Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77579 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 388(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77579 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 388(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
“I don’t think so. Your ass is gonna be in my bed.”
“What about my ass?” Lauren asked, batting her lashes at him playfully.
“I think your ass should probably sleep in the guest room,” he said. “I will have one of my men take you to work tomorrow. And home,” he added.
“Ohhh, did I score me a mafia beau?” she asked. “Can my ass be in his bed tonight?”
“Lauren thinks she should be my sister-wife,” I told Cosimo, stifling a big yawn myself. “I told her I’m not sharing you.”
“Selfish,” Lauren grumbled as she got onto all fours, and started to crawl.
“The fuck are you doing?” Cosimo asked.
“Gravity…,” she started, squinting hard. “I don’t know, something about it being a bitch.”
“How the fuck much did you two drink?” Cosimo asked, shaking his head at us.
“A bottle,” I said.
“Each,” Lauren added.
“That explains it,” Cosimo said. “You want a hand?” he asked as Lauren made her way toward the guest room.
“I should help her,” I said, trying to move away from Cosimo, but the floor seemed to wobble, leaving me swaying. Cosimo grabbed me, pulling me to his side.
“She’s got it,” he said as Lauren made it into the room.
He walked me with him to the guest room, where we watched Lauren crawl up onto the bed, where she rolled onto her stomach.
“This… stupid…” she grumbled, reaching up under her shirt, trying to unclasp her bra. “Boobs are stupid,” she decided, giving up, and crawling up to the pillows.
She was out cold in less than a minute.
“The world spinning?” Cosimo asked as I leaned more fully into him as he pulled the door closed.
“You smell good,” I said, closing my eyes.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” he said.
The next thing I knew, he’d bent down, scooped me up, and carried me upstairs to his bed. Where he stripped me out of the dress, pulled the covers up over me, brought me a cup of water, and urged me to get some sleep.
The last memory I had before sleep claimed me was Cosimo pulling me onto his chest.
It might have been the best night of my life.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Cosimo
I’d never gone to sleep with a woman in my arms.
So I’d never woken up to one there, either.
Honestly, I’d been disoriented for a second, feeling the weight of her on me, the tickle of her hair over my chest, the warmth of her breath on my skin.
But as soon as sleep lessened its hold on me, I felt that strange sensation in my chest. The same one I’d felt each time I was getting close to Halle.
Only this time, I reminded myself that it wasn’t something to shun, to walk away from, to be afraid of.
I told myself that it was a giant ‘Fuck you’ to my father when I pulled her closer, when I pressed my lips to the top of her head.
Silvano had been right.
As much as a part of me hated to admit that.
But each time I acted opposite of how he’d trained me to, I was proving that I wasn’t like him, that I was better than he’d been.
“Oh, turn the jackhammers down,” Halle grumbled a while later, making my lips curve up.
“I’ll get you something for that,” I said, rolling her off to her side, and climbing out of bed.
I yanked a pair of pajama pants up before heading downstairs, finding Lauren already in the kitchen, hair a mess, squinting at the morning sun.
“Fuck you, sun, fuck you,” she grumbled, not realizing she wasn’t alone until the stair creaked as I descended. “Boo. Hiss. Damn you for having that amazing wine on hand,” she grumbled as she ripped the coffee pot out of the machine.
“Here, how about I do that?” I said, taking it from her. “And you take this,” I added, pulling open a cabinet to hand her packets of electrolyte power. “There’s water in the fridge,” I added.
“Oh, thank God,” she said, pulling out two. “I’ll bring one up to Halle-Bear. Is she decent?”
“She’s not,” I said, getting a smile out of Lauren.
“That’s cool. I mean, I was the one who sat with her when she got her hoo-ha waxed the first time,” she said. “You’re welcome, by the way,” she said with a smile before heading upstairs, her steps slow and heavy.
I finished the coffee, ordered breakfast, then briefed Lauren’s first shift guard before the girls finally emerged, Halle wearing my button-up from the day before.
And, fuck, was that a good look.
Even if she looked like she was also silently cursing the sun.
“Oh, great. I wanted another of you suit-wearing hot guys to see me at this, my lowest moment,” Lauren grumbled, squinting at me. “Alright, Mr. Tall, Dark, and Smoldering, we gotta get going,” she said.
“Text me,” Halle demanded. “On the number we talked on yesterday. Once I get my phone back, I will let you know.”