Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27953 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27953 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
“I don’t stay with strippers. I was at my condo.” She rolls those green eyes at me.
“I know what the...”—she makes air quotes with her fingers—“condo is for.” This I finally got. Yes, many men in our lives have multiple homes for their women. I’m in the business of knowing where and who everyone is.
“I don’t keep women.”
“Just strippers.” Damn, she’s pissed about that. She’s jealous. That means she cares. That shouldn’t make me happy, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t. I want her to be that way when it comes to me. I'll fucking take it.
“You don’t want to know the truth about that.” Her eyes fill with tears instantly, and I know I can’t order her to make them stop. “I was there to kill Vincent. I'm guessing he got some glitter on me."
“What?”
“He touched you.” Even saying those words has me wanting to pummel Vincent’s face in.
“Touched me?” Her nose scrunches. I place one hand on the bed, getting closer to her.
“I was going to slit his throat. Is that what you want to hear, little rabbit? That I waited till he finally left from under his father's protection and tracked him down like a dog to one of his many strip clubs to kill him.”
“He didn’t really touch me.”
“I find that hard to believe. I stayed in the city to avoid touching you, but enough is enough.” I grab her leg, pulling her down to me on the bed.
“Matteo.” I close my eyes again, savoring the sound of my name on her lips.
“Say I can taste you,” I order.
“We shouldn't.” She licks her lips.
“You want me to just take it, little rabbit?” I slip my hands under her dress. “That want you want?” Her teeth sink into her bottom lip, telling me all I need to know before I bury my face between her thighs and find my taste of heaven.
It’s the only one I’ll ever worship. God knows I shouldn’t, but I'm Matteo Cattaneo; I can do anything I want.
10
MONA
It’s disheartening when I wake up to an empty bed once again. I sit up, glancing around the room. Matteo is nowhere to be seen. My stomach turns. I put my hand over my mouth, bolting toward the bathroom. I barely make it in time before I’m throwing up.
“Miss Mona,” I hear Emma call. I want to tell her to go away, but I’m still throwing up. “Oh my.” The water turns on, and a moment later, a cold, wet cloth is pressed against my head. I drop down onto the bathroom floor next to the toilet. “You don’t eat enough.”
“Oh my God.” I reach up and flush the toilet. It was a lot of dry heaving.
“How do you feel?”
“I'm fine.” I try to get up when a dizzy spell hits me. Emma grabs me, steadying me.
"Fine, my ass.” She helps me get to the sink so I can brush my teeth and wash my face. That does make me feel better. “In bed. I'll be back with toast and something to drink.”
“Thank you.” Anything to help with my stomach. I place my hand on my belly, understanding why I threw up. I thought last night changed things between Matteo and me. That we’d had some sort of breakthrough. But obviously I was wrong. I stare at the empty side of the bed. The last thing I remember was Matteo holding me close in a possessive grip. I'd fallen asleep so easily with him holding me. I could have sworn he’d been there all night with me.
“Now, I don’t want to hear about you not wanting to eat this.” Emma comes bustling in with a tray in her hand. She sets it on the bed next to me, then places her hand on my forehead.
“I'm fine, really.” I bite into the toast.
“The doctor will see about that.” Her words strike panic in me.
“The doctor!” No, no, no. “I don’t need one, really.”
“It’s too late. I already told Matteo.” Oh shit. I’m nowhere near ready for Matteo to find out that I’m having his baby. I thought I had more time to figure things out.
“If he were here, maybe I could have told him myself.” I know I sound like a petulant child, but I don’t care. Emma laughs as if I said something amusing. I’m starting to hate when she does that. It’s like she’s always in on something I don’t know.
“Eat.” I take another bite. As worried as I am about seeing a doctor, my stomach has woken up. Emma buzzes around me until I hear heavy steps coming down the hallway. The doors fly open, and Matteo strides in.
“Amore mio,” he says, coming over to me. Matteo gently takes my chin between two fingers and tilts my head back to check me over. “How do you feel?”