Joel snorted then leaned back, shifting his focus out the window as the plane gained speed. His thumb continued caressing up and down her arch in a slow rhythmic motion, and between that, the white noise, and a mostly sleepless night, Lucy felt her eyes droop.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
This was Joel’s idea of paradise. Sitting with Lucy’s feet in his lap, watching her sleep, knowing there was nowhere he could go and nothing he could do in this moment but enjoy the peace. It eased some of the anxiety tightening his chest, but only slightly.
For her part, Lucy slept soundly, not even the slight turbulence they’d flown through woke her. He’d kept her up most of the night, and maybe he should have felt more guilty about that, but he didn’t. Last night, he’d been selfish. He’d taken everything he could from her, spent her willingness thoroughly.
His back-to-back conversations with Nico and then her father had riled him up, left him agitated, a little heated, and a lot provoked.
Nico talking about Lucy like she was a trophy to be won had been disgusting, but not altogether surprising. He was a dipshit of astronomical proportions and his flight back to Italy had not come soon enough.
But it was Luciano who still had Joel’s stomach twisted in knots. He’d been sick with the realization that this wholetime Luciano had viewed their nuptials as an opportunity to pass Barone & Sons on to him. The thought of what that would do to Lucy if she ever found out was horrifying. It would break her fucking heart into a million pieces.
If there was a way to make Luciano see the light without outright buying his company out from under him and handing it to Lucy on a silver platter, he hadn’t thought of it yet. But he’d have to think of something fast, because Lucy could never know what her father’s intentions had been. It would destroy her in a way she wasn’t sure he could repair.
He watched her now, on his plane, peaceful in her sleep, not a single worry or threat interrupting her slumber, and there would be no version of reality where he would not do everything in his power to provide her with more of that. No universe where she didn’t get everything she wanted. Barone & Sons would be hers. He’d find a way.
Until then, he’d have to find a way to ease the anxiety clawing inside him, because apparently not even five straight hours of sex had helped.
When the slight thud and jump of the aircraft landing, just under two hours later, failed to wake Lucy, Joel unbuckled himself and leaned over to kiss her. It wasn’t a gentle fairytale prince kiss either. It was a hard and wanton kiss, where he nipped her bottom lip before stroking his tongue across it. Her eyes popped open with a shuddering breath.
“Wakey, wakey.” He grinned when she shoved him in the chest and grumbled something about it being his fault she was exhausted. If she’d expected him to feel guilty, she had another thing coming.
As they disembarked, Lucy halted partway down the plane’s staircase so abruptly he collided with her back,almost sending her flying forward down the steps. “What is that?”
“What does it look like?” Joel asked as he sidestepped her, making sure he was in front so that if she stumbled he could catch her.
“It looks like a brand spanking new Ferrari, in cherry red.”
He retrieved a fob from his pocket as they approached the Ferrari parked on the tarmac. “I figured it was the least I could do after forcing you to drive around in the Taycan these last two weeks.”
Lucy stared at the fob, then at him, toggling back and forth until she finally said, “I can’t take that. That’s ridiculous. I mean, I know you’re Sir Moneybags and all, but I don’t need any of this, Joel. You don’t need to shower me in luxury like this, it’s not what I want, it’s not?—”
“Lucy,” he spoke in the soothing but firm tone that worked without fail anytime he intended to win a business negotiation. “My money is meaningless if I can’t spend it on the people I love.”
For several long, awkward seconds she gaped at him, so much so that he wasn’t sure she’d registered his words or if the reality that she was about to drive her dream car back to his penthouse was sinking in. He hadn’t meant to drop the ‘L’ word in there so casually, it had slipped out without a second thought, but it was his truth. She was someone he loved and always would, no matter what happened between them now.
When she didn’t speak or move, he took her hand and kissed her knuckles softly. She blinked, like she was coming out of a trance, and focused her eyes on his.
“How about you just drive it back to our place? If you don’t like it, we can donate it.”
“Fine,” she said, shrugging one shoulder, and he suppressed his smile at her nonchalant tone.
Lucy drove the Ferrari like a fucking dream, making the engine purr like a well-fed kitten. The way she handled what was truly one of the most luxurious vehicles in existence—with equal parts joy and confidence—was a bigger turn-on than her ass in that gold dress last night.
No way she could ever deny that she wasn’t loving every second of it. She passed the city without a single word, making no attempt to turn off toward home. Instead, she crossed the Golden Gate bridge and took the car on a tour that doubled their time back to his penthouse.
He said very little while she drove, relaxing in his seat, letting her happiness feed his. He couldn’t tear his eyes off her. She was the best view in town.
When she turned back toward Nob Hill, and pulled into the underground carpark of his building, he finally spoke. “So, who should we donate it to?”
This earned him an elbow to the gut. “Jerk,” she muttered as she climbed out of the Ferrari and strutted off toward the elevator.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Joel found it both endearing and amusing how torn Lucy was between her discomfort being spoiled by him and her delight in it. He knew how she’d been brought up. Her father had instilled a work ethic in her that made her believe she had to earn every victory.
A vacation, a car, a house, an education—those were all earned by working hard and squirreling away money. The Barones had always been well-off, but they showed it differently than most people of wealth he knew. They had a nice house, a proper vehicle, were always generous, but none of their money was ever spent frivolously. If they went on holiday, it was to Italy to visit family. If they bought a second property, they used it as a rental. Every purchase had a purpose, filled a need, added value, built a legacy.
