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“Sweetheart?” he pressed.
“It’s nice hearing you knock…” My eyes shifted back to his face again, seeing those pretty eyes set in a hard face. He didn’t shave so his beard was coming in, but the hair couldn’t disguise the sharp lines of his jaw. “I never had those kinds of freedoms before. Now I do…”
His eyes fell in sadness as his hand moved to the back of my head. He pulled me in for a kiss, giving me a soft embrace on my lips. He felt me for an instant, his mouth taking the lead as he guided me into a deep kiss.
All thought ceased to exist in my mind.
He pulled away, affection in his look. “A woman like you shouldn’t have to be grateful for that.” He tucked my hair behind my ear then moved his hand to my waist. He’d been busy working the last couple of days, taking care of a new model that he was releasing. He went into his office, and I didn’t see him much.
“I know.” I shouldn’t be grateful. I shouldn’t be grateful that Carter saved my life in exchange for my sexual servitude. But since I liked sleeping with him anyway, it seemed like I was getting a great deal.
His powerful arms circled my waist and rested in the steep curve of my back. His large hands gripped the fabric of my shirt and squeezed me. He held me like I was his lover, not his slave.
I wondered when he’d want me to fulfill my end of the bargain. So far, he’d given me full rein to do whatever I wanted. And when we were in bed together, it was always the kind of sex I liked.
“I wanted to ask if we should start picking up things for Luca. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it—I don’t know shit about kids. But he probably needs a new bedroom set and toys. Some school supplies too.”
I wouldn’t ask Carter for anything. Luca was my son, not his. “You don’t need to do any of that. He has a place to sleep and food. We don’t need anything else.” I didn’t want him to spend a dime on us, not when he risked his life to get me away from Egor.
“I want you two to make yourselves at home. Do as I ask and pick up whatever Luca needs.” His tone turned harsher, wanting me to obey him without question. “You pay your way around here every day—and every night.” He squeezed my waist before he kissed me again, this time a lot more aggressively. He sucked my bottom lip into his mouth and gave it a nibble before he released it. He gave me a final look before he turned away, a warning in his gaze. “Pick up what you need. You’ll pay for it tonight.”
I spent the whole day shopping in Florence. I got Luca clothes and supplies for school, and I got him new decorations for his bedroom. The last thing he liked before I left were dinosaurs, so I picked up toys and a new duvet. I put everything on the credit card Carter gave me, feeling guilty for spending his money like it was my own.
But I knew tonight he would make me pay for it.
I carried everything into the house and set up Luca’s bedroom. I washed the new sheets and duvet before I made up his bed, and then I put his toy chest in the corner along with everything I bought him. A new backpack and school supplies sat on the desk. With a few changes, I’d turned the elegant bedroom into a child’s haven.
I stared at the bed before I sat on the edge of it. My weight sank into the mattress, and I brought my hands into my lap. My eyes scanned the room, the place where my eight-year-old would live right next door. Tears burned in my eyes, and before I knew it, I started to sob.
The tears were mixed with both sadness and happiness. I had lost so much time with my son, and I feared how difficult his life must have been without me. I was afraid his teachers were mean to him, that other kids picked on him. I was afraid he wouldn’t remember me, that he wouldn’t forgive me for leaving him. But I was happy that he would be in my arms again soon, that I could cry into his shoulder and feel his little body in my embrace. We were a family, and I was finally getting the other half of my soul back. I’d never loved any man the way I loved Luca. There wasn’t any room in my heart for someone else. I’d dated on and off, but nothing ever stuck. The only man I’d ever felt any real affection for was Carter.
