“Gigi, thanks for breakfast.” Annabelle chomped on a piece of bacon and grinned at my chef.
Gigi was a tall older lady in her late sixties. She had been a retired chef, but I convinced her to work for me on the weekends. She was the only person who had the guts to set me straight and tell me what needed to be heard. Gigi and my cleaner Regina, were the only people I let tell me what needed to be done.
“No problem. It’s nice to cook for more than Carl.”
“Oh are you telling me you don’t cook for Carl’s lady friends?”
Gigi threw her head back and laughed. “Carl, doesn’t have any friends, let alone lady ones.” She said between fits of laughter.
I should be offended, but she was right. I didn’t have many friends and I had never brought a woman to my home. Any relationship I’d had with a woman, not that there’d been many, I had always gone to their place. My friends were more work colleagues.
Annabelle’s gaze widened and shot to me. “I’m the only woman you’ve brought here?” Her voice rang high.
“Of course. This house is only for the woman who’ll be my wife.”
Annabelle rolled her eyes. “You haven’t even asked me to marry you and I wouldn’t say yes, because I don’t know you.”
“You’ll get to know me. I’ve already learned a lot about you.”
She stood from the bar stool and placed her hand on her hips. “Oh yeah, like what?”
Going to her, I gathered her against me. She was stiff at first but after a moment or two she relaxed. “Like, you’re smart, resourceful, caring, and feisty.”
“Ha, there, you’re wrong. I’m not feisty, and where did you get resourceful from?”
Turning her in my embrace, I tilted her head up. “I got resourceful from how you ran from me at the cabin and knew to stay hidden. And you most definitely are feisty with me. It’s all you’ve been with me.”
Her eyes lit up and a massive grin spread over her beautiful face. “I am aren’t I? I guess you just bring out something in me.”
Bringing my hands down I tickled her and she squealed with delight and moved out of my hold. She spun and ran to the sliding door, opened it and ran out. Sherlock barked and followed. Chuckling at their antics, I ran after her.
Annabelle
Sitting cross armed at the fancy five star restaurant I glared at Carl. How dare he just buy boxes and get people to move me into his house. He didn’t even ask, he just bulldozed me.
“You’re still angry with me.” I hated that I found the smirk on his face hot. He was so arrogant. He knew that I wasn’t angry, I was more annoyed that he just took over and assumed I’d pack up my stuff and move in. I may have said when he kidnapped me I’d move in, but I never said anything about packing up my things at my place and getting someone to rent it.
“Yes. You can’t just invite agents to my house so they can take photos and tell us what we need to do to have it ready for renters.”
“You said we.” The grin that overtook his face had me clenching my fists and resisting the urge to jump across the table and knock it off his smug face.
“Argh, I meant I. Not we.”
“I don’t think you did.” The teasing lilt to his voice did strange things to my body. This man was dangerous. I hadn’t even been with him for a full weekend and the strange animalistic pull I felt for him wasn’t lessening, it was getting stronger. The sex last night was amazing and every time he touched me, my body came alive. In the short time I’d been with Carl I’d learned he didn’t know what the word No meant.
“You drive me crazy. I don’t know why you have this insane notion that we’re meant to be, when I swear over half the time we’ve been together I want to beat you over the head with a blunt object.”
The arse laughed and clutched at his chest dramatically. “I feel the love.”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes again. “So…you’re a doctor. I thought the Silvermans were business men and all snooty society.”
He raised his eyebrow. “Snooty society? Really? Is that what you think of us Silvermans?”
“Yes.” I didn’t know much about the Silvermans, but what I’d heard they were all businessmen and high society people.
“You have a lot to learn. We’re not all high society. I have a nephew who’s a cop, another who owns gyms, one who has a bunch of nightclubs and another who has a computer company. Now if we were to talk about my brother Albert, and his wife Gillian, then yes, they are snooty society people.”
“You have three brothers, but do you have any sisters?”