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 shivered thinking about the pool and what had happened last night. How he’d saved me. Then made love to me. Or had sex. I wasn’t sure which it was for him. I knew how it felt for me. There had been more than passion. There had been underlying emotion—for both of us. Dante was an incredible lover, and I was glad he’d been my first. What happened in front of the mirror… I had no words. Erotic. Educational. So deeply intimate. I saw myself differently. I saw myself the way Dante saw me. I would try to carry that with me.
Beside me, Roomba snoozed, and I stroked her heavy fur. “It all happened because of you,” I muttered. I bent over and kissed her furry head. “Thank you.”
I slid from the bed, a few muscles protesting as I moved. I felt an ache inside, but it wasn’t painful. Simply a reminder of what had transpired last night. A large part of me hoped it would happen again tonight.
I headed to my room and showered, the hot water easing a few aches. I was surprised to see how late it was—I never slept in. Not that I’d had much sleep in the night. Dante had been all over me. And this morning in front of the mirror had been unexpected. Hearing how he saw me was an eye-opener. I pulled on my purple overalls, turning up the cuffs, and picked one of the new shirts. It was flowery and pretty, and I put my hair in pigtails since I was going to be baking. I’d checked last night, and he had all the ingredients I needed to make him peanut butter cookies as long as I substituted the brown sugar with demerara. I would grind it to make it finer.
I looked in the mirror. I looked like me. My lips were a little swollen and I had a few marks on my neck, but otherwise, I looked the same. I still wasn’t sure what Dante had seen when he met me, but I knew he truly believed I was beautiful. He wanted me to remember that. I straightened my shoulders. I would try—for him.
I went downstairs, my nerves suddenly kicking in. How should I act around him? How would he act? Like nothing had happened? My steps faltered as a thought occurred to me. Now that he’d gotten what he’d wanted, maybe he wouldn’t want anything from me now but some cakes. He might even decide to let me bake a bunch and send me home.
My heart plummeted. I didn’t want to go home. It was strange, but this villa, being here with him, already felt more like home than anywhere had my entire life. He felt like home. Being in his arms was the first time I didn’t wonder where I belonged in the world. It felt as if I belonged with him.
“Little Bee?”
I looked up, seeing Dante standing at the bottom of the stairs, watching me. “Are you all right?”
“Um, yeah, I’m fine.”
He climbed the steps, stopping below me. He searched my gaze and reached up to tuck a stray piece of hair behind my ear. “You look adorable today. And I like the pigtails. But you also looked upset. Worried.”
“I was, ah, thinking of a recipe.”
He smiled and cupped the back of my neck, bringing my face to his for a kiss. It was warm, affectionate, and quickly became heated. He was breathing hard as he drew back. “Now, it’s a good morning. I’ve been waiting for you to have breakfast with me.”
“You should have woken me up,” I replied, relief racing through me.
“I kept you up most of the night. You needed your sleep.”
“Oh,” I squeaked.
“You were incredible, Little Bee. Thank you for your gift. I’m honored,” he murmured, lifting my hand and kissing it. “Last night was…” He trailed off. “It just was. I have no words.”
I could only nod. He entwined our fingers. “Now, come and eat. Your supplies will arrive this morning, and I want a cake tonight. Plus, I think we should have an early night.” He winked at me, looking handsome and sexy. His eyes were heated and intense. I loved it when he looked at me that way.
I followed him, my heart suddenly lighter. He still wanted me. Wanted this.
“My sixty days of cakes begins today, then,” I said.
He squeezed my hand. “I look forward to them.”
Strangely enough, sixty unexpectedly seemed like too small a number, but I forced a smile. “Me too.”
It felt odd having breakfast like normal, when nothing felt normal to me. Mario came into the kitchen to tell Dante the crew would be coming to fix the lights outside and add the features they discussed. At my quizzical look, Dante shrugged.
“Last night will never happen again. Extra lights and backups are being added and more motion sensors. And I’m looking at a fence for the pool.”