Chapter 31
EMILIANO
Emiliano’s heart is pounding as Cassie’s honesty hits him. Her body is calling out to his, and it’s all he can do to keep himself from taking her right then and there. Instead, he takes her hand and guides her to the bed.
This is going to be one long night, he thinks to himself.
Holding her soft body against his, a body that fits so perfectly in his arms, Emiliano can feel himself getting hard. He wants her so much that he almost doesn’t care that she’s on her period.
Once Cassie is sound asleep, Emiliano carefully slips out of bed and steps out onto the deck. His mind wanders back to his nightmares—the reason he can’t share a bed with anyone.
In his recurring nightmare, a faceless figure shrouded in darkness appears before him. Then, he’s suddenly engulfed in darkness and starts to suffocate. He only wakes up when he’s on the brink of losing consciousness in the dream, drenched in sweat.
Lately, his nightmares have been getting worse and more frequent. He doesn’t want to risk hurting Cassie in his sleep, so he never stays the whole night with her. He only comes back in the early morning hours to avoid raising her suspicions and prompting questions—questions he can’t answer.
Cassie has a calming effect on him, bringing peace to his troubled soul and pushing back the darkness that threatens to consume him. She’s becoming more important to him than anyone else, except for his mother.
He can’t bear the thought of putting her in danger.
CASSANDRA
When Cassandra opens her eyes, she’s greeted by her husband’s handsome face and she can’t help but smile.
“Good morning,” he says, his lips brushing lightly against hers.
“Good morning,” she replies, sitting up. “You’re up early.”
“I brought you breakfast.” Emilio places a tray on her lap. “Eat,” he instructs.
“Such a bossy man, Mr. Rodriguez. What happened to being a gentleman?” Cassandra teases as she spreads butter on a croissant and takes a bite. “Aren’t you eating?” she asks after swallowing.
“I already ate.” Emilio stands up. “Hurry up—we’re leaving in fifteen minutes.”
Cassandra looks at him, puzzled. Where could they possibly be going?
“Emilio…we’re on a yacht. Where else can we go but into the water?”
“Just get ready,” he says, then leans in to give her another kiss before leaving.
After finishing her breakfast and taking a quick shower, Cassandra finds Emilio on the upper deck talking to one of the crew members. She’s about to say something when the sound of a helicopter overhead interrupts her. As it lands on the back of the yacht, the wind from the rotor blades unravels the bun at the nape of her neck.
Emilio comes over to her. “Are you scared of heights?” he asks.
“No. Why?”
“Good, because we’re going for a ride.”
He takes her wrist and before she knows it, he’s leading her towards the helicopter.
“A ride? Where to?”
They stop outside the helicopter, and Emilio quickly exchanges a few words with a man in Spanish. Then, he helps her inside, making sure she’s securely strapped in before heading to the front.
“Where’s the pilot?” Cassie asks.
“You’re looking at him,” Emilio says, grinning. He hands her a pair of headphones.
“You can fly?” she asks, surprised.
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, sweetheart.” Emilio winks at her and then they’re off.
Cassandra never imagined she’d be in a helicopter, but she has to admit it’s thrilling. Emilio flies as if he’s been doing it for years, and she feels surprisingly safe with him.
He’s full of surprises. She wonders what else he has in store.
“I’m guessing this is your helicopter?”
“Yes.”
“Where did you learn to fly?”
“My dad sent me to flight school when I was fifteen. I got my license later.”
Cassandra can hear the love and respect Emilio has for Carlos in his voice, even though he’s no longer here. She dreads the day he finds out that the man who was such a good father to him isn’t his biological dad.
After flying for about twenty minutes over beautiful mountains, trees, and endless sea, Cassandra asks, “Where are we going?”
“Patience, my beautiful wife.”
A few minutes later, they start to descend. Once they’ve landed and the motors are off, Emilio helps her out of the helicopter. Her feet sink into the soft beach sand, and she looks around to see a stunning glass house.
“You keep surprising me,” Cassandra says. “I don’t know if I can handle any more.”
“I’m afraid you’ll have to because I have one more surprise for you inside.”
“Are we staying here tonight?”
Without another word, Emilio leads her inside. The house is spacious and comfortable, but Cassandra feels a sense of unease as she waits in the living room for Emilio to return with her surprise. When she hears his footsteps, she turns around and sees—
“Alex?” His name is barely a whisper on her lips before she rushes over to kiss his chubby cheeks. She leans in to her son, safe in Emilio’s arms, and breathes in his scent. “Oh, Mommy has missed you, my angel.”
She hugs Alex tightly, careful not to hurt him, and asks, “Oh, Emilio, how did you get him here?”
“There’s nothing I can’t do.” He kisses her forehead. “Do you like your surprise?”
“I love it, thank you.” Tears well up in her eyes, and she wraps her arm around his waist. Emilio pulls them both close, and Cassandra feels so much love in her heart that she couldn’t ask for anything more.
“Will you take my gifts from now on?” Emilio asks his wife.
“Seeing as I lost and accepted this one, I guess I don’t have much of a choice.”
“I never start a fight I can’t win,” he says, running his fingers through her hair. “Losing isn’t in my nature, sweetheart.”
“Note to self: never make a deal with you,” Cassandra chuckles softly. “So, it’s just us three?”
“Yep. I sent Annah home with José. She was watching him until we got here,” he replies, flashing her a mischievous grin before leaning in to kiss her. “Got any plans?”
“Actually, I do—Alex’s bottle.”
Emilio groans, and Cassandra’s laughter rings out again.
“Way to kill the mood… We’ve got everything we need for our stay. That includes our stuff,” he adds, seeing her about to speak. “Why don’t you go warm up his bottle? I’ll spend some alone time with him.”
As she’s in the kitchen preparing the bottle, Cassandra watches Emilio with their son. He’s a different man with Alex, even his body language changes. It’s clear he adores him and would do anything for him. She couldn’t have wished for a better father for Alex—or a better husband for herself.
Cassandra rejoins them in the living room, letting Emilio feed Alex his bottle. They spend the rest of the day together as a family, taking a leisurely walk on the beach and then cooking dinner. Emilio even surprises her by whipping up a delicious lasagna; she’d assumed a man who grew up with such luxury wouldn’t know how to boil an egg, let alone cook.
She can tell Emilio is trying hard to keep himself in check, especially when they’re in bed together. At night, she can feel his arousal pressing against her back as he holds her. But even though they aren’t making love, Emilio still spends every waking moment with her, and his undivided attention only deepens her love for him.
These past few days have been the best she’s ever had. Words can’t express how happy she is.
