Mama's Boys: The Look Of Love - Mama's Boys: The Look of Love Part 15
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Mama's Boys: The Look of Love Part 15

"You feel so good." The rumble of his chest vibrated her body.

Between the washer and Gunnar, Eboni didn't stand a chance. He cupped her breast. He circled her hardened nipple with his thumb, a brazen move considering only a thin curtain separated them from a roomful of clients.

Gunnar's breath warmed the shell of her ear. As soon as she felt his lips touch her face, Eboni emitted a small cry.

Damn, did she just come from a touch and a washing machine? The spin cycle ended and it sobered Eboni to her situation.

"Oh my God." She put her hand over her mouth.

"I didn't mean to--"

Eboni turned her head away from his view. "I need to--"

"Go get yourself together. I'll take care of things out there." Gunnar released his hold on her and used both hands to carry the shelf down from its position on the wall. He set the board on top of the washer and dryer.

"Are you two making the towels or something?" Shay burst through the curtain. Since she still wore the same sunglasses from this morning, she really pushed the diva envelope.

"The shelf was falling off the wall. Almost hit Eboni." Gunnar moved away from Eboni and allowed her to run to the bathroom.

"Get yourself together, girl. We have a roomful of folks who need their hair did." Shay disappeared back through the curtain.

Before Eboni could duck into the bathroom, Gunnar said, "We're going out to dinner tonight. I'll pick you up at seven."

This time, Eboni decided not to fight it. She nodded before going into the bathroom. In one fell swoop, Gunnar had proved he could have her again.

Chapter 9.

Gunnar hadn't meant to rub his body against Eboni's like some horny teenager. She'd felt so good and smelled even better. That still didn't excuse his bad behavior.

He dressed in jeans and a black pullover sweater. He pulled his hair back in a ponytail. When his cell phone rang and he saw Chuck's name across the screen, he ignored the call. The last time Chuck had called, it had killed the vibe between Gunnar and Eboni. He wanted this night to be perfect.

Gunnar arrived at Eboni's apartment right on time. It surprised him to see her waiting for him outside.

"I would have gone up to your apartment to get you." Gunnar opened the passenger door for her and helped her into the tall vehicle.

"I know. My cousin is acting a bit crazy. I didn't want any drama tonight." Although she had her hair styled in a high bun, she'd left one tendril to fall down the side of her face. She tucked her hair behind her ear.

Gunnar closed the door and went over to the driver side of the vehicle. After he got inside, he wasted no time in telling Eboni how he felt.

"You smell wonderful." He smiled as he put on his seat belt.

"Thank you. You clean up well yourself."

"I try." Gunnar drove down to a quiet section of Virginia Beach to a strip mall. The parking lot area had a few cars.

After parking, Gunnar jumped out and went over to her side. He helped her out and kept his arm around her waist to help her navigate over the ice in her heels. He wanted her to feel secure in his arms again, like when they had dated before. He protected her like no one else he had ever been with, like a man should.

At one point, Gunnar felt her hand on his side, like she wanted to push him away. Fortunately for him, she allowed him to hold on to her. She must have loved the contact as much as he did.

"What is this place? Eboni peered around the lot. "I've driven through this area before, but very quickly."

"Amore. Some of the best Italian food in Virginia Beach." Gunnar opened the door to the dimly lit restaurant.

The intimate space had a few patrons at various tables. Candles illuminated each one. The young waiter seated them at the back of the restaurant, away from the front window as Gunnar had requested.

"I've never heard of this place before." Eboni sat down in the chair Gunnar held out for her.

"Back in the day, this used to be the spot." Gunnar sat across from her. "Mom used to bring me and my brothers here for lunch after church to teach us about table manners."

Thinking about his mother telling him and his knucklehead brothers to sit up straight and use their napkins made him laugh.

"What's so funny?" Eboni crossed her legs.

"My mom. Can't believe what she made us do when we were younger."

After they gave the waiter their drink order, Gunnar didn't want to waste another moment without telling Eboni what had been running through his mind since that afternoon.

"Before we go any further, I want to apologize." He held up his hands as though surrendering.

"Apologize for what? We had the most profitable day at the salon that we've had in months. Morale seems to be up. I think I even saw Monica smiling." She laughed.

"You know what I mean. The thing between us and the washer." Gunnar remembered the sensation so vividly that he had to adjust himself in his chair when his cock started to get hard. "I started out trying to save you from getting hurt and ended up grinding and groping you like I was sixteen again. It was inappropriate and I'm sorry."

"You're not sorry." Eboni shook her head.

Gunnar sat up taller. "I am--"

"Nope. You apologized. But there's nothing sorry about you." She smirked as she sat back in her chair.

Gunnar laughed. "You think you're clever, don't you?"

"I have to keep up with you." She twirled her finger around the flower pattern on the tablecloth. "I was with you the entire time. I could have told you to stop or pushed you back." She dropped her gaze, waited a moment, and then reconnected to his stare again. "I liked feeling you against me."

He leaned forward and lowered his voice. "In case you're worried, I erased the security-camera footage."

"You did? I didn't even know that was possible."

"I've learned a lot of little tricks these past few years." He winked at her.

The waiter dropped off their drinks to Gunnar's relief. After Eboni's salacious look and response, he needed something to help him cool down. He downed his ice water and handed the empty glass back to the waiter with a request to bring another along with a pitcher.

The young waiter disappeared again after Gunnar ordered a caprese salad. He glanced up from his menu and found Eboni staring at him.

"Why are you looking at me that way?" Gunnar asked.

"You. You're different."

"Different than what? Other men?" A strange tingle went up his spine as he thought about Eboni with another man.

"Different from when I knew you." Eboni kicked her foot back and forth, showing off her long legs and her sexy black booties.

"I was a boy when you knew me. I didn't know my head from my a--, uh, foot." Gunnar closed his menu and kept his full attention on Eboni. "When I left to go train, I wasn't running from you. You know that, right?"

Eboni pushed her menu to the side. With her jaw set in, she looked defiant. "I didn't know what was going on. One minute, you were saying you would be by my side. The next minute, you were telling me this fighting thing was something you had to do."

"It was. It is. I had no real skills. My only job prospect was construction or working in my mother's salon for the rest of my life."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Why do you act like I needed a million dollars to be happy?"

"Because you deserve it. I couldn't ask you to marry me if I couldn't support you and a family."

"You never asked me to marry you."

"Because my plan was to make a success of my life and then ask you." Gunnar thought about his plans from years ago. He saw his life turning out so differently.

"So what happened? Last I checked, you're the champion."

"I thought you didn't follow my career."

Eboni pursed her lips.

"By the time I'd made something of myself, too much time had passed. I didn't think you would want me anymore."

"You know what would have been nice when you're planning our lives? If you'd allowed me a little bit of input." She looked away from him.

That hurt him more than him leaving.

"You're right." Gunnar waited until she looked at him again before he continued. "I'm so used to making my own way. I never wanted you to feel shut out. I'm sor--" He caught her glare. "I apologize." He put his hand out on the table. "Can we at least try to be friends again?"

Eboni looked at his hand for a while before she finally put hers in his. Gunnar squeezed her hand. If this was his last intimate moment with her, he wanted to cherish it. Too bad the waiter returned with a large plate of salad and two smaller plates.

Ready to get their dinner orders, the young man stood by with a smile and an expectant expression.

"If you don't mind, I would like to order for you." Gunnar proposed.

"After the conversation we had? Really?" Eboni cocked her head.

"Trust me."

"No. I got this." Eboni lifted her menu.

"Say what you want to order and I'll say what I would have ordered for you on the count of three." Gunnar held up his hand with his middle three fingers sticking up prominently. "One." He smiled and brought down his ring finger. "Two." He lowered his middle finger so that only his index finger remained in the air.

"This is ridiculous. We won't order the exact same--"

Gunnar cut her off and said, "Three."

At the same time, they both ordered a salmon dish with a side of bread. Even the waiter couldn't keep a straight face. Eboni jutted her menu to him.

Gunnar ordered spaghetti with clams and mussels, his usual order.

As soon as the waiter walked away, Eboni asked, "How did you know that's what I wanted?"

Gunnar smiled. "I know you."

"You are so full of it." She leaned back. "You probably saw what page I was on when I was looking through the menu."

"Lots of items on one page. How could I have guessed exactly what you wanted unless I really knew you?" With great reluctance, Gunnar broke from her grip to serve up the salads. "This is part of the reason I love this place. They make all of their mozzarella. So fresh and delicious."

Eboni gave him a suspicious look until she took a taste. When he saw her eyes roll to the back of her head, he knew she'd experienced what he had so many years ago.

"It is really good." Eboni rubbed her stomach.

It was then that Gunnar had noticed her outfit. Eboni wore a Japanese-inspired long-sleeved black satin dress that had satin-covered buttons going from the neck down between her breasts and off to the side over her waist to her hip where it stopped at the top of an almost obscene slit. "If I haven't told you already, you look gorgeous tonight."

"You can thank your mother." Eboni scooped more salad on her fork. "She made this dress for me a few years ago. I haven't had an opportunity to wear it." She smoothed her hand down her side.

Gunnar had to look away otherwise he would topple the table and pull her on to his lap to finish what they had started earlier.

"So tell me about you. I feel like I've been dominating the conversation here. Any secrets you want to share?" Gunnar finished his first plate of his salad and went in for more.

Did Eboni have any secrets? Plenty. Had she told Gunnar one crucial secret, he wouldn't look at her like he wanted to rip her clothes off her body. He would be calling her the monster, a coward. Part of the reason she had been so short with him lately had everything to do with not getting him back into her life. If he hated her, it would make it easy for him to leaveagain.

Then they'd kissed. They'd shared that strange but steamy moment by the washer. Here at dinner, the tension hung thick between them. She couldn't tell him. Until she knew he would forgive her, she would keep some secrets to herself.

"There's not that much to tell." Eboni picked at her salad. "I'm still taking care of my Aunt Bettie."

"Is she Craig's mother?" Gunnar asked.

Eboni nodded. "He doesn't work. If I left her alone with him, he would take all of her money, and she gets so little of it to begin with. A couple of weeks before you left, she had a stroke. I make sure she takes her meds, goes to her doctor appointments, and eats right."

"That's pretty awesome. How did I not know you were doing that when I was here?" He finished off his second plate of salad and offered Eboni some more.

She shook her head, barely through her first plate. "You had a lot of stuff going on. I didn't want to burden you."

Gunnar dropped his fork. "Wait a minute. You jump all over me about me making decisions for us, but you don't share something this important with me? It's the same thing."

"No, it isn't."