“Sleeping. She was up all night.” Cesare answered, satisfied to see a twinge of guilt flash across Travis’s face.
“Handling animals isn’t really my thing.” Travis grimaced. “I love Sabrina, and it’s a good cause, but my skill set is definitely public relations and photography. If you’re already here, would you mind doing the tube? I can make the milkshake no problem.”
Under normal circumstances, Cesare would have told Travis to grow a pair or fuck off; in legalese. But Travis was the only one awake who knew how to make the milkshake, and waking Sabrina up was not an option.
“Sounds good.” Cesare nodded, giving a reluctant nod. “I’ll get suited up.”
Travis left as soon as they finished feeding Freckles, mumbling something about going to see Marie at Society.
Cesare wondered if Travis was possibly filling in for Sabrina but didn’t care enough to ask. Cesare locked the door behind Travis, frowning at how loose the doorknob was. He did a second check on Freckles, who seemed to be happily napping, before walking back to the private office.
To his surprise, Sabrina was sitting up attempting to rub the sleep out of her eyes. He leaned against the side of the doorway, watching as she reoriented herself to the room. She frowned atthe empty chair he had vacated. Cesare waited silently until her sleep glazed eyes landed on him, and he took absolute pleasure in the way she softly lit up. Forhim.
“Hey.” She croaked out, followed by a rueful smile. She gave a slight shiver as she rubbed her arms. The movement drew his attention to her swaying breasts and he blinked at the sight of her sweet little nipples poking out from beneath the thin fabric of her shirt.
“Are you cold?” He asked, looking back up to her face.
“Maybe.” She gave a sheepish smile as she pulled the blankets closer to her.
He swallowed wordlessly, closing the door behind him just in case Travis and his keys decided to return before eleven.
“You stayed.” She smiled softly, lying back in bed and curling back into the covers of the bed.
“You fainted.” He frowned. “I was worried.”
She shrugged as she gave a wide yawn, stretching before curling up in a ball again. “I just closed my eyes is all.” She quipped.
Cesare gave her a pointed look, unamused. “Does that happen often?” He asked, walking towards the bed, unable to stay away from her.
“Only if I forget to eat or sleep. But usually I’m alone when it happens. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you.” She answered, flushing pink with embarrassment.
Cesare wanted to say, “You need to befed. You need abedtime. You need someone to tell youno. You need a daddy to tell people toleave you alonewhen they expect more of you than you should give.”
But Cesare didn’t want to scare her off, so he settled for, “You should eat something. I brought you breakfast burritos.”
Her beautiful eyes widened, and she nodded excitedly. “That sounds amazing.”
“Good.” Cesare nodded, standing up. “I’ll reheat them.”
Sabrina shook her head. “I don’t mind eating them cold. I’m not picky.”
“Sabrina.” His voice was low and guttural. “I’m not feeding you cold takeout.”
She blinked, eyes glossing over, and then blinked again. “Okay. Thank you.” She answered quietly.
He squeezed her hand before letting go. “The pleasure is mine. I’ll be back in a few minutes. In the meantime, I want you to rest and relax.” Cesare paused. “Can you do that for me until I return, tesoro?”
Sabrina nodded with flushed cheeks.
“Good girl.” He nodded and turned to leave the room.
“Cesare?” She called after him.
He turned back, meeting Sabrina’s gaze.
“What does ‘tesoro’ mean?” She asked curiously.
Cesare eyed her for a moment, his expression slightly guarded but tender. “It means treasure.” He answered.
