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)
“Punish me? I’m not a child.”
“The things I plan to do to you, a child has no business understanding.”
Even while she’s half asleep, her body responds to my words. She breathes a little faster. Her nipples pebble and press against my t-shirt. I readjust her in my arms so I can snake one of my hands up to her chest and roughly pinch at one of those tantalizing nipples.
An unhindered moan slips from her lips. It’s low and guttural, ripped from those same instincts that told her to run earlier. Out of all the dangerous men who had been in that room, she had the worst one on her side. I may not be a good man, but her hindbrain knows she’s safe with me.
“What are you going to do, spank me again?” she asks me, nuzzling her head into my chest. I drop a kiss on her forehead, loving how she sighs contently and cuddles closer to me. If she gets any closer, she’s going to fuse our bodies. I’m not complaining.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? I told you, baby, if you need a spanking, you can just ask me. There’s no need to act up.”
I don’t intend on spanking her this time. There are many more creative punishments I can use.
I lay Emma down in our bed and slip in behind her, pulling her body in close to mine. Before Emma, I never knew if I would be a cuddler, because cuddling was theoretical. I didn’t stick around long enough after sex to find out if it was something I would enjoy. The first night with Emma, all those years ago, I craved her touch long after she left me.
If I had tried it with anyone else, I doubt I would have liked it. Because it isn’t about having another body next to mine, but about having Emma.
“I shouldn’t share a bed with you,” Emma says. She says it so softly I have to strain to hear her. I don’t think she even realizes she’s speaking out loud. The words slip into the dead air unfiltered, a stream of unconscious thoughts. If I were a better man, I’d ignore them. Instead, I listen. “You’re only going to break my heart.”
Damn stubborn woman. No matter how many times I tell her, she refuses to see how crazy I am about her. She’s so blinded by her fucking idea of things that she can’t see this for what it is. If I hadn’t wanted to be with her, I wouldn’t. I’d be a part of my child’s life, yet, but I wouldn’t be anybody’s husband.
Emma has been mine since the day I set my eyes on her.
There’s a knock on the door. It’s barely audible in the quiet night, and I don’t think it would have woken me up. The only reason I hear it is because I’m staring up at the ceiling, trying to figure out how I’m going to convince Emma our marriage is as real as it gets for me.
When I open the door, Matteo is standing there clutching on to a teddy bear. Davide, who has been tasked with standing guard with him for the night, stands behind him.
“Is mommy in there?” he asks me. He’s almost shy as he pulls his stuffed animal closer to his chest. I glance at Davide, who shrugs.
“I’m not going to keep the kid from getting to his mommy,” he mutters. Out of all of my cousins, he’s the one who has the hardest time connecting with Matteo. I figure it’s because he’s always been one of the youngest of the family and hasn’t spent much time around kids. It’s why he’s usually more than happy to take the night shift watching him so he doesn’t have to speak to him.
“Hi buddy,” I say, crouching down lower so I can be eye-level with him. He tilts his head up slightly so his eyes meet mine.
“A monster was watching me from the window. I need my mommy to come check for me,” he says, his bottom lip popping out into a pout as tears form in his eyes. I glance over his head at Davide, cocking an eyebrow. Sure, it could be he had a nightmare, but it isn’t a risk I’ll take. Davide nods his head in understanding and pulls out his phone to send out texts. I want the camera footage watched and the entire property scouted.
“Mommy is sleeping. Do you want to come lay down with us?”
“Okay, daddy,” he says as he holds up his arms to be picked up. My eyes dart up to catch Davide’s, who’s looking up at us from his phone. He’s never called me that before.
It doesn’t surprise me the kid knows. He’s a quick study, learning things about the people around him. He quickly came to realize my mom has a sweet tooth, and her trying to disappear into the pantry alone meant she’s going to sneak a treat in. So he started following her into the pantry, and he would come out smiling and smelling like sugar. Then there’s the fact he learned his mommy wouldn’t tolerate his cussing, something he learned from spending too much time around his cousins, but Andy lets him get away with it.