Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 23833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 119(@200wpm)___ 95(@250wpm)___ 79(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 119(@200wpm)___ 95(@250wpm)___ 79(@300wpm)
Oh, the way he said those words.
"Who would have thought?"
Cattleya made a face.
Yes, fine, it was true.
She was a klutz, and had always been so.
But because she also tended to blend with the background, people had never really noticed the frequency in which she bumped into things and tripped over her own feet.
And so most people had assumed she was this graceful little thing, and since Cat had secret dreams of being a ballerina, she had thought rather childishly, well, what harm would it do, to let people think what I also want them to think?
Cat mustered the courage to peek at her husband's expression after confessing the shameful truth, but instead of looking at her with condescension, he was actually smiling.
And yes, this, too, was real, but it was also different.
It was a smile that was so, so wonderfully gentle that it completely stole her breath away.
"You know there's only one solution to that, don't you?"
She could only shake her head, unable to speak or figure out what that one solution could be.
"We'll have to sign you up for ballet classes."
Cat's reaction to this was automatic.
"What? No. Of course not. There's no need—-" She could have have gone on forever, with how horrified she was at the idea, if not for her husband stemming the tide of words by gently pressing one finger against her lips.
"It's not a sin to chase your dreams, Cattleya."
Well, of course she knew that.
Right?
Because the more she thought of his words, the more confused she became.
She did know that.
Right?
"It's settled then," her husband said, and this time his smile was something she heard more than saw. And it was a sound that she had last heard from her parents. A sound that could only be made by people who were happy...because she was happy.
And just like that, the tears started to fall.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"For what?"
"All these years, if I ever allowed myself to think of my parents, I'd only remember...what I shouldn't remember. But just now, when I look at you, and I hear you speak..." Her voice broke off, her shyness getting the better of her, and it suddenly became impossible to tell him that she believed he was happy when she was happy.
"What is it, piccolina?"
But just because she couldn't say those words just yet didn't mean she couldn't show them.
All she had to do was let love be her guide, and oh...
It just suddenly felt oh so natural to rise up on her knees and as their gazes locked, she didn't allow herself to look away as she slowly impaled herself on her husband's length.
"Ah, moglie mia..."
Wife of mine...
The words were still magical and hotter than ever, and oh, how it made her forget her inhibitions completely.
Yes, oh yes.
She was this man's wife, and so she gave him everything.
She held nothing back as she rode him.
And bounced on his length again and again.
Oh, how she loved him.
Love you, love you, love you.
And she didn't stop until she heard him groan her name.
Cat...
And it was the most beautiful feeling.
Yes, yes, yes.
The way the heat of his seed filled her to the brim.
Ti amo. Ti amo. Ti amo.
The words played endlessly in her mind as she fell asleep in her husband's arms.
And as Ezio carefully scooped her out of the tub and dressed his wife in his shirt, those were also the words that echoed in his mind.
Ti amo. Ti amo. Ti amo.
And they terrified him to the core of his being.
Because he had a feeling it was true.
He was starting to fall in love with his wife.
And how could that be a good thing when he also knew that Cattleya had not married him for love?
Eleven
"SET A TRAP," DRAKE Morrison advised them. "Use whatever bait you can think of. Do whatever you can to find out who she is, then make her think that she's lost her hold on whichever Marchetti she's connected to. Make her believe that she's lost all influence. Attack her on all sides."
The FBI agent's voice remained remarkably casual even as he emphasized the need for ruthlessness, and Ezio was beginning to see that the other man's All-American boy-next-door good looks were nothing but a facade.
"Have whoever it is in communication with her threaten and blackmail her if she fails to deliver. That's going to make your snake desperate. And we want that. Desperate creatures are always prone to mistakes. So she'll either try to leave because she thinks it's only a matter of time before you're on to her...or she'll do something even more stupid and make a move against one of you. Either way, she'll expose herself, and then it will be your turn."
The rest of the meeting was spent on discussing the various options the Marchettis had in dealing with the traitor, most of which were legal while a few were...questionable.