To Have and to Hold by Gina Robinson Read Free Book Online

staying connected a little too far. I leaned over and suppressed a laugh. Jus was running one of those sleep apps. He was such a data nerd.
    His breathing was slow and even, not at all gasping, like I'd heard people with sleep apnea do. And he didn't snore. Why did he need this data?
    The bed was big. Jus had been keeping to his own side. I slid closer to him and stealthily picked up the phone. What would it hurt to have a little fun with him? I shook the phone several times before returning it and sliding back to my side. Jus was a sound sleeper. He didn't even stir.
    In the meantime, I was still cold. His bed had every amenity, including temperature control. I hadn't bothered learning how to operate it. I made a mental note to give it a try in the morning. To set the firmness of my mattress. My angle of repose. And the temperature, which I could set to come on and warm up the bed so it would be all cozy at bedtime. Since when had beds become so complicated?
    I sighed and fell back on my pillow. Every aspect of life with a billionaire was complicated. I didn't remember falling asleep, but when I woke up, Jus and his phone were already gone.
    I got up, showered, dressed, and checked my phone out of habit. Two messages. First one from Jus: At work. Didn't want to wake you when I left, sleepyhead. Left an envelope with some cash and ideas about a household/personal budget with Magda. We need to take care of some administrative things. Talk tonight. Have a good day. I love you, babe.
    Babe? Did I hear sarcasm in that? He was taking this fakery to a whole new level by infiltrating my phone with sweet gushiness and ordinary, mundane domestic life details. And professions of love. Then again, it was probably smart and added authenticity to our deception. If a court ever subpoenaed my phone, we were good.
    He had a good point—I needed a budget. Billionaire's wives didn't go around dressed in cheap clothes without a penny to their names. How was I supposed to jet-set without working capital?
    I texted him back. I love you more! Miss you already! Have the best day ever, sweetie. XOXO
    I added a pair of kissy lips and three emoticon hearts and smirked at the utter junior highness of it. Jus would get the humor. I wondered if we could work out a code using hearts and sweet nothings. I laughed at the idea of my phone being full of beautiful love messages that really meant things like Pick up a loaf of bread on your way home .
    The second message was from Brittany. Free for lunch? You'd better be! Meet me at noon at… She named one of our favorite restaurants near where she worked downtown. It would be crowded with her coworkers at lunch, but that was life.
    I knew what she wanted—details. Ordinarily I would have jumped at the chance to lunch with her. Don't get me wrong. I wanted to see her. I just wasn't certain I was ready. Then again, there was that old saying, There's no time like the present. I was going to have to face her eventually. I texted back that I'd be there.
    When I came out of the bedroom, Magda was banging around in the kitchen. Jus had been up late in his office. I was naturally curious about what he'd been doing in there. I had my suspicions. I hadn't been home much in our two days of married life, but when I was, the door was closed. Which, of course, made it all the more intriguing. What was he hiding in there? It was the one room he'd barely given me a glimpse of. It was closed this morning, too.
    Magda smiled at me. "Mrs. Kayla, what can I get you?"
    I hesitated. I wasn't used to being waited on. And though it was supposedly the most important meal of the day, I generally dashed off without eating breakfast. "Coffee. Caramel or hazelnut. Something flavored. And frothed milk and sugar. A piece of toast, maybe?"
    She rattled off a selection of breads that would have given a restaurant a five-star rating.
    "Whole wheat." I was trying to be healthy.
    "Mr. Justin left an envelope for you on the counter." She