Chapter 30
Tony laughed, slapping Sal’s shoulder before turning away. “We need to figure out the Copenhagen deal,” he called out, still chuckling at the sight of Catarina scurrying out of the house like she’d just robbed the cookie jar.
Sal didn’t answer as the two of them walked back to his office. He was still wondering, jaw tight, the ghost of that too-brief kiss burning against his mouth. He thought about calling her back, tossing her over his shoulder and making love to her until she couldn’t walk straight.
But that would be stupid.
First, he thought about the expression in her eyes a moment ago. Excitement. Maybe even triumph. But there’d been something else flickering there too—guilt. He dismissed it almost immediately. Catarina was too sweet, too innocent to be guilty of anything. Right?
Then again, she’d kissed him first.
That thought alone made his blood heat. She’d never initiated before—not really. The brownies in his office had been her version of bold, but that had still been tentative, shy. This kiss had been impulsive, hungry. And then she’d bolted.
Hell, he wanted her back.
“You’re not paying attention, are you?” Tony interrupted.
Sal turned his head slowly, rubbing a hand over his face. “No. Why are you bothering me?”
“Because you’re the genius behind our success and a master strategist,” Tony replied dryly. “If you don’t figure out this next step, the Copenhagen guys are going to push you to the point where you walk away.”
“Would that be a bad thing?” Sal asked, his voice gruff. “Seems like this deal is becoming more annoying than it’s worth.”
Tony leaned back, all casual confidence. “It is. But getting that factory up and running is the next step in pushing our new computer chips out to the market. You need this Copenhagen factory.”
Sal knew he was right. He always was. Sal was the strategist while Tony was brilliant at making the strategy work.
But Sal’s mind wasn’t on business right now.
His thoughts kept drifting back to Catarina.
To her laugh. To the way she’d looked at him this morning when she thought he wasn’t paying attention.
“Where was Catarina going?” he asked suddenly.
Tony blinked, then smirked. “I’m sorry?”
“Where was my wife heading when she left a few minutes ago?”
Tony rolled his eyes like the world’s most patient babysitter. “She went to the grocery store.”
“Why?” Sal pressed.
“Why what?”
“Why did Catarina need to drive to the grocery store?” Sal demanded, his voice sharpening. “Barbara keeps the kitchen stocked like a five-star restaurant. What the hell could she possibly need that wasn’t already here?”
Tony gave a lazy shrug, his mouth twitching. “No idea. Why don’t you ask her yourself? She just got back.”
Sal’s eyes narrowed on his second-in-command, suspicious now. How the hell did Tony know she was back already? The house wasn’t just soundproofed, it was damn near impenetrable. No way he could have heard the car roll in.
But before he could call him on it, Sal saw it. Out the window. His pretty, sweet, sexy wife was scurrying—no, sneaking—around the side of the house. And she was carrying something. Something big.
“What the hell?”
Tony smirked, unbothered as always. “It’s a dog. And puppies.”
Sal whipped his head toward him. “What?”
“Four of them,” Tony said smoothly, as if he’d been waiting for this exact moment.
“Little mutts. Mama showed up here about three weeks ago, pregnant and about to pop. She was dehydrated, exhausted. Guards brought her food and water, set her up in one of the old sheds. She gave birth several nights ago, but she kept sneaking out of the shed. Apparently, there’s a soft depression near the bushes in the back that the momma dog likes. ”
“Why the hell is my wife taking care of it now?” Sal snapped, fury and frustration bubbling together. He didn’t like being left out of the loop, didn’t like that everyone else—including his second—apparently knew more about this situation than he did.
It wasn’t her sudden absence that rattled him. He didn’t care that Catarina had gone out on her own. In fact, he loved it. Loved that she felt safe enough in his world to step beyond the house, to stretch her wings. That was progress.
So why the hell did it feel like something was missing the second she was gone?
It hit him like a sucker punch—he’d missed her.
Missed her laugh, the way her eyes danced when she teased him, the way she’d barged into his office and slammed the door like she owned the place.
He’d even missed her stubborn streak, the way she could rile him up and melt him down all in the same damn breath.
And he adored that she’d learned to make his favorite dessert.
Brownies. Something so simple, yet she’d beamed when she’d handed them over like she was giving him a crown.
Every day, every daring little thing she did, he fell harder for his adorable wife.
His sweet, shy wife was coming out of her shell, and it was intoxicating.
Right now, he wanted nothing more than to follow her, catch her sneaking around with those damn puppies, and hear her chatter about them.
But his mind went somewhere else—dangerously fast. To her body spread across his desk earlier.
To the way he’d been too lost in her to even think about protection, something he’d never forgotten before.
The thought of Catarina carrying his child hit him square in the gut.
And damned if the idea didn’t ignite something raw and possessive inside him.
“She thinks we don’t know about the puppies,” Tony cut in, snapping him back. “That’s why she’s sneaking around the side of the house.”
Sal narrowed his eyes. “What’s in her arms now?” he demanded, watching her haul another giant bundle around the side of the house.
“My guess?” Tony tilted his head, unbothered. “Dog food. Puppy food. Probably a couple squeaky toys too. Maybe some treats.”
Sal’s voice was a growl. “Why the hell are the dogs still down in that old building? Why is my wife trudging back and forth to take care of them? Bring the damn things up here where she doesn’t have to freeze her ass off.”
Tony just smirked. “Because she thinks you don’t like dogs.” He strolled to the doorway, and for a moment Sal waited for a sharp jab or a sarcastic parting shot. But instead, Tony only shook his head with a smug grin and walked out.
Turning, Sal spotted Barbara at the stove, stirring a pot like she hadn’t heard every word. He wasn’t fooled.
“You know about the puppies too?” he demanded.
Barbara’s mouth twitched, then she sighed and gestured to a cooling rack. “I looked up recipes for organic treats for them.”
Sal’s chest rumbled with something between a laugh and a snarl. Everyone knew. Everyone but him. He’d been so wrapped up in guarding her body, in chasing her laughter, in drowning in her damn kisses, he’d missed the smaller things. The things that made her happy.
Why hadn’t she told him? Why had she felt the need to hide it?
Because she was still afraid of his reaction.
The realization tasted bitter. If she was afraid of him, then she didn’t trust him. And if she didn’t trust him, then she sure as hell couldn’t love him.
Sal’s jaw hardened, his shoulders squaring as the decision crystallized in his mind.
Trust. No more fear. Those were his new goals. He’d earn them if it killed him. And God help anyone—man, beast, or ghost of a bastard father—who tried to get in his way.