Cassandra Moretti might be an actual saint. In the time we’ve known each other, the woman has gone out of her way to befriend and support me. At first, I thought it might be because I helped her give birth. But after all this time, I think she might just bethatnice.
But then, sometimes, she gives me a look that reminds me that she’s married to an ex-don.
“You absolutely will not.”
“Cas…”
“You’ve barely been out of this house since Irina was born. You need to take some time for yourself.”
I roll my eyes at her. “I do take time for myself.”
“Working does not count!” Cas snaps. She’d been horrified when I’d admitted I had no intention of taking maternity after Irina was born.
But my office ishere.Teo has more tech here than most large-scale corporations, and it is right at my fingertips. It’s all just odd jobs, anyway—things I can easily complete while Irina sleeps or Teo allows himself an afternoon off.
Besides, I like the work. Plus, the more I do, the less that will be on Teo’s plate, which means I actually have time to see him.
Neither of us truly expected how difficult an alliance between the Prince’s Hand and the Guild would be. The stress on Teo, especially these last couple of days, has been, well…
“Teo needs a night off too, remember? Don’t bail on him now,” Cas says firmly.
There’s no real room to protest that. So I sigh in resignation. “All right. But you’ll call me if anything goes wrong?”
I lean in, and we kiss on either cheek before I press a final kiss to Irina’s forehead.
“Nothing will go wrong,” Cas reassures me before an odd expression flashes across her face. I don’t have a chance to think about it before she’s ushering me out the front door. “Just have a good night, okay?”
“If you and Rocco ever need a babysitter?—”
“Go already!”
She all but shoves me out the front door and slams it behind me.
I smile to myself. She’s a force of nature, really.
“We don’t need to go out if Cas bullied you into it.”
I turn on the alarm to see Teo waiting for me, leaning as elegantly as ever against the sports car. Sometimes, I think helikes to match his suits to his cars. My gaze lingers on the flash of skin revealed beneath his dark collar.
“I thought Martino was picking me up?” I make my way down the steps toward him.
“I had a bit of time to spare. Thought I’d save him the trouble.”
I eye him suspiciously before greeting him with a chaste kiss. “When have you ever had spare time?”
“For you, my love, I would spare all the time in the world.” He returns my kiss with a longer one. A deeper one. One that makes me consider dragging him back inside and asking Cas to take the kids to her place.
It’s a distraction, and we both know it. But that doesn’t stop me from enjoying it.
“In that case, can we finally talk about upgrading your central processing unit because if I have to do another job where I’m waiting for the damn thing to keep up with me?—”
He silences me with another kiss. “I said I have time foryou.Not work.”
I hum happily. “Where are you taking me, Vitale?”
“You’re not getting anything out of me.” He pulls away somewhat reluctantly before opening the car door for me. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”
The journey is swift, and Teo keeps his hand on my knee most of the way. It’s almost as if he’s reluctant to let go of me for even a second.
