This morning, once again, I woke before Emma. I woke with my hard dick against her sweet ass, my arm slung over her in the most elemental, territorial of positions. I got the hell out of bed before I did all the things I’ve been fantasizing about.
So I tried to distract myself by packing for her.
The only upside was that it gave me an excuse to see inside the underwear drawer. It was very illuminating. Em isn’t asbuttoned-up as she likes everyone to think. I especially like her black lace.
I know she’ll repack whatever I put in the suitcase, but it’s fun to tease her. Her annoyed expression is the cutest.
I lean in. “When we’re at the Mancinis’, I want you take it easy and relax except when you are meeting with Caitlin. I made our hosts aware that you’ve been in the hospital.” I pin her with a piercing gaze, worried about her obvious dizziness when she first sat up. “Are youabsolutelysure you’re okay?”
“Chill out, Sebastian. I’m recovering from a concussion. Not major surgery. But tell me about the Mancinis. I mean, I know the basics. I know he’s ridiculously rich and has more Oscars than any other director in history.”
I pack a few more items.
“What do you want to know?” I ask, wary now.
“What’s Dario Mancini like?”
I tense, but try to answer honestly. “He’s a brilliant director. He was always good to me and the rest of the cast.The Familywasa show based on his life growing up in Brooklyn. His entire family was always on set. His wife. His daughter. Even his parents when they were in the country.”
She tilts her head. “Did your mom spend much time on set also? She must have known Mancini. She starred in one of his films, right? The…The Tribute.”
Something catches in my throat, and I slide my gaze away from hers. I look at the open suitcase, not really seeing it. “She did.” I clear my throat. “A long time ago. Before I was born.”
She reaches over and snatches the bra that I’m holding. “I’ll do my own packing. Thank you very much. And we have to coordinate stories about how we got engaged. I’m going to come up with the mushiest, most cringe-worthy proposal I can think of,” she says with a wicked grin.
That makes me smile. “Do your worst.”
She waggles her fingers in my direction. “And you’ll have to put a ring on it. Something really,reallybig. Think Napa has any good jewelry shops?”
I grin wider. “That won’t be a problem.”
CHAPTER 28
Emma
“Don’t you have anything bigger?”Sebastian asks the small man with a large mustache standing obsequiously in front of us.
This morning had been a whirlwind. First, I packed a new bag because there was no way I was going to show up to a fancy estate party in a string bikini and leather dress.
Then Sebastian whisked me into a waiting car. He was over-the-top solicitous, worrying over my concussion despite my assurances that I felt fine. But he still didn’t let me handle a single detail. Duncan handled our bags, and Matt, I assume, handled our booking for a private plane and car.
It’s a really nice change since I’m the person who normally arranges everything.
And now here we are, standing in the back room of an upscale jeweler’s in the picture-perfect town of St. Helena in Napa Valley, with an array of the largest diamonds I’ve ever seen.
And my former boss is asking for bigger.
“Nothing but the best for my girl,” he says smoothly, wrapping an arm around my waist. My back is exposed in a navy-blue polka-dot sundress, and his fingers connecting with my naked back cause me to take a surprised breath. My skin tingles with awareness. I gulp.
The little man looks positively ecstatic at the question and goes to yet another back room. Soon, I’m trying on rings that take up half my finger.
I’m tempted to pick the largest, brightest, and most expensive of the garish stones. But instead, my gaze keep coming back to the first ring I tried on, the one that initially caught my eye, one of the ones Sebastian dismissed as being too small.
It’s an elegant emerald-cut diamond with a platinum band whimsically embellished with an etching of interlocking hearts. Despite the heft of the gem, the ring is delicate and oh-so sparkly without being over the top. I had to keep myself from gasping when I first saw it because it was so lovely.
Sebastian must catch me eyeing it with yearning because he says, “Really? That one?”
I nod.
