Angelo and Lia both said little throughout lunch, and I mostly picked at my salmon. When Pops and Mrs. Salvatore stood up to leave the table, Angelo looked over at me.
“How about we go do that shopping we still need to get to?”
I tried to smile. “All right.”
Sophia eyed us, her chops probably watering at the mere suggestion of a mall. Angelo turned away from her, though, calling an Uber and specifically saying it was for two.
Sophia rolled her eyes and stood up from the table. “Have fun shopping,” she told me with a wink.
We retrieved our coats and hats and went to wait outside. The moment we stepped out, the Uber was already there, pulling up the drive.
Angelo opened up the back door and we hopped in. After giving the driver the name of a shopping center I didn’t recognize, he fell back into the seat.
A long moment passed.
“It didn’t go very well,” he finally, grimly said.
I sighed. “Okay.”
Angelo’s lips pursed. “Sorry. What I mean is she gave me some attitude. But she’s going to leave you alone.”
“Really?”
He averted his eyes. “Absolutely.”
I studied his profile. “You don’t seem so certain about that.”
Angelo turned to stare into my eyes. “I’m going to make sure she leaves you alone.”
A heaviness pressed onto me. “Oh.”
Angelo’s eyebrow cocked.
“Thank you,” I quickly said. “For talking to her. But now I’m thinking I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“Paige...”
“Now she knows I heard her talking about me, and that I have a problem with her, and it might just make everything between us worse...”
“She doesn’t know you overheard her conversation with Dom. I left that part out.”
I pulled fretfully at my grown-out bangs. “She’ll figure it out. And it doesn’t matter anyway. Maybe I should just talk to her.”
“You don’t have to do that,” he quickly said.
“Why not?”
“Because it will stress you out, and you don’t need any extra stress right now.”
“I’m already stressed out, Angelo. Lia hates me… She’s your sister.”
“Hey.” He scooted a little closer and slipped his arm around my waist. “This isn’t over yet. We’ve all got years to figure out how to get along. Let’s just enjoy this little bit of alone time you and I are getting. It’ll probably be the only amount we get all week.”
“Mm,” I sighed into his coat. “True.”
We arrived at the mall, a mostly outdoor venue with small trees and pots and cobblestone walkways leading up to the name brand stores. It was definitely the ‘nicer’ shopping center in the area.
Angelo already had a list we’d written back in the city tucked into his coat’s breast pocket. We still yet had to pick up something for Tre or for Sophia. I’d gotten Soph a pretty necklace holder, since she’d run out of space to put her jewels on long ago, but Angelo insisted that he get her something all on his own.
He took me to the most bohemian looking store and had me try on clothes to find the right size. From the slew of options, I picked a skirt and infinity scarf for Sophia.
“Do you think she’ll like this?” he asked as we left the shop.
I guffawed. “Anything even resembling clothing she likes.”
After that we went to a few other stores, kind of at a loss as to what to get Trey. We considered getting him some sort of Louisiana State paraphernalia, but didn’t know what he had and didn’t. Eventually we settled on a nice, complete set of cookware.
“I’ve been to his place,” Angelo explained. “The guy lives on take out and anything that comes in a box.”
“It’s a good present,” I smiled at him as the sales girl wrapped the pots and pans up. “Girls love men who can cook.”
“Oh yeah?” He reached around me and gave my butt a squeeze. I slapped his hand away and quickly looked to make sure no one had seen the PDA.
“Anything else?” I asked as we walked back down the main walkway arm in arm.
“How about in there?” He nodded to a lingerie store.
I bit back a smile. “Who do you need to get panties for? Your mom?”
“No you, saucy vixen.”
This time he slapped my butt.
“Stop,” I nearly shrieked. “People are going to see.”
We entered the lingerie store and unbuttoned our coats. Though it was extremely chilly outside, the inside of each store was superbly warm.
“Hello,” a cheery female voice said.
A tall, blonde woman sidled over. “Can I help you find anything?”
“Oh no,” I quickly said. “We’re just looking.”
“No problem.” Her eyes sidled over towards Angelo, quickly dropping to blatantly study every square inch of his body. The owner of the pupils realized what she was doing and quickly lifted her gaze back to his face. “Let me know if you need any help. All rompers are buy one get one fifty percent off.” She smiled at Angelo, seemingly having forgotten I even existed.
I turned away and bit back the smile. I was used to women fawning over Angelo. It was pretty funny, actually, to see the way people could completely lose their minds in the presence of an attractive person. At first, when it would happen, I would get jealous. Eventually him getting checked out became such a commonplace thing that I expected it whenever we went out together.
“What are we looking for?” I asked in a low voice.
Angelo slid by me and lifted a lacy black garter belt set from a table. “How about one of these?”
I cocked an eyebrow, pretending to consider. “No, too conservative.”
“Just what I’m looking for,” he deadpanned back, selecting my size.
We browsed for a little while longer, collecting a few pieces. The blonde salesclerk arrived once more, eagerly taking flight from where she’d been watching Angelo from her perch behind the counter.
“How are we doing over here?”
“Just fine,” Angelo smiled. “She’d like to try some things on.”
“Ooh, great! Right this way.”
I shot Angelo a questioning look as the blonde hurried across the floor.
“Just to see how they look,” he explained.
The dressing room, swathed in various shades of pink, held tan stall doors and soft seats for waiting.
The salesgirl pushed the closest stall open. “Go right ahead. Let me know if you need anything.”
She walked slowly away, making sure each step caused her ass to sway.
“Be back soon,” I told Angelo, going into the dressing room.
I shut the door and turned around to take off my top, thinking I’d try on the red push-up bra first. At least that one would be a practical buy. I needed more form fitting bras I could wear with blouses to work.
The door abruptly opened.
“Hey!” I howled.
Angelo slipped in and shut the door behind him. “I wanted to see. You’re going to need a second opinion.”
I made a face at him in the mirror. “Oh really?”
“And I’m going to say so far so good...” He closed the distance between us with one step and came to press himself against my back.
“Angelo,” I softly chastised, before falling quiet. With his hands on my stomach and his mouth on my neck all thoughts of protestation left.
“We shouldn’t...” I whispered, but it was really no use.
“You have to take this off first,” he whispered into my ear, unhooking my bra for me.
It fell to the floor and he took my breasts in both hands. I watched in the mirror as he massaged and kneaded them, pushing the nipples in between his fingers.
I bit back a moan. Any minute now and that salesgirl might be back. And what would she say when she looked under the stall and saw both mine and Angelo’s feet?
On cue, two women began talking a short
distance away.
“And that would look great with your skin tone,” the clerk said.
I opened my mouth to tell Angelo to get the Hell out of the stall, but he’d already begun undoing my pants and pushing them down my legs. I let him continue. The desire in me burned badly enough that I made a decision. It was already too late to turn back. We might as well hurry up and see this thing through to the end.
Angelo spun me around and covered my mouth with his. I parted my lips, eager for the taste of his kiss, only vaguely noticing the zipper sound as he undid his pants. Working deftly, he pulled my panties down and grabbed my legs by the knees, holding them up. His tip pressed into me, breaking down any prior hesitations I had about making out and full-on fucking in a dressing room.
The conversation outside droned on and on, the women saying words I didn’t even understand anymore. Angelo thrust up and into me, creating a pool of warmth and pleasure in my core.
My head fell back and I swallowed a moan. Angelo’s nails dug into my ass. His breath kissed my neck.
He pushed his palms against my hips, driving me further down onto him. Pleasure overwhelmed my senses, exploding out until a powerful climax shook my world. I trembled against him. The way he bit and sucked my skin took me to new heights.
Angelo moaned against me as he pulled out and turned me around. With my bare ass against him, we both faced the mirror.
A little whimper left my lips. Holding me tight once more, he entered me. I squirmed, still sensitive from that wickedly potent orgasm. Angelo’s thumb brushed my clit, setting a rhythmic circle of movement there.
I did as he instructed and watched as he pounded me. With his face set in grim determination and a bead of sweat sliding down his temple, he was the hottest I’d ever seen.
I came a second time just as Angelo’s tensed through his own release.
He growled again, and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, kissing my hair.
I squirmed from underneath his embrace and snatched up my clothes.
“Just like that?” he asked, pretending to be hurt.
I gave him a saucy look. “I’ll give you round two when we get back to the house. For now, I think we need to focus on getting out of here before we’re caught.”
“Afraid of marring your squeaky-clean record?”
“Shut up,” I hissed, though I couldn’t help but smile.
After getting dressed I snatched up the armful of lingerie I’d come in with. “I’ll go out first. You come out after about a minute.”
“Sure.”
I shimmied out the stall and closed the door firmly behind me.
“Everything fit all right?”
I nearly jumped out of my skin. The blonde salesgirl stood about two feet away.
I swallowed hard before speaking. Could she smell the sweat, pheromones, and secrets on me? “Yes. I think I’ll get it all.”
“Great! We can go to the counter and...”
The stall door behind me opened up and Angelo came out, pulling his jacket on. The sales girl’s mouth fell open into a perfect little o.
“They fit,” he smiled at her.
“O… Oh,” she stammered, her cheeks turning hot pink. “Gr… great.”
“It is great,” he coolly said.
She swallowed hard. Spinning on her heels, she scurried from the dressing area.
I shot Angelo a look. “Not fair,” I whispered. “She’ll be fantasizing about you for weeks.”
He grinned. “Whatever it takes to make sure she doesn’t report us.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven - Angelo
Sweet darkness wrapped around me. I turned my cheek into the pillow and pulled the blankets up tighter around me. This was the best part of any morning: those few moments right before you fully woke up, right before thoughts of the day snuck in.
Paige squirmed next to me and kicked my leg. I edged over towards the side of the bed to get out of her way.
The bed began shaking.
“Wh-what?” I groggily asked, sitting up and reaching for the table lamp.
A high, piercing scream filled the room at the same moment light flooded it.
“Paige!”
She bolted upright, gasping for air.
I grabbed her shoulders. “Paige! Are you awake?”
Her wide eyes stared at me, but whether they really saw me or not was a mystery.
“Do you need your inhaler?” I asked.
“My… my...” She looked around the bed in confusion, and then she shook her head.
“All right.” I relaxed my hold on her shoulders. “Are you okay?”
“I...” Her bottom lip trembled. “My parents. I saw them.”
I smoothed down her hair. “It was just a dream. It’s fine now.”
Her eyes still frantically scanned the room. A shiver ran down my back.
“Lay down,” I said, half because I needed to appease myself. “Come here.”
She let me put my arm around her shoulders and bring her back down into the pillows to nuzzle against my chest.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“No,” she whispered.
“Okay,” I soothingly said, rubbing her shoulder. I could make a pretty educated guess on the content of the dream. “Let’s go back to sleep.”
Gray light poked in through the space between the curtains, making it way too early an hour to be up during a vacation.
“I can’t,” she woefully said.
“Okay.” I wrapped both arms around her and held her so tight I thought she might tell me to stop. Instead she locked one arm across my chest and turned herself to face into me.
“It’s the same dream I always have,” she softly whispered.
I gritted my teeth. She woke from bad dreams every once in a while, but the way she talked suggested the nightmares were more common that I thought.
I carefully selected my words. “Maybe it’s time you thought about going back to therapy.”
She tensed a bit. “No.”
I bit back a curse. At this point her resistance to getting professional help bordered on childish. “I really think it’s time Paige.”
Paige pulled away and sat up, long streams of hair falling around her face. “I went to therapy. I spent years there. And I saw, like, three different therapists. There’s nothing else it can do for me, Angelo?”
I sat up as well, bringing my knees up and resting my arms on them. “But you might as well try. How can that hurt? As long as there’s a small chance that you might get healthier, why not take it?”
She looked down. “Because it’s exhausting. Going through that… is exhausting.”
“And living with anxiety and nightmares isn’t?”
She didn’t answer.
“Look...”
“If it doesn’t work, I’ll keep having these dreams and will eventually have to talk about them!” Her head snapped back up and she glared at me.
I silently counted to ten. I wasn’t angry at Paige, but I was furious over her willingness to be so complacent.
“The way you put it,” I slowly said, “Does make it sound awful. But most people find talking about traumas to be beneficial.”
She crossed her arms. “You’re not a professional.”
“So go see one,” I shot back. “And at least get an initial consultation. What about that?”
She eyed me.
“I’m not the enemy,” I reminded her.
Her arms fell down and her shoulders hunched over. “God, I know. I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m being so mean to you.”
I rubbed her arm. “I think I know.”
“Yeah?”
“The idea of therapy can be scary. You might go there and discover more things trapped inside of you. Things you didn’t know about. Feelings… Memories...”
Her lips twisted and she looked away again, a sure sign I’d hit the nail on the head.
I took Paige’s hand in mine “But a therapist is trained to face those things
. They’ll be able to guide you through anything that might come up.” I tightened my fingers around hers. “And I’ll be here as well. I would even go with you to therapy if you wanted. Or I could sit in the waiting room. Or I could not go and all. I could stay at home and when you get back we can talk about it. Or not. It’s all up to you, Paige. Just take care of your health. I love you. I can’t see you in pain like this.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “Okay,” she said with a nod and a few sniffles. “I’ll do it.”
The words hardly seemed real. “Thank you.” I wrapped her up in a hug.
“When we get back I’ll find someone,” she said.
“Good.” I pulled away and wiped the one tear off her cheek. “Hey,” I softly said. “It’s Christmas Eve. How do you feel?”
She smiled a tiny bit. “Better now.”
“What can I do to make you feel great?”
She cocked her head and looked up at me through those long, dark lashes. “Just be you. You do a badass job at that already so there shouldn’t be any problem.”
I lightly pinched her cheek. “How about snowman and reindeer shaped pancakes?”
This time a real smile lit up her face. “For real?”
“Mariel makes them every year.”
“Too bad we don’t have any real snow to go along with them.”
“Christmas isn’t over yet.” I pulled her back to me and kissed her long and deep.
Banging on the door interrupted the embrace. “Wake up bro!” Franco yelled. “Look outside.”
His footsteps faded away, likely headed towards the kitchen and those pancakes.
Paige’s face scrunched in a question. “Really?”
“Let’s go see.”
Taking her hand, I pulled her from the bed and to the window. Sure enough, the scene outside was just as we expected. A thin blanket of snow covered the ground, the best part being the thick snowflakes still wafting down.
I wrapped my arms around Paige. “Well what do you know?”
Chapter Twenty-Eight - Paige
I told Angelo to go on to breakfast without me. I needed to take a shower and wake up some, I explained.
I also needed to shake off the horrible visions that just rampaged my mind.
Angelo: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance Page 15