Total pages in book: 161
Estimated words: 149338 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 747(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 498(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 149338 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 747(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 498(@300wpm)
I took a sip of my wine. “I wish I knew, Rosa.”
“You no worry. You in Italia. Paradiso di amore! She come to you. When she ready.”
I nodded. “That’s what I’m hoping for.”
“You dinner. On me. You drink. You eat. No pay.”
“Rosa, you don’t—”
“Señor, I’m old enough to be your mamma. We famiglia now.”
I smiled. I couldn’t help it. Immediately thinking about how Lexi wanted to live here because the people were so welcoming and loving.
“There it is.” She grabbed my face in between her hands. “The smile. Such a handsome man. Quanto è bello. You trust in love. She will come. I know it.” She kissed my head and left.
I killed two bottles of wine and opened another one when I got home. Taking it out to the balcony with me just as the sun was about to set. Not bothering to grab a glass. I laid on the lounger, listening to the upbeat Italian music in the distance. There was always some sort of party or festival going on in the area. My thoughts drifted, picturing Lexi and I dancing around the balcony, so carefree. Wishing I had danced with her more when we were together. Nightfall took over, the music shifted into a romantic melody, and all I could imagine was laying her down on the lounger and spending hours making up for our time apart. I shook off the sentiment, taking another swig from the wine bottle. Numbing myself with alcohol, lying back to look at the stars. Wondering if she was ever looked at the same night sky thinking about me.
The breeze from the fresh air, the wine, the food, the exhaustion, finally won and I fell into a deep sleep. Dreaming of her face, hearing her voice, smelling her all around me.
“Lexi… I love you…” I groaned in my sleep.
“I love you, too.”
My eyes fluttered open, blinking a few times. Thinking my mind was playing tricks on me, or the wine went straight to my goddamn head.
“I’m here, Alejandro,” Lexi announced.
She was sitting in the chair next to me. Looking like a fucking goddess. Her skin was glowing. Her green eyes were shining so bright. Her soft, silky hair was down, blowing in the wind. She was wearing a yellow flowing dress.
My cock fucking twitched at the sight of her.
“Jesus Christ, you’re even more breathtaking than I remember.” I rolled toward her, reaching for her waist. Not wanting to waste one more second not touching her. She put her hands up, stopping me.
“Lexi, I haven’t seen or felt you in so fucking long. Please at least come lay in arms.” I narrowed my eyes at her.
She shyly smiled, saying, “We need to talk.”
“First words every man wants to hear, cariño.”
“Okay… then I need to talk to you and you need to listen. I know how hard that is for you but—”
I didn’t falter, stating. “Done.” And I pulled her to me.
He was relentless. When Martinez wanted something, there was no stopping the man. He was insatiable. He tugged me forward, making me straddle his waist. His hands immediately traveling up my thighs.
I stopped him again.
He grinned, devouring me with his eyes. “You said I needed to listen to you, not that I couldn’t touch you.”
“Alejandro…” I warned in a stern voice.
He reluctantly placed his arms behind his head, which only made him look more mouthwatering. Breaking my resolve already. He arched an eyebrow when he realized what I was thinking.
“It’s okay, baby. I want you to touch me.”
I shook my head, trying to stifle a laugh. “This is not going how I planned.”
“I—”
“No talking.” I placed my hand over his mouth. “Just listening. There’s a lot I need to say to you before you sweet talk your way back into my life again.” He kissed my palm, nipping it as he winked at me.
I pulled mine away. “First and foremost, you need to know I’m here under certain conditions. One of them being, our relationship will remain strictly platonic.”
His jaw clenched.
“I have spent the last three months going back and forth with what I should do about you. About us. Weighing the pros and cons of coming here. Before I knew what I was doing, I found myself at the airport. Boarding a plane to Italy. The pros outweighing the cons in a sense.”
He smiled, reaching for me again.
“Wait, let me finish,” I interrupted, stopping his hands. “What I say next may hurt you, but at this point… I don’t really care. I don’t trust you enough not to hurt me again. You’ve broken my heart more times than I care to count. In fact, other women would probably tell me I’m insane for even being here. And they would probably be right.”
He opened his mouth to say something, but quickly shut it when I shot him another warning glare.