28. Chapter 28 - Diego
I step out onto the bathroom mat, wrapping a towel around my waist. A chuckle leaves my lips at the thought of my chaotic, beautiful wife waking up this morning. How I wished we could have had a few more minutes for me to ravish her in the shower. That would have gotten rid of that headache of hers…
After drying off in the bedroom, I walk over to my closet and dress in a pair of board shorts and a white short-sleeved henley. Being back here has me dressing the way I like. There is nothing worse than having to dress in business attire— scratch that —winter clothes are the fucking worst. You’re either overheating or freezing cold.
I make my way down to the kitchen in desperate need of a coffee. Liam and Killian are deep in discussion at the kitchen island. Lainey is nowhere to be seen.
Looks like she and Liam have not resolved their issues.
“Morning,” I grumble, passing them en route to the espresso machine.
“Good Morning, Diego,” Killian swivels on his bar stool to greet me.
Liam grunts his hello. Today is already off to a great start. Not only did I not get to sink myself inside my stunning wife, but I now have to deal with not one, but two of her exes.
“Where’s Madison?” Liam finally asks over the sound of the beans grinding.
“She and Lexi had some special event booked. I couldn’t tell you.” I shrug, not caring to turn around. My focus is on getting this espresso running through my veins before I deal with his mood swings— or mine.
“Lena knows something. She acted all coy this morning. You won’t see her for a while though, she’s sleeping in until lunch,” Killian announces, standing and taking one last sip of his coffee. “I think I’ll take a run on the beach before then. Cheers.”
I finish prepping my drink at the same time my head chef approaches me. “I could have made you one, Sir. Sorry, I was in the back room preparing lunch. Are you finished with the machine? Mrs. De La Cruz just rang and requested quad espressos be sent up.”
The corner of my lip raises, knowing my wife needs this more than I do. “It’s all yours.” I step aside. “Can you please make sure to send up some food as well? My wife tends to run on coffee and no food.”
She smiles in response, knowing all too well how us coffee addicts function. “Of course.”
Needing to address the elephant in the room, I take a seat in Killian’s vacant chair.
Raising the coffee mug to my lips, I take a sip before sighing loudly. “What’s up, Liam?”
He runs a hand over his face, scrubbing the sleep from his eyes. It appears he had zero last night. The question is, what kept him up? Madison or Lainey?
“Lainey won’t talk to me. I slept on the living room couch last night. She locked me out of the room. And for good reason. I was a complete arse.” His lips dip, forming a scowl .
“Can we be honest with each other? No bullshit. What’s holding you back from Lainey? Is it Madison?”
He looks at me, owning his emotions. “It is. You know how incredible she is. I’m having a difficult time letting her go. I won’t interfere. She chose you. I understand it. I’m just having a hard time digesting it, that's all. Lainey has been great for me. And as much as I wanted us to work… I realized I’m not really ready.”
“She is incredible, that we can both agree. I am sorry, Liam. If roles were reversed I’d be feeling the same way. I will say, after last night, I don’t know if I trust Lainey. I believe her true colors are shining through. You have known her longer than I have, so you may be the better judge of character here. There is just something about how she reacted to Madison that stems far beyond jealousy.”
Liam lowers his elbows to the granite and lowers his face into his hands. “If you asked me this a few weeks ago, I would have laughed in your face. After last night, I sort of agree,” he groans. He lifts his head to look at me. Pain clouds his eyes. “Honestly, staying single seems like the best option. I’ve got too much shit on my plate to be dealing with the drama. No one will compare to Madison. That’s a fact I am coming to terms with,” he sighs.
I pat his back twice, giving him my sympathy before standing. “I’ve got a few calls to make. I’ll be in my office if anyone needs me.”
Liam spins on his chair as I retreat. “ Diego .”
On a low sigh, I turn back around. Here we go…
“Promise me you’ll take care of her. I finally understand that Madison doesn’t need our help. She’s extremely independent. I fucked up by coddling her. Regardless, there will be moments when she burns herself out. Just promise me you’ll be there to catch her when she does.” His demand is full of raw emotion.
“I promise,” I state simply. I don’t need to tell Liam how much that woman means to me, or the lengths I would go to protect her.
He already knows.
And with that, I make my way towards the staircase.
“Sit your ass at the edge of the windowsill. I want one hand beside you gripping the edge…arch that back. Yes . Now, let your hair cascade down your back, lift that chin, and spread those legs slightly. Just enough to give me a tiny show. Exactly, Madison. Close your eyes and stay like that…” A chipper male voice is carrying down the hall as I approach my office.
Excuse me? My feet stop dead in their tracks. So that’s where they are. And who the fuck is coaching my woman, telling her to spread those gorgeous thighs?
Don’t do it… Don’t do it.
I try convincing myself to respect her boundaries. She said this was a surprise for me… I need to trust that. Kind of fucking hard to do when a man is telling your woman to spread her legs behind closed doors… Fuck it. A little check-in never hurt anyone.
My knuckles connect with the wooden door.
Footsteps approach before the door swings open. Barely enough for me to reach my arm in.
“Hi,” my wife chirps, acting all shy. Cute .
Madison looks drop-dead gorgeous. She’s always beautiful—with or without makeup—but whoever dolled her up today has her looking like a bombshell. A fluffy white bathrobe wraps around her body, hiding what is beneath—or lack thereof. I crane my neck over her to investigate the source of those words I heard. The ones only I should have the privilege of commanding.
“Was someone telling you to spread your gorgeous legs?” I smirk, giving off the vibe of relaxed yet intrigued. Deep down, I am actually the opposite, vibrating with raw possessiveness.
I can just barely make out a bunch of lingerie lining the bed as well as studio chairs set up. Makeup and hair products are scattered all over the table. Studio lights are set up in the corners of the room. Ahh . Unless they are shooting a porno, this appears to be one of those scandalous photoshoots. A dirty one.
My fists clench knowing another male is seeing my woman naked. I take a soothing breath through my nose. She agreed to be mine last night.
This woman is mine, I remind myself.
I trust her.
“Uhhh… yeah. But it’s not what you think. It’s the surprise I was talking about. You trust me, right?” Thick Disney Princess eyelashes flutter up at me as she bites her full lower lip.
My little butterfly is nervous, and it’s cute as hell.
Unable to help myself, I reach through the crack of the door and cup her face. “I do. You look beautiful. How’s the head?”
“ Much better. The pain relievers and quad espresso really helped,” she raves as she smiles up at me. Without hesitation, she leans into my touch as my thumb skims the smooth skin beneath her eye.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt, I just so happened to be heading to my office when I heard someone tell you to spread your legs…” I can’t help but smirk at this woman. She knows how possessive I can get.
“I would have bust the door down if roles were reversed. I’m impressed with your self-control,” she giggles. And I know my little butterfly would. You saw how she was with Red.
“There wasn’t much. Trust me, I wanted to. But marriage is about trust. After you confessed your love for me last night, I realized I’ve got nothing to worry about.” I wink, watching her eyes glaze over.
She’s totally swooning .
And looking incredibly fuckable right now.
Raising up onto her tiptoes, she leans over the threshold and kisses me. This kiss is all sorts of needy. And greedy. And dirty .
Christ, who am I ? Dr. Seuss? This woman has me so giddy, I’m now rhyming. So fucking be it.
I welcome her enthusiasm, opening my mouth and granting her tongue access to dance with mine. I groan internally. Any chance I can steal her away right now?
“Remember, we are all meeting for lunch poolside today,” she reminds me after breaking our passionate kiss. Her statement leaves me feeling like a true married couple.
“I’ll be there, baby.” I knock twice on the molding of the door before walking down the hallway to my office.
“Wait!” Her voice echoes down the hallway. I spin on my heel to greet her. The look of excitement lights up her face. “Do you need your office or can you do your work from somewhere else?” she questions as mischief dances in her eyes.
My eyebrow raises in question, curious what she is up to. “I don’t need it. Why?”
“I need to borrow it,” she states, a poker face sliding into place.
“What’s mine is yours, Mariposita . Have at it.” I shake my head, extremely amused. I stride towards her, biting down on my lip. She sways back and forth on her feet, eager to get back to whatever she’s planning.
I start to whistle on my way to the staircase.
Make it quick, Mariposita . I need to taste you.