Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94686 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94686 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
“What?”
“You looking like you were going to kill me for seeing a picture.”
“I wasn’t going to kill you, but I don’t like. . .”
“What?”
“I want to show you my childhood pictures in my own time.”
I opened my hands and showed my palms. “Because?”
“Because there’s a lot to talk about with them.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “Now’s not the time.”
“You mean this morning isn’t time to show me the pictures?”
“No. This year isn’t the time.” He walked off.
“But they’re just freaking baby pictures? Really?” I called back at him. He said nothing else. I twisted back to those two closed doors as if staring at them for a long time would make that stiff wood transparent. Something was in these rooms. People don’t just lock off rooms in a house like this for nothing. Not that I ventured in beautiful places like this, but anybody could see that something odd occurred here and these doors concealed some of it.
“Are you coming, tesoro?” Chase’s voice held an edge as he continued to walk off.
“I don’t answer to names I don’t know the meaning of.” I dragged myself away from those doors and headed toward his voice.
“You’ll answer to tesoro or I’ll come for you.” He glanced over his shoulder. Heat now replaced the annoyance in his eyes. “And I don’t think you want me to come for you.”
“I’m not afraid of you.”
He laughed. “Then you haven’t been paying attention.”
“Apparently not.”
We made it to the kitchen in no time. Two cooks busied themselves in the space—stirring white sauces in huge bronze pots, slicing fresh fruit on the counter, and flipping over slabs of crisp bacon. I liked my bacon a little crisp at the edges but flimsy fat throughout. If it had been my house or servant, I might have stopped and said something, but this wasn’t my place.
“What?” Chase grabbed my hand and continued to guide me toward the kitchen door leading outside. “You look like you have something to say.”
“I don’t.”
He stopped us right there. “These women are great chefs.”
“I’m sure they are.”
“Then what? Your nose is scrunching up every time you look at the stove.”
“I’m really not appreciating you paying so much attention to my body language.”
“I’m trying to figure you out.”
“I’m easy to read.”
He chuckled. “Yes, you are. Right now something is bothering you about the food. Tell me.”
“I like my bacon less crispy so when you pick the strip up, it doesn’t stand up straight, it sags down and greases up my whole finger.”
“Interesting. One could never tell from those fit hips of yours.” He directed his attention to one of the women and spoke the most beautiful Italian I’d ever heard. My panties melted right there with each word. Goodness. The way he moved that tongue had me hypnotized and imagining him speaking those same words to me as his mouth slipped against my clit.
“Mmm, mmm.” I almost growled.
He quirked one eyebrow. “This is some new body language, but I like it. What should I gather from this?”
“That you should be speaking a whole lot more Italian in our bedroom.”
“I’m going to fuck you all night long.”
“Hell, yes.”
He grinned. “You don’t even know what I said.”
“I don’t need to.”
“Let’s go upstairs.”
I wagged my finger at him. “Oh, no. You’ve got a ‘hell, yes,’ but that’s after your probation.”
“I’m going to fuck you until you can’t spell probation.”
A shriek came from the side. I checked the women’s faces in the kitchen. They both had stopped what they were doing as they blushed and watched Chase.
“Are you going to tell me what you said?” I asked.
“Well. . .it had a lot to do with fucking.”
“Hmm, you’re making these women blush.”
“Just be happy that they’re in here to keep you safe. After this morning, my erection may never go down.”
I checked his pants. The front did seem much fuller than usual, like he had stashed a few things there. “Good. Maybe next time you won’t commit crimes in the name of keeping me safe.”
“Ah .” He chuckled some more. “Well, I’ll never promise that. I rather like going off the deep end to keep you safe, tesoro.” He patted my behind and led me outside.
If I thought it was sunny in the house, I had no idea what I was in for when stepping outside. The sun bathed me in this golden hue of warmth. A gentle sea breeze came next. Holy shit. We were on a massive cliff. In fact, all the neighboring houses and buildings sat on top of cliffs that jutted around this enchanting beach.
Chase spread his arms out. “This is Atrani.”
“I don’t know how to say this. It’s small but huge.”
“Yes, that’s probably a good way to describe it.”
This deep blue ocean expanded out as far as my eyes could see and had to go even farther. Everything sat on these cliffs. I didn’t see any cars driving near the houses. But a long road below us outlined the rocky terrain.