Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 93425 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93425 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
“Matteo. I’ve always liked that name.”
“Thank you.”
Maybe I should be insulted she thinks she can pull this over on me. To think that I can’t do the math and realize he’s the right age to be my kid. Or even look at him and notice the fact he has my face on a smaller body.
Desperation makes people find hope that shouldn’t exist. I’ve seen it when someone ends up on the other side of my gun.
I usher her into her seat before making my way to the driver’s side door. Within seconds, we’re peeling out of the spot in front of the airport pickup. I wave to the parking enforcement officer as we leave.
As soon as the car starts driving, all the doors look. They’ll only unlock from the driver’s side. And, with all the windows made of bulletproof glass, no one gets in or out of this car without my permission.
Can’t have her try to run away from me at a stoplight. She wouldn’t leave without Matteo, and he’s safely secured in the back.
She presses her body into the door, trying to put as much distance between the two of us as possible. As if she doesn’t trust herself to get any closer to me. Like putting distance between us would stop her from wanting me so much.
She’s lying to herself.
The night I met her, she had been a collection of contradictions. A gorgeous body wrapped in a conservative dress. A playful rebellion in the way she reached for me, and a guilty conscience as she peaked over her shoulder to look for her father. A blushing virgin and an insatiable whore. I couldn’t tell whether she wanted to reach for me or if she wanted to run away.
She presses her body against the door of the car. It’s like she thinks if she can put enough distance between the two of us, I won’t be able to tell her secrets. Her hands are woven tightly together. She can’t trust them. If she lets them free, then they’ll reach for me like she’s so desperately craving. She won’t look at me, keeping her eyes trained out the window.
“Will you drop me off at my father’s house? I can take one of his cars to the hospital,” she requests. Her voice is so low it’s just above a whisper.
I don’t answer her. I won’t lie to her and tell her I’m going to allow her to go to her father’s house. A lie by omission isn’t the same. She can believe we’re heading to her father’s house. It’s in the same general direction as ours, so she doesn’t realize for a while we aren't heading there.
“Oh, that was the exit,” she says as we speed past it.
“No. We’re heading in the right direction.”
“What are you talking about? My father’s house…”
“That’s not where we’re going, sweetheart.”
She inhales sharply but says nothing. Instead, she settles into the seat, an uncomfortable silence falling over us. I can see her glancing in the rearview mirror at Matteo. He’s observing us. Watching. I hoped my boy would ignore what was happening in the front seat, but he's an observer by nature.
It’s an excellent trait to have.
Emma assesses the situation. She glances outside the car and at the locked doors. Her eyes move over me as if there is a chance in hell she could take me on. Then she glances at Matteo in the backseat and deflates. Starting a struggle in the car would put him in danger. Neither of us wants that.
“Where are you taking me?”
We’ve finally turned down the road that leads to our mansion. The neighborhood, if you can call it that, has just a few properties. Each property is several acres large. Our neighbors consist of politicians, obscure tech billionaires, and a rockstar who has hidden away from the world in his retirement. The biggest draw is that the area looks completely unclaimed to the untrained eye. You wouldn’t be able to tell that there are houses among the trees. It keeps away people too nosey for their own good.
“I thought you would have recognized this tesorino. I’m taking you back to my home.”
“Please, just take me to my father’s house. I’ll be much more comfortable there.”
Her nerves are making her irate. She snaps her words at me. I don’t think she intended to. Her eyes widen in shock when she realizes her tone.
“Really now? Can’t we discuss this later, tesorino? I’ve read it isn’t good for children to hear their parents fighting.”
Chapter Fourteen- Emma
I knew coming back to New York was a bad idea.
Panic seizes in my chest, making it difficult to breathe. The entire car seems to spin and a sudden wave of nausea leaves me wanting to puke all over the floor of his car. My hands are gripping the seat beneath me so tightly my fingertips tingle from the lack of oxygen. Embarrassingly enough, tears form in my eyes, no matter how quickly I try to blink them away.