Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 38670 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 193(@200wpm)___ 155(@250wpm)___ 129(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38670 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 193(@200wpm)___ 155(@250wpm)___ 129(@300wpm)
“Wow, Carmen,” Vivienne sighed as her eyes reopened. “Those are amazing.”
Carmen winked at her as she took a sip of her own coffee. “Thank you, bellissima. My family comes from Burano, and every girl, and some of the boys, are taught to make essi and Bussola—which are basically the same thing, except they are shaped like a donut—from the moment we are old enough to bake.”
I chuckled and dunked the cookie again before holding it up for Vivienne to take another bite. “I had no idea how lucky we were to have them all the time until Carmen went home for a two-month visit when I was eight. After we ate her last batch, I asked my mamma to take me to the store to buy more. I knew they wouldn’t be as good as Carmen’s, but I figured it was better than nothing. And I was right. Because nothing was what we came home with.”
“Ah yes, Giulia called and told me about the epic tantrum, and from then on, I made sure to make several batches before I left for any extended trips.”
I scowled and grunted, “I didn’t have tantrums, Carmen. Mamma was clearly exaggerating.”
Vivienne giggled when Carmen snorted before taking another swallow from her mug.
“I’ll leave you two to enjoy breakfast,” Carmen announced with a bright smile before striding out of the kitchen.
When I attempted to feed my angel again, she shook her head and sighed. “As much as I’d like to devour every bite of this amazing breakfast, it’s a lot of calories.”
I blinked a few times, then shook my head, convinced I must have heard her wrong. “Pardon?”
Vivienne’s cheeks pinkened, and she shifted nervously in her seat. “I don’t want to overindulge.”
The way she said the word overindulge told me more than she surely intended it to. Obviously, this was something she’d been told as a criticism. Bullshit spouted by a man who was secretly so insecure that he had to put others down in order to feel superior. My desire to remove his fingers, toes, and dick…one by one, in that order, was growing stronger every day.
I turned Vivienne’s chair to face me before lifting her out of it and settling her on my lap. “Cara, let me be very clear about something. You’re fucking gorgeous. Sexy as hell. But gaining a few pounds would only add to your beauty. Give you a glow that’s just a little healthier.”
Vivienne blushed and sighed. “That’s what my doctor said, too.”
My brow furrowed. “If your doctor wanted you to put on some weight, why are you watching your calories?”
“Um…I guess I just let…um…some people…get into my head.”
I ground my teeth together so I would snarl or curse a blue streak in case she thought my anger was directed at her. But fuck, I was gonna need to find a way to vent this fury soon. One that didn’t involve fucking Vivienne like a savage, taking the chance that I might hurt or scare her.
Reminding myself that Vivienne’s well-being was my priority, I focused on her in order to stomp back my desire to inflict pain.
“Those people have no place inside your head anymore, cara. But the more I know about your situation, the better I’ll know how to protect you. Will you tell me?”
Vivienne nodded, and I pulled her plate over in front of me, encouraging her to eat while everything spilled out of her.
By the time she finished, she appeared to be much more relaxed. Obviously getting all of it out of her system had given her some relief.
I was pretty much the exact opposite. It was taking a great deal of energy not to move Vivienne off my lap, grab my gun, and put Chet in the ground. Her parents and the in-laws were also on wafer-thin ice.
But I didn’t want to put the tension back on my angel’s shoulders, so I remained calm.
She sighed and slumped down, leaning against me as though she instinctively understood I would keep her safe. “I don’t know what I’m going to do now. I have to deal with this mess eventually—”
I pressed a finger over her mouth to stop the flow of words. “You don’t have to do anything, cara. I will take care of it.”
Vivienne pulled away a little, looking up at me with a startled expression, likely reacting to the darkness in my tone. But then she seemed to shake the reaction off, probably convincing herself that she’d imagined it. I couldn't help wondering how she was going to take the truth of who I was when I finally told her.
She stole my attention from that worry when she shook her head, then tilted it to the side as she gave me a small smile. “That’s very sweet. But I can’t ask you to get involved. Chet and his parents…they might not be as wealthy as you, but they have connections in high places.”