Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 73663 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73663 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
“I’ve already resigned myself.”
“Good.” I climb out of bed and stretch. “Fine. Okay. Let me shower and stuff.”
“Want some breakfast? You should eat before we go.”
“Something light.”
“I’ll go talk to Tara.”
“And more coffee?”
“Whatever you want.”
Before he can go, I grab his hand. “Hey. Renzo. Thanks for listening. I know we’re not really, you know, but I just—” I feel embarrassed all of a sudden. This dangerous mafia Don’s listening to me crying about my tragic past and I bet he’d rather be doing anything but this.
He steps close and kisses me. The kiss lingers like tingles on my lips. Butterfly wings brush against my stomach. I’ve never felt like this before in my life, but I really like it.
“We are really. At least while you’re mine.”
I nod, flushed, heat pooling in my stomach and between my legs, a giddy excitement. “Instead of going downstairs, how about you come take a shower with me?”
“Baby, you really can’t get enough, can you?”
“No, never mind—”
But he’s already walking past me, pulling down his joggers. I grin at his muscular back and his tight, shapely ass, and though I feel raw from spilling my guts, I follow my husband into the bathroom and let him make me feel something better for a little while.
Chapter 26
Renzo
Icouldn’t be prouder of Maddie as she tries to face her fears at the climbing gym. The first visit doesn’t go well—she has a panic attack just putting on the harness—but she doesn’t quit, even though I don’t pressure her. She’s up early the next day and we’re there the second the place opens, and this time she manages to get a few feet off the ground.
If we’re not at home or at work, we’re at the climbing gym. For a couple weeks, she eases herself into it, getting higher and higher. The employees there are patient as saints, giving her all the time she needs, even going so far as to give her extra lessons. It helps that I leave massive tips for them, which is technically against gym rules, but it’s hard to turn down a stack of hundreds.
Better than that, she sits with my mother when the weather is decent out on the porch. I leave them alone to chat about nothing, mostly the butterflies and the garden, though sometimes I join them. Mother seems calmer when she’s watching the plants and when she’s talking to Maddie, which I take as a good sign. Maddie has a way with her that makes my heart swell and ache, and a few times I just sit next to my wife, holding her hand, and listening to the two most important women in my life carry on a normal conversation.
“You have no clue how much this means to me,” I tell Maddie one night, kissing her lips, her neck, holding her against my body. We’re both drenched in sweat. Maddie sighs, her back against me, butt wiggling against me. I’m insatiable when it comes to my wife and not a single night goes by when I don’t get at least one taste of her body.
“What, having sex with you?”
“No,” I say, kissing her neck. “Spending time with my mother.”
“Oh, that’s no big deal. Even when she’s having a bad day, I don’t mind.”
“Still, not everyone would do it. You give up a lot for her and I want you to know how much I appreciate it.”
She shifts onto her back and gives me a look. Fuck, I love the way her lips pout and her brows knit. Her hair spreads around her on the pillow. “It’s not a sacrifice, being kind to your mother.”
“You didn’t sign up to be a caretaker.”
“Having a conversation every other day isn’t exactly taking care of her.”
“Still—”
“Renzo, she’s not a burden to me. You’re not a burden to me either.”
My chest tightens. I don’t know why the fuck she said that, but it made me feel something strange. I dip my mouth down to hers and kiss her softly, unable to say what I’m thinking, not sure if I could find the words even if I wanted to.
We fall into a routine. It’s not a bad routine—we’re still exploring the edges of our relationship and figuring out how we fit together while having serious mind-blowing sex as often as possible. But it’s strange how domestication has crept up on me.
One Saturday, a couple weeks later, I head downstairs after a workout. Tara’s got coffee ready for me. I take it over to the sliding back door, looking forward to watching my wife sitting with my mother, but I stop short.
Stefania’s at the door, staring outside. Her face is twisted in pain like she can’t believe what she’s seeing. I move toward her, and she must hear me, because she turns in my direction.
“Did you know about this?”