Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 30098 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 150(@200wpm)___ 120(@250wpm)___ 100(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30098 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 150(@200wpm)___ 120(@250wpm)___ 100(@300wpm)
“Could you get me a glass of water?” Dante asked.
The waiter mumbled his agreement and quickly headed back into the kitchen. He returned seconds later with a glass of water. Dante took a sip, and then presented it to Aria. He took her glass of champagne and winked at her.
“You remembered,” Aria said.
“See, I can make a good husband after all.”
For the first time since they had been together, he made his wife laugh. At first, Dante could only look. Her laughter lit up her whole face, and she was positively beautiful.
He had never considered Aria to be beautiful. Not a classic beauty, but he was starting to see there was more to beauty than mere looks.
He’d been with many different beautiful women, but all had a cruel and jealous streak about them. Aria wasn’t malicious. Even when she was telling him the truth about their marriage, she was only speaking the truth, and he could handle that.
Glancing past her shoulder, he saw her father watching them. The hatred he always felt for the man was there, but it didn’t consume him. He didn’t want to suddenly hurt Aria, to make the bastard pay. Phillip Lewis would pay eventually, but that would come when he was ready.
Now, he gave the family something to really talk about, as he leaned in close and pressed a kiss to his wife’s lips.
He knew he should feel guilt at taking the spotlight away from the engaged couple, but the truth was, he didn’t care.
Chapter Seven
Two Months Later
Aria finished moisturizing her face, aware of Dante in the other room. The past two months had been a bit of a whirlwind. They were back at his country home after spending the last two months at his penthouse suite in the city.
She didn’t know how they had managed it, but they had gone to every important social function on the Pesci calendar. She was exhausted from all the smiling and talking they had to do.
That first party had set off a host of invitations. Dante was convinced it was to see if their presence was just a fluke. One party after another, they did the same. Even dinner invites had become more frequent, and of course, Dante insisted on attending most of them. And Aria started to feel like a real wife.
They shared a bed, breakfast, most meals. Some days, Dante wasn’t around, as he did still have to work. She’d been given a guard, and told she could explore the city, which she had done. She’d spent her days visiting museums, popular structures, taking walks in the park, going to the library, and even cooking. She had done a great deal in the past two months.
It did feel like they were a married couple. They had done everything except have sex. Dante hadn’t touched her since that night he’d brought her to orgasm.
Aria tried not to look at her reflection as she thought about that. Sex was not something she was ever going to enjoy. Dante wasn’t going to change that, but it didn’t mean she couldn’t change her mind. She’d gone from dreading his kisses to relishing each one of them.
Running a brush through her hair, she wondered if it was possible for Dante to be attracted to her. She knew she wasn’t beautiful or like any of the women he’d been associated with.
“Stop it,” she said to herself and attempted to push those negative thoughts out of her head. She couldn’t linger in the bathroom too long.
Dante had surprised her by having her clothes and belongings moved to his room. She was no longer to have her own room or her own bed. Two months ago, this would have terrified her. Sharing a room at his penthouse suite had stopped her from worrying.
She stepped out of the bathroom, only to come to a stop at finding Dante, naked, rubbing a towel across his body.
“Dante,” she said, and then quickly spun away and closed her eyes at the same time. “Sorry, I … uh … how did you shower?”
“I used one in another room. I didn’t know how long you were going to be.”
“I’m sorry I took so long,” she said.
She was pretty sure his voice was getting closer.
“I’m not.”
Okay, now his voice was against her neck.
Opening her eyes, she stared straight ahead, not exactly sure what she should do. She felt him close. The heat of his body seemed to radiate toward her. Then she felt the brush of her hair as he moved it out of the way.
“You’re nervous.” His lips brushed across her neck, and she couldn’t help but gasp, especially when he touched a part of her just beneath her ear.
“I, uh, I don’t mean to be.”
He nipped at her neck, almost playful. She nearly jumped out of her skin as he wrapped an arm around her waist.