“Geez, don’t let the door hit you,” Aldo quipped as Luke slammed the front door behind them the second their feet hit the front porch. The look of love passing between the happy couple was hot enough to start a house fire, and Aldo didn’t want to accidentally catch a glimpse of Luke’s junk…again. They were close, but not that close.

“Where’s your car?” he asked Gloria. “I’ll walk you to it.”

“It’s in the shop. I walked.”

“I’ll drive you home,” he offered. No way was he letting the woman who’d just walked out of a nightmare find her way home in the dark.

“Oh, I can walk,” Gloria insisted.

“I know you can walk,” Aldo teased, guiding her down the walkway to the street where he’d parked. “But if I drive you home, you’re going to feel obliged to give me that last piece of pie, and, Gloria, there’s something you need to know about me.” He paused by the passenger door of his truck.

“What?” she breathed. He wasn’t imagining it—the air between them was charged. There was a connection being made. Whether it was natural or a side effect of the decade-long crush he’d had on her, Aldo didn’t care. He reveled in it.

“I love apple pie for breakfast,” he whispered.

She rolled her eyes. “You’re ridiculous,” she told him, but there was a smile behind her words.

“I’m ridiculous, and I’m taking you home.” He opened the door for her and gave her his most charming smile. Legions of women had fallen for this. Well, maybe not legions, but a respectable number. They’d all been practice for the real thing. He’d been honing his weaponry, his skills, for this woman, this night. And he wasn’t going to lose.

She took a step forward and hedged, second-guessing herself.

“Gloria, it’s okay if you don’t want a ride home. I’ll walk you home, tell you you’re the prettiest woman I’ve seen in my life, and make sure you get inside safely. We can drive or walk. The choice is yours.”

She sighed. “Drive.”

He ushered her into the truck and closed the door. Aldo for the win. Sliding behind the wheel, he started the engine. There was a part of him that didn’t quite believe he had Gloria Parker sitting next to him. She’d been a pretty little thing in high school. All sweetness and sunshine. He’d looked more than twice. But the age difference meant a lot more back then. He was a senior, and she barely had a driver’s license. By the time he’d decided it didn’t matter, Glenn “Fuckhead” Diller had stepped into his place.