“In his defense, you aren’t being fair. His wife being there was the problem. And men can’t see straight when it comes to their women.”
“He still went overboard. I don’t even know how he figured out you were there.”
“If he’s anything like me, he keeps tabs on Vanessa.” I would do the same thing, whether Carmen was pregnant or not. I reached behind me and grabbed the bag of ice out of her hands. “Stop being my nurse.”
“I like taking care of you.” She wrapped her arms around my waist and kissed my shoulders, her soft lips grazing over the hot skin. “I feel so terrible, babe. It breaks my heart seeing you get hurt.”
It broke my heart too. “I’m not hurt.” I moved away from her embrace and turned around, showing her I was fine with my steady gaze. I was man enough to handle anything Griffin did to me. After a few days, the migraine would disappear, and I would be as good as new. It wasn’t in my nature to show any kind of weakness. Even in the final weeks of my mother’s life, she never showed the pain she was enduring. She continued to wear a smile and treasure her final moments with us. She was a badass and didn’t let the cancer defeat her, even at the very end.
I could handle a fucking migraine.
She tilted her head as she looked at me, the disappointment in her gaze. “You’re the kind of man that refuses to show your suffering, huh?”
“I’m not suffering.”
She smiled. “There’s my answer. My father is the same way. Drives my mother crazy.”
Because that was how men should be.
“I feel responsible for this, so I feel terrible…” She rubbed my thigh. “I wish there was something I could do to make you feel better.”
“Well, there’s always something you can do…”
The corner of her mouth rose in a smile. “Is that all you ever think about?”
“Yes.” I blurted out my answer without thinking twice about it. “Always.”
“Alright.” She guided my back against the couch then straddled my hips. “What can I do to make it up to you?” She pushed down the front of my sweatpants so my hardening cock would appear.
She had nothing to make up for because it wasn’t her fault, but I wouldn’t tell her that. “So many things I would like…” My fingers wrapped around her neck, feeling her soft pulse under my touch. It was quickly accelerating, either because she was scared or a little bit nervous. I brushed my thumb along her bottom lip as I stared at it, noticing the plumpness while feeling the softness. My eyes moved to her tits next, studying them in the sweater she still wore. I could see the outline of her curves, the swell of her perfect rack. Now that my mind was on sex, my migraine was forgotten.
“Have you decided?” She wrapped her fingers around my hard dick and swiped her thumb over the head, catching the drop that had formed at the tip. The stickiness stretched between her thumb and her finger.
I watched her hand get messy from the arousal that poured out of my dick, and I preferred to see that stickiness stretch from her tongue to my tip. “A five-star blow job and a tit-fuck.” I would get to sit back and watch her please me, cashing in on the reward that I’d earned that afternoon.
She pulled her sweater over her head and unclasped her bra, revealing her perfect tits. “Your wish is my command.”
I inhaled a deep breath through my clenched teeth, loving that line coming out of her pretty mouth.
5
Vanessa
I was pissed at Griffin for many reasons.
I didn’t even know where to begin.
In the past eighteen months, there had been a lot of growth. He wasn’t the barbaric animal who barked out orders anymore. He was laid-back, calm, and civil. But all that went out the window, and he treated me like some kind of slave.
He’ll deal with me later?
Uh, I don’t think so.
I took a cab to my gallery then entered our apartment above the shop. We hadn’t been there much since we moved out to Tuscany. All the furniture was still there because the place was furnished when Griffin bought it. I decided to stay there for the night since the idea of sleeping beside my husband didn’t sound appealing.
That was a first.
He didn’t call me or try to track me down.
That could only mean he knew exactly where I was. He probably never let me out of his sight once I stormed out.
There were some old protein bars in the cabinet so I knew I would be able to hold out until morning, even when the baby was so hungry. But I could also order pizza if he really became rambunctious.
I spent the rest of the day there and deep into the night.