Chapter 19
HUDSON
Ihold out my hand to Andrea; she grabs it tightly as she steps out of the Jeep, her black stilettos hitting the gravel. I should’ve warned her about the terrain, but those heels are sexy as hell, so I don’t regret it. She has impossibly long legs for someone of a petite stature. I have to check myself before she catches me staring. I give her hand a short squeeze and nod at Tanner as he gets out of the car and locks it. He’ll follow behind us discreetly.
“Oh, look at the colors,” Andrea breathes out, and I glance at where she’s looking: the orchard of cherry blossoms. She looks absolutely to die for–no, to kill for–in that cherry red dress. The full skirt conceals just enough of her curves to keep me from getting jealous of anyone walking behind us, but it displays a canvas of her impeccable decolletage for my personal enjoyment. Her hair is pulled up high on her head, revealing her slender neck. I have to restrain the urge to run my hands over it.
“You like them?”
“They’re beautiful,” she answers, drawing her neck back to admire the trees as we walk under the canopy that the drooping branches form. A soft breeze blows, pushing the loose strands of her hair out of her face. Gorgeous.
“Oh my,” she murmurs, raising the palm of her free hand up to catch a few petals of cherry blossoms as they flutter down.
“You know what they say happens when you catch cherry blossom petals before sunrise?” I ask.
“No, what?” She glances at me, her eyes brimming with curiosity. My brain momentarily goes blank. In this lighting, her skin looks pale and luminous, the blackness of her hair a phenomenal contrast with her deep blue eyes. She’s absolutely breathtaking. “What?” she repeats, nudging me with her shoulder.
I glance away from her, clearing my throat. “When you catch the petals before sunrise, you fall irrevocably in love with the person you’re with.”
She gasps quite dramatically. “No, that”s not true.” She tosses the petals in her hand away as if they’ve personally offended her.
It isn’t true, but I smirk, “It is. You can google it.”
“I would, but I don’t have a phone.” She glares at me. That’s why I suggested it; antagonizing her is proving to be one of my favorite pastimes.
“Fix your expression, wife. You look like you want to punch me in the face,” I murmur, unable to resist dropping my face into her hair. It’s as soft as it looks. There’s a hitch in her steps and she glances up at me with a strange expression. “Fix your face,” I repeat.
The annoyed expression is wiped away and replaced with a soft smile, but fuck, her eyes blaze with a thousand fires. “This good enough for you, sweet cheeks?”
I grin and say, “You’re perfect.”
We walk past the orchard and I lead her down the curved path that ends at the pond, our final destination. Before we can get there, I see movement in my peripheral vision. I squeeze her hand. “You’re about to put your acting skills to the test, pet. Be lively.”
She doesn’t get a chance to reply because Jackson is now within earshot. He’s one of my longest standing foot soldiers. He’s willing to get his hands dirty, but doesn’t mind menial tasks like overseeing the security of this park on specific days.
His inability to show discretion is one of the reasons he’s yet to be promoted and the main reason I’ve brought Andrea here this morning. “Massimo. I don’t think there’s been an incident here. You rarely come here in person,” he states, staring at Andrea curiously before his gaze holds mine.
“Not at all. This place is such a pleasure before the afternoon rush. I wanted to show mio cucciolina.” My little cub. I raise Andrea’s hand up to brush my lips against the soft skin. She narrows her eyes even though her lips tug up into a smile, no doubt for Jackson’s benefit.
“Oh,” he answers, his eyes darting to Andrea and back to mine. He’s burning with curiosity but knows better than to outright ask. Nobody questions me.
“This is my wife, Andrea,” I announce with relish.
She giggles, hitting my chest playfully. “Oh, stop. You haven’t even popped the question yet. You’ve been keeping me in suspense, baby.” Fuck. The way she said that so easily turns me on and makes me wary. She’s a dangerous woman, my wife.
“Who knows love, you might get some special jewelry tonight.” I wink and she giggles, her cheeks actually going red. Quite the little actress.
“Oh, I didn’t realize. It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am,” Jackson gushes, pushing his hand out for a shake but he drops it when I glare at him. “I’ll get out of your hair so you can enjoy your time alone. Be sure to check out the orchard,” he says and jogs away. Off to spread the good news.
“You didn’t have to glower at that poor man simply because he wanted to shake my hand. That’s what people do when they meet someone new.”
“You’re mine. Nobody touches what’s mine. Ever.” The last part is a little sharper than I had intended. I glance at Andrea to gauge her reaction. She frowns, but her eyes are dilated. Does she like that?
“Whatever. We’re not really together,” she snaps. I smile at her as I lead her to the bench in front of the pond.
“Maybe not, pet. But the contract you signed is binding. For better or for worse, your ass is mine for the next year.”
She drops my hand as she marches to the pond, and I let her go. As much as I want to shackle her to my side and never let her leave my sight, she’s a strong, independent woman who needs her space. It is one of the many reasons I had picked her. I watch her graceful steps as she impressively maneuvers her four-inch heels over the rocky path. I expect her to just admire the view; but she doesn’t stop, walking right into what I suspect is icy cold water, shoes and all. What the hell. “Andrea!” I call, quickening my strides when her head disappears under water.
The pond is barely five feet deep, but a pang of fear still shoots through me as I start wading through the frigid water. She resurfaces in front of me, gasping when she sees how close I am. “What are you doing?” she asks.
“What are you doing? What the hell, Andrea?” I snap, raising my hands to her shoulders to give her a not so gentle shake. Her eyes go to a spot behind me, and she sidles closer to me pressing the wet front of her dress into mine as she whispers in my ear.
“Easy baby. We have company.” Her cool lips graze the shell of my ears and despite the chilly condition of the water, my cock stiffens. I glance back to see Isaac. He knows this is fake, but Andrea doesn’t know it, so I take advantage, running my hand down her back to press her even closer to me so she can feel my erection.
“It’s okay. He’s one of mine.,” I murmur, dropping my head towards her neck. Her little shiver snaps me out of my dirty thoughts. Fuck, she must be cold. With a curse, I lift her into my arms and walk out of the water.
“What is it, Isaac?” I ask as I settle Andrea on the bench to cover her with my suit jacket, but promptly scoop her back up to get out of here; she must be freezing.
“A situation has come up,” he explains in Italian.
“We’ll discuss it at home,” I tell him, lengthening my strides when a full body shiver racks through Andrea. At this point, her teeth are chattering. By the time the car gets into view, Tanner materializes from behind us to get the door, and I bundle her in.
When I close the door, Isaac’s staring at me with an indecipherable expression. “At home,” I repeat, not caring to have a conversation now when my mind is on Andrea. I round the car and take my seat next to her. As soon as I close the door, Tanner starts the car and drives off.
“Your s–seatbelt,” Andrea stammers, and I draw the damned thing over my body.
“Crank the heat,” I instruct Tanner before turning to face Andrea. “Damned fool woman. Why did you jump into the water?”
“I d–didn’t jump. I walked in,” she corrects me, and I narrow my eyes. “You were making me mad,” she says, like that explains anything.
“Fucking hell, Andrea. Don’t do that again.”
“I won’t,” she assures me, her shivers subsiding from the heat blasting in the car. “I didn’t realize it would be that cold.”
I shake my head at her. This woman will be the death of me. But fuck if I’m not loving every second of it.