A Dangerous Gift

Chapter 29

This was turning out to be a wonderful date, started off a little rocky, Ryder didn't know how to let go and allow himself to relax. He yelled at the waiter for accidentally bringing me champagne, and demanded I get chilled apple juice. When he said informed him that they didn't have apple juice he told him to go out and buy some or he would be juicing apples all night. It wasn't his fault, he couldn't see my stomach under the table, but we got past that and talked about everything we could think of.

I told him my most embarrassing moment when I had turned twenty-one and Dahlia had plowed me with drinks and how I danced on top of the bar and fell off. Then I threw up behind the bar and cried while I was in the bathroom saying I should've been prom queen.

I even told him about how Ricky recorded the whole thing and still has it and uses over my head when he wants a favor. Instead of asking to see it when he saw Ricky again, he said that he would threaten or hurt Ricky for me until he deleted. In his own twisted way, it was kind of sweet.

I also brushed past the fact that I threw up on Dominic, and he said serves him for hitting on me when I was pregnant. I wanted to point out I didn't know I was pregnant at the time, but didn't want to ruin the evening.

He even told me about his struggles of balancing law school and training to run a mafia at a young age. For someone so young he had accomplished a lot. No wonder his mother always spoke highly of him.

The things she said always made him seem like the perfect guy I would date. Tonight he is showing me a different side of himself, he's opening up to me, laughing more, and he knows how to make jokes.

I thought his night couldn't get any better, but it did.

"Hmmm..." I was currently in heaven. I almost came, it was that good. I looked into Ryder's eyes and smiled at me. He held up the thick stick filled with cream and I put my lips around and sucked some more of the delicious white stuff out. Ryder groaned just watching me do it.

"You have a very talented mouth Tesoro," he said, pushing the hair back from my face.

I looked up at him with a look of confusion. He looked down at me and smirked. Finally catching on to what he was thinking I hit him in the chest and took my pastry. After our dinner Ryder wanted me to try an Italian pastry he called sfogliatella, it was a puffed pastry filled with a flavorful ricotta filling.

He brought me to the other side of the restaurant, which was the bakery. The man behind the counter had come out and kissed Ryder on the cheeks and began to speak rapid Italian and make very big hand gestures. I took it as a sign that they knew each other.

Once the introductions finished, Nicolai, the man who seems to own this establishment, had seen my stomach and became over joyed as he spoke in rapid Italia. I didn't like people touching my stomach at all and here was a complete stranger just rubbing it and speaking to it. 

Lost in my own thoughts Nicolai grabbed my hand and pulled me behind the counter and pointed at the pastries as he spoke. I had looked at Ryder for help, even if I did know some Italian, I believe I wouldn't understand what Nicolai was saying with how fast he was speaking.

Walking behind me Ryder explained Nicolai was offering me any pastry that I wanted, on the house. I shook my head, making my way from behind the counter and decline the offer of me getting free food, when the boisterous man started ranting again as little old woman had come from the back room, with flour splotches all over her face. 

The woman had looked over at Ryder and came over to him and grabbed both of his cheeks kissing each one of them. He had blushed a little bit, and glanced over at me when the woman began to speak and point at me. He had responded back to her and I heard my name. He told me her name was Maria and she Nicolai had been married for many years before he was even born.