Life Before Damaged Vol. 10 (The Ferro Family) Read Online Free
Author: H. M. Ward
Tags: Romance, New Adult & College, Anthologies, Collections & Anthologies
never what I wanted to do. But now?" She exhales and I feel the weight of her words, filled with both melancholy and hope.
"Gina, you can do whatever you want. There are no limits here. No one is telling you what you should or shouldn't do anymore. Whatever you want, I'm behind you. What's it gonna be? Off the top of your head, the first thing that comes to your mind. What do you see yourself doing with the rest of your life?"
I feel the toe of her shoe rub up against my pant leg, caressing the side of my calf. It's distracting, but comforting too. It reminds me that I want to spend the rest of my life impassioned by her subtle touch.
She picks up her spoon and studies her reflection in it as if it'll give her answers. Regretfully, she puts it back down on the table.
"I don't want to be stuck in a huge house all day tending to the staff, that's for sure. I want a simple life I can enjoy with my handsome husband--and maybe," her eyes lift tentatively into mine, "maybe my own dance studio."
I put my glass down on the table and lean back into my chair. "Then that's what we'll do."
Her smile is radiant, and I want to stay lost in it forever. Roberto interrupts our conversation, serving our golden slices ceremoniously. He deposits Gina's plate in front of her first. "Signorina! How good it is to see you again."
"It's wonderful to see you too, Roberto. Yours is the best pizza on the planet, and I'm honored to be able to enjoy it a second time."
Roberto claps his hands together and beams at her. "Signore Ferro is treating you well, then, sì?"
Gina winks in my direction. "Meh! That stronzo? He's a little rough around the edges, but most of the time he's okay."
The room echoes with the boom of Roberto's laughter. He stretches his arms out wide, placing one on the back of my chair and one on the back of Gina's. He shifts his weight in my direction and claps me once on the back. "Never let go of this one, Signore Ferro."
My eyes lock on Gina's as I answer. "I don't plan to, Roberto." He claps my back again and returns to the kitchen, barking out orders to his staff in Italian.
I rub my bottom lip with a finger, watching her closely. "I see you've been brushing up on your Italian. So, I'm an asshole, am I?"
She lifts one shoulder, the one with the elaborate rose tattoo, and smiles sweetly. "Sometimes, but I love you just the way you are." She lifts her slice of pizza from off of her plate and bites off the tip. Her eyes flutter closed, and she moans, visibly enjoying the taste.
With a mouth still half full she says, "Omigod, Pete. Can we hire Roberto as our chef?"
I lift up my own slice and take a bite, pondering what she just said. "We already have a chef. Don't you like him?"
Her brows pull in, and she tilts her head to the side. "About that. Peter, it'll be many years before the Ferro Mansion is yours and the idea of living in the same house as your family--" She exaggerates a full body shudder. "I thought, maybe, after the wedding we could get a place of our own. Maybe an apartment in the city or a house by the water. Just you and me. I know your quarters are big enough to give us whatever privacy we want, but it's not going to be our house for a long time still. Wouldn't it be nice to have sex on the breakfast table without worrying about someone walking in on us?"
"Um... Did I just hear you say you want me to buy you a house so you can jump me on the breakfast table? You drive a hard bargain, but your terms sound reasonable enough. How big are we talking here?"
"The breakfast table? Well, that's kind of insulting. My ass isn't that wide, we don't need a very big breakfast table for banging on it." She shifts in her chair, trying to peek at her rear end.
"No, smartass. The house. How big of a house do you want?" The visual itself, the thought of being able to make love to her wherever, whenever, however, without anyone else interrupting is appealing. She's right. My family's house is huge, but it sometimes feels
"Gina, you can do whatever you want. There are no limits here. No one is telling you what you should or shouldn't do anymore. Whatever you want, I'm behind you. What's it gonna be? Off the top of your head, the first thing that comes to your mind. What do you see yourself doing with the rest of your life?"
I feel the toe of her shoe rub up against my pant leg, caressing the side of my calf. It's distracting, but comforting too. It reminds me that I want to spend the rest of my life impassioned by her subtle touch.
She picks up her spoon and studies her reflection in it as if it'll give her answers. Regretfully, she puts it back down on the table.
"I don't want to be stuck in a huge house all day tending to the staff, that's for sure. I want a simple life I can enjoy with my handsome husband--and maybe," her eyes lift tentatively into mine, "maybe my own dance studio."
I put my glass down on the table and lean back into my chair. "Then that's what we'll do."
Her smile is radiant, and I want to stay lost in it forever. Roberto interrupts our conversation, serving our golden slices ceremoniously. He deposits Gina's plate in front of her first. "Signorina! How good it is to see you again."
"It's wonderful to see you too, Roberto. Yours is the best pizza on the planet, and I'm honored to be able to enjoy it a second time."
Roberto claps his hands together and beams at her. "Signore Ferro is treating you well, then, sì?"
Gina winks in my direction. "Meh! That stronzo? He's a little rough around the edges, but most of the time he's okay."
The room echoes with the boom of Roberto's laughter. He stretches his arms out wide, placing one on the back of my chair and one on the back of Gina's. He shifts his weight in my direction and claps me once on the back. "Never let go of this one, Signore Ferro."
My eyes lock on Gina's as I answer. "I don't plan to, Roberto." He claps my back again and returns to the kitchen, barking out orders to his staff in Italian.
I rub my bottom lip with a finger, watching her closely. "I see you've been brushing up on your Italian. So, I'm an asshole, am I?"
She lifts one shoulder, the one with the elaborate rose tattoo, and smiles sweetly. "Sometimes, but I love you just the way you are." She lifts her slice of pizza from off of her plate and bites off the tip. Her eyes flutter closed, and she moans, visibly enjoying the taste.
With a mouth still half full she says, "Omigod, Pete. Can we hire Roberto as our chef?"
I lift up my own slice and take a bite, pondering what she just said. "We already have a chef. Don't you like him?"
Her brows pull in, and she tilts her head to the side. "About that. Peter, it'll be many years before the Ferro Mansion is yours and the idea of living in the same house as your family--" She exaggerates a full body shudder. "I thought, maybe, after the wedding we could get a place of our own. Maybe an apartment in the city or a house by the water. Just you and me. I know your quarters are big enough to give us whatever privacy we want, but it's not going to be our house for a long time still. Wouldn't it be nice to have sex on the breakfast table without worrying about someone walking in on us?"
"Um... Did I just hear you say you want me to buy you a house so you can jump me on the breakfast table? You drive a hard bargain, but your terms sound reasonable enough. How big are we talking here?"
"The breakfast table? Well, that's kind of insulting. My ass isn't that wide, we don't need a very big breakfast table for banging on it." She shifts in her chair, trying to peek at her rear end.
"No, smartass. The house. How big of a house do you want?" The visual itself, the thought of being able to make love to her wherever, whenever, however, without anyone else interrupting is appealing. She's right. My family's house is huge, but it sometimes feels
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