Center Stage by Bernadette Marie Page A

you. I’d really appreciate that.”
    “I bought you some flowers too, although they are stuck in my hand. Can you grab them?”
    He laughed easily and she loved that—liked that. His mind was scrambled.
    She took the bag of groceries from around his fingers and the flowers from his hand.
    “This was extremely thoughtful of you.”
    He swallowed hard. “I thought you’d enjoy them.”
    “You were right.”
    She set them on the table with the groceries and turned back to him. She took the beers from his hands and set them on the table, too.
    Arianna moved back to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Before you start getting all domestic on me, I want to kiss you.”
    “You definitely made my purchase worthwhile.”
    Her lips were warm as they pressed against his. His hands came to her hips, and he pulled her closer to him. The way her body molded right to his made him wonder, if two people seemed so right for each other, why had it taken so damn long for them to find one another?
    As Arianna pulled back, she let out a deep long sigh and then opened her eyes.
    “I’ve waited all day for that.”
    John was glad to hear that. Why had he even worried? “So who called?”
    “What?”
    “When I was walking up the stairs. Actually…” He began to realize it wasn’t his business at all. “You don’t have to tell me.”
    “No, that’s fine. I don’t know who it was.” She picked up her phone from the table. “It’s a blocked number, and it has called me nearly ten times in the last two weeks.”
    “And no one is there?”
    “No.”
    “And you don’t know who it is?”
    Her lips turned down. He didn’t like that.
    Arianna shook her head. “No. I don’t know who it is.”
    But he didn’t buy that.
    He’d have to not worry about it. She was allowed her secrets. He sure had his.
     
     
     

Chapter Eight
     
    Arianna set the table, but her hands shook. She’d silenced her phone and stuck it in her pocket. It had rung three more times since John had gone out on the porch to grill steaks.
    She could only imagine who it was and that made anger pump through her veins.
    That stupid son of a bitch was playing mind games, but why? What could he gain by messing with her?
    Regan certainly wouldn’t leave her family for him, nor would Arianna ever tell him what she knew about their baby’s whereabouts. Regan had never even looked at her baby when she’d had her. She’d forced Curtis to take her away. Besides, that had been four years ago. Why cause problems now?
    Arianna looked out the window. She could see John standing on the porch in his heavy coat. His breath carried on the cold. Would he protect her?
    Of course he would. He personally knew Alexander Hamilton, and he knew what kind of monster the man was. If he cared for her at all, he’d never let the monster near her or her family.
    But that was a lot to ask of the man you were sleeping with.
    Then again, she needed to admit. It was more than that.
    It wasn’t just sex when she had to run and tell her sister about it. It wasn’t just physical when the very thought of his smile made her warm. This went deeper.
    The flowers he’d brought her were now in a vase on the kitchen table. She couldn’t remember the last time a man brought her flowers. Obviously it hadn’t mattered. These flowers mattered.
    She heard the lid of the grill close, and a moment later, the back door opened and John walked through with cold air blowing in behind him.
    “I must have wanted steak really bad. I’m sure my blood is frozen in my veins.”
    “We could have gone out for steak.”
    John shook his head as he set the platter down on the table. “No way. I’ve learned something about you. You spare no expense on things you’ll personally use. Your grill is no exception.”
    She laughed. “Carlos bought the grill when he lived here.”
    “Okay, so your family has good taste.”
    She thought about her siblings and their significant others. Yes, her family had