Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 83881 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83881 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
I said nothing. The officer returned to the building, and Dante led me to the car. He got in and pulled away from the building. He said nothing until we arrived and stopped in front of a small café.
“I need coffee and something sweet,” he said, glancing my way. “Coming, Little Bee? The lattes here are incredible.”
I followed him, silent, sitting at a table he indicated before going inside and returning with a tray. Some pastries and two steaming lattes were on it, and he slid the tray between us.
Nothing was said as we sipped and chewed. I looked around at the street that was getting busier as time went by. Shops opened, locals called to one another, and tourists began to filter in. Many people greeted Dante. He acknowledged them all with the tilt of his chin, standing to shake hands with a few men. But he didn’t speak until the tray was empty.
“What changed your mind?”
“You have people depending on you. I know what it’s like not to have that, and I didn’t want to take that away from them. Plus, I’m not sure Carolina would forgive me if I got her favorite uncle arrested. Even if he deserved it.”
“I’m her godfather.”
“That makes this even funnier. Kidnapped by a godfather. It sounds like a movie.”
“We could give it a happy ending.”
I met his eyes. “How?”
“You accept my offer. Stay. Bake me my cakes. Enjoy some freedom from the drudgery of your life as you know it now. Bask in the sun. Swim. Rest. Let me spoil you a little.”
“I won’t sleep with you.”
He tilted his head. “I told you that doesn’t come into play.”
“What do you get out of this? It’s just cake. You can’t tell me there aren’t a hundred different delicious cakes here you could eat.”
“They aren’t your cakes. I want a piece of art every day. I want to hear you sing in my kitchen and dance with me on the patio at night.”
“If I refuse?”
He rubbed his eyes. “Don’t.”
I finished my coffee.
“It’s beautiful here. You said so yourself. No worries or stress for a while. You can sleep, rest, bake. Enjoy the country. I’ll show you whatever you want to see. Does that sound like such a terrible way to spend a few weeks?”
I stood. “Can we go?”
He nodded, looking grim. He put some money on the table and took my elbow, escorting me to the car. We were silent on the drive to the villa, and I stared at the incredible views.
When we arrived, he opened my door and helped me out.
“You won’t let me go.”
“I don’t want to, no.”
“Why me?”
He looked down at me, then crowded me against the car. He leaned in, his arms forming a cage I couldn’t escape from. His mouth descended on mine, hard and blistering. I tried to resist, but I couldn’t. My body acted of its own free will, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, whimpering as he ravished me. He yanked me tight to his chest, lifting me off the ground as if I weighed nothing. He fisted my hair, holding me close. I gripped the back of his neck, wanting more. Wanting him. Terrified of that fact.
Then he stopped, set me on my feet, and stared down at me. We were breathing hard, each of us still holding on to the other.
He slid his hand to my face and kissed me again. “That’s why.”
Then he walked away.
Chapter Nine
DANTE
I drifted in the pool, the water cool against my overheated skin. I had worked awhile in my office, watched Brianna ramble around the grounds from the chair at my desk. Wondered a hundred times what she was thinking. Then I hit my gym and worked out until I was a sweating mess. I did my laps in the pool and pulled myself onto a floating lounger, enjoying the late-afternoon sun and the gentle breeze as it wafted over me.
I silently willed her to me. I wanted her to talk to me. I wanted to convince her to stay of her own accord. I wasn’t letting her go, but things would go better if she decided she had made the choice on her own terms.
Finally, she approached the pool, her hair piled high on her head, messy and chaotic, her overalls grass-stained and her feet bare. The tip of her pretty nose was pink from the sun, and I wondered if freckles would appear on her pale skin. She was so incredibly appealing to me, and she had no idea. I had never reacted to another woman the way I reacted to her.
“Wanna come in? Water’s great.”
“I don’t have a suit.”
“I can get rid of mine, and we can skinny-dip.”
She looked startled, then shook her head. “No, thank you,” she replied primly.
I bit back my laughter. I loved teasing her.