AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I was going as his ghostwriter, and based on what he’d just said, his date. Maybe this once, I’d just enjoy the moment. It wasn’t often that a billionaire wanted to treat you to a night out dressed to the nines.
“Fine,” I said, closing my eyes to simply enjoy what was left of the day. I didn’t want to think anymore, or worry, or wonder.
The sun started to dip low in the sky, and Nico turned the boat around to head back to the harbor. There was enough of a bite in the air that Grady and I headed below deck to wrap up in a blanket.
As I snuggled my sweet boy, loving how his hair smelled of ocean air and happiness, I kissed the top of his head, privately smiling to myself. “Did you have fun today?” I asked.
“The best, Mama,” Grady answered, and I could hear the smile in his tone. “Nico says we can take the boat out whenever we want as long as the weather is good.”
I bit my lip, tempted to gently correct Grady but decided to leave it alone. No sense in ruining a great day with reality. “It sounded like Nico was teaching you all about sailing. I never knew you were into sailboats that much.”
“I love sailboats, Mama, but it’s not like one would fit in our yucky apartment so I didn’t say anything.”
“Our apartment is not yucky,” I admonished while rocking him gently. “We love our apartment. It’s our home.”
“It smells and there’re bugs,” Grady said. “Can we move? Nico says we should, and I think he’s right.”
“Well, Nico has his opinion but we have to get back to our life at some point, and I’m sure Nico will be ready to have his spare bedroom back.”
“Nico doesn’t care. He said if I wanted I could decorate the room any way I like. He said he has an interior decorator who could do whatever I want within a day.”
“That’s silly,” I said, troubled by Nico’s promises. “There’s no point in redecorating a room that we’re only going to be in temporarily.”
Grady shrugged. “Nico says it’s no big deal. He’ll just change it back when we leave.”
I supposed that was true. Nico was fairly nonchalant about throwing money around, but I didn’t think it was healthy for Grady to assume that money grew on Donato trees.
“How about this...when we get back home, we’ll give your room a makeover. Fresh coat of paint, any color you like, and we’ll work together on a theme. It’ll be a fun project for us.”
“Can Nico help?”
Okay, this was going too far. Grady was obviously too enamored with Nico for my comfort. I gently turned Grady to face me. “Honey, I know Nico is lots of fun and he’s been super nice to us, but as soon as I finish the job our lives will return to normal, and normal doesn’t include Nico.”
Grady’s expression darkened as his little face screwed into a frown. “I don’t want to go back to life without Nico.”
“Well, I can’t do anything about that,” I said frankly. “Nico isn’t part of our family.”
“He could be.”
Frustrated by my inability to communicate to Grady what I was trying to say, I just exhaled and let it go. “We’ll talk about it later. You’re tired and getting grouchy. You need dinner, a bath and then bed. It’s been a busy day.”
Grady folded his arms across his chest, still scowling. “I’m not tired. You’re just changing the subject. Auntie Claire says that’s called defecting.”
Oh, Auntie Claire. I am going to duct tape your mouth shut one of these days. I cleared my throat and tried to smile as I corrected Grady. “Actually, the word you’re looking for is deflecting, and I’m not doing that, I’m simply stating facts. Besides, that conversation was over.”
“But I still want to talk about it.”
“Sorry. I’m pulling rank. Conversation over.”
I thought Grady might argue some more, but he seemed to get the hint that I wasn’t going to budge.
It was dark by the time we were back to the apartment, and in spite of his protests, Grady was asleep against Nico’s shoulder. Thankfully, I’d foreseen this problem and had Grady eat on the boat while we made it back to the dock, but I wouldn’t be able to give him a bath as I’d hoped.
I went to take my son from Nico’s arms, but he waved me away and took Grady to the bedroom himself. He laid Grady gently on the bed and, after removing his shoes, tucked him into bed.
Fully clothed.
“He needs pajamas,” I told Nico, shaking my head with a small smile at how clueless Nico truly was around kids, but it was cute how he’d tried. I made quick work of getting Grady into pajamas and within minutes he was snuggled deep into the blankets, dead to the world.
I found Nico in the kitchen throwing together a small cheese and cracker platter to share with a bottle of wine he had decanted.
I was hungry but I knew the wine would just knock me out. “I’m exhausted,” I admitted, selecting a wedge of cheese and a cracker to munch. “I think I’ll just shower and head to bed. Thanks for the awesome day.”
But Nico wasn’t going to let me slink off, and I think a part of me knew that. He grasped my hand and pulled me to him. “I’ve waited all day to taste those lips again and I’m not going to bed without it.”
I sank against him, his lips finding mine. There was something so perfect about the way we fit together—as if I were coming home after a long journey—and I was just as eager to sink into the familiar.
“How about I draw a bath for the two of us?” he suggested. “I’ll wash your back, you wash mine?”
His suggestion was cute, but I already knew that if our naked bodies were in close proximity, we were having sex at some point and I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open.
Although a bath sounded fantastic, I thought we both could use some distance. I needed to remind myself that Nico wasn’t part of my future and it was foolhardy to pretend otherwise, especially when Grady was already too attached.
“Tempting,” I said, pulling away. “But I think I’ll just go to bed.”
Nico frowned but nodded. I could tell he had more he wanted to say, but he didn’t and I was grateful. I didn’t have the energy to explain what was going through my head, especially when I sensed that Nico wasn’t going to see things my way.
I closed the bedroom door softly behind me and exhaled a long breath. Even though fatigue dragged on my bones, a sense of emptiness went deeper. Nico and I had had sex this morning, but my body ached to feel him inside me, even if it were only a quickie.
See? This is a problem.
When the idea of climbing into bed with Nico and falling asleep in his arms sounded like heaven...yeah, that was a big problem.
Seemed Grady wasn’t the only one skipping past the warning signs, headed straight for the chasm of heartbreak.
Stripping down to a T-shirt, I climbed into bed next to Grady and pressed a soft kiss on his forehead before snuggling down to close my eyes.
Careful, Lauren...you’re about to fall—hard.
Or maybe I already had.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Nico
I WAS NERVOUS.
I adjusted my cuff links for the tenth time in as many minutes. Lauren hadn’t come out of the bedroom yet.
Did she hate the dress? I’d personally picked out the style, but what if it wasn’t to her liking? I would’ve rather taken her with me so she could model each selection, but I knew she’d never agree and I wasn’t about to risk our date.
Grady was with his grandmother—a decision Lauren agonized over to the point that she almost backed out—and tonight I was going to show Lauren what it was like to be pampered.
If she ever comes out of the bedroom, that is.
My heart leaped into my throat as the door slowly opened and Lauren stepped out tentatively as if she had something to worry about.
I lost my ability to breathe.
“You’re fucking stunning,” I said, my voice trembling in an unmanly fashion. I cleared my throat and tried again, saying, “Truly stunning.”
