Page 62 of The Billionaire's Timed Wife

I’d rather lose an eye than allow anyone to hurt her with cruel comments.

I’m almost stepping off the boat when I notice Vicenzzo’s silhouette, staring at the sea. He looks like a man facing the end of his life, and seeing my friend that way hits me hard, so I make a mental note to call him tomorrow.

But right now, I need to take care of my sleeping woman.

Her arms are wrapped around my neck.

She’s nestled close, trusting, while I try to understand what it is between us that makes me want to keep her near. What makes me so damn sure there’s no other place she should be but here with me.

I think about what she said regarding the three-year clause.

I should make a counteroffer: if I don’t betray her during that time, she won’t be allowed to leave. Ever again.

The thought barely crosses my mind before I push it away.

I would never beg her not to leave me.

I’ll never beg anyone for anything.

Chapter 29

“You should’ve waited for us yesterday,” I tell my sister as she walks into the library of my apartment.

I decided to work from home this morning because I want to be here when Adeela wakes up.

When we got back from the party, she was still half-asleep.

After laying her in bed and removing her sandals, I covered her. Even though I wanted her to be comfortable, I didn’t dare take off her dress. Just imagining her body is torture enough, but seeing her naked, knowing she wore nothing but panties beneath the fabric, would turn the weeks until our wedding into pure torment.

“You two needed some privacy after that crazy giant put on a show,” Jazmina justifies. “Besides, your grumpy friend brought me home.”

“Which one?” None of us would ever win an award for good humor, so her description could fit any of them.

“The redhead.”

“Rodrick.”

“That’s the one. Someone should tell him that smiling is good for the facial muscles.”

“What did you do, Jazmina?”

“Why do you assume it was my fault?”

“Because I know you.”

She shrugs. “I just wanted to have some fun. After your ex left, the party got boring, so I decided to dance on top of a table. Out of nowhere, he lost his mind and made me come down.”

“And you have no idea why he got upset?”

“I just wanted to have fun.”

“If there were any paparazzi on a nearby yacht, you’d be in the headlines today. They’d say you were drunk. Did you stop to think what that would do to our father?”

“No,” she says, deflating like a balloon pricked with a needle. “I just wanted to enjoy myself a little.”

I feel a hint of remorse. Girls her age usually have much more freedom. Every time Jazmina comes to Paris, she’s like a kid let loose in a candy store without supervision. Restless, eager, wanting to do a thousand things at once.

“You said you got bored after Ingrid left. Did she pull any other stunts?”