Bella (A Sagatori Family Saga a Mafia Romance Book 3) by Kimberly Blalock Page A

hand remaining at the door, waiting for… I don’t know what I was waiting for. Perhaps I was waiting for Nessun Dorma to play or a crash to break the silence, but it didn’t come. I decided it was best to proceed and go, just walk back to a time that hating Jax was okay. A time when I wasn’t torn about my feelings. What were my feelings, though? What did I feel for him?
    “Don’t leave,” a deep, hurried voice spoke, sounding closer to me. Then a hand, palm flat, fingers spread wide, pressed on the white wooden door holding it firm across my gaze.
    I raised my head and saw him standing there, watching me. A tongue swept across his lip and a hand skated through his thick, dark, wet mane. “I need to dress; I know…” My heart beat veraciously. “I know you’re busy, and I didn’t want to get into your way.” I was being decent to Jax. I’d normally wanted to knee him in the balls, or at the very least, slap him for bringing me here, but now… now, I didn’t know what I wanted to do or even for the matter, why I didn’t know.
    “Have breakfast with me.” His eyes were hard, an edge of softness lingered, peeked.
    “Why?” I don’t know why I asked, maybe I needed to know what he wanted from me. What had happened between us hadn’t been what I thought would happen. Last night took me by surprise just as I was certain it had him as well. The thought that it didn’t affect him did cross my mind, but I suppressed that thought. Why?
    “Join me for breakfast.” He watched me, firmly standing to my left. The towel remained snug against his waist revealing his V. The tingles that had come last night were back.
    “Jax, I’m wearing a sheet,” I said slightly embarrassed, and my eyes fell as I waited for a response. I had never been easily embarrassed, not around Jax. Then again I had never been in only a sheet. There had been the first night that I’d met him, but even then embarrassment hadn’t been my worry. But now, here, in this moment, I was… different in a way that didn’t set well.
    “Sit, breakfast is on its way and then…” his eyes slid down and across my body. “We will work on getting dressed.” Breakfast was on its way? Someone would know that I was here, with Jax, in a sheet? No, no, no . My head shook nervously.
    Jax’s hand reached for mine that had only moments before fallen to my side. “Bella, it’s fine. We’re married, you remember.” Yes, I did remember. “Come,” he said and led me from the suite’s entrance across the room. “Sit.” He slid the white chair from the table with ease.
    I arranged the sheet so that I could comfortably sit while it remained snug to my chest. “Thank you,” I said as I felt his hand drop to my shoulder, softly gliding across my skin. My eyes closed tightly, and a shiver erupted.
    “Of course,” his response was flat, difficult to read. Perhaps I was attempting to read something that wasn’t there at all.
    There were three knocks, soft and dainty. I knew it had to be Alessandra. She would have a smile on her face, that I was certain. This would surely make her day.
    Alessandra was special, a mother figure to both Jax and myself. Jax hadn’t said as much, but Alessandra was definitely a kind and loving woman. I dropped my head as the door opened. I didn’t look at her as she wheeled a cart into the room. She’d had to have come up by the elevator that I hadn’t stepped foot inside. It sat at the end of the hall, and I suppose it was for instances such as this.
    “Good morning, Bella.” I slowly looked up from under my lashes. I felt dirty, caught in the act I suppose.
    I smiled. “Morning.”
    She was delighted, and I was embarrassed. She placed breakfast of eggs, bacon, and coffee in front of me and for Jax a simple croissant and tea. “Will there be anything else? Shall I hold your appointments for the day, Bella?”
    I slipped the cream colored napkin across my sheet clad lap and raised my head. “What