Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 70928 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 355(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70928 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 355(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
I take the bite, searching his face for any sign that he regrets marrying me yesterday, but all I see is contentment.
When he notices I’m staring, he admits, “I love taking care of you.”
He spends the next few minutes feeding me until I’ve had enough, then he takes a couple of bites before setting the plate down on the bedside table.
Wiping his thumb over his bottom lip, his eyes lock on me. “I told Rosie to get me a body cam and to set up a secure system so you can watch me when I’m not with you.”
Surprised, my eyebrows lift. “You don’t mind?”
His expression turns serious as he replies, “I’m worried about you seeing the gruesomeness when I kill someone. That can’t be good for you.”
I think about it for a moment. “Maybe if I see how you handle yourself at work, it will help, like a kind of exposure therapy.”
“I’d like to meet with your psychiatrist. I want to learn everything I can about…” he frowns, then asks, “What’s it called again?”
“Thanatophobia. We can call it anxiety to make it easier.”
Lifting his hand to my face, he cups my cheek. “I’m sorry I gave you such a scare when I got shot.”
The crippling fear that the memory brings is muted by the Xanax, but my body still shudders while a pit of angst forms in my stomach.
Christiano shifts closer to me and tilts his head. “Does it make it worse to talk about it?”
It’s difficult to be open about my mental state after hiding it from him.
“Dr. Kahn says it helps to talk about it, but I try to avoid it.” I give him a hopeful look. “Then again, I haven’t been able to talk to you about what happened.”
“You can talk to me about it at any time,” he assures me. “Just don’t push yourself too hard. Your mental well-being comes first.”
For the most part, Christiano has always treated me like I’m something precious, but having him be so gentle and caring after I came clean about my disorder is something I needed desperately.
“Thank you.”
A frown forms on his forehead. “For what?”
“For not hating me because I’m weak.”
“Stop saying you’re weak. You’ve fought this hell all by yourself for years, Sienna. That takes some serious fucking strength.” He leans closer and presses a kiss to my lips. “I’m proud of you, but it’s time for you to rest and let me take over fighting this battle for you.”
His phone rings, drawing his attention. When he pulls it out, and Rosie’s name shows on the screen, he accepts the call.
“Hey.” He listens for a moment, then a smile forms on his face. “Hold on a second.” Meeting my eyes, he asks, “Instead of a body cam, how would you feel about a device that shows you my vitals and tracks my whereabouts? That way, you don’t have to see me killing someone every other day, and you can see my heart beating for you wherever I am.”
“God, yes! I’d love something like that.”
Chuckling, he tells Rosie, “Go ahead and design the app so Sienna can have access to it from her phone, and do the same for me. I want to track her at all times.”
When he ends the call, he says, “Look at us being all obsessive. I love it.”
“Thank you.” A smile spreads over my face. “I think it will help a lot.”
“Good. I’ll also call you often.” Getting up, he collects the plate. “I’m going to get the men to move all your belongings to the penthouse. You don’t need that kind of stress right now.”
I climb off the bed and follow him to the kitchen. “You don’t have to baby me. Besides the phobia, I’m physically fine.”
He sets the plate down on the counter, his eyes flicking to me. “This has nothing to do with the phobia. I told you yesterday I’m taking over every aspect of your life.” Leaning his hip against the counter, he crosses his arms over his chest, and it makes his biceps strain beneath the black sleeves. “Being the head of the five families, there are a lot of moving parts. I need to have complete control. It’s the only way I can protect everyone.”
When he’s so gentle with me, I almost forget who he is. Seeing all those photos in the hallway was a real eye-opening moment. This man carries our entire world on his shoulders, and all he wants is me.
“You are so strong, it amazes me at times,” I say, my voice soft and filled with awe. I walk closer, and pulling his arms open, I lean against his chest. “All the control is yours, and tell me if there’s anything else I can do to make things easier for you.”
“Just love me, Sienna.”
Tipping my head back, I meet his eyes. “I do.”