Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 101399 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101399 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
But I was compelled to say it. “Please?”
She halted and put her hands on her hips, her back still to me.
I idled over to her.
She chewed her thumbnail.
“Come on. It’s getting colder.” It was true, but I wanted the feel of her against me. And more than that, I needed to know she was warm and safe.
“Fine, but only because you said please.” She sighed and kicked her leg over the seat behind me. Her arms wrapped around me tentatively.
I smiled and gassed it. She gripped me tight, just as I’d intended, and we sped off across the brittle grass.
17
Camille
We ate dinner downstairs in the large dining room. Rita served us with pride, and I ate more than I had at lunch. Her pork tenderloin and new potatoes could tempt even the most stalwart of stomachs.
Sebastian sat at the head of the table, and I perched on the chair to his left. The rest of the room remained barren, too much open space to be comfortable.
I sipped my wine and pondered the butter knife on my plate. Would it do any damage?
“If you’re going to stab me, I’d use the fork. It would leave a better impression. More badass than a dull butter knife, don’t you think?” His face was calm, but I could feel him laughing at me.
“You’re an asshole.”
“You’re a name caller.” He wiped his mouth with his napkin and lay it neatly next to his plate. “And quite the cuss, as well.”
“I wasn’t.” I took a deep, calming breath. “Until you imprisoned me.”
“It’s only been, what, a day?” The edge of his mouth quirked up. “Just imagine how horribly you’ll treat me tomorrow.”
My blood turned into lava. “How I treat you?” I seethed and seriously considered taking his advice with the fork.
Rita walked in from the kitchen with two plates, each laden with a large slice of layered cheesecake. Chocolate and cream cheese combined to form the most decadent dessert I’d ever seen—and one I recognized.
“Is this from Delatoni’s?” I scrutinized the delicious confection as Rita placed it in front of me.
“Of course not.” Sebastian took his plate from Rita.
“I made it for you.” Rita blushed.
I wanted to crawl under the table. “I meant no offense, Rita. I’m sorry. It looks so good.”
“Please, enjoy.” She waved away my apology and returned through the side door to the kitchen.
It had the exact same caramel drizzle along the top, even the same dollop of whipped cream, as my all-time favorite dessert—the layered cheesecake only available at Delatoni’s in Brooklyn.
I arched an eyebrow at Sebastian. “Did you do this?”
“I’m not much of a baker. So, no.” He grabbed his dessert fork.
“You know what I mean.” My mouth watered, but I wouldn’t touch my cheesecake until he explained what was going on.
“If you’re asking me about the recipe, yes. I paid Mr. Delatoni handsomely for it and entrusted it to Rita.” He sliced a triangle of deliciousness from the front edge and slipped it into his mouth.
His eyes closed, and he made an “mmm” sound that made my stomach tighten. He chewed and swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing against the collar of his button down. I had to look away. Every emotion that should have been dead inside me sputtered to life. How could I feel anything for Sebastian other than disgust?
“How did you know it was my favorite?”
He pointed to my slice. “Take a bite, and I’ll tell you.”
The caramel swirl along the side drizzled down the layers. I licked my lips.
“Think of it this way. If you don’t even try it, Rita will blame herself for not making it well enough.”
I resisted the urge to call him another name. It just seemed to play into his hands, as if he wanted me to give in to every cruel thought that flitted across my mind. Not that I had a lot of them. But the fact that he wanted me to act on my negative thoughts threatened to undermine my plan of “out-nastying” him into releasing me.
I plucked my dessert fork from the table and slid it through the velvety layers. Surely it wouldn’t be as good as Delatoni’s, no offense to Rita. The perfect flavors of cheesecake, chocolate, and caramel hit my tongue. Oh my god. It was better than Delatoni’s. I tried another bite, testing my theory and finding it to be true. It was so good.
“What’s the verdict?” He watched me, satisfaction creeping across his handsome face as I failed to hide my enjoyment.
“Rita has outdone herself.” I forced myself to set the fork down. “Now how did you know that was my favorite?”
“I overheard that imbecile Link talking about how he was going to take you to Delatoni’s for your birthday a few months ago. He was bragging to everyone in my conference room right as I arrived.” He shrugged. “I hadn’t met you yet, but I recalled that bit of info after we met.”