Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 61248 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61248 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
“I can handle her. You just take care of family business.”
“I will, thanks to you talking some sense into me. And with you by my side.”
“I don’t think you need me by your side.”
“And if I say different?”
“I don’t know what to say to that.”
“One day you will, hopefully sooner than later.” With that, he steps out of the tub, wraps his arm around me, and scoops me into his arms before setting me on the ground. “One day, baby, we’ll figure this out,” he says, grabbing a towel for himself and securing it around his waist. “Until then, it’s one day at a time.”
One day at a time, I think. He says that as if there will be many in our future, and not so long ago, I was certain there would be only one night. There is something happening between us, a bond weaving with fine thread, but as he and I know all too well, life is fragile. And everything can change in a blink of an eye.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Ethan
Iwake before dawn, on my back, with Sofia curled into my side, and I don’t even think about moving. She’s changing me, I think. No other woman ever made me savor every second with them the way she does. And the truth is that had felt normal, which I know now had a lot to do with how I allowed Anna in my life. It felt as if marriage was a business endeavor.
And now I know better.
The right person feels different.
Sofia feels right and different, and I’m going to do my damnedest to hold onto her, including winning over her father.
Spanking her, holy fuck, she’s sweet and sexy, and the way she gave herself to me, the way she trusted me, only makes me want to earn that trust on every level. As for New York, she’s right. I need to go back, which I already knew and planned, but there’s a part of me that still wants to head straight to Paris, where I can keep her the hell away from my family.
I think she’s far more capable than the average person of checkmating anyone who crosses her, regardless of them holding the Dalton name or not. Sofia shifts out of my arms and rolls to her side. I follow her, wrapping my arms and body around her, only to have her press her backside against me, a little sound escaping her lips. And not for the first time this very night, I think, this is where I belong, right here, holding Sofia, and I’m in no rush to start the new day. I close my eyes, and the next time I wake, my alarm is going off and the sun is a burst of fuck-me with brightness. I groan and shift to realize Sofia is gone, and when I push up to my elbows and hunt for her, I find her exiting the bathroom, a pink silk robe clinging to delicate curves.
“Morning,” she says, a shy quality to her voice.
I shift to a sitting position using the headboard to rest against. “Morning. Come back to bed.” I motion for her to join me.
“It’s late. Seven-thirty already. We have to make our appointment at the passport office. They emailed me and said to be there right at nine. If I come to bed, I don’t know if we’ll make it.”
“Good point, but I’m not sure I care.”
She laughs. “You have to care. We need to get you to New York. Also, Harper texted me. I’ll have my contract today for sure.”
“I told you.” My cellphone rings, and I grab it from the nightstand to find Anna calling, gritting my teeth at the idea of talking to her.
“I’m going to make coffee,” Sofia says. “Take your call.” She’s already headed for the door, and I grunt and throw away the blanket, sitting up and not even thinking about answering the call. I’ll be there tomorrow. I’ll talk to my father and my brother about whatever is going on, not her.
The minute the call ends, it starts ringing again. I grimace and pull on my pants before walking toward the bathroom. I’ve just turned on the shower when my cell starts ringing again, and I’m at my limit. My temper is hot when I finally answer. “What, Anna?”
“Why are you so hostile?”
“What do you need?”
“Your brother—”
“You already have him.”
“Don’t be a smartass. Grant—”
“I’ll be there tomorrow. I’ll handle him then.”
“Where are you now? Why didn’t you handle him already?” she snaps. “He’s not right, Ethan. This deal he’s made must have gone south. He’s pacing. He’s not sleeping. He’s all jittery, so I think he’s on something.”
Sounds like Grant, I think. When the going gets tough, he reaches for an outlet, and apparently Anna isn’t it anymore. “If you’re this worried, go see my father.”