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When she tried to pull away, I caged her with my arms, holding her in my lap, making sure she felt the evidence of how much I wanted her against her squirming ass.
“That too,” I said. “But I also missed you, Ginevra Russo—your fierce sense of self, and your willingness to wade into danger even when you’re terrified, the way you tell Rian to go fuck himself so politely, and how your jagged edges fit so well against those of our odd little trio.”
This time, when she met my gaze, her brown eyes softened. “I missed you too.” She pushed up from my lap and emptied the white paper bag I’d brought with me. “Tacos? Tacos are healthy?”
“If it gets you eating your vegetables again, I’ll count it as a win. Now eat, woman.”
Ginevra sat across from me and tentatively took a bite of a taco. When she moaned in delight, I knew I was on the right path. She filled me in on what had happened over the past two weeks at work, as they lost contract after contract over the morality clauses. Rian and Liam had each done time, and there was no getting around that.
When fury overtook me, she held my hand in hers, tracing her fingers over my palm. “In another month, another scandal will take the heat off of me. We’re the best at what we do, and I don’t expect to be in the red for very long.”
I asked her some technical questions about her company’s work, and her eyes lit right up. Ginevra loved what she did. She cared deeply about her employees. The engine she’d designed to reduce the costs of CGI and make it more accessible to indie filmmakers was impressive. Just as impressive was how she built her company from scratch using the funds she made from selling her last company instead of seeking venture capital. She was fucking brilliant.
I made her eat one more taco than she wanted to, then stared at her until she drank every drop of the bright green smoothie I brought her. “How’re you feeling?”
“Stuffed.” Her eyes shot to mine, and I grinned at the unintended pun.
“That’ll come tonight, I promise.”
Ginevra’s eyes darkened with need. She moved from her chair to the couch, where she dropped beside me and wormed her way under my arm. “I’m glad you’re here. I needed you.”
I wrapped my hand around her shoulder and pulled her into me until we pressed tightly against one another. “I needed you too, darling.” When was the last time I enjoyed just sitting with another human being? Even with Rian and Liam, we were always moving, talking, fucking. Ginevra’s presence brought me an unfamiliar sense of calm.
A knock at the door interrupted our moment. Rasmita stuck her perfectly coiffed head in the door. “Ginevra, your two o’clock just walked in downstairs.”
Ginevra nodded. “Give me a minute, please.”
After the door closed, she tugged my face down to hers for a sweet kiss that tugged at my heart. She leaned her forehead against mine. “What now?”
Oh, sweet Ginevra, you are so fucking perfect.“Get back to work. I’ll come get you at five.”
“Six,” she said in an attempt to negotiate. “I won’t even be close to finishing my workday at five.”
“Five,” I repeated. “Did you call your therapist?”
She flushed and shook her head. I captured her chin in my hand, gripping her face firmly. “What happens to bad little sluts who don’t do what they’re told?”
Ginevra’s breath turned ragged as we stared at each other. “They’re punished.”
“Set up the appointment, darling.” She bit her lip. What was getting in the way of her doing this? I drew her into my arms for a hug. “Do you want me to ask Rasmita to do it for you?”
Ginevra swore. “Shit. Yes. I should have just done that as soon as I got back. Yes, would you please?”
I tilted her face up to mine. “Anything, Ginevra. You just have to ask.”
40
GINEVRA
Why hadn’t the catering arrived yet? It was ten, and they were almost an hour late. Cormac stumbled down the stairs, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
“Ginevra, what’s going on?”
“Oh, good, you’re awake.” I admired the play of the muscles on his bare chest. “Put some clothes on. Brunch starts in an hour and we still have a lot of work to do.”
He cocked an eyebrow at me. “Are you in charge today, Ginevra?” He had a point. I’d submitted to him entirely over the last two days, letting him take over every aspect of my life outside of my company—what I ate, what I wore, how I relaxed in the evenings.
But today, I had a party to throw. “I am.”
