Page 18 of Kidnapped Wife

She pursed her lips and glanced past his shoulder.

He waited.

“No, I’m not. I get it.”

“You do?”

“I left without warning, and now, in the last couple of days, it was like before I went. You had no warning that I was going to run like that.” She shrugged. “It makes sense for you to be concerned that I’m … lying.”

Massimo looked at her and shook his head. “It’s not about that.”

“Yeah, it is. I didn’t give you any warning. It’s not likeI told you Isabella chose every moment she had to draw in that blade of doubt. You were out, and I’d hear you in the background. I knew you were dealing with business, and she was part of it. I got jealous.”

“Isabella wasn’t and has never been part of any business dealings, babe. She’d turn up, but trust me, she was never a welcome guest, and I had nothing to do with her. Sure, she’d try to talk to me, to get me to … I don’t know, get closer to her. I have a wife, Elsie. If I didn’t want to marry you, I wouldn’t have.”

Elsie glanced down into her hot chocolate. “You’re right. I just … I don’t know. I think I panicked. It’s … not being wanted is easier to handle than being wanted.”

He stared at her and saw the tears glistening in her eyes.

“Elsie—”

“Time and time again, I dealt with rejection. I mean, people would come to the home, and they tried to make it look like normal visits, but we all knew it was to check us all out, to see if there was someone they wanted. Sometimes someone would get picked, other times, no one was there. Rejection becomes like a second skin. It’s easier to deal with.”

And again, he was reminded of how different her life was.

“I would never reject you,” he said.

“I know that now, but … it’s easier, right. I’m not trying to make excuses, but one day, I hope you can trust me.”

“I do,” he said. “I know you’re not going to take off again.”

Elsie smiled and went to him. He held his arms open for her and was careful not to spill his hot chocolate.

“I love you,” she said.

“And I love you. Also, I think I’m going to need the name of every single person that came to the foster system and didn’t choose you.”

Elsie laughed. “No, I can’t even remember half the names, and besides, it’s not their fault.”

“Seriously, you’re going to try to defend them?” he asked.

“It’s not about defending them. Some of them needed the money, and others were doing it as a job.”

“Taking care of kids is not a job.”

“I get that, and having kids will not be a job to us. Also, hopefully, none of our kids will ever end up in the foster system.”

“Never,” Massimo said.

“How can you be so sure?”

“I always have people in place, and I’ll make sure our child or children have the best care. Of that, you have my word.”

Chapter Eight

Elsie gasped as Massimo pulled her against the edge of the sofa. She gripped the edge, but then his lips delved between her thighs as he began to lick her pussy.

This had started out as a game of tickles but had soon turned into something more sexy, more demanding, more … intense.

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