Sweet Pain (Amatucci Family #3) - Sadie Jacks Page 0,27
the other?”
He smiled. “I use my right so I can keep my left side free in an emergency.”
“Then let’s keep things equal.” I stepped up, leaned my forehead against the rest as a tiny mechanical arm came out and flashed a red light from left to right over my eye. The safe beeped twice again.
“New biometrics recorded. Name?” the safe asked.
“Ms. Willow—Chase,” he finally said. A funny look descended over his face.
“Forget my name already?” I asked, a laugh in my voice.
He shook his head. The odd expression vanished. “Not ever.” He spun the dial, pushed the ten-inch steel door shut with a soft snick and shhh of gears. He turned on his heel, held out his hand. “Let’s go tackle a mountain.”
I groaned as I put my hand into his. “Can I change my mind? Let you buy me all new stuff?”
He laughed. “Sure. But I don’t think you’d like that very much in the long run. Come on, cupcake. I’ll pour us some wine, we’ll sort through your department store’s worth of stuff. We’ll have fun.”
“Do you promise to cut me off if I get drunk?” I asked seriously.
He must have heard something in my voice. He stopped walking and turned to look at me. “Yes. Is there a particular reason for that?”
I nodded. “I don’t like getting drunk. Makes things harder to feel. To sort.” I didn’t shrink away from his searching gaze. “I rarely drink, actually.”
“The night in the club that precipitated our meeting?”
I shook my head. “Club soda and lime. I never drink out in public. Ever.”
He nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind. Yeah, cupcake. I’ll make sure you stay this side of drunk. You don’t have to drink at all if you don’t want to, you know.”
I nodded. “I don’t mind it. Enjoy it really, when I can trust who I’m with. I’m a wicked lightweight. And as long as you have a good selection of wine, I think I’d like a glass tonight after all the excitement of the last few days.”
He smiled, pulled me into his arms as we continued down the hallway back out to the main living area. “Red or white?”
“Rosé?” I asked as I looked up at him.
He nodded. “I think I’ve got a bottle of the stuff for my mom.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Great. A mom wine.”
He laughed. “My mom has pretty great taste, so I think that should count for something. I’ve got a White Zin if you prefer a little drier.”
I shook my head. “No. I don’t like the drier wines. Rosé is fine.” We parted ways at the conjunction of the living area, dining room, and kitchen. I stood at the base of my luggage mountain and could have kicked myself.
Seriously? How did I have this much crap? I knew my rush through the apartment was fast and frenzied. I’d no doubt forgotten some of the important stuff. But this was crazy. For a woman who hated clutter, I sure had enough crap to store.
I knew some of the bigger suitcases had my favorite sheets and duvets. But outside of that, no fewer than fifteen bags were full of my clothes and shoes. That didn’t even account for the bags we’d taken into the bedroom on the first round of luggage musical chairs.
I sighed. Toed off my shoes. “I’m going to downsize. I don’t need all of this stuff. I probably don’t wear half of it anymore.” I stood there, eyeing the detritus of my previous life.
“Can I ask a personal question?” he asked as he came over, a glass of wine in his elegant, masculine hands.
“Always.” I took a sip. Sighed as the crisp, fruity flavor exploded in my mouth.
“Where and when did you get all of this? I can’t imagine Ethan took you shopping all that often.” His voice was soft.
I barked a laugh. “That’s the understatement of the year. I got to leave the house, but that was about it. He put me in a chipped choker that was equipped not only with GPS, but also a camera and listening device.” I took a big gulp of my wine. “No. I went a little crazy after Tali and Nico rescued me. Went on shopping binges. Made a pretty significant hole in my trust fund.”
He wrapped his arms around my shoulders, pressed his lips to my head. “Then I’m glad you’ve got all of it. If you want to get rid of some, I’ll help you. I’ll also be taking you shopping for