to see him again.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Lucio

  WITH MY HAND ON LIVI’S lower back, I led her inside the building where my mom lived. It hadn’t escaped me that when I was near her, I wanted to touch her. As if I needed the contact.

  “Did you tell Tao why we didn’t go to the nightclub?”

  “Yeah,” I gave the one-word answer because I didn’t want to think about the other night. If I did, I’d ultimately fast forward to our heated first kiss. I didn’t want to walk into my mom’s place with a hard-on.

  It was bad enough that I’d gotten so worked up from kissing her that night, I went home, took a shower and jacked off.

  The next day at the gym, Tao asked what had happened, reminding me I promised to tell him. So, I filled him in. He hadn’t found it the least bit odd that Livi and I had this weird roundabout connection until we met.

  Instead, he’d laughed and said it was fate and that I was doomed. I’d shoved him. Then she opened the door today and as she looked at me, I wondered if Tao could be right. The bastard.

  “This is a nice place. Does Gina like living here?” Livi asked and looked up at me.

  “She loves it. She moved here after I moved out of the other place. She still has two bedrooms here, but the overall footage is smaller and easier for her to take care of. A bonus was that all the residents in the building are either her age or older. If you see a kid or two around here, their someone’s grandkids.”

  “How did the night go for Tao?” she asked, then giggled. She wasn’t going to drop the subject. Then again, she wasn’t the one drudging up memories that would give a stiffy. I smacked her on the butt because I could and snickered when she jumped and said not so quietly, “Hey, what was that for?”

  “For wanting to know if my ho of a best friend found a hookup.” When we were at my mom’s door, I flipped the keys on my keyring to find the one to her door.

  “You shouldn’t call him that. I bet it hurts his feelings,” Livi said as I reached out to put the key in the lock, but before I could, the door opened.

  “Good grief. Were you planning to stand in the hall all day and talk,” my mom said and opened the door wider.

  “Hey, Mom, it was Livi holding us up,” I said and pushed Livi through the door.

  “How is it my fault? It’s not like I had the key to the door. You did.” I grinned at her indignant tone.

  “You were distracting with your questions?”

  “Alright. Quit picking on Olivia, Lucio,” my mom said, and when I looked at Livi, she stuck her tongue out at me.

  I caught myself before I said, Mom, like a five-year-old. Instead, I waited until my mom turned toward Livi, then I did the adult thing and flipped up my middle finger at her. She giggled, and my mom glanced over her shoulder at me. I shrugged as if I had no clue what was going on.

  Mom shook her head at me before she turned back to Livi. “Dinner’s ready, I was just waiting for you two to get here before I set it on the table. What can I get you to drink, sweetie?”

  “Whatever you have is fine,” Livi answered.

  “How’s Pepsi? I picked a six-pack up when I went to the store. I know you like it.”

  “You didn’t have to do that, Gina.”

  “It was no trouble. Lucio, seat Olivia, then come in the kitchen and get everyone’s drinks while I get the food.”

  I pulled out a chair for Olivia and couldn’t help but bend down and whisper in her ear, “You’ll pay later for sticking your tongue out at me.” Then I bit her earlobe. And after I received the reaction I wanted, a slight shiver, I walked away.

  In the kitchen, I grabbed glasses and fixed the drinks. After a few trips back and forth, the three of us sat down to a meal of fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, two vegetables, and homemade rolls. I dug in with knowledge I would be putting a little more time in my workout to compensate. It was okay to have a few cheat days, but even on those days, I still tried to make good choices. But I wouldn’t hurt my mom’s feelings when she’d taken her time to cook for my birthday.

  “Thank you for dinner, Gina. It was wonderful,” Livi said as she placed her napkin on the table.

  “You’re welcome, sweetie. I hope you left room for the cake. I made a triple layer fudge with cream cheese icing,” my mom said, and I groaned.

  “Oh, stop it, it’s your birthday. You’ll work it off this week, I’m sure,” Livi said and stood, picking up her plate in the process.

  “You volunteering to help me work it off?” I asked and laughed when Livi’s eyes went wide, and a pink hue formed on her cheeks.

  “Lucio, behave. You’re embarrassing her,” my mom said, smacked my arm, then stood and started clearing the table.

  I pushed my chair back and started helping. “And how did you know today was my birthday? I didn’t mention it,” I said and lifted a bro
w.

  “Your mom told me when I asked if it was alright to come to dinner with you.” I grinned, shook my head, and started to the kitchen with my load from the table. “It’s polite to ask,” Livi added as she followed me into the kitchen.

  I sat down what I had in my hands, then took the dishes that Livi carried from her. After I stacked them, I turned to Livi, put my hands on each side of her head, bent and kissed her on the forehead.

  “You are polite and sweet. And so easy to tease,” I said, and as I straightened, I noticed my mom holding the cake and smiling with her eyes on us.

  “And I have a sense of humor. So, I hope you like your gift.”

  “You bought me a gift?” I asked.

  “I bought the material needed, but then I put it together.” She smiled.

  “Now, I’m curious. Let’s eat the cake, Mom. I want to see my gift.”

  Livi handed me the wrapped box she’d retrieved from her bag. I weighed it in my hands and heard a slight rattle when I gave it a shake. I might have guessed a chain of some sort, but the box had more weight to it.

  “Come on, open it,” Livi said, all but bouncing in her seat.

  I tore the paper off, then lifted the lid. When I moved the paper that covered what was inside, I frowned. It wasn’t until I pulled it out and read what was written on it, in permanent marker no less, that I burst out laughing.

  It was a small flashlight, like the ones hung off a keyring, except this one, had a chain attached so it could be worn around the neck. Livi had written on it, ‘My Light’ on one side and ‘From the Hallway’ on the other side.

  “You’re a nut,” I said and handed it to my mom so she could read what was written on it.

  “Well, it is sort of fitting,” she said and laughed, too.

  My mom knew what it represented. She found out about Livi’s and my connection from Mr. Chambers the following morning.

  “Put it on,” Livi goaded.

  “Not happening,” I said, and then she pouted. Even knowing it was an act, I slipped the chain over my head and let the flashlight rest against my chest. “You’re doomed,” echoed in my head in Tao’s voice. There was a good chance he was right.