His Wild Attraction: A Billionaire Romance Novel (Wild Billionaire Romance Book 4)

Chapter Twenty-Three Ellie

After dinner, I expected things to be a little awkward between us. But when I excused myself to the bathroom, Andres offered to read to Sammy and tuck him in.

I could tell he was enamored with the whole calling him Dad thing, and I had to admit, tears pricked my eyes every time my boy uttered the word.

Sammy looked so happy and proud, calling Andres Dad. And it felt so right.

Andres was kind, attentive, and patient with Sammy. Hell, he’d already spent more time with him than Gary ever had.

Sammy had nothing of his biological father in him. He looked like me. His dark hair and hazel eyes were so like mine. He was a wonderful little boy, and I was lucky to have him.

After kissing his head and asking him if he was okay with Dad reading his bedtime story, Sammy had practically pushed me out of his room.

Andres had just sat there, grinning like a peacock.

Shaking my head, I frowned at the ache in my stomach. I’d been an emotional wreck most of the day, and after using the bathroom, I knew why.

Ugh.

My period was never regular, and when I got it, boy, did I get it. I dug around my drawers until I found my stash of period underwear and donned an enormous pad, swapping my cute jeans for loose flannel pants and a tank top.

Things had been so hot between us in the kitchen, I’d really been looking forward to some smexy times with my husband.

Curse you, Mother Nature.

I was on the pill, which made things a lot more bearable than they’d been when I was a teenager and had first started my menstrual cycle.

It was a natural part of life.

Of womanhood. Of marriage.

But I was still a little embarrassed thinking about how to tell Andres.

We’d had sex every night since we married, so it wasn’t like he wasn’t going to notice.

Sex, yes. But I woke up most mornings alone. I frowned, thinking about it, and I realized that was something I should ask him.

Like maybe I was doing something wrong to make him leave every morning before I woke up.

Damn.

“Hey, Sammy fell asleep after having me read the same story three times,” Andres said, walking into our bedroom and shrugging out of his shirt.

He paused when he saw me standing there, wringing my hands. Head canted to the side, Andres continued to pull off his suit pants.

“Angel? What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing, well, ugh, I”m sorry,” I murmured, deciding to rush through it. “I know we started something in the kitchen, and I wanted tonight to be special. Trust me, I really did. I even had a whole thing I was going to put on for you, but, well,” I stammered.

“Ellie?” he asked, but it sounded more like a command.

“Fine. I’ll just say it. I got my period,” I blurted.

“Oh, okay. I understand,” he said.

For the first time since we married, I watched him grab a pair of gym shorts from his drawer and tug them on over his naked body.

“I’m sorry. Um, I’m going to go sit in the living room,” I said, sighing.

“Why?”

“Cause I feel bloated and sad and I just wanna lay on the couch with a heating pad, eat popcorn, and watch John Wick.”

“Sounds good to me. Come on,” Andres said, offering me his hand.

“What are you doing?” I asked, feeling as though I was walking in slow motion as Andres led me back to the couch right in front of the ridiculously large entertainment center in the living room.

“Uh, I’m going to watch a movie with you,” he replied, eyebrow quirked up adorably.

“Why?” I asked, utterly at a loss and completely confused.

“Isn’t that what you want to do?”

“Yessss,” I whispered.

“Okay. Let”s do it then. I have all the John Wick movies downloaded already,” Andres replied.

He turned the lights on their dimmest setting and grabbed a throw blanket from a secret little cubby built into the couch. Then he grabbed the remote and handed it to me.

“Are you sure?” I asked, dropping my stunned butt on the comfy couch.

“I’m sure, Angel. Plus, I make really good popcorn. Go get comfortable. I”ll be back in a minute,” he said, dropping a kiss on my temple.

Swoon.

Something about him kissing me there, right beside the scar Gary gave me, warmed my heart.

I thought about it for a second, and realized it was a spot he kissed often. Heat filled me. Tenderness, too. Some of it spilled down my cheeks.

By the time he came back with a tray overflowing with goodies, I had the movie locked and loaded, my cheeks wiped, and some of my composure back.

Andres looked at me curiously before he handed me the bowl of delicious smelling popcorn and a bag of peanut MMs.

My favorite.

Next, he handed me a heated pad that smelled like lavender, and I sighed, placing it on my abdomen.

“Where did you get this?”

“Oh, I ordered it for you, uh, after you guys moved in. My mom swears by them,” he said, a sheepish grin on his handsome face.

Dangerous, thoughtful man.

“Smart lady. I think I like her even more now,” I said, and made a mental note to find out what his mom liked so we could get her a whole month’s supply of it for her upcoming birthday.

“Do you? Like my mom,” he said, and bit his lower lip.

I nodded.

“Of course, I do. She’s a good woman. Has to be to have raised you,” I replied shyly.

“Oh,” he said, and I swore I saw something flash inside that stormy gaze of his.

Like lightning.

“So, would you like a juice box, water, or seltzer?” he asked, holding them up.

“Um, juice box,” I said, reaching for it.

But instead of handing it to me, Andres tore off the straw and opened it. He stuck the sharp end through the box, then he held it to my mouth and waited for me to take a sip.

I did.

And it was good.

“Press play, Angel,” Andres said, sitting back and wrapping an arm around my shoulder.

I leaned into him, placing the bowl of popcorn and the bag of candy on our laps. The movie started.

My husband squeezed my arm, and I adjusted the heating pad to where I was cramping on my lower back.

“Okay?” he asked.

“Perfect,” I replied.

And it was.

I closed my eyes for a moment, and I came to a decision.

A really important decision.

I decided to trust my gut where Andres was concerned. To take what he offered me—his kindness, his affection, his support—and to hold on to it with both hands.

I was a pretty avid reader, and if there was one mistake heroes and heroines the book world over made time and again, it was that they wasted time.

They didn’t listen to their hearts or trust their instincts.

My mind told me this was too fast. I’d already made a mess of my life over a man, and I shouldn’t be in a rush to do it again.

But my heart told me Andres wasn’t anything like Gary. It told me I could depend on him. That he was trustworthy and dependable.

I decided right then to shut my mind off. To simply enjoy the way Andres spoiled me with popcorn and candy.

I knew it was little more than a simple stay-in movie date. But with it, Andres Ramirez just blew my mind. And I was so there for it.

I felt cracks shaking the foundation of the wall I’d built around my heart, and I closed my eyes as they shattered and crumbled.

Would it really be so bad if I fell for my husband?