Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92873 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92873 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
She meets my eyes briefly as she hurries down the hallway, leaving Sabella and me alone by sly design. My wife stands on the threshold wearing the coat I gave her over a sweater and jeans. She carries an overnight bag in her hand. Her dark, glossy hair falls in damp tresses around her shoulders. I hope my shopper will remember to include a hairdryer.
Our gazes lock in a stare-off, her dark eyes piercing mine before she reaches behind her and closes the door. Her nearness does something to me. Under my clothes, my body hardens. The smell of her skin is different. Clean. It’s not the cherry blossom fragrance of her usual products I got used to.
I shove my hands in my pockets to hide the way my cock responds to her. “How are you doing?”
She raises a perfectly arched eyebrow. “Do you care?”
“Your health is my responsibility.”
“Oh.” Her smile is sarcastic. “If you’re taking my health so seriously, you must’ve decided to keep me alive.”
“For now.” I return her animosity with a dose of my own. “You won’t serve me if you’re dead.”
Anger makes her eyes glimmer like gemstones, reflecting the effort it takes her to keep her mouth shut.
Her silence throws me off balance. I expected her to take the bait, to start the fight I need to blow off steam.
Surprising myself, I give her a piece of honesty. “I’m sorry about the discomfort you suffered.” I can’t quite bring myself to say the word lice. It’s too much of a concrete confirmation of something I don’t want to admit.
Her answer surprises me even more. “I need keys for the doors.”
“Keys for the doors?”
She bites her lip. A moment passes before she opens her mouth, but then she seems to check herself. Tipping her chin up, she says, “To lock myself in.”
I study her carefully. “Did something happen?”
“No,” she says quickly. “But prevention is better than cure.”
“Fine.” It’s not like she can lock me out. “If it’ll make you sleep better.”
“And I want a phone.”
“To do what with?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” She glares at me even as she gives me another saccharine smile. “To maybe call Heidi when I discover lice on my head?”
That statement instantly fucks with me. It’s not just the lice. It’s the fact that she’ll turn to Heidi instead of to me. Unjustified jealousy burns in my stomach. It only irritates me further. God only knows why. I don’t want her to need me. But even as I tell myself that, I recognize the lie.
My answer is flat. “No.”
She clenches her hands at her sides. “Because you don’t trust me.”
“Exactly.”
“What if something happens to me out there?”
I advance on her. “Nothing is going to happen to you.”
She keeps her eyes trained on my face, tilting back her head to hold my gaze when I stop flush against her. “You don’t know that.”
I chuckle. “Don’t be so dramatic. Stay in the house like a good girl, and everything will be fine.”
“And present myself naked on my knees when you grace me with a visit,” she snaps.
“You’re a fast learner.”
“Fuck you.”
“I’m afraid not yet.”
“What’s the matter?” she asks with taunting spite. “Scared you’ll catch lice?”
Taking a lock of her hair, I rub the silky strands. “The price will be a small one to pay. I’ll make the fuck worth it. Of that you can be sure.”
She steps away, her hair slipping through my fingers as she escapes the touch. “Then what are you waiting for?”
I lean a shoulder on the wall. “Is this your way of begging me?”
“In your dreams,” she says through thin lips.
“Sorry to disappoint you, cara, but I already have plans for tonight.”
She balls her hands tighter, pressing her arms stiffly at her sides. “What makes you think that will disappoint me?”
“How hard I’ll make you come if you beg me.”
Her nostrils flare. “Here’s a newsflash, Mr. Russo. I don’t need you to get me off.”
I click my tongue. “So feisty. I’m glad you didn’t lose all that fire burning in your deceitful heart.”
Her laugh is ugly. “Is the pot calling the kettle black?”
As much as I enjoy this exchange, my guests will arrive soon. Heidi is staying away longer than necessary. I’ve never done laundry, but I know for a fact it doesn’t take this much time to get a load of washing started.
“Have you eaten?” I ask.
Sabella blinks. “What?”
“Did you have dinner?”
“I had a sandwich.”
“If you’d like a snack, now’s the time to grab it.” I check my watch. “You need to be in your room in five minutes.”
Her tone is mock-sweet. “Why, are you grounding me?”
“I’ll remind you that you’re a guest in my house who’ll do as I say.”
“A prisoner, you mean.”
“Five minutes, Sabella. After that, you’ll only have the tap water in your bathroom to drink.”
“Go to hell,” she says, spinning on her heel and stalking toward the stairs.