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“Sometimes, we don’t get what we want,” he tells me softly.
“No,” I agree, thinking of my family. Sometimes we don’t.
“Have you sent Dad the feasibility study?”
“Yeah. Him and Luca. Balthasar said he’d read it through today in anticipation of trying the samples.”
“C’mere,” he says, tugging me into his chest now that our hands are free. “It’s not lost yet.”
“It feels like it.”
Brecken chuckles, the sound vibrating directly into my sad, defeated heart. “Where’s that tenacious attitude Dad admired so much?”
“It’s been hijacked by my period,” I voice sullenly.
A snort. “Yeah? What else gets hijacked every month?”
“You mean aside from my lady parts?”
His laughter is warm and comforting, melting over my soul and containing it for eternity. When a snowflake lands on my nose he kisses it away. “Your poor pussy. Does it need rescuing?”
A reluctant smile breaks free, my mood marginally brighter. “Only if you can rescue the rest of me at the same time.”
He hears my statement for the message it is. I want comfort and nurturing. Tenderness and super-sweet. Ultimately, I want to be held tight for my entire life, but right now, I’m all about the short-term gains.
It might not be the dirtiest of fantasies but…
I want to feel loved and thoroughly spoiled.
His mouth nuzzles my temple, his lips soft and warm. With infinite gentleness, his hands sweep over my shoulders. “Consider it done.”
CHAPTEREIGHT
LUCA
Thanksto the security camera outside the suite door, the feed transmitting to a bank of security screens on the wall, I’m aware of Brecken and Winter returning. Carrying two boxes between them, they enter the suite, the door closing behind them.
The weekend is often spent speaking to the senior staff for the European, or Asian hotel divisions, and this afternoon has been no different. It’s the price I pay for running a twenty-four-hour, seven days a week global empire.
Over the past few years, Dad has handed over more and more of his workload. At this rate, I’m going to need more than just one executive assistant, especially if I want to see more of Winter. The only problem with that is my obsession with control. Handing over projects to my staff always gets me anxious, and the last thing they want is to be micro-managed by me.
I need to relax more.
Making time for personal relationships has never been easy either. My work-life balance has always been heavily skewed towards work. Feelings of resentment and frustration have started to surface lately, and I know that’s because I’ve barely touched my girlfriend more than twice in the past week. The weekends should be about catching up on lost time, but I never seem to find the status quo.
Inviting Winter to the office to discuss her projects has been like old times. We work well together, her ideas original and insightful. So far, I’ve kept my hands off her when she’s up here, but I have a feeling that dynamic will change. She’s all about the job right now, but soon she’ll let those boundaries blur.
She’d better, because when she’s ready to get bent over my desk and drilled from behind, I will be the first in line. After all, I amliterallyher boss. It’s got to be my constitutional right or something.
I log off, exiting the office and ignoring the construction dust that seems to be getting everywhere. I can’t wait until Winter’s rooms are done, and not just because she’ll be close by, easily accessible for whatever purposes I have for her.
I find Brecken and Winter moving items around in the refrigerator, trying to make room for the large, white boxes.
“Let’s see these cakes you’ve been obsessing over,” I invite, coming up behind them.
Winter turns, her face subdued. Instinctively, my eyes dart to my brother. I hope he’s not being an overbearing prick again. “What’s up?”
“Possible problem with the buyout,” Brecken explains, before running me through what they learned today.
