Chapter 25
CHANTEL
I wake up groggy, trying to make sense of the man-sized body pillow I’m hugging. But when I open my eyes, I realize it’s not just a hug.
I’m clinging to him.
One leg is draped over his while my arm stretches across his chest, gripping him like I’ve taken him captive. It can’t possibly be comfortable, and I’m horrified that I have no idea how long I’ve held him hostage. But when I peek up at his face, I’m relieved to see his eyes are closed.
God, how embarrassing.
He’d probably think he needs to take out a restraining order if he woke up and saw me like this.
I slowly try to extricate myself, but his arm tightens around me as I do.
Okay, so he was awake. Now I need a sinkhole to swallow me up so I can forget this ever happened.
“Where are you going, gattina?” He glances up at me.
“I have to…shower.”
Reading my panic, he lets me scramble away and hide in the bathroom.
I turn on the shower and step inside, hoping it will wash away my shame.
Cristian gives me about five minutes before he joins me, approaching with the kind of caution people reserve for skittish animals. But when his palm spans my abdomen, and he pulls me back against him, there’s not a single part of me that wants to resist.
“Why did you run away?” he murmurs against my cheek.
“I don’t know how that happened,” I blurt. “I must have attacked you in my sleep.”
Amusement rumbles in his chest, and I shake my head.
“It’s not funny. I really didn’t mean to—”
“Chantel.” He turns me in his arms and lifts my chin to meet his gaze. “Why are you apologizing?”
“I don’t know.” I hesitate. “It feels…invasive.”
“You slept on me before,” he reminds me.
“Yes, but this time you had no option to escape.”
A smile teases his lips. “I wasn’t complaining.”
“Well, maybe you should be. I can direct you to the nearest police station if you’d like to file a report.”
“Or we could try it again tonight, minus the part where you freak out in the morning,” he suggests.
“You can’t possibly have enjoyed that,” I answer skeptically.
“Consider this your open invitation. Feel free to sit, ride, or lie on me whenever the mood strikes.”
“So what you’re telling me is you’re a versatile piece of furniture.”
Warmth melts into his eyes as his thumb grazes my cheek. “For you, yes.”
“I don’t know how to do any of this,” I confess.
“We’ll figure it out together,” he assures me.
“Have you ever done that before?”
I mean for it to sound casual, but a spark of jealousy flares as I imagine him with someone else.
“I’ve never slept beside another woman before you.”
Relief swells in my chest, but it’s more than that.
I like being the first.
“So why aren’t you freaking out?” I ask.
“è esattamente dove ti voglio.”
“I don’t speak Italian,” I remind him for the thousandth time.
“I know.”
“We’re back to being cryptic, I see.”
A hint of humor flickers in his eyes as he reaches for the shampoo and squeezes some into his palm.
He lathers it into my hair, and it’s a strange concept, allowing someone to do this for me, but it also feels too good to protest. So I let him.
When he slides his fingers between my thighs and makes me come, I let that happen too. But when I try to reciprocate, he wraps my wandering hands around his back and presses my face against his chest.
“Sometimes it’s just about you, dea.”
I concede because I know he has to get to work, but I’m already thinking of how I can make it up to him later.
“You’re never going to believe what happened,” Kenzie whisper-hisses through the screen.
“What?” I nibble on a cracker.
Her brows knit together as her gaze darts behind me. “What is that sound?”
“Oh, that’s Goliath. He snores.”
“Goliath?”
“Yep.” I tilt the screen to show her the dog currently sprawled across my lap. “He belongs to Cristian’s cousin, but he’s my buddy when Cristian has to work late.”
“Well, that should be a good deterrent.” She laughs.
“Trust me, he’s more terrifying than he looks. The first time I met him, I thought he might eat me for a snack.”
She nods absently. “What’s going on with you and Cristian anyway? Things got super tense last night.”
“Nuh-uh.” I shake my head. “You were just about to tell me some big news, remember?”
“Ugg, fine,” she groans. “Tiffany got fired in front of everyone. You should have seen the absolute terror she unleashed. She tipped over a vanity and threw a stiletto at Viktor’s head before security dragged her out.”
“Wait, what?” I nearly choke on my cracker. “Why did she get fired?”
“Something about her not being professional.” Kenzie shrugs. “Which, honestly, it’s been a long time coming.”
As she adds more details about Tiffany’s epic tantrum, my thoughts drift. This can’t be a coincidence.
“Ah, shoot,” she says. “Ten-minute warning. I have to go finish getting ready.”
“Alright, well thanks for the update.”
“Yep. By the way, no notes today. Kind of weird, right?”
“That is weird,” I agree, wondering if Cristian found a way to intercept them.
We say a quick goodbye, and I consider texting Cristian, but ultimately I decide to call him instead. He answers, telling me to hold on a second, then I get an incoming FaceTime request from him.
I accept it, and a second later, we’re on a video call.
“Is everything okay, gattina?”
Concern lingers in his eyes as he searches mine, but I’m distracted by the giant conference table full of men in the background.
“Are you in the middle of a meeting?”
“Yes, but it can wait.”
“It’s not anything emergent,” I say, stunned that he dropped everything to answer my call. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize—”
“Don’t be sorry.” He steps out into what looks like a corridor. “Tell me why you called.”
“Cristian, please go back to your meeting. I’ll talk to you tonight.”
“Chantel.” His voice deepens, taking on that authoritarian edge I like entirely too much.
“I was just going to ask if you had Tiffany fired. It can wait until you get home.”
A flicker of satisfaction washes over him at the mention of the word home—like it’s ours now. Heat flushes beneath my skin as that Freudian slip settles between us, but fortunately, Cristian doesn’t call me out on it.
“To answer your question, yes,” he says. “I did have Tiffany fired.”
“Why?”
“Because she fucked with you.” His eyes flash. “And nobody fucks with my wife.”
My heart skips a beat, and I will it to calm the hell down.
“You really are committed to that bit,” I mumble, not knowing what else to say.
There was no love lost between Tiffany and me, and after what she did, I’m not sure I should find it in me to care. But there’s also way too much to overanalyze here.
Is this a romantic gesture? Protective? Or did she just annoy Cristian too?
I have no idea.
“Was there anything else?” he asks.
I drag my teeth over my lip, not wanting to take up more of his time, but of course, he notices.
“Tell me,” he insists.
“Are you having someone intercept the notes from the stalker?”
“When more arrive, they’ll be delivered to me,” he confirms.
“So there were none today?”
He registers the concern in my eyes and does his best to reassure me. “Not today. But we’ll find him soon.”
“It’s weird, though,” I point out. “He’s been leaving them consistently, and now nothing. Do you think he figured out there are cameras?”
“No,” he answers without hesitation. “He’ll never find those.”
He seems confident, and I’m sure it’s because the Vitales have access to surveillance I’d rather not think about.
“Okay, well I’ll let you get back to work. Sorry for interrupting you.”
“You saved me from an endless monologue. Feel free to do it again.”
“In that case, you’re welcome.” I offer him a soft smile.
“I’ll see you tonight.” His voice dips. “And, Chantel?”
“Yes?” My pulse stutters.
“Be good today.”