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“Ready my plane.”
Chapter 9
Aria
I’vebeenthinkingaboutEdoardo all day. I can’t stop. Last night both of us slept through the night, in the same bed. Something about having him in the bed with me put my mind at ease, and I was able to rest better than I have in a long time.
But today, something seems to be troubling him. A part of me suspects that he regrets what we did last night. I spent most of my morning watching as he paced up and down into the house and back frantically discussing something on the phone.
He catches me looking again, and again I want to blush. It’s getting rather embarrassing how much I stare at him. I expect him to be mad, considering how angry he sounds on the phone. But instead, he smiles widely at me and sits on the armchair across from me.
“Pack your bags,” he says with a smile. “I want to take you away for the weekend?”
“What?” I ask, completely taken by surprise by his proposition. “Aren’t you a little busy doing Don things to be going away for the weekend?”
I point at the phone lying on his lap and he rolls his eyes. He puts the phone aside, with the screen facing down.
“Look, I can see how stressed out you are lately,” he says. “It’s not good for you, or the baby for that matter. Let me take you to my island for the weekend, we can relax and let loose a little bit.”
“Yourisland?” I laugh. “Who owns an island?”
He throws his head back with laughter and in that moment I find it hard to believe that a more attractive man has ever existed.
“Okay, okay,” he chuckles. “It’s not like the entire island is mine. But I do have a pretty extensive property there with a private beach.
Will that suffice?”
I can think of nothing more enticing than sitting with my feet in the sand and watching the waves, forgetting that any part of my life in Chicago ever existed.
“I’ll go, but I don’t need to pack,” I say, pointing to my bags that are still packed at the foot of his bed.
“Yes,” he says. “And that reminds me. We’ll go shopping at some point, and when you get back, I’ll make some space in the closet for you.”
“Don’t you want your room back?” I ask. “You really don’t need to sleep on the couch, I can—”
“I have a guest room,” he shrugs. “But this bed is more comfortable for you, and I’d rather sleep here. That way, if you’re ever in trouble I’m not too far away. The guest room is all the way on the other end of the penthouse.”
“I see,” I say. “On the other side of those doors I’ve been too afraid to open.”
“Too afraid to open?” he says with a puzzled look on his face. “Consider this place your home. You can go anywhere, and use any room. There’s even a gym.”
I slump my shoulders. “If there’s a gym, then why do you workout on the balcony?” I laugh.
“I like it when you watch,” he answers with a wink. It makes my stomach light up with nervous energy. “Now, my plane leaves in two hours. So, if you’re packed, that means we can get some lunch first.”
It took a full day of travel, but we are finally on the island and it is gorgeous. Edoardo and I walk through the market looking at all the beautiful clothes made out of all the best materials. He’s given me strict instructions to pick out anything I like, insisting that he buys it for me.
The market is lit up with bright lights as it snakes through the old buildings of the coastal town. The entire side of the island belongs to Edoardo. My father has a lot of money, but he doesn’t own half an island.
Money seems to be no issue at all for Edoardo. He doesn’t bother himself with how short my dresses are, or how much skin the clothes I’m buying might show. In fact, the more skin they show, the more excited he seems to be about it.
Every item of clothing that Edoardo buys for me makes me feel guilty, as if I don’t deserve it. Still, he insists and continues to do so. As the night continues, I finally become more comfortable with the process, picking out items with ease and even going back for some that I was initially too shy to ask for.
Edoardo’s guards follow us, but they keep a fair distance and it feels like we have our privacy. It’s a change from the men that my father usually had following me. Those men would be at my side the entire time that I was out of the house.
I feel an odd sense of freedom with Edoardo. And it feels wrong to feel this happy when I’m with a potentially dangerous man.
Edoardo stops me as we get to the canopy of a large tree. He turns me to face him and I ready myself for his kiss. But suddenly, I feel a strong tug at the bags in my hands. Before I even know what has happened, Edoardo has the thief by the neck.
