Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77999 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77999 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
I got in, and as I started the engine, I asked, “So, your place or mine?”
“Umm... I uh.”
“It’s not a difficult question. Just tell me where you wanna go.”
“Well, I’d like to go to your place, but it’s late and it’s two hours away. And I need to go by my place to grab my stuff, and if we’re going there anyway, we might as well just stay there. But I’m fine either way.”
“How ‘bout this: we go to your place, get your stuff, and if you’re up to it, we go on to my place. But if you’re wiped, we stay there.”
“Yeah, that sounds like a plan.”
“Then, that’s what we’ll do.”
I backed out and then drove through the gate and towards Toni’s place. I had a hard time keeping my focus on the road. Toni was sitting right there next to me, and all I wanted to do was hold her in my arms and keep her there for days on end. And I planned to do just that as soon as I got her home.
And once I got her home, I planned on her staying—for the long haul.
We were getting close to her place when she turned to me and said, “I haven’t called my dad.”
“Maybe you should hold off on that.”
“He messed up. He messed up big time, but I have to let him know I’m okay. Otherwise, he might end up doing something crazy.”
“Yeah, yeah. You’re right.”
“So, what do you think? Text or call?”
“That’s up to you.”
“Text it is.” She looked down at her phone and grimaced. “I’m gonna need your charger.”
“Go ahead.”
She plugged it in, and tension rolled off her as she waited for it to come back on. Minutes later, the screen lit up, and she started forging her text. She typed and then erased several times before saying, “I’m so fucking mad at him. I can’t believe that he stole from that man and lied to my face about it, and if that bullshit wasn’t enough, he got me kidnapped and almost sold to God knows who! How am I supposed to forgive him for that?”
“You don’t have to forgive shit. You don’t owe him a damn thing. All you gotta do is tell him you’re okay. And that’s it. Nothing more.”
She nodded, then grimaced as she pressed send on her message. Within seconds, her phone started to ring, but she didn’t answer. She simply silenced it and sent him a second message demanding that he not call again. I was proud of her. She’d been through a lot, and she was still standing strong.
When we got to her apartment, Antonia led me upstairs, and when we reached her door, she unlocked it and said, “Well, this is it.”
It was just a small one-bedroom apartment, but it suited her. There was a soft, worn-out couch on one wall and a large, wooden entertainment center filled with books and vinyl records on the other. There were photographs and various pieces of art scattered around the place, and the coffee table was cluttered with magazines and takeout menus.
I took a minute to check it all out before I told her, “It’s nice. It suits you, but I think my place suits you better.”
“You think so?”
“I do. You make that place feel like home.”
I have no idea who moved first, but the next thing I knew, her mouth pressed against mine. A light moan vibrated through her chest when my tongue slid across her bottom lip with a lazy glide, and my hand gripped the back of her neck for better access as I delved deeper into her mouth. My tongue tangled with hers as she hooked a leg over mine, arching her hips towards me. Her hands slowly drifted down my chest, and when she reached the hem of my shirt, she looked at me with need in her eyes. “How do you do that?”
“Do what, baby?”
“Make me feel like everything’s going to be okay.”
“Because it is. I’m going to make sure of it.” Her eyes were locked on mine when I promised, “I’ll give you whatever you need.”
“You really mean that?”
“Yeah, babe. Just say the word.”
“Then, make me forget.” She took my hand in hers and led me to her bedroom. Once we’d reached the edge of the bed, she turned to face me, and her voice was strained as she whispered, “My father. Vittorio. All of it. Even if it’s just for a little while.”
I removed my cut and laid it across the chair, then quickly pulled my t-shirt over my head and tossed it to the floor. Before I’d had a chance to react, she reached for her own shirt and removed it, pitching it onto the floor next to mine. My hand dove into her hair, and I brought her mouth to mine, then kissed her hard, our tongues twisting and tasting each other with nothing but passion and desire.