Free Caroselli's Accidental Heir by Michelle Celmer Page B

her hand and holding it instead. “You’re hereby forbidden to look at price tags.”
    A salesgirl greeted them warmly, her eyes lighting when Tony told her they would be purchasing an entire wardrobe. He’d never been one for clothes shopping. More often than not he called his tailor, told her what he needed and the items appeared magically a week or two later. It was a lot more fun buying clothes for someone else, watching Lucy twirl in front of the mirror as she tried on one outfit after another. He took a short break, leaving her in the salesgirl’s capable hands, while he went in search of a jewelry store. When he returned, Lucy was still at it.
    An hour later, they left the store with a half dozen huge bags containing all the clothes she would need to see her through the rest of her pregnancy. And after the baby was born, he intended to do this all over again. And hopefully next time they could do it without the argument.
    “This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me,” she told him, her eyes bright, her cheeks rosy with pleasure, like a child with a new toy.
    “Get used to it,” he told her.
    She stopped at a bench outside the store and set down her bags, gesturing for him to do the same. Puzzled, he put the bags on the floor, and Lucy threw her arms around him. “Thank you so much.”
    “It was my pleasure,” he said, holding her close. Speaking of pleasure...
    The scent of her hair and her skin, her breath tickling his neck, her warm body pressed against him...it was all too much.
    “Lucy,” he said, his voice gravelly. He was going to pull away, he needed to, but then she looked up at him with those doe eyes of hers and all of his good intentions flew out the window.
    Lucy whimpered softly as his lips covered hers, curling her fingers into the hair at his nape. Her lips were just as soft and delicious as he remembered.
    For a few seconds he threw caution to the wind, allowed himself the pleasure of being close to her, and Lucy wasn’t doing anything to stop him. In fact, she was kissing him deeper. If they were home, they would be halfway to his bedroom by now. But the sad fact was that they were in a public place, and by the time he got her to somewhere more private, she would have had time to change her mind.
    It took every bit of strength that he possessed to pull away, but he did it.
    “Wow,” Lucy said breathlessly, stepping back, looking a little dazed and maybe a tiny bit scandalized. “You, uh, probably shouldn’t do that again.”
    He was pretty sure he should, as soon as humanly possible.
    “How about some lunch?” he said. Or a cold shower.
    “Good idea. How about the food court?”
    “Wouldn’t you prefer to eat somewhere a little nicer?”
    “Are you kidding?” she said, gathering up her bags. “I love the food court.”
    He shrugged. “The food court it is.”
    He got himself a burger and fries, she got a Caesar salad with double chicken and a loaded baked potato on the side. The seating area was packed with patrons but they found a two-person table by a window overlooking the Dumpsters.
    “Charming view,” Tony said, globbing ketchup onto his burger.
    Lucy devoured her salad. “So don’t look out the window.”
    To make up for it they would go someplace extra special for dinner. And maybe they could go see a movie. They used to do that a lot. Usually Sunday matinees, when admission was half price, because she always insisted she pay for her own ticket—though he would have been happy to do it.
    “You want to catch dinner and a movie tonight?” he asked her. “There’s a new Italian place downtown that sounds good.”
    “Actually, all the shopping we did knocked me on my butt. Why don’t we order Chinese and stream a movie?”
    “Are you sure?”
    “Honestly, I’ll be shocked if I make it past eight p.m.”
    “You have time to go home and catch a quick nap before I take you to Nonno ’s.”
    “Ugh. I forgot about that. I don’t think I could