Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 39513 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 198(@200wpm)___ 158(@250wpm)___ 132(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39513 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 198(@200wpm)___ 158(@250wpm)___ 132(@300wpm)
Just when I’m sure I’m going to break under the intensity of it, he dips his head to suck at a sensitive spot on my neck. His teeth scrape against my skin, and I fall apart beneath him.
With a choked cry of his name, I come undone around him, waves of pleasure crashing over me in an overwhelming rush. The strength of my orgasm seems to go on forever, wringing every last bit of sensation out of me.
He follows me over the edge, his body tensing above mine as he buries his face into the crook of my neck, groaning my name. I feel him spilling into me, every hot pulse splashing against my womb.
And when he collapses this time, pulling me into his arms, I don’t panic. I simply curl into him, my head against his chest, and smile.
I jolt awake a little while later when Alessandro gently shakes me, calling my name. My eyes pop open, confusion coursing through me when I find him standing over the bed, his expression somber.
“Alessandro?”
“Hey, angel,” he says softly, stroking my cheek. “I need you to get dressed.”
As soon as he says the words, I know something is wrong. I feel it in my soul. My stomach twists, anxiety coursing through me.
“What…” I lick my lips, pushing myself up into a seated position. “What’s wrong?”
“I just got off the phone with Dillon. Someone broke into the bakery, Sunshine.”
“No,” I whisper, my heart skipping a beat. “Oh no. Is it…?” I can’t bring myself to ask how bad it is, but I don’t even have to ask. His sympathetic smile tells me everything I need to know. It’s bad. Really bad.
Tears clog my throat as I throw the blankets off and scramble to my feet, my mind a roar of confused noise.
Alessandro grabs me, dragging me into his arms. His arms close around me, and for just a moment, the chaos falls silent. “It’s going to be okay, angel. I promise you; I’ll make it okay.”
I think he means that, but I don’t know how he plans to accomplish it when everything I own is tied up in the bakery. Literally everything.
Half an hour later, we pull up outside the bakery, and I just want to cry. Dillon’s cruiser and two others block the street out front, but not even they hide the devastation just beyond. The front windows are smashed, and police tape stretches across the entryway.
Alessandro barely has his truck in park before I jump out, my heart in my throat.
“Heidi, wait!” he shouts after me, but I can’t wait. This is my future, my livelihood…everything I’ve worked for since the minute I graduated high school.
I rush toward the doors of the bakery…only to run straight into Easton Jericho, the new detective Dillon hired. He just moved here after he was shot in Dallas. He’s good friends with Colter. He grabs me, his arms closing around me.
“Let me go!” I cry.
“Easy, Heidi,” he says, his voice gentle. “Easy, sweetheart.”
“My bakery.” My voice cracks when I see the devastation waiting for me over his shoulder. Everything is ruined. The tables and chairs are overturned and broken. The custom countertop that Xavier, Bronx, and Colter spent half the afternoon installing has been smashed in half. The display cases are broken. The sight makes me want to drop to my knees in despair.
"I'm sorry, Heidi," Easton says, reluctantly releasing me. "They went through everything."
Alessandro is by my side in an instant, gripping my hand tightly. He tries to pull me into his arms again, but I shake him off. I need to see this for myself.
I step inside the bakery, steeling myself against the destruction. The smell of fresh paint still hangs heavy in the air. It's a harsh reminder of what this place was supposed to be…and what it is right now.
Tears blur my vision, slipping down my cheeks as I survey what's left of Sassy & Sweet. Years of sweat, tears...dreams—all reduced to rubble in just one night.
Alessandro steps up behind me, wrapping his arm around my waist, pulling me into him. This time, I let him, too cold and numb to do anything else. He wraps his arms around me, burying my face in his chest as I cry. His body is tense around mine, his breathing ragged, as if my pain is his.
“I’m so damn sorry, Sunshine,” he rasps against my ear. “So damn sorry.”
“It’s all ruined,” I whisper, my voice cracking. “They destroyed everything, Alessandro.”
A growl vibrates in his chest. “I know, baby. I know. But I promise you, I’m going to find out who did it. They won’t get away with it.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I mumble. Not anymore. There’s no way I can afford to replace everything before the grand opening. Even if insurance pays for everything, it’ll be weeks, maybe months, before that happens. By then, I’ll be out of money.