Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 109562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
She huffs. “I’m not going to get a license.”
I steal a quick glance at her as I pull through the gates. “Why not?”
She shrugs. “I’m not going to buy a car anytime soon.”
“I’ll teach you. It’s not difficult.”
She stares at me as if she’s trying to figure me out. “Why?”
Always appreciating the fast acceleration, I change the gears and step on the gas. “It’s important to be autonomous. What if, one day, you’re in a place or a situation where you don’t have access to a driver or public transport?”
“Are you always such a doomsday prophet?”
I grin. “I prefer to be prepared.”
“For what?”
This time, when I take my eyes off the road for a second to look at her, my tone is serious. “For everything.”
She ponders that in silence.
Outside her office building, I get out to open her door. We’re ten minutes early. A few of her colleagues are arriving, carrying disposable cups with coffee shop logos. They shoot curious glances at us as I help her from the car.
“Thanks,” she says, ducking her head before trying to scoot around me.
I lock my hands around her hips. “Not so fast.”
She looks up with a question in her eyes. In the bight fall sun, those amber pools glitter like gold. She’s wearing one of her old dresses, a long-sleeved lilac one, and her flat ballerina shoes. Standing there in that simple dress that falls softly around her curves with the sunlight reflected in her flaming red hair, she’s the most beautiful sight I’ve seen.
I drag her flush against my body. “You’re not leaving without saying goodbye properly, are you?”
She glances over her shoulder at the people who slowed down on the sidewalk. “Is this necessary?”
“Absolutely.” My smile is wicked. “It won’t look good for our relationship if I let you get away without a kiss.”
She parts her lips to no doubt argue, but before she can utter a word, I frame her face between my palms and tip her head back. Those gorgeous eyes are wide open and alert, shining with spirit and life. Her lips are pink and plump, and I already know they’re going to taste like strawberries when I lower my mouth to hers.
I wasn’t planning on giving her more than a peck on the lips, but the minute I brush my mouth over hers, I forget about my intention of keeping the kiss decent. I still possess enough control not to stick my tongue down her throat in front of the witnesses who stop to gawk, but I can’t help eating her lips while I hold her face in a tender grip.
It’s last night all over. I’m hard in a second, needing relief like never before. Even as I fantasize about making her wrap her soft hands around my length, or, better yet, those lips I’m devouring, I bring the kiss to a slow halt. I’m already addicted to her flavor, but this isn’t the time or the place.
She stares at me with big albeit hazy eyes when I pull away. A slow smile curves my lips. As much as she’ll deny it, she’s not unaffected.
“Have a good day, my love,” I say, pressing a last chaste kiss to her forehead before setting her free.
She lowers her lashes and pulls the strap of her bag higher on her shoulder before dashing to the entrance of the building. Her colleagues went ahead. They look at me through the glass doors, straining their necks for a better view.
If that didn’t look real, nothing will. That’s the secret. Every second of that kiss was real.
When I leave her office, the drive is less enjoyable. I like it better when she’s next to me, when I can study her expression and her mannerisms and figure her out. I haven’t had this much fun in ages.
Giorgio waits in the office at the club. Antonio is there, working on the books at the desk in the corner. From the permanent crease on his forehead and the sweat that stains the armpits of his jacket, I gather it’s not going well.
It’s a tough job, a complicated one that requires precision. Lewis was damn good at it. It’s a pity he got greedy.
I use the rest of the day to check out the candidates for Lewis’s replacement. We need someone who’s not only excellent at his occupation but also a man who can be bought.
After drawing up a shortlist that I email to Luigi, I research a few prenatal classes. They use different methodologies, and the reviews vary between good and poor feedback. It’s confusing to say the least.
“Fuck it,” I mumble, shutting the laptop.
“What was that?” Giorgio asks from where he sits with his ankles crossed on Antonio’s desk, shoving a hotdog down his throat while babysitting his cousin.
I send a text message to Nicole. “Nothing.”