I Want You to Want Me Read Online Free Page A

She couldn’t have him being too suspicious of her actions.
    She slammed down her brush and turned on her vanity stool. “You know I live in fear.”
    Maksim looked briefly as if he didn’t quite believe her, but then his eyes softened. After all, why wouldn’t he believe her? She did live with fear—she feared losing Vittorio. To lose him would be to lose half of herself.
    “Well, I know where he is, and you are safe. In fact, why don’t we leave now? Get as far from him as we can.”
    Again alarm pooled in her belly, cold and harsh. She shook her head. “No.”
    Maksim sat up from his lounging position, regarding her again with those strange, almost catlike eyes.
    “Why? Staying near a man you dread makes no sense.”
    Orabella hated having to explain her decisions. So very irritating. Again, if Maksim didn’t have the special abilities he did—both in and out of bed—she’d have long ago broken off their relationship. But she did need him.
    She turned down her lips and regarded him with an expression she knew would gain her anything she wanted. And she wanted to stay as close to Vittorio as she could. She rose, walking slowly toward the bed.
    “I feel better knowing where he is. And you will watch him for me, won’t you? Protect me?”
    Maksim’s eyes roamed down her body as she approached him. She untied the belt of her satin robe, letting it part to reveal glimpses of her ivory skin.
    Again, he raised a wry eyebrow, but she could see the hungry glitter in his eyes.
    “Of course, my Bella.”
    She smiled, letting the robe drop to the floor, her own body reacting to his heated look. She crawled onto the bed and up his hard body.
    After all, she did need the caress of a man’s touch, the feeling of his mouth on her flesh, the stretch of his cock filling her. She needed physical love. And she needed what Maksim’s loving could give her.
    But her true love, her pure love was saved for Vittorio.
    Her very heart.
    Her darling son.
    And he was so near.
     
    Erika stumbled around her kitchen, her eyes feeling gritty and a dull ache at her temples. Sleep had evaded her most of the night, and this was the price. Feeling generally crappy.
    She poured tea into a cup and sat down at her kitchen table, a round café-style table that she’d painted bright yellow. The color usually reminded her of sunshine and made her feel cheerful. Right now the color seemed glaringly bright and just made her head throb even more.
    She glowered up at the ceiling, aiming her irritation toward the man up there somewhere, probably sleeping soundly and oblivious to the annoyance—and headache he’d caused.
    “Not that he’d care anyway,” she muttered, then took a sip of her hot tea. The sweet liquid tasted wonderful and she waited for it to work its magic. Tea always calmed and relaxed her.
    Not this morning, clearly. He had been so rude! She set her cup down with more force than necessary. But more than that, his cool attitude had goaded her into being rude back. And she wasn’t normally a rude person. In fact, she prided herself on being quite nice.
    But that man! She pulled in a calming breath, then reached for the tea. After several sips, she did unwind a little.
    “Okay, so let’s be reasonable,” she said aloud to herself, and Boris, if he happened to be listening. “So you don’t get along with him. You can’t expect to like everyone. And have everyone like you.”
    That was all very reasonable and true, but there was another fact that was still adding to the continuing pain in her head. She’d spent a majority of the night recalling all the things she did like about him.
    Okay, they were mainly physical, but despite her aggravation with the man himself, her body did react to his body. Very intensely, in fact.
    She sighed. Why would she be attracted to a man who was so distant, so repressed? Those traits went against all the things she looked for in a man. She liked her men fun and open and kind, definitely kind.