LOGIN~~Sofia~~"Why are we going? I want to stay here with you. This isn't repeating itself!"Rafael's shirt is open at the throat, dark hair peeping at me through the gap, a packed box beside him that Carla had filled with my clothes. I've just returned from De Luca Corp to find him at the door, a car idling on the curb.He's trying to convince me Cabo is a good idea. I don't believe it is. He jerks me into him. "I didn't say I'm staying here."Oh. That's a different story then. I sidle up against him. "So we're taking a vacation?""Yes. To Cabo. You need the rest, and I could use the breather. Things are rolling here too fast."He hasn't spoken about work in a few days. Which is either an indication that things are so terrible he doesn't want to scare me, or he's back to hiding the facts of the business from me."You should've started with that. I thought you'd be sending me away." I make air quotes. "For my protection."
~~Rafael~~I lift the flowers off the bed where I'd dropped them and hand the bouquet to Sofia, who bends her head into the yellow petals and sniffs at them. She lifts her head to meet my gaze, sniffles gently, and then crushes herself to me.The flowers get squashed between us and I don't fucking care. It's more than worth it to have her in my arms like this. "Do you like it?"She nods against my chest. "I love it.""You're my sunshine, Sofia Romano. You always remind me why you are every time I make a pretense of forgetting. Like what you have done for the charities."She'd made time even with our busy schedules to visit the hospitals the charity was associated with. She'd even made me go with her once, dragging me half the way and sticking by my side the entire time.She lifts her head off my chest and glares playfully up at me. "You bought that ticket, didn't you?"I plant a small kiss on her lips, and she pulls back
~~Sofia~~The low strains of jazz playing from my phone lull me into a false sense of security. Nico runs around the kitchen beside me while I prepare him a meal. He's just returned from my father's with Francesca, who is rattling around somewhere upstairs.Rafael's chef could get him something to eat, but cooking the meal relaxes me even though it also tires me out. The aroma of pasta and meatballs hanging in the air makes my stomach queasy.Bad enough that I am almost considering inviting Hailey in to continue the meal when Nico skids to a stop beside me and hugs himself to my waist.I bend towards him to sink my nose into his hair. I inhale deeply, the smell of his shampoo calming me a bit. I nod at his chair. "Go sit."He gives me a long look before sliding into the chair. "Can I have pizza today, Mama? Please?"He always asks. I wonder if his brother or sister inside me will love the meal as much as he does.My stom
~~Rafael~~ Sofia looks as white as a sheet, her chest rising and falling as she sags back against the floor, her eyes lifting to mine finally as she coughs one last time. I let her hair go and watch almost with a certain level of fascination as it tumbles and falls around her face. There's fear in her eyes, in the way they widen slightly and then darken as though light has blinked from them. But it is the tears that come springing up in their depths that finally push me into action. I kneel beside her and slide my arms around her back to lift her off the floor. She sinks into me, and I tighten my arms around her. "Can you walk?" She nods her "yes" against my bare chest, and I drag in air, flush the bathroom, and then fetch some water from the sink to clean her face off. She doesn't say a word, and neither do I, but there's a look that keeps sliding between us that says more than a thousand words. I find a tow
~~Sofia~~I blink at the rapidly narrowing shape in front of my eyes. I sit up fast to find Rafael half-dressed or undressed, depending on how you want to see it."What are you doing?" I whisper, blowing a puff of air into the room to check if my mouth has any bad smell.Rafael clocks the movement and gives me a smile. "I don't know really, but for once in a long while, I've got a free day." He stops and peers at me uncertainly. "Thought I'd take Nico to the park. And maybe the gym later?"For once, I'm glad it's the weekend, glad my mouth doesn't stink, and glad he's half undressed, I guess. I enjoy a leisurely stroll down his body with my eyes, land on his cock, and then trail my eyes back up. "Am I invited? Or is it just for the boys?""Could we leave you behind if we wanted to?" He prowls towards me, and I crawl slowly towards him on the bed, one knee after the other, till I'm close enough that my eye is level with his already awakeni
~~Rafael~~"Jesus. Can you please sit down?" I grumble from across the room.Rafe rolls his eyes and clambers over my feet to stride over to Emil, who is standing by the windows, watching the men outside.It's a cloudy day, which is perfect, really. It matches my mood perfectly. Because enough has quite literally become enough. We're having a meeting with Santoro, and he's running late as usual."Let's bet he arrives an hour late." Dario holds out his hand, thumb facing me. I run a hand through my hair and glare at him.I glower at him. "Is this a fucking joke to you, Dario? You choose this one moment to fucking laugh?"It's not his fault I'm pissed. It's Santoro's, and today, I'll teach him a lesson. I've been waiting twenty minutes already."I'm interested in the bet." Emil turns towards us and walks to the table where he takes his seat and, as always, pours me a glass of whiskey along with his."Good. Five hu







