Page 13 of Tell Me You Want Me

“Dead serious, wife,” Dante replies. “I told you I’m not going anywhere. If you need us to talk before we do anything else, then we’ll talk. Start firing questions. What do you want to know about your husband?”

“Alright, I guess we’re starting at the top.” I step around the couch, sit down, crossing my legs, and think of all of the questions I’m about to fire his way.

CHAPTER NINE

dante

“Alright, where do I begin?” she asks, tapping her finger against her bottom lip. Christ, keeping my hands to myself is sheer torture and remaining my seat is taking herculean effort. “Let’s start with the basics. Age.”

“Forty,” I answer instantly with a smirk.

“Birthday?”

“November seventh. I’m a Scorpio, in case you were planning on checking our astrological compatibility.” Alexandria lets out an exasperated breath.

“That explains the moodiness. Clearly, you have a sister?” She settles in her seat, the hem of her shirt lifting up and revealing a smooth expanse of her soft stomach.

“Two, both younger. One’s a Sagittarius and one is a Scorpio.” It made for some knockdown drag-out fights when my sisters were younger, at least that’s what they blamed it on. All I could do was get between the two and pray not to get hit, slapped, or punched.

Alexandria slides open a drawer and pulls out a notepad and pen, then writes a few notes down before she looks up at me again.

“Your poor parents. Favorite color?”

“Black.” She pauses in her note taking and raises and eyebrow. “Black isn’t a color, Dante. It’s a shade.”

“It was the color of my soul before I saw you in the hotel lounge,” I reply, winking at her. “Fine. Charcoal or whatever shade of green your eyes turn when you’re thoroughly pissed off at me.”

“Where do you actually live? Besides your office or the penthouse?” I catch the slight twitch of her lips trying not to smile.

“The penthouse is for Monday through Friday. On the weekends, I’ve got a place on the water in Medina. It’s quiet, private, gated, and has plenty of room for you to do whatever you want.” She jots down another note, her eyes darting back to mine. “Any other siblings?”

“Two brothers. Parents are divorced. Those are my half-brothers. You’ll meet them eventually. Though I’m warning you now, they’re younger by about twenty or so years and a handful.” Whereas Mom remained single after the divorce, raising me and my sisters, Dad remarried a few times before settling on his current wife, and they proceeded to have two children. A hell of a time to start over again, but I guess as long as he’s happy.

“Great. More Dante’s and Vik’s,” she mutters without any heat in her tone. She taps the pen against her lips. “Where do you see yourself in twenty years?”

“Still married to you,” I state, my voice dropping into a lower, deeper tone. “Living in Medina, hopefully retired enough to take you around the world whenever or wherever you want to go.”

“And kids?” she asks, then stops, looking down at the pad before glancing back up. “Do you want kids? Wait a minute—that’s a dumb question, isn’t it? Your goal since Vegas has clearly been to take me bare and knock me up.”

“I won’t deny I like the thought of you carrying my child, Alexandria.” A chuckle rumbles out of my chest. I rest my elbowson my knees, lean forward, and lock my eyes on hers. “I like it a fuck of a lot. And to answer your question properly, yes, I want a family, two or three little chaotic harrumphs running around our home driving us crazy. And if that means throwing out your birth control, of any kind of form, so be it.”

“I know that all too well,” she counters, pointing the end of her pen at me. She shakes her head at me as she continues, “Favorite food?”

“Steak. Rare.” My stomach lets out a growl, making me realize it’s been hours since I’ve had a bite to eat.

“Coffee order?”

“Black. The stronger the better.” I already know she prefers hers more on the blonde side after seeing her cup on the corner of her desk this morning.

“Allergies?” Alexandria isn’t missing a beat.

“None. I’d like to think I’m indestructible.” She harrumphs at my response.

“Pets?” I notice the only other living entity beside her is a few plants she has scattered throughout her home.

“Had a German Shepherd and a couple of fish. I’d eventually like to have another dog when I’m in Medina more than three nights a week.” I watch as her breathing hitches.

“Do you snore?”