Chapter 41
CASSANDRA
Cassandra drags herself out of the bathroom and collapses onto the bed. Morning sickness is really kicking her ass, not to mention the stress of keeping her secret from Emilio.
Six weeks ago, she took a pregnancy test and it came back positive. She thought it was a mistake, so she got a blood test. The results confirmed it—she was pregnant. Two weeks later, the nausea hit.
Emilio doesn’t know she’s seven-and-a-half weeks pregnant. He thinks her prenatal vitamins are birth control pills.
She’s tired of lying to him, but every day, they grow closer. Every day, he’s more affectionate. If she didn’t know better, she’d think he was falling in love. She doesn’t want to ruin that.
Running late for work, Cassandra gets up and grabs her bag. She’s grateful Emilio offered to take Alex to daycare this morning. He even bought her a new car a few weeks ago, which has made her commute much shorter.
When she gets to work, her boss, Mr. Kyle Jensen, isn’t there yet. She settles into her desk and starts scheduling his meetings for the day, hoping he won’t ask her to sit in and take notes. She’s exhausted from the pregnancy—and from Emilio keeping her up all night.
His sex drive has ramped up in the past few weeks, but her body is wearing out. She hopes he hasn’t noticed.
Her job at the law firm is great, and being Mr. Jensen’s PA is even better. He’s kind, down-to-earth, and treats everyone with respect. He owns half the firm and is one of the best lawyers in town. He’s also happily married with three beautiful kids. His wife even drops by to visit him sometimes.
During her lunch break, her handsome husband calls.
“Shouldn’t you be working?” she asks.
“I can spare a few minutes. I missed my wife and wanted to hear her voice. Is that so wrong?”
Tears prick at Cassandra’s eyes. “No…no,” she whispers, wiping her cheek when a tear slips out.
“Don’t you miss me?” he asks.
“Of course, I do, Emilio.” More than you could ever know. “But some of us have work to do. I’m not my own boss; I have to answer to someone.”
“I hate that,” he says, not for the first time. “Why don’t you come work for me? Be my personal assistant.”
Cassandra laughs softly. “You and I both know that wouldn’t work. You wouldn’t get anything done, and I wouldn’t be able to focus because you’d be distracting me.”
“That wouldn’t be so bad. You’d get paid for doing nothing.”
“No, you’d be paying me to sleep with you.”
“That’s not how it is now,” Emilio says.
“No, it’s not, but it would be if I worked for you.”
“Oh, Cassie.”
“I have to go now; my lunch break is almost over.”
“Let’s go out tonight,” he suggests.
Cassandra would love to, but she’s been feeling so sick today, she knows she won’t be up for it. “Can we reschedule? I’m really tired and want to get to bed early; I didn’t sleep much last night.”
“Whatever you want. I’ll see you at home.”
“Okay. Bye.”
“Cassie…,” Emilio starts.
“Yes?”
She waits, but he doesn’t say anything for a full two minutes. “Take care,” he finally says.
Then he hangs up.
Why does she feel like that wasn’t what he really wanted to say?
Cassandra shakes off the strange conversation and gets back to work.
***
The day goes by relatively quickly, and when it’s time to leave, Cassandra is relieved. She picks up Alex from daycare and hurries home. She feeds him dinner, gives him a bath, and puts him to bed.
As soon as Alex’s head hits the pillow, Cassandra goes to take a bath. She sinks into the tub and relaxes, only stirring when she hears movement. Emilio is undressing nearby.
When he joins her in the tub, Cassandra welcomes the weight of his large body. Despite her exhaustion, her body responds to him. She can feel his erection pressing against her, and she grows wet with desire.
She’ll never understand why she can’t resist this man.
“Do you know what you do to me?” Emilio murmurs in her ear as he kisses her neck.
“No, enlighten me.”
Cassie wraps her arms around his neck.
“God, Cassie, I can’t stop thinking about touching you, tasting you, feeling you, smelling you.” His hands cup her ass and squeeze gently. His hips press into hers, his hard length brushing against her throbbing center.
Cassandra gasps.
Emilio brushes his lips against hers. “You have the sweetest mouth,” he murmurs, peppering her face with soft kisses. “It’s so kissable.”
Cassandra thinks she might explode if he keeps whispering sweet things in her ear. If he keeps turning her on with every touch, every kiss.
Emilio groans and kisses her deeply. His tongue explores her mouth, and Cassandra’s world stops. His scent, his taste—it’s pure, erotic pleasure.
“Emilio…” Cassandra gasps for air, clutching his shoulders as a wave of dizziness hits her. Nausea follows.
Oh no, she thinks. ~Not now. Not when we’re about to make love.~
Emilio’s fingers are kneading her breast. “Your breasts are fuller, firmer. I can’t keep my hands off them,” he murmurs.
Cassandra needs to get to the bathroom right now. The nausea is too much. His weight was comforting before, but now it’s suffocating. Her vision is blurring.
She gathers her strength and pushes against his chest. Their eyes meet, and she sees his confusion, which quickly turns into worry and surprise.
Emilio lifts himself off her. “Cassie? What’s going on? You look like you’re about to pass out.”
Instead of responding, she bolts from the tub and makes a beeline for the toilet, her lunch from earlier making a reappearance.
Five minutes later, Cassandra comes back to find Emilio dressed in his pants, her robe in his hands. She puts on the robe and heads to rinse her mouth and brush her teeth.
She can sense his need to understand what’s happening, but she’s at a loss for words.
“What’s wrong with you?” His question echoes in her mind.
“Nothing,” she fibs. “Must’ve been the cake I had at work. It was someone’s birthday.”
She hates lying, especially to him. She can only hope he buys her weak excuse.
A moment later, Cassandra feels his hands on her shoulders. Emilio turns her to face him.
“Do we need to see a doctor?”
“No!” she blurts out, avoiding his eyes. Now he’s definitely going to suspect she’s keeping something from him. “I mean, there’s no need—I saw a doctor earlier. It’s just a stomach bug… It’ll pass in a few days.”
She forces a smile.
“Let me know if it doesn’t improve.”
Cassandra nods, and Emilio kisses her forehead. “Finish cleaning up, and I’ll order dinner. What do you feel like eating?”
She doubts she can stomach anything, but she tries to lighten the mood. “Anything’s fine as long as it’s not cake.”
Once Emilio leaves, Cassandra lets out the breath she’s been holding. Please God, let him believe me until I can figure out how to tell him. It’s getting harder to hide the truth, and Emilio isn’t a fool.
