A large hand goes down on my stomach. “Don’t move, I’ll be right back.”
All I can do is stare at him as he walks out of the room naked. He comes back with a large hand towel. I can tell he’s cleaned himself. The towel is steaming hot; slowly, gently he runs it over me, cleaning me and massaging my legs. “I think you should lie in bed for a little longer.”
“If I do I’ll fall asleep. I’ll give it a minute though.”
“Sounds good.” He starts dressing; it takes only a little longer than it did for him to undress. I’m sad when he’s clothed again. Besides his slightly ruffled hair, you would never guess what he was doing less than ten minutes ago. A few steps and he’s standing over me. His finger runs over my swollen lips. “I can’t kiss you, if I do I won’t leave.” I catch his hand and press a kiss against his finger. “I’ll call you as soon as I put out this fire.” I nod as I let him go.
16
Chloe
It takes a while to get up enough energy to get out of the bed. Looking down on the rumpled bed, I blush. I don’t bother trying to tidy it up. The charity place took everything but the beds with their bedding due to concerns of bedbugs. The bedding was supposed to be rounded up and donated to a recycling place for textiles. I roll up the covers and toss them in the corner, I’ll throw them in the huge dumpster on the way out because there is no doubt what happened on them.
Getting dressed isn’t quite as easy. My blouse doesn’t want to close at the bottom after Enzo tore it open. A goofy grin comes over me at how desperate he was, the look in his eyes when he saw me naked. Even though I hated the way he tossed the demand for at least two kids at me, I’m finally convinced my appeal isn’t just my willingness to pump out his babies.
I manage to make it out of the house without running into anyone. Back home I’m almost to my room when Russell opens his door, holding a bat.
“What the hell are you doing home?” we both yell in unison.
Russell drops the bat. “You slut! You had morning sex.”
“Don’t call me a slut, slut. You have sex written all over you.”
“Hi, I’m Adam. We’ve met before.” I blink a few times at the blond Adonis I remember from a Christmas party and business dinner. He’s wearing a pair of boxers and nothing else.
“Hi, I’m just going to get changed and I’ll leave you two the place.”
“Don’t even try it, missy. What happened?”
I eye Adam. “I’ll talk to you later. I promise.”
Russell pouts, then tugs Adam with him into his room. “We need to get going too. We’re supposed to be in a client meeting, but he cancelled. It should have been over an hour ago. If we’re any later getting back to the office the office gossips will chew us up and spit us out.”
In my room, I snag my robe and towel then go to take a shower. I don’t want to shower but the scent of Enzo on me is driving me nuts, making me hot and greedy for him all over again.
Running my washcloth over my body, I remember Enzo doing the same thing. I didn’t expect him to be so sweet, so caring. If I hadn’t been in love with him before, I would have fallen completely and utterly into it in that moment. Closing my eyes, I sigh. Love...god it was scary, absolutely fucking terrifying and at the same time so right there was no choice in it, not from the beginning, definitely not now. It was like jumping off the Sabatini building, before I decided to let go and trust in Enzo, I was jumping blind and I had nothing but my gut to tell me I wouldn’t slam into the concrete. Today, the moment when we locked eyes, it wasn’t just my gut anymore, it was Enzo. I have no doubt we’re going to hit some bumps, but I’m finally not afraid anymore.
***
Chloe
I’m barely settled into my chair when my office phone rings. “Hello?”
“Find the multifamily property you want, up to three million dollars. My lawyer has an opening in an hour at eleven, don’t be late. He’ll go over the prenup with you and handle the purchase of the property to be included in the prenup. You can take it with you to have your own lawyer look it over. At one thirty you meet with the dressmaker. She’s not happy with me at my insistence she has six weeks, but she promised it will be ready by the seventeenth for the wedding day on the eighteenth, so if she’s bitchy it’s about me, not you.”
I’m stuck on a prenup being drawn up so quickly, until he says the eighteenth. “Six weeks?” I check the calendar. Is he for real?
“It’s the soonest I can take time off for more than a few days. If I give you any longer you’ll change your mind.”
“I—where, how?”
“I would prefer we do it at the house outside in the back. I want to keep it small, family and a few friends. Our backyard will fit twenty to thirty people easily, or we can do it on my boat which can fit two hundred, but I still want it small. I’m working on getting a wedding planner, the few I’ve dealt with aren’t budging from leaving the couples they are working with. Get with Bethany, she can take you out to my boat. Just don’t be late to the lawyer. I have to go I have another call I need to take.”
I’ve barely put my phone down before it rings again. Without thinking I answer. “Can I see you in my office?”
“Yeah, yes, okay.” Why did Dante sound so serious?
There’s no question if Gretchen or Hannah heard, as they’re both grinning wide as I pass them. I don’t bother to knock. Dante and Cesare are in the sitting area. They both have huge grins on their faces, flashing their dimples. Oh thank god.