Page 24 of Above ’N’ Beyond

She laughed. “I suppose that would be important to a dog.” She also saw Jimmy had a good sense of humor. “I think he’s done.”

On cue, Gnocchi leaped to his feet and shook. Bella flung her hands in front of her face but not in time. A gob of suds landed on her forehead.

“I’ve got that.” Jimmy grinned as he swiped off the suds. His touch was gentle, lingering a moment longer than necessary. His gaze dipped to her mouth, and his Adam’s apple bobbed, drawing her attention to the strong muscles of his neck.

Gnocchi wriggled between their knees, demanding attention.

Jimmy cleared his throat and stood abruptly. “I’d better run home to shower and change before my shift.”

Bella picked up the puppy, cradling his damp body to her chest. Jimmy strode to where he’d draped a black T-shirt on a fence rail. Standing there in the late afternoon sun, his body was bronzed and glistening, like a Roman deity. He yanked on the T-shirt. Rather than using the gate leading to the back alley where they all parked their cars, he vaulted the fence, then got into his SUV and drove off.

There really was something about this guy that got to her, and that was so not good. Was it his surprisingly nice and helpful personality? His unexpected sense of humor?

Gnocchi licked her chin, wriggling closer and wetting her shirt even more. She kissed the top of the puppy’s head. “Aren’t you a handsome little boy?”

The dog’s newly revealed short-haired coat was a beautiful brown with red highlights. Based on his behavior, she assumed he was indeed a puppy, maybe eight weeks old or so. Without knowing his lineage, however, how big he’d become was anyone’s guess.

She wiped off a blob of residual shampoo from Gnocchi’s adorable, button-size nose. He resembled a ruddy Labrador puppy. Smiling brown eyes looked up at her, and her heart melted. Again, she nuzzled his head. “You smell so good.” Like Jimmy Santoro.

Bella groaned as she carried Gnocchi inside to find a dry towel.

Lusting after one of Tony’s boys would only cause trouble in ways she didn’t want to think about. Not much surprised her anymore, but Jimmy had.

Sierra met her outside the closet that had become Gnocchi’s daytime residence. “So, what do you think?” Sierra asked.

“The AC’s fixed.” She found a dry towel in the closet and began rubbing Gnocchi’s head.

“Not about the air conditioner.” Sierra leaned in to whisper, “About Jimmy. He shaved off his beard. What do you think?” She grinned then bobbed her eyebrows.

“He was probably hot,” Bella countered.

“Not probably.” She snorted then grabbed a stack of napkins from a shelf. “He’s definitely hot.”

No argument there. No matter how hot the man was, and even if his favors weren’t tied to some hidden agenda, he was everything she shouldn’t be thinking about.

He was, and always would be, a mobster.

Chapter Eight

Jax’s tail whipped back and forth happily as they meandered up and down Nyack’s hilly side streets. They’d been walking for half an hour. Jax needed the exercise. Jamie needed to clear his head, and having alone time with his dog was usually the best cure.

Fixing the Bistro’s air conditioner had been smart. And stupid. Helping Bella bathe Gnocchi… More so. On both counts.

When he’d touched her face, just to wipe away a gob of shampoo, the brief contact had sent a need for something he couldn’t explain ripping through him. Whatever it was, he’d shut it down and hauled ass home.

Jamie shook his head to clear his mind of the all too vivid image of what he’d been half a second from doing.

Kissing Bella.

Every time he touched her, his brain matter went to shit.

Cold. Shower.

With Jax taking point, they jogged the rest of the way up the hill. Minutes later, he stood beneath the freezing cold shower spray, still unable to stop thinking about Bella. Eventually, she’d come to trust him. Everyone he worked undercover did. He was that good. And that bad.

Over the pounding spray, his cell phone blared from the vanity. He cranked off the water and opened the shower door. A number he didn’t recognize lit the screen.

He grabbed the phone. “Santoro.”