Chapter 40
CASSANDRA
Cassandra wakes to the soothing sound of Emilio’s voice. He’s speaking in his native tongue, and when she opens her eyes, she sees he’s talking to Alex, who’s nestled between them.
Emilio looks stunning in the morning light, his hair tousled from her fingers running through it all night. His face is shadowed with stubble, and she reaches out to touch it, a slow, seductive smile spreading across her lips. Damn, she’s lucky to wake up next to this man.
“If you keep touching my face and looking at me like that, I can’t promise to behave,” he warns her.
“I can’t help it—it’s not my fault you’re so irresistible in the morning.”
“Cassie…” he growls.
“Yes…?” she purrs.
Emilio chuckles and shakes his head. “You’re going to pay for this,” he promises.
“And I, my dear husband, can’t wait.”
Cassandra leans over Alex to give him a gentle kiss before climbing out of bed. After her shower, she finds them downstairs in the living room. “What time did he wake up?”
“Maybe an hour before you? I’m not sure.”
“He didn’t give you a hard time?”
His finger tenderly strokes Alex’s cheek. “He knows better than to bother Daddy. We understand each other.”
Cassandra smiles. “You want breakfast?” she asks.
“Will you be my dessert?” He gives her that sexy grin of his.
“Depends…”
Emilio raises an eyebrow. “On what?”
“On how soon your son falls asleep. Maybe we can skip straight to dessert.”
Emilio looks at her with hungry eyes, and she feels a warm flutter in her stomach.
A little while later, Alex is ready for his morning nap, having woken up early. After Cassandra puts him down, Emilio slowly approaches her, his gaze setting her skin ablaze.
She’s excited for the pleasure that’s about to come.
Emilio stops just before her, and Cassandra’s heart pounds in her chest. He touches her pulse at the base of her neck, and she closes her eyes.
“Why do I affect you so much?” he asks softly.
Because I love you, she thinks. “I don’t know. I was hoping you could tell me.”
“Whenever I touch you, your body responds to mine,” he continues, pulling her close. “Whenever I kiss you, I can feel you tremble.” He nibbles and gently bites her neck, and she wraps her arms around him. “Every time we make love, you react like it’s our first time. You give yourself to me completely, and I love it.”
“And I love how you make me feel,” Cassandra whispers as Emilio kisses her.
His hand moves to her neck, holding her head still as he deepens the kiss. He cups her breasts, and she groans, wishing those lips were on her skin.
Cassandra presses herself closer to Emilio, wanting to feel more of him, but then he lifts her up, never breaking their kiss. Soon, she finds herself sitting on the dining room table with Emilio standing between her legs. He rips off his shirt and her blouse, and she hears the buttons scatter across the floor.
With Emilio half-naked before her, Cassandra runs her hands over his broad chest. He rubs her nipple through the lace of her bra, and a moan escapes her lips. She pulls back slightly and looks into his passion-filled eyes.
“I want you, Emilio,” she whispers. “I want you and everything you can give me.”
He groans. “Dios mío!”
Without another word, he removes her pants and underwear and frees himself from his own. He stands between her thighs and takes her mouth in a passionate kiss, accepting everything she’s offering.
Gasping for air, Cassandra breaks the kiss, and immediately his lips move to her neck and down to her throat. Sounds of pleasure escape her lips, and they clearly heighten his own desire.
When Emilio’s mouth covers one of her aching, tight nipples, Cassandra moans and grips his biceps for support. Her head falls back as his tongue twirls and sucks, making her whole body quiver. He gives the same pleasure to her other nipple, and for a second, she thinks she can’t wait any longer.
When Emilio positions himself better between her legs and enters her in one strong thrust, Cassandra is so ready that she welcomes his length, the way he moves within her. Each time he penetrates her, his arm tightens around her waist, pulling her closer, claiming every part of her. He goes deeper and deeper, filling her completely, and her muscles tighten around him.
Cassandra shudders as she climaxes, his name on her lips. A few seconds later, Emilio’s body stiffens as he reaches his peak, groaning as he comes inside her.
EMILIANO
Afterward, Emiliano and Cassie both struggle to catch their breath. He loosens his hold on her and threads his fingers through her long hair.
Why is he so drawn to her? Why does he feel such a powerful connection to her? Why can’t he stay away from her? Why does he see her beautiful face everywhere he goes? Why did he set a picture of her and Alex as his laptop and phone screensaver? God, he’s losing his mind.
“Emilio…?” Cassie says softly. He looks into her eyes. “You’re not here anymore.”
Emiliano strokes her face. “Let’s go take a shower together before Alex wakes up.”
Control is everything to him, and he’s starting to lose sight of it because of Cassie. He can’t make sense of anything anymore. She’s breaking down the walls he built to keep everyone out, making her way into his heart, and there’s nothing he can do about it.
Emiliano is falling in love with her.
The realization hits Emiliano like a punch to the gut. He never thought he’d fall in love, let alone this hard and this fast.
When did Cassie and Alex become so vital to his life that he can’t picture a world without them?
He watches as water cascades down Cassie’s stunning body. Her back is to him, so he gently spins her around to face him. Every inch of her is breathtaking. She may not know it yet, but her body isn’t hers alone anymore—it’s his, and it always will be.
Emiliano makes love to Cassie once more.
When they step out of the bathroom, she asks, “You want to talk about it?” She starts to towel dry her hair.
“What do you want me to say?” He’s not about to bare his soul right now. He’s still grappling with the fact that he’s in love with her.
“I can tell you’re holding back, but I won’t push. When you’re ready to talk, I’ll be here to listen.”
Why does she have to be so damn wonderful? Why does she have such a pure heart?
“By the way,” Cassie says, “I found a job. I start on Monday.”
Emiliano is silent for a long moment. “What?” he finally manages, his voice dangerously low. “What did you just say?”
“I found a—” she starts, but he cuts her off.
“I thought I made it clear that my wife isn’t going to work.”
“Emiliano, that’s not your call. This is my life, and I’ll do what I want with it.”
He swears in Spanish. It takes every ounce of his self-control not to shake some sense into her. “You’re not going anywhere on Monday. Why do you want to work when I provide everything you need? What more could you want?”
Seeing the defiance in her eyes, Emiliano strides over and grips the back of her neck. She’s going to go, regardless of what he says. He can’t control her, and that’s one of the reasons he loves her.
“Emiliano, you’re gone most of the time, and I’m bored out of my mind. The only people I can talk to are at work all day. Please, don’t do this to me.”
Hearing her plea, he lets her go and relents. “Fine. As long as you’re home before I get back from work, we won’t have a problem.” He pauses. “I want to know the name of the company you’ll be working for. I need to make sure my wife isn’t working for criminals or frauds.”
“That’s so controlling. Don’t you think that’s a bit much?”
“Either that, or you don’t go.”
Emiliano brushes his lips against hers and then nips at her softly. When he pulls away, Cassie says, “I hate your demands and your controlling ways.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes, cross any line, to keep you safe.”
By the look of shock on her face, Cassie believes him. She wraps her arms around him and whispers, “Fine, you win.”
CASSANDRA
Cassandra pulls back to look at Emiliano, the sincerity of his words clear in his eyes. Her heart fills with warmth knowing he cares so deeply for her. It gives her hope that maybe, just maybe, he’ll come to love her one day.
She’s also relieved that he’s not fighting her on the job. At least now she’ll have something to fill her days until he gets home from work—and to distract her from the pregnancy test she’s planning to take in two days.
As much as she dreads telling Emiliano if the test is positive, she’s still unsure of what she wants the result to be.
