Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
He flexes his jaw. “I gave you time, as much as I could, but we can’t put it off any longer. The baby will be here in three months.”
“Why not marry me after the birth?”
He lets me go and simply watches me.
“Are you still hoping I’ll let you give my baby your surname so that my child will be legitimate and born in wedlock?”
“You can throw around those terms as if they are archaic and meaningless, but in my circles, illegitimate children don’t have the same rights or respect as legitimate children. My name will give him protection as well as recognition. He’ll have a rightful claim on my fortune and my position the day I’m dead that no one in the family will dispute. If not, the profits from the business I run will be passed down to Giorgio’s firstborn, and if he doesn’t have children, it will be given to Rachele’s son. You’ll be left with enough money to live comfortably but not nearly enough to protect yourself.”
As always, the thought of him dead makes my chest hurt. “Please, Saverio, don’t pretend your intentions are honorable.”
He locks his hands on my hips and holds me fast. “Goddammit, Anya. I’m not going to steal your child. What will it take for you to believe me?”
“Excuse me for not trusting you when you haven’t been honest with me.”
“Fine.” He tightens his fingers on my hips. “I hid the facts from you, but I didn’t do it to deceive you. I don’t talk about it. The subject is off-limits for me.”
“Like your divorce.”
“I answered every question you asked me,” he says with mounting anger. “What more do you want from me?”
I turn my face away. “To leave me alone. We’re getting nowhere with this argument.”
“I’m not leaving you alone.”
“Why can’t you play golf like Richard every Saturday?”
“I’m not a pretentious prick.”
I look back at him. “Are you sure about that?”
He leans forward, forcing me to bend backward. “You’re treading on dangerous ground, treasure. Is that what you want?”
“No, but danger comes with the title, doesn’t it?”
“What title?”
“Mrs. De Luca.”
Satisfaction sparks in his eyes. “I like the sound of that. It suits you.”
“I beg to differ.”
“You’ll get used to it,” he says in a husky voice, brushing his lips over mine. “In time, it’ll grow on you.”
“In your dreams.”
“Are you always going to make me work this hard for you?”
“I didn’t choose you, Saverio.”
He kisses me again, softly, and delivers a solemn promise that dooms me to my fate. “No, tesoro, but you will. In two months, you will say yes.”
“Saverio,” I say, uttering the protest as he lowers his head to kiss my neck.
“But this…” He nips the tender skin before sucking, no doubt leaving another mark on me. “This, you want.”
I can’t argue the fact when he slides a hand between my legs. My body is eager for his touch while my mind is eager to forget, and nothing makes me forget like his hands on my naked skin.
He traces my slit with a thumb through the cotton fabric of my leggings. “You’re wet.”
There’s no point in denying it. I grew accustomed to his touch. If he doesn’t fuck me at least once a day, I’m like an addict who suffers from withdrawal symptoms.
He rubs circles around my clit before cupping my sex with enough force to lift me onto my toes. I cling to his shoulders for balance as he lets me down and works the leggings with my underwear over my thighs. He goes down on his haunches and frees my feet before dragging a palm up the inside of my leg as he straightens.
When he pulls off his sweater to expose his chiseled chest, I remove mine too. He unclasps the bra at my back while I unbuckle his belt. All the while, we stare into each other’s eyes with a hunger that consumes.
His breathing quickens as he pushes the straps off my shoulders with a finger. He’s tender when he weighs my breasts in his palm.
“You’re so damn beautiful,” he says, bending down to place a gentle kiss on my stomach. “I wish I could make you pregnant. I want that more than anything in the world.”
His melancholic words move me to wrap my arms around his neck when he straightens. My nipples brush over the hard expanse of his chest, the light friction hardening the tips. He unzips with a hurried movement and shoves his jeans and briefs down to free his cock.
Without warning, he bends his knees and enters me.
“I want you like this,” he says against my lips. “All the fucking time.”
At least that’s one thing we agree on.
His grunts as he spears into me are savage, but his thrusts are controlled. He’s careful not to hurt me.
My stomach is already big enough to get in the way, hampering his movements a little.