AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Gesù Cristo, but she’s tiny and also very angry right now. Her cheeks are flushed, her hair awry about her features.
She pushes a strand away from her face. "You’re a dick, you know that?" She scowls.
"Glad you recognize that."
"Argh!" She makes a noise at the back of her throat. "And insufferable, not to mention, you’re so full of yourself that if anyone were to prick your skin, you’d take off."
"Take off?"
"Yeah, all that hot air which you carry around would catapult you into the stratosphere, no doubt."
I glare at her, then can’t stop the surprised chuckle that rumbles up my chest. "You’re funny," I murmur.
"You’re annoying."
'You’re on my turf."
"You’re in my house," she shoots back.
"A house you’re living in, thanks to my intervention on your behalf. If not, you’d be dead by now."
Her features flush further. "Should I be grateful to you for that? I bet you have your reasons for stepping in."
"If nothing else, you’re smart." I curl my lips. "So, you’ll realize that I’m being very serious when I say that I’m going to punish you."
"Whatever." She huffs. "Why are you here anyway?"
"It’s my place, remember? I can come and go as I want."
She firms her lips, then spins around and walks out of the room. I follow her into the kitchen. She reaches the espresso maker, tops it up with coffee grounds, and places it on the stove. She grabs two cups and saucers, places them on the counter, then turns to me. "What do you want from me?"
"Marry me."
"What?" Her gaze widens. "What did you say?"
"Marry me." I allow my smile to widen. "Not for real, of course."
"Of course." She nods. "So, you want me to pretend to marry you?"
"For ten days."
"What happens in ten days?"
"I’ll be able to convince my older brother and my nonna that we’re really serious about each other. After which time, you are free to go your own way."
"Wait? Ten Days? That’s too short a time to convince them that we are serious about each other."
I scratch my chin. "You’re right."
"I am?" She scowls.
"Thirty days." I cross my arms over my chest.
"What the—!" She gapes. "What do you mean?"
I raise a shoulder. "It's a respectable amount of time and long enough."
"Long enough for what?"
