Princess in Lingerie (Lingerie 12)

“I’d love to, but I have to head to work.” I hadn’t mentioned anything to her because we got home late last night. I wanted her to be wide awake when I told her what her father and I had decided on.

Her lips stopped against my neck, turning immobile before she pulled away and stared at me. “Work?” Her eyes narrowed, assuming the worst. “You said you were done with that life, Griffin.”

“I am, baby. I’m starting a new profession.”

“And what profession is that?” She propped herself up on one elbow so she could look down at me. “You’ve been retired for less than a week. You’ve already started something else?”

“You know I’m not the lazy type.”

“I’m realizing that. You could stay home and take care of me. We both know I can’t cook.” She rubbed my chest, her slender fingers stroking me gently.

Staying home all day wasn’t my style. I had to be on my feet, doing something productive with my time. “I think you’ll like this idea more.”

“Alright. What is it?” Her face hung above mine, her dark hair reaching down to touch my skin.

“Your father asked me to join him at the winery.”

Surprise stretched across her face, her green eyes glowing.

“He said he wants to retire someday, but none of the children want the business. Wants to keep it in the family, so he asked me to take it over when that day arrives. I’ll run it, and when we have our children, we can hand it off to them. It’s something Crow can give his family even when he’s gone. In the meantime, I’ll learn everything about the business.”

The emotion burned in her eyes instantly, becoming shiny with moisture. Her hand moved across my chest, and she broke eye contact, overwhelmed by the information that hit her hard. “That was very sweet of him to offer. And very sweet of you to accept.”

“I didn’t like the idea in the beginning. But he made a good point, saying that I didn’t have any passions in life, not like the rest of the Barsettis. Working somewhere or owning a business just for the hell of it didn’t seem like a good idea. The winery is a family business, and since I’ll be family someday, I can take care of it—for you. That’s why I agreed.”

“That’s so… I don’t even know what to say.”

“I told him I wouldn’t accept payment until he retired. Then the profits would come to us, but only because he’s at home enjoying his time off. So, I’ll be working for free, but we have so much money that having more money doesn’t even make sense anymore.”

“We do?” she whispered. Vanessa never asked me about my wealth. She knew I had money, but she never asked what my salary was or how much cash I had stored at the bank. It never seemed like she cared.

“Yes.” Women were impressed by my wealth, but their opinion never mattered to me. Impressing Vanessa was the only thing I cared about. I wanted to share my estate with her, to cover her in expensive jewels and designer lingerie. I wanted to put her in a big mansion, the queen of my home.

“So you’re going to work with my father and uncle every single day?” she asked, mildly surprised.

“Yes.”

“Five days a week?”

“Yes.”

“You really think you can handle that? You do so much for me, but I want you to know that you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. You’ve buried the hatchet with my father, and that’s more than enough. That’s all I ever wanted. You don’t have to work with him every single day. You could do anything you want, Griffin.” Vanessa was always selfless when it came to me. She never asked me to do something I didn’t want to. She always remained objective between me and her family. She never asked for more than I could give.

“I want to, baby.” When Crow painted that picture for me, I wanted to be involved. I wanted to protect the family business so it could be handed down to the next generation, whether it was my kids or another Barsetti. I’d been appointed the protector, the best person to keep that business untarnished. Crow honored me with the request, showed that he meant every word he said. He trusted me with something he built with his own hands, trusted me to carry out his legacy when he was gone.

Her eyes softened again. “Then that makes me really happy.”

I leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. “You can spare me every single day?”

“Yes. It’s much better than what you were doing before.”

“You’ll be alright with me being twenty minutes away every day?”

She rolled her eyes. “Griffin, please.”

I smiled, loving that response. “That’s my baby.” She could handle herself just fine. She didn’t need a man to make her feel secure. She had a passion that fueled her energy during the day, and when I came home at night, a different passion would fuel her. Fearless and powerful, she was a woman who matched my strength.