Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
I paid for her order, and then we took a seat outside in the shade so she could eat it. With her legs crossed and her back perfectly straight, she scooped into the creamy dessert and placed the spoon in her mouth before she licked it clean.
I sat there and watched her, noticing the way she ate her sweets the way she licked the come off the head of my dick.
She continued to eat, oblivious to the way it turned me on.
When my jeans finally felt too tight, I turned my gaze elsewhere and people-watched.
“This is delicious.”
“Yeah?” I asked, mildly amused.
“You should try it.”
“I know what it tastes like.”
“So you’re really not going to eat sweets for the rest of your life?”
I shrugged. “I’ll have some cake on our wedding day.”
She stilled. “And that’s it?”
My eyes turned back to her. “Yeah.”
“What if it’s bad cake?”
“Why would we have bad cake on our wedding day?” I asked with a slight smile.
“I just wouldn’t want you to waste it on cake if that isn’t the best cake in the world, you know? Like, this gelato is top-notch. If you’re going to spend your freebie on something, it should be this.”
“I don’t need anything sweeter than you, baby.”
“Huh?” she asked, not understanding what I meant.
I smirked as I watched the understanding slowly move into her face.
“Okay, this is a lot better than that.”
“Difference of opinion.”
She avoided my gaze for a while and continued to eat her gelato. “I’m gonna have to start working out if I keep eating like this.”
“We could just have more sex.”
“I think we’re pretty maxed out.”
“Another difference of opinion.”
We walked together down the street after another dinner, Francesca wearing sky-high stilettos and a little black dress. Her arm was hooked through mine, but her gait slowed to a crawl. “These heels will be the death of me.”
“You want a ride?”
“No, it’s okay.”
I pulled my arm from her grasp and dropped my long-sleeved shirt down my arms before I handed it over. “Tie this around your waist.”
“Why?” she asked as she did what I told her.
I scooped my arms underneath her, lifted her with ease, and started to carry her down the sidewalk. She was a perfect fit in my arms, light as a pillow.
“We could just get a taxi.”
“We’re only a few blocks away.”
“I’m going to feel a lot heavier by the second block.”
I smirked. “I lift three hundred pounds every day in the gym. You’re basically the bar.”
“Basically the bar?”
“The bar is a hundred pounds.”
“And you think I’m a hundred pounds?” she asked incredulously.
“Well, you feel like it to me.”
“Cristo, my ass alone is a hundred pounds.”
I burst out in a loud chuckle. “Wouldn’t that be a sight?”
I carried her all the way home and through the private gate to my house. I didn’t put her down in the entryway but actually carried her up three flights of stairs to the private bedroom at the top. I gently placed her on the bed, and then I held her knee and removed one heel at a time, undoing the little clasp on the side of her ankle to get it loose before I slipped it off then doing the same on the other side.
“Thank you.”
21
FRANCESCA
Wolfe worked out in his gym on the second floor while I headed to the market to grab fresh flowers and a couple of things for dinner. When I returned, I clipped the ends of the flower stems and arranged them to fit the vase I’d found in one of his cupboards. The vase was a beautiful cerulean blue, and the white and pink flowers I picked out went so well with it. I’d been living with Wolfe in Palermo for a week, and it had been the fastest week of my life.
My phone started to vibrate on the counter, and I glanced at it reflexively, expecting it to be a spam call or nobody important.
But it was my father.
I stared at the name as the phone continued to ring and ring, paralyzed by something between fear and panic. My stomach dropped as if someone had punched it, and I was so surprised by the cold call that all I could do was stare until it stopped ringing.
The phone remained bright until the screen suddenly went dark.
The beautiful morning I had was suddenly shattered by his intrusion into my life. When I’d walked to the market that morning, I was at peace, just enjoying my day. Having no other care in the world besides flowers and dinner was pure serenity.
But now, my day was ruined.
A voice mail notification didn’t pop up on the screen—but a text did.
Frankie, call me.
I stared at the sentence until the screen went black again.
I carried the vase to the top floor and set it on the edge of the kitchen island. The windows were open, so sunlight drenched the room. I could distantly hear the shower running down the hallway, so I knew Wolfe had finished his workout.