“Any amendments can be negotiated on a case-by-case basis.” Cesare answered easily.
“What if I say no to spankings and no to bed?” She asked, confused at the arousal in her voice, and the warmth weaving through her.
Cesare pulled a burrito out of the microwave and put it on another paper towel. He looked back up at Sabrina with that tender expression again and answered in a gentle tone. “You need someone to take care of you, tesoro. Youdeservesomeone who takes care of you. But if you don’t want me to do that, I can go back to the hotel.”
He wasn’t threatening to leave, and he wasn’t giving her an ultimatum. He was telling her what he wanted, what he was offering, and it was up to her if she wanted to accept.
Sabrina was no stranger to defining moments; moments that shifted the course of a lifetime; moments that irrevocably ended the life that was, whilst creating something new and different ahead.
The gravity of such a moment tugged Sabrina closer as she slowly approached Cesare. He remained still, his eyes watching every movement she made. She came to a stop directly in front of him and slowly leaned up on tiptoes to place a soft kiss against his cheek.
She watched the muscles of his throat as he swallowed thickly, eyes ablaze as he tilted his head to watch her.
“I’ll be back in bed in 4 minutes.” She acquiesced, leaving the kitchen with a swing in her hips.
Sabrina walked through the recovery room, checking on her furry and feathered friends, relieved to see everyone was doing well. She spent an extra minute at Freckles’ pen, relieved to see the pup was much more alert than he’d been during the night.
She left the main area and sauntered down the back hallway, pausing at the threshold to the office.
She’d all but grown up here. The two desks against the wall had once belonged to her parents. She had memories of taking long naps and playing a variety of games in a hand-me-down pack-n-play in this very room. When she was a little older, Brooke had gone into the pack-n-play, and Sabrina had been upgraded to a miniature desk painted in purple glitter paint.
A young Sabrina had promptly covered the desk in Lisa Frank dolphin stickers and pictures from the local science museum.
Now, her childhood bed was in its place, and her mother’s desk had become Sabrina’s own. Brooke was now in an undisclosed location in the middle of an unknown ocean.
Cesare sat in her desk chair looking like he owned the building and everything in it. Sabrina’s heart skipped a beat and then slowly settled at the visual.
“What time is it?” She asked.
He gave her a proud smile that wrapped itself around her heart and squeezed. “It’s 9:32.” He nodded towards the bed.
“I don’t like eating food in the bed.” She wrinkled her nose, eyeing the burrito on the desk.
“Come, take a seat then.” Cesare answered, leaning back in the chair and patting a thigh with a roughish grin.
She gave a small chuckle and walked over, sitting sideways across his lap and relaxing into his chest. She happily melted into the feeling of his arms wrapping around her.
“Are you comfortable?” He asked, amusement coloring his tone.
She gave a quiet nod, and a tinge of pink spread across her cheeks as her expression softened. “I like this.” She murmured, eyeing him closely.
Cesare grunted. “That’s good.” He picked up the burrito and held it up to her mouth. She eyed the offering with a serious expression before looking up to meet his gaze.
“You like to feed me.” She whispered.
Cesare swallowed, nodding.
“Do you feed all your girls?” She arched a brow.
“I’ve wanted it before, but you’d be the first, tesoro.”
Sabrina leaned forward, taking the proffered bite, and chewed in contented silence as she gazed across the familiar sight of the harbor. Cesare’s body relaxed beneath her own, and he rested his head on top of hers. The redhead swallowed the bite and took another, feeling the warmth of his body seeping into hers. Sabrina hadn’t even realized she was cold.
“Why?” She asked.
“Why do I want to feed you?” Cesare clarified, soothing a hand up and down her back.
Sabrina nodded silently as she continued to chew.
