Page 60 of The Billionaire's Pact

“Yes. Oh, my God, yes,” he said. “I want to show it to Paul. Is that okay?”

I shook my head briskly. “It’s not good enough.”

He frowned. “Why would you say that? It’s amazing.”

I glanced away. “Maybe one day. Did we have somewhere to go?”

He hesitated, but went ahead with my change in subject. “Yeah, to dinner, and then tomorrow we have a special engagement to attend. Are you hungry?” He touched my hair and lifted the strands. A small smile on his lips as he eyed the paint splatters.

“It comes out,” I mumbled and chewed my lip.

“Is that so?” He teased, his smile broadening. He took my hand. “Let’s have dinner.”

I left him and took a shower, then joined him at the dinner table. Tonight he had a list of things to do for the wedding. I put down my fork between bites of swordfish. “Who will be your groomsman?”

“I had to choose my brother, Salvatore, or all my friends would be offended.” He pinched the bridge of his nose.

He had been so loving to his family and friends who stopped by. A part of the Italian lifestyle I’d learned so far included family visits, often with meals that would last well into the night. When they came, I sat beside him and listened as they chatted in Italian. Sometimes, I could follow, but they’d often switch to English for me. I’d never experienced a family that went out of their way to include me. I say I love a dish, and boom, it’s there every day. His staff was spoiling me, too, and it all brought on a deep longing for a nurturing family environment, a feeling that I had been missing.

I didn’t remember when we all sat together, even on Christmas. My family dinners with Mama and Judge Colby were always tense. My father would act like a pompous king, and Mama and I as his lowly subjects, would rush around to meet his every need so he wouldn’t hurt us or destroy the meal. I’d been no better. My hatred for him had me taunting him to push him to leave.

Once away from them, Mama and my grandparents did separate holidays. Mama went to Glenn’s parents most of the time. We mainly ate in silence at my grandparents’ house. It was refreshing when I’d go out with Cassidy and her parents at school. But here, they enjoyed each other’s company. They expressed their love for each other. It filled me with a longing and a hope for the same one day. But could it happen with Rocco and the family we’d have together? Or was I getting carried away?

“Adelina, rise.” Rocco’s commanding voice, which had a deep baritone jolted me awake.

I groaned, rolled over, and reluctantly extended my arm from the warm duvet to find my phone on the side table. “It’s 7:00 a.m.?” I squinted at him, my voice laced with sleep. “You can’t be serious?”

He tugged on the corner of the duvet. “I am. Don’t you remember we agreed on last night?”

Rocco rattled off many things we were to do, but I didn’t realize it was today.

“Not a morning person, my soon-to-be wife?” he mused.

I tried to glare at him through my blurry eyes, but my gaze landed on his infectious smile, and I couldn’t stop myself from returning it.

“Italy’s alive. The dead rest, the living lives.” His voice was filled with a contagious excitement. He was radiant and polished in a light gray linen suit. That clued me in that we weren’t just strolling through town.

I sat up and he grimaced, losing his smile. My face warmed as my gaze went to the T-shirt and shorts I’d slept in. It was not what Nadia had packed, but we weren’t sleeping together. Yet.

“You won’t wear clothes in bed with me,” Rocco said casually as he came over. A shiver went through me and my breath left me in a rush. We hadn’t talked much about sex.

“What else do you like?” The question was out of my mouth before I could stop myself.

“You want to know?” he mused. “I like to take control. Nothing too severe, but it turns me on.” Curiouser and Curiouser.

“What exactly do you do?” I asked.

“Some things are better experienced,” he mused.

I coughed to hide my giddy expression and shift my legs to stop the heated ache as I imagined being under his control. But I was too nervous to ask more. “Is Isla here?”

Rocco went over to open the doors to the balcony, bringing in a gust of warm air and sun. “I’ve sent Isla on an errand, but I’d expected her to leave you with a brief before she left.”

I glanced around, zeroing in on a note. “I vaguely remember her being here, but I was asleep.”

“We’re an hour or so from Siena. We’ll have brunch with Louisa. There’s the Palio—”

The Siena di Palio? I was taken aback. It was a bareback horse race around Siena Square. It wasn’t exactly what I’d expected from Rocco. “You’re serious?”

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