Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 82332 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 412(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82332 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 412(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
The man literally sucks the air out of a room when he enters. With his confidence and cool demeanor, he's so far out of my league I'm not sure I believe him when he tells me he wants me. I think maybe I’m afraid to believe. I’m simple and plain compared to him. I’ve been told that often enough and now they just serve as a reminder of the differences between me and this larger-than-life man. Seriously, he's like lightning in a bottle. How am I supposed to hold onto him without getting burned?
A knock on the door makes me jump and pulls me from my wayward thoughts. I right his shirt the best I can, knowing if it was Antonio, he wouldn’t knock. He’d just barge in.
"Come in," I call out, hoping my clothes are being sent up to me. It stands to reason that my potential husband would be too busy to deal with such a trivial issue. I can’t marry him. I let out a trembling sigh, trying to rein in my thoughts once more so I can concentrate. Hopefully that will begin with finally getting dressed.
The door opens and this beautiful woman is standing in the open doorway. She's so pretty that it's hard to look at her because I’m afraid I’ll gawk and make a fool of myself. She’s got dark hair that falls down her back in large waves. Her lips are full and perfect with these high cheekbones that I would die for. She is definitely model pretty. I feel dowdy even standing next to her. The most striking thing about her, however, are her blue eyes which are unlike any color I’ve ever seen before. I'm instantly nervous and on edge, but the woman’s smile is warm and sincere, pushing away my unease. Something I've never experienced before.
“Sorry to intrude Melina. Antonio sent me up. I'm Emilia,” she explains with a soft smile.
“Uh…hi,” I murmur, not sure what else to say.
Emilia laughs and even that sounds pretty. “I'm married to one of Antonio's men. He asked me to bring you some things.”
“Oh...What kind of things?” I ask, still kind of lost.
“I brought some clothes and stuff. Niko, my husband, explained that your own had been damaged.”
It's like a punch to the gut. My breath leaves my body as I stare at her. Damaged? It takes me a second before I can pull in a lung full of air.
“Antonio never mentioned it,” I say, my voice betraying my hurt.
Before it can fully sink in, she steps farther into the room. “He probably didn't think it was worth bringing up,” she says, shaking her head. “Men can be dense at times.”
“Yeah, Antonio has his moments for sure.”
“So does Niko, but he makes up for it in other ways.”
“How about we go through these and see if there is anything that will work?” she suggests, putting her bags on the bed. “I brought comfortable clothes because it's best to wear them while shopping. Niko was being a jerk and didn't tell me any sizes. I brought a nice wrap-around dress, though, because I know they can make actual size fluid, depending on how you cinch them at the waist.”
I pick up the buttery soft dress. It's a pretty light blue that matches her eyes. I'm sure whoever bought it had that in mind.
“I love it, but I don't have any....” My cheeks heat with embarrassment. I can't wear this without any underwear on. I might accidentally flash someone.
“Any...what?” Emilia prompts.
“My panties were...uh...ruined.”
Emilia's eyes go wide. “Let me guess. Your man is responsible for that.”
“Actually, I don't think he can be called my man.”
“That's not what I hear. And being Niko's wife. I hear a lot,” she says, smiling. “In fact, he told me that Antonio has been looking for you nonstop for over a month.”
“That doesn't mean anything necessarily.”
“For Antonio, it does. I've never seen him dating a woman, let alone chasing one down.”
“Oh…”
My stomach flips at the thought. He doesn't date? Is that good or bad? It's not like what we've been doing is dating. Maybe it is just about sex. Before I can keep spiraling, Emilia continues.
“Not to mention that Niko told me that you two are getting married today.”
Looking at Emilia, I can see her genuine happiness for me. I appreciate her kindness, but butterflies in my stomach turn to stones, dropping heavily as I wrap my arms around my middle.
“No. I turned him down. But I guess he's not accepting my answer very well. He even said he was going to force me to agree. How does he think that’s possible?”
“Oh dear,” Emilia murmurs, frowning.
I wave her obvious concern off. “It doesn't matter. There's nothing Antonio can do. I'm not going to marry him. We're practically strangers.”
Strangers don't make love like we do. My cheeks heat as my brain reminds me of why I brought up panties in the first place.