LAUREN

I’ve decided that the sun in the Caribbean is far too bright. Even with my darkest pair of sunglasses, I can’t open my eyes fully because the glare is more than I can bear. The tiny jackhammer inside my head is a constant reminder of the amount of vodka I drank last night. I barely remember getting to bed, but I have a vivid image of Antonio’s cock in my face before I fell asleep.

“Thank you for a wonderful time,” Stefano says as he wraps his arms around his brother while we stand outside the airport in Nassau.

I pull the brim of my beach hat down a little farther, trying to shade my eyes more, but it’s no use. Any amount of light is too much at this point.

Tara isn’t faring any better than me. If she weren’t so sunburnt, I’d swear her new shade was green. We smack-talked our way into the world’s worst hangover, and this is God’s way of paying us back.

“I’m happy you joined us. Maybe we can do this again sometime.”

“No vodka though, ’kay?” Tara grabs her head and sways.

Stefano reaches out and steadies her. “This is all my fault.”

She grips his arms and stares at him under the brim of her hat. “It’s not my first hangover, Stefano. I’m a big girl.”

“Maybe we can do this again sometime.” The poor guy looks so hopeful when he makes the statement, but I know my girl, and she probably won’t dip her foot in that well again.

“We’ll see. I have a pretty busy schedule.”

“I like a woman who plays hard to get.”

Tara laughs briefly. “Damn, this is horrible.” She grabs her head again and lets out a little whimper. “I may never drink again.”

I feel the same way, but we both know it would be a lie.

Stefano pulls her hand away from her head and kisses her fingers first before making his way to her wrist. “Until next time, Tara. It was a pleasure.”

A hint of a smile crosses her face, but too much is hidden by her sunglasses and hat. We’ll be having a conversation once we’ve both recovered so I can find out exactly what happened this weekend.

Before Stefano walks away, he gives me a kiss on each cheek and says, “I enjoyed the weekend with you, Lauren. I’m excited you’ll be part of the family.”

I freeze, and my sunglasses-covered gaze finds Antonio. He looks as shocked as I am by Stefano’s words, so I ignore the comment and give him a light pat on the back. “The weekend turned out better than I expected.”

Minus the hangover. The first night I was wound a little too tight, worried for my friend because I had forgotten she could handle her own. The Stefano who came to the island is one I could love. Not the same way I do Antonio, but someone I could respect as family.

Stefano walks away and reaches for his phone. Before he disappears into the building, Tara’s phone chimes, and Stefano flashes her a smile.

“You gave him your number?” I ask.

“Maybe.” She smirks.

Her big talk of not seeing him again and playing hard to get was all an act. The little minx couldn’t resist the charms of Stefano Forte even if he behaved like an asshole.

“We’re not dating, but I’d fuck him again for sure,” she says as she types him a reply.

I shrug, too exhausted for anything else and feeling a bit like roadkill. “I’m ready to go home.”

“Your chariot awaits,” Antonio says and motions toward the private runway to the right of the main terminal.

There’s definitely an upside to flying in a private jet. I couldn’t handle a crowd right now. Especially with the evil little person that’s chipping away pieces of my skull as a constant reminder of last night’s stupidity.

Tara hooks her arm with mine as we walk toward the tarmac. “These Forte men are something else, huh?”

“Just watch yourself. I hated Antonio when I met him, and look where I am now.”

“Jet-setting all over the world and in love with a guy packing a ten-inch pecker?”

I can’t help it. I crack up and hold my head, wincing through the pain until it turns into tears. “I hate you sometimes,” I tell her as we climb the stairs to the jet with Antonio behind us.

“But you’re stuck with me forever.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

ANTONIO

Lauren’s lying in the bed and checking her emails, almost recovered from the vodka and airplane ride. She glances up from her screen and smiles softly.

“I was thinking about this weekend,” I say as I settle in next to her.

She sets her phone down and gives me her full attention. “Which part?”

“It was right before you passed out.”

Her eyes widen.

“My cock was…”

She buries her face in her hands and groans. “I’m so embarrassed.”

I pull her hands away from her face. “I’m kidding. I never expected anything to happen. You were so drunk, but you were superbossy. Kind of how I’d think you’d be as a boss.”

“Bossy? In the bedroom?”

“You threatened to spank me.” I smirk as her face turns a lovely shade of red.

She sinks down into the pillow and hides her face. “This is mortifying.”

“If that’s your thing, I’m game.”

“Right now?”

I shake my head. “Whenever you want.”

“Oh God, don’t ever let me drink that much again.”

I laugh and pull her into my arms as I lie down. “I wasn’t really thinking about that. We’ll forget it ever happened.”

I won’t forget. It’s a memory I’ll keep forever. Even when we’re old and gray, I’ll remember it.

“And the spanking?”

“That we’ll talk about another day.”

“Are you into that?” she asks, stroking her favorite spot on my chest.

“I’m into anything you are.”

She peers up at me with questioning eyes. “Change the subject, please.”

“I wanted to talk about what Stefano said.”

I’d been dancing around the topic for hours. I knew the words struck her as odd when Stefano said them at the airport before he walked inside the terminal. He had asked me if I intended to ask Lauren for her hand in marriage, and I’d told him she was the first woman I had even considered doing so.

“Stefano broached a subject I’ve thought about in the last week.”

Her hand stills. “Okay.”

I cover her hand with mine and glance down. “Let’s say someday we get married. Where will we live?”

It’s a fair question. I remember Lauren telling me she’d live nowhere else besides Chicago. She said she needed the grit of the city like she needed air. Although I like the city, I could never live here full time.

“I don’t know,” she mumbles, snuggling her cheek against my chest. “I haven’t thought about it.”

“I own a home in Italy, and you have this penthouse in Chicago.”

“Would we have to pick one or the other?”

I’ve never stayed in one place too long. Work has kept me on the move for over a decade, but the travel is starting to wear on me.

“Not at first,” I concede. “But someday, if we have children, we couldn’t travel as easily. They need stability.”

She pushes herself up and stares at me with a look I haven’t seen before. “Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. You’re talking about babies I give birth to?”

“Yeah.” I touch her nose and smile. God, our children would be the most beautiful little things in the world. I could almost picture them laughing and running around our…yard? Kids can’t grow up in a penthouse surrounded by cement and metal. They need room to play, to grow, to explore.

“When should I fit that in? In between billion-dollar business deals? Just say, hey, can we put this on hold while I squeeze out a mini Forte?”

“You can take time off. You’re not the first female CEO on the planet.”

Her eyes narrow. “I don’t think I’m quite ready to have kids.”

“I’m not saying we’re having them tomorrow, but we have to think ahead.”

“Maybe that’s better left to chance.” She falls back down in my arms with a loud huff.

“I want children someday, Lauren. I want an entire army of little people with our eyes and noses. I want that with you.”

Never have I wanted anything more. Six months ago, children and marriage weren’t even on my radar. But being with Lauren and falling in love has changed everything.

“I’ll stay home and take care of them,” I say because I’m a fucking idiot. I can’t take care of kids by myself, but I’d say anything to make my dream a reality.

“Can we talk about this tomorrow?”

I settle into the bed and pull her closer. “Yes, but we’re going to have to face our future sooner or later.”

“I’m still hungover and exhausted. I need to sleep, or I’ll be useless at the office. While it’s nice to talk about the relationship future, if this merger falls apart, there won’t be much of anything happening for a long time.”

I kiss her forehead and close my eyes. “Everything will turn out fine. Sleep, and we’ll talk about it another time.”

She slings her leg over mine and cozies up in her favorite position. My hand sweeps up and down her back as I stare at the ceiling and think about our future. Two workaholics, living on different continents.

What could possibly go wrong?