Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 74547 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 373(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74547 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 373(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
The memory of her house brought me an unexpected bout of longing. There was something about that cozy house I loved. It was simple, peaceful. My estate was a comfortable palace, but it lacked that quality. “Or I could fix your furnace.”
“Like you know how,” she teased. “And paying someone to fix it doesn’t count.”
“I have more talents besides making money.”
“Like sex?” she asked. “I’ll give you that.”
That was quite a personal comment to make in front of Giovanni, but I didn’t care.
“Back to the point,” she said. “Let’s put up a Christmas tree. That entryway is so tall that we could put up something big with lots of lights and decorations.”
“I don’t have any.”
“Then we’ll go buy them. Come on. Please?”
If this was so important to her, I wouldn’t deny her. “I have work tomorrow.”
“Whatever. Blow it off. When you’re dead, you can’t take that money with you. And your legacy, your daughter, isn’t going to remember how much money you made. She’s going to remember your laugh and your smile. She’s going to remember all the time you spent together. You’ve conquered the business world. Now you need to focus on conquering the personal world.”
We bought the biggest tree we could find. Thirteen feet tall, it was a tree that wouldn’t fit into an average house. We picked out the lights and decorations from a holiday shop then went across the street to get hot chocolate.
She sat across from me at a table by the window, her eyes lit up brighter than the Christmas trees inside the windows of the shops. She had an ethereal glow that had nothing to do with the pregnancy. Her smile was so natural and infectious, bringing a warmth that was hotter than the hot chocolates in our hands.
I’d lost track of what she’d said because I was staring at her so intently. This woman had been the only one in my bed more than half a year. I still had the urge to fuck her in the alleyway, still wanted to hop in with her in the shower, and still wanted to take her missionary so I could watch her face while I fucked her. Now I slept with her every night, and all the cuddling didn’t bother me. I liked feeling her next to me because I knew exactly where she was, that she was safe.
“Cato?”
My eyes focused on the words coming out of her mouth. “Yes?”
“Some guy came up to the window and took our picture with a big camera.” She pointed to the window, which had frost filling up the corners.
“Yeah, they do that.” I hadn’t been photographed in months because I never went out anymore. I went straight home after work, and my property was closed to the public so they couldn’t see Siena inside. Now that we were out and about, shopping for Christmas decorations, it was the perfect opportunity to catch me off guard. “But you knew that already since you stalked me.”
“And you just ignore it?”
I shrugged. “Nothing I can do about it anyway.”
“Couldn’t you threaten to kill anyone who publishes it?”
“It’ll still circulate online. I could take everything down, but having those pictures still helps my image. If anyone wants to know, they’ll see how fascinated the world is with me.”
“Does the world know you’re having a baby?”
“No. But I’m sure they’ll find out soon enough.” I didn’t care about keeping that secret because it was simply impossible. People would find out one way or another. If someone really wanted to dig deep, they could find my trust and see who I was leaving my assets to. Martina Marino didn’t exist, but it was easy enough to guess who that person was.
“Does that concern you?”
I shook my head. “It’s inevitable.”
She took a drink of her hot chocolate, looking stunning in her long-sleeved red t-shirt. It fit the curve of her tits nicely. As her pregnancy progressed, her boobs got bigger. They also got firmer, rounder. Her nipples were two irresistible diamonds. The size of her hips and thighs increased, but that didn’t bother me. She’d always been on the slender side, so now she was filling out nicely. My attraction for her was growing to dangerous proportions. Men always complained about how fat their women got during pregnancy, but now I didn’t understand it one bit. There was nothing sexier than watching your woman’s body grow your child. Her curves were more pronounced, and her figure was fuller. It turned me into a more sexual man than I’d been before.
She watched me stare at her. “What?”
My mind came back to reality. “Just looking at you.”
“But you had this look on your face…”
I shrugged. “Because I can’t believe how beautiful you are.”
Giovanni seemed even more excited to decorate the tree than Siena was. “These ornaments are beautiful. You did a great job picking them out, Mr. Marino.”