Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 109562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
I’m too tired to argue. It’s easier to just do what he says.
I don’t know for how long we lie there with him stroking my arm, my hair, and my back while I keep his seed from leaking out of my body, but I’m almost asleep when he says, “You’ve been a very good girl. I’m proud of you. You can let go now.”
I pull my hand from between my legs and turn into a more comfortable position on my side. I should get up and have another shower, but the heat of Saverio’s body as he spoons me from behind and traps me in his strong arms is too comfortable.
When he presses a kiss on my temple and says, “Sleep. I’ll keep you safe,” my eyes are already drawing close.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-SIX
Saverio
Sweat drenches my T-shirt. My trainers beat the path hard. Except for the spotlights that illuminate the road, Prospect Park is dark. It’s five-thirty. The sun won’t be up for another hour.
Despite the steady but tough rhythm I pound out on the concrete, frustration mounts inside me with every mile I cover. Why the fuck hasn’t Nicole replied yet? I sent three text messages since five o’clock. I have a good mind to drive over there, but her husband may not appreciate it if I kick down their door before he’s had his first cup of coffee.
Biting back the growing agitation, I push my heart rate to a hundred and seventy beats per minute. Near the entrance, I slow down to catch my breath. I’m doing my stretching when a call comes in on my smartwatch.
About fucking time.
I answer with a terse, “Cole.”
“Sav,” she deadpans.
“What took you so long?”
“Five in the morning? Are you serious?”
I grind my teeth. “It’s urgent.”
“Fucking your girlfriend hard is an emergency?” she asks with a dry chuckle.
“Just answer the question I asked you.” I spear my fingers through my hair. “Could I have hurt her?”
She sighs. “Is there spotting or bleeding?”
“No.” I clench my jaw. “I don’t think so.”
“Then it should be fine.” She blows out another long breath. “What’s gotten into you, Sav?”
My nostrils flare as I admit with animosity aimed at myself, “I got carried away.”
“I’m not talking about fucking your girlfriend too hard.”
I carry on walking. “Then what the hell are you saying?”
“It’s not like you to lose control.”
“Anya is different.”
“Look, Sav.” She pauses. “I know the baby isn’t yours.”
I stop. “So what the fuck about it?”
“What I’m asking is if you’re with her for the right reasons.” She continues in a gentler tone. “It happened really fast. The dust after the breakup with Rachele has barely settled. Are you sure you’re not on the rebound?”
“No,” I bite out, because what I have with Anya isn’t about licking my wounds. It’s nothing as trivial as that. Owning a person is much bigger.
“Then explain it to me.”
I can’t tell my clever doctor friend that holding Anya’s life in my hands turns my dick harder than a steel rod. How do I explain that the little redhead is the only woman who gives me a spontaneous erection? I can’t confess that my bed is both the most dangerous and safest place for my treasure. I can’t say there are people who want her dead and that I’m keeping her safe for my own selfish reasons.
“Sav?” Nicole says, sounding rushed.
Continuing on my way, I choose my words carefully. “Anya has an effect on me like no one else.”
“How did you even meet?”
“Does it matter?”
“I get why you’re attracted to her. She’s a beautiful woman. She seems sweet.”
My agitation spikes. “But?”
“I know you. You’re a possessive bastard, but the way you are with her is on a different level. You’re behaving like a caveman with this woman, calling me at all hours of the morning.”
Picking up my pace, I turn the corner and cross the street. “Your point is?”
“What happens when the father of the baby makes a claim on the child?”
That stops me dead in my tracks. “He won’t.”
“What makes you so sure? Maybe not now, but once the child is born, the reality of being a biological parent changes people’s mindsets. I see it often in my occupation. Fathers who don’t want anything to do with the baby when the mother is pregnant behave differently when they hold that little person they helped create for the first time.” A warning creeps into her tone. “You know what they say. Blood is thicker than water.” Her voice softens. “And you’re not the father.”
I ball my hands into fists. “I fucking know that.”
“You and I both know you’ll be a good parent. Considering the occupation you chose, that’s not how it may seem from the outside. Anya is part of your world now, whether she wants to be or not. If the father sues for custody, he’d have a very strong chance of winning.”