Chapter 42
EMILIANO
Emiliano is in his office, sifting through a pile of emails when his Italian takeout arrives. His mind keeps wandering back to Cassie and the incident in the bathroom. He would’ve bought her story about a stomach bug, but her eyes told a different tale. She barely looked at him, and when she did, her eyes were filled with fear.
What secret is she so scared of him uncovering? Emiliano knows if he confronts her, she’ll just lie, and that will only make him mad.
The past few weeks have been pure bliss. Falling asleep and waking up next to her has been a dream, and for the first time in his adult life, he’s free of nightmares—all thanks to her. His love for her grows with every moment they share, and he finds it increasingly difficult to keep his hands off her. She’s his other half, the only one who can mend his broken soul.
Emiliano forces his attention back to his work. Rodriguez International has been cleared of all charges, all of Brad Armstrong’s accounts have been wiped clean, and the man himself is now in police custody. The bank hasn’t suffered any losses. In fact, this hurdle has led to the development of a new banking system that’s three times more secure. Now, any unusual activity on any account will be immediately flagged by the bank’s IT specialist.
A knock on the door pulls him back to reality. A moment later, Cassie walks into his office, looking stunning in a silk nightdress with lace trimmings. Her hair is loose, falling halfway down her back. She’s not wearing any makeup, yet she takes his breath away.
She steps inside and says, “I got hungry, so I came to see what was keeping you.”
“I was just going through some emails.” Emiliano closes his laptop and stands up. He takes her hand in his. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”
She wraps her arm around his waist. “It’s okay. I know you’re a busy man.”
“How are you feeling?” he asks.
“Better. Oh, and your mom called. She misses Alex.” Cassie settles down on the couch. “I was thinking maybe we could visit her this weekend?”
He grabs their dinner and sits next to her. “Sure, I’ll arrange for us to go.”
“This smells delicious,” she says, quickly opening her to-go box and digging into her food.
Emiliano just watches her.
After a minute, Cassie says, “You’re not eating.”
“You’re keeping something from me. Why?”
She reaches for her juice on the table and takes a nervous sip. “I’m not hiding anything, Emilio. What makes you think that?”
“You’re a terrible liar, Cassie; your eyes give you away. They reflect every emotion you feel… I can see you want to tell me something, but you’re scared. Why? What’s so terrible that you can’t share it with me?”
She opens her mouth and closes it again, looking torn. Finally, she says, “You’re imagining things, Emilio.”
He groans, frustrated. “Dammit, Cassie! Why won’t you talk to me?”
“I thought I had been doing that for the past five minutes.”
“You know that’s not what I mean.”
“There’s no need for you to get mad over nothing. Can we just have a peaceful dinner together, please? I’ve had a long day, I’m tired, and all I want right now is you by my side. Is that too much to ask?”
They finish their dinner in silence, and then Alex wakes up. Emiliano tells Cassie he’ll take care of him, but by the time he gets their son back to sleep, his wife is already fast asleep. He had noticed her fatigue earlier but hadn’t realized how severe it was.
Emiliano sits next to Cassie on the bed and gently strokes her face. She looks so fragile, and all he wants is to make her life easier, to give her the life she’s always dreamed of. But his stubborn wife refuses to let him do anything for her.
He still can’t stand the fact that she’s working, and he can’t understand why she wants to when he’s willing to give her anything she needs. He’d even give his life for her… God, he loves this woman with a passion that sometimes scares him. He doesn’t want to share her with anyone.
If Emiliano is honest, that’s the real reason he doesn’t want her to work: so he can have her all to himself. If he had his way, he would chain her to him. The thought makes him smile; he can already see her spitting fire and fighting him every step of the way.
Emiliano takes a hot shower before joining his beautiful wife in bed and pulling her into his arms. Cassie snuggles up against him, stirring a certain part of him, but he won’t touch her. She needs rest, and she won’t get any if he keeps pouncing on her.
