Page 109 of Contract of a Billionaire
The reply was instant.
“We’re all set,” I told him smiling.
Alessio leaned over the car seat and I met him halfway, our mouths connecting. A soft, fleeting kiss. Yet, it rattled my soul unlike anything else before. Alessio’s arms rested behind our son’s car seat and reached behind me. His palm rested on my shoulders and his fingers played with my hair. Twisting it and untwisting it around his finger. And I enjoyed a small tingle that coursed through me as his driver drove us across town to my parents.
“Do you have to work today?” I murmured. “We could do something fun.”
His mouth curved. “Like what?”
I grinned. “I’m sure we could find something.”
My cheeks heated at the insinuation in my words. And I got confirmation of my blush when his thumb brushed over it.
“I have to fly to Philly this morning, but tomorrow, I’m all yours.”
“Promise.”
“Cross my heart, love,” I vowed. “How about we have your parents come to my estate? You can decide what room should be Kol’s. And the materials are being delivered today so I can build Kol the bed I promised him.”
Kol started flopping his legs and arms excitedly. “Airplane bed.”
“It’s a date,” I beamed. “The three of us tomorrow all day.”
* * *
I wouldn’t exactly sayI was nervous.
I wasn’t. But I did wish Branka was coming with us. She’d join us later with her man. Killian Brennan.
It sounded Irish, but what the fuck did I know?
I wore a red strapless cocktail dress that accentuated my curves. My hair fell down my back in soft curls and I even did my eyes with smoky eye shadow.
The moment Alessio saw me, the awed expression in his eyes told me he liked it.
His next words confirmed it. “Tell me you have red panties underneath that dress.”
He held Kol with his right arm so I took his left. “You’re gonna have to find out,” I told him playfully.
It took no time to get across town and leave Kol safely with my parents. It didn’t escape me that Alessio’s men lurked on each corner.
When we slid back into his Land Rover, I asked him casually, “Are your men always here?”
“Yes.”
I let out a small sigh but I said nothing else. My father probably noticed them. There was little that escaped him or Maman. Force of habit and years of practice. But if they didn’t complain, then neither would I.
The moment Alessio and I entered the large restaurant, the room quieted. The restaurant was decorated in gold and red and it had a festive motif. On the far right wall, a long glass bar stretched with a variety of drinks and a bartender ready to serve. In the center of the wall, there was a large television muted but the captions were too hard to see.
My eyes traveled over the room full of mobsters and their wives. They closed the entire restaurant to the public.
Alessio’s hand came around my waist and pulled me closer. It was all the assurance I needed. I knew he got me.
Cassio and Áine, along with Luciano and his wife, came up first.
“Nice to see you again,” Grace greeted me.
“Yes, long time no see,” Áine remarked teasingly. “It was only in June that we saw you. Seems so long ago.” They both seemed really happy to see me.
