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He steps back and nods soberly.
"Where do you live? We went on a honeymoon, and it looked like a resort or something."
He nods. "It was. I rented out a resort."
No biggie. He rents out resorts the way some people order coffee.
"But you don't live at Bella Notte, do you?"
"No. I have a really simple apartment. But I can get you anything you want—"
"I like simple." I do. "Like, this ring that you bought me, it's beautiful. But I truly would've been as happy with a cubic zirconia or, like, a ring tattoo. I’m no frills, Adriano."
"I know that." His eyes warm, but then quickly go back to being concerned and sober.
"I'm kind of a nomad," I tell him. "I don't live at Bella Notte, but it's definitely my favorite place to spend the night."
I am the queen of really cheap Airbnb's and hotel reservations when necessary. Yeah, I've had my share of homes, but I like having no commitments. And that includes a mortgage or a rental agreement.
"I’ll take you to my apartment, but I'm telling you, it's nothing impressive."
"We covered that. And, Adriano? There's plenty about you that is impressive, OK?"
He looks away but deadpans, "What was that you said about a magical dick?"
I slap his chest, and of course, it doesn't even do anything but send a couple of little specks of dust into the air. "I never said anything about amagicaldick."
That gets a smile out of him. This time, my heart sings opera in soprano.
* * *
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
“FLOWERS FOR QUINN”
Adriano
She tookthat better than I thought she would. Quinn likes her freedom, and with me she is anything but free. Maybe she's just telling herself it's only six months, and like we said before anyone can do anything for six months.
Not anything. I know that from personal experience.
"Surprise number two." I show her the new armored vehicle I have for her. It's fully equipped with every safety feature possible. She doesn't own a car, and there's no way in hell she's using public transportation. And yes, I could arrange a ride to take her everywhere she goes, but I don't want her to feel as if I've clipped her wings completely.
She can have her phone, and she can have a car, but I'm not even going to pretend I'm not tracking her every minute.
It’s who I am, and I won't apologize for it.
"Whoa. This is amazing!"
"I'm glad you like it." I shove my hands in my pockets. "But when we're together, I drive."
If she drives the way she talks, we're fucked.
"And why doesn't that surprise me? Of course, you may drive today because I need to play with my new souped-up phone."
“Imay,” I mutter to myself. “Good thing we’ll be at the club tonight.”
It's not easy to navigate the streets of Boston, so it takes us longer than I planned.
