Текст книги "Semper Fi"

Автор книги: Jane Harvey-Berrick

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Текущая страница: 13 (всего у книги 24 страниц)

I woke up long after dawn—unusual for me since I’d joined the Marines. It might have had something to do with the way my body felt deeply relaxed, or the fact that I’d made love to Caro for hours the night before.

Yeah, we fucked too, and sometimes that was rough and fast and hard, but something about her softness and sweetness and the love I saw in her eyes made me want to go slow and savor every second. And although I didn’t want to admit it, our time was running out—again.

I smiled as her eyes slowly opened.

“Ciao, bella.”

“Ciao,” she said, smiling up at me.

She stretched, accidentally bumping against my dick that had been rigid for quite a while and was begging for attention.

My hand drifted over her hip, and she didn’t stop me when my fingers slipped over the damp curls of her mound and into her slick heat. She sighed and groaned, a sound that caught in my chest and made my heart beat faster. Christ, this woman.

Two hours later, Signora Carello served us breakfast on a small terrace overlooking her backyard. It was a blaze of color and I could see that Caro loved it here. If my girl was happy, I was happy.

The signora joined us for coffee.

“So,” she said, smiling at Caro, “you are hoping to find family in Capezzano Inferiore?”

Caro’s expression was wistful.

“That would be the icing on the cake, but really I just want to see the village where my father came from. If I find family, well…”

It pissed me the hell off that I couldn’t give her everything she wanted.

The signora smiled sympathetically and patted Caro’s hand.

“Perhaps you will find family in a different way,” she said, glancing at me and smiling.

Caro looked at her dubiously and I thought she was going to put her reporter brain into gear, but she didn’t. Instead, she drained her coffee cup and stood up to leave.

Signora Carello squeezed my hand and whispered, “Amor regge senza legge.”

It took me a moment to translate, but then I grinned at her and she winked. Yeah, I liked that one: Love rules without laws.

We strolled through Salerno and I enjoyed the feel of Caro’s small hand in mine. I’d fucked a lot of women in the last six years, but holding hands, out in public, that was way more intimate. I liked it: it felt right.

Caro stopped to admire the yachts in the harbor as we leaned on the railings, the sun turning the water to a deep blue.

“I should take you sailing some time,” I said. “If we had more time, I’d rent us a boat and teach you.”

“I already know,” she smiled. “Although I haven’t been out on a sailboat for years.”

“Really?” I was surprised. “I didn’t know you could sail.”

“Ah, you don’t know all my talents yet, Hunter.”

I leaned down and whispered in her ear. “I’m looking forward to finding out.” Then I straightened up. “But when did you learn?”

She seemed uneasy, and when she answered I knew why.

“David taught me.”

“The asshole?”

“The very one.”

I hated hearing her talk about her ex-husband, and I definitely didn’t want to hear that he’d taught her to sail. That skewered my heart. I knew it was irrational to hate something that had happened long before Caro and I had gotten together, but I did. I hated every single second that she’d ever spent with him. I hated that he’d been her first. I hated that he’d nearly broken her, and if I ever saw that fucker again, I wouldn’t be responsible for my actions.

“It was a long time ago, Sebastian,” she said softly. “And we agreed we couldn’t change the past, so stop looking so mad or I’ll have to kiss you indecently in public.”

I was still off balance as she spoke, but my pulse quickened when her meaning filtered through the red mist that had descended the second she’d mentioned her ex-husband.

“Nope, still pissed off, Caro. You’ll have to kiss me. I don’t know if it’ll work, but you could try.”

I stared at her challengingly.

“Are you sure, Sebastian?” she purred. “Because I don’t want to get you all hot and bothered.”

“I’ll risk it.”

She turned to face me, standing so close that our bodies touched. And then she ran her hand over my ass, under my t-shirt, and dragged her nails down my back hard enough to make my breath catch in my throat. With her other hand, she pulled my head down and kissed me hard, stealthily rubbing over my zipper at the same time.

“Fuck, Caro! Let’s go back to our room right now.”

She pushed me away, laughing, her eyes dancing with lust. “No, Sebastian. That was just my distraction technique—which, by the way, I didn’t learn in the Marines.”

I groaned, then discreetly adjusted the fucking inconvenient bulge in my pants.

“Should we go to Capezzano Inferiore now?” she asked innocently.

I gave her a look that said we’d be evening the score later.

It was a steep walk up to her father’s village, but the view was amazing and in the distance we could see the island of Anacapri.

I never thought I’d come to a place like this, and for a second I was ten years old and copying a British accent as I imagined that I was James Bond. I glanced sideways at Caro—I already had my own Bond girl. My dick liked the idea a lot and I had to run over some silent drills in my head before another boner snuck up on me. Bastard seemed to be on high alert 24/7 around Caro.

The village of Capezzano Inferiore looked dead, the only sign of life a mangy old dog scratching in the shade. It was pretty much a dump and I hoped Caro wasn’t too disappointed. I guess I could see why her old man would have wanted to leave. When I glanced at Caro, a lump formed in my throat: her shoulders were hunched and I could tell she was close to tears.

“We don’t have to stay, Caro.”

She sighed as she tried to smile. “It’s okay. I don’t know what I was expecting: Papa always said it was a one-horse town where the horse had died. I guess he was right.”

“Look, that guy over there is just opening up his café—let’s go get a drink, okay?”

She nodded slowly, and I took her hand and led her over to the small table outside. If anyone knew any gossip about a place like this, it would be a bar owner or a priest.

The café owner looked surprised to have customers. I had no idea how the guy made any money in such a dead-end dump. I ordered a beer and Caro asked for an espresso and a glass of water.

I wasn’t expecting too much, but when my beer arrived, it came in a frosted glass, and Caro’s espresso was served in a miniature coffee pot with a pot of raw cane sugar lumps. It was a nice touch.

“Excuse me, sir,” I said to the guy serving us. “My girlfriend’s father came from this village. We were wondering if you might have known him: his surname was Venzi.”

The man scratched his head. “That name seems familiar, but I’m not sure. Let me ask my wife—she’s lived here her whole life.”

Caro shifted anxiously in her seat.

“Don’t get your hopes up, Caro,” I reminded her gently.

“No, I’m not,” she said, shaking her head. She was a God-awful liar.

A moment later, the owner’s wife appeared.

“Buon giorno. You are asking after the Venzi family? How can I help you?”

“I was just wondering … my father, Marco Venzi, he was born here. Did you know him?”

The woman smiled warmly.

“Goodness! Marco Venzi! That’s a name I haven’t heard in a very long time. He was the boy who left to live in America. Your father, you say? Yes, I knew him.”

Tears glittered in Caro’s eyes, and I squeezed her fingers as she failed to hide her emotion.

“It’s so exciting to meet someone who remembers Papa,” she choked out.

“Yes, we were at school together,” the woman confirmed. “He was a few years older than me, and always in trouble. He had the devil in him, that one.”

“His daughter is just the same,” I smiled, gazing at Caro.

The woman laughed. “And how is dear Marco? Did he make his fortune in America like he said? He was crazy for your American movies. Said he was going to be a big star, like Valentino.”

Caro swallowed and her body tensed, unable to get the words out.

“Mr. Venzi died some years ago,” I answered for her.

“Ah, I see,” the woman said, her smile faltering. “Forgive me, young woman, my condolences. Your father was always so full of spirit. Too big for this little town.”

“Do you know if he had any relatives here?” I asked, trying to move the subject on from memories that were painful for Caro.

“Well, there was his mother, but she died a long time ago. Marco had a sister who was much older than him, I remember. But she married and moved away, to Naples, I think. I’m sorry, I don’t remember the name of the man she married, so that’s all I can tell you.”

Caro looked devastated. The woman ducked her head in sympathy and left us alone.

“We could try and find her,” I suggested. “She might have had kids—you could have cousins you don’t know about.”

Caro took a trembling breath, making an effort to pull herself together. God, she was so strong.

“Yes, I might,” she acknowledged, forcing a watery smile. “I probably do.” Then she closed her eyes and shook her head slowly. “It doesn’t matter, Sebastian. Signora Carello was right: even if there are cousins, they’re not my family—not really. I have my friends…” she paused. “And I have you. You’re my family now.”

I’d waited so many fucking years to hear that. It almost destroyed me that she said it here, now, in the village where her father had been born. I’d only known Marco Venzi for two short weeks, but in that time he taught me more about family than my own parents had in 27 years. And now I was here with his daughter—a woman I loved more than life.

My heart thundered in my chest and I started to panic, wondering what the fuck I was doing. What did I have to offer a woman like Caro? Nothing. Fuck all. Just my heart and soul—and I didn’t know if that would be enough.

My head dropped and I held onto Caro’s hand like a drowning man holds onto a life preserver. I kissed her fingers reverently, then on shaky legs, I sank to one knee.

“Carolina Maria Venzi: I love you, and I want to spend my life with you. Will you marry me?”

And then I waited. Shock registered on her face and I swear my heart stopped. But then she took a deep breath, and a gentle smile spread across her lips.

“I love you, too, Sebastian. And the answer is yes.”

I let out a shout of pure fucking joy and leapt to my feet, pulling her into his arms, squeezing her so hard that she gasped. She rested her head over my heart, and I thought it would leap out of my fucking chest.

When I spoke, I hardly recognized my voice, it sounded so choked.

“I’ll do everything to make you happy, I promise, Caro. Everything, baby. You are my life.”

“And you are mine, tesoro,” she whispered. “We’ll find a way—we always do.”

I collapsed back onto the hard, wooden seat and pulled her onto my lap, burying my face in her hair, kissing her neck.

Then my head slammed back, knocking against the wall hard enough to shake some sense into me.

“Oh, fuck!”

Stupid useless, clueless, pathetic jarhead!

“What? What’s wrong?” she asked nervously.

“I forgot to give you the fucking ring. Fuck it! I wanted this to be so smooth. I said it enough times in my head.”

She started to smile, and her hand covered her mouth as if she was holding back laughter. I couldn’t blame her—I was a freakin’ idiot.

“You did? You practiced this?”

She had no idea.

I grinned at her, slightly embarrassed. “Yeah, once or twice. Maybe a few times more … maybe a lot of times more… Ah, fuck it, Caro. See if the damn thing fits.”

I yanked the ring box out of my pocket and slapped it down onto the table. By now Caro was laughing at me openly; it was catching.

“You’re in danger of sweeping me off my feet again, Sebastian,” she laughed, the sound wrapping around my heart and warming it. “How can I resist such sweet words: I’ll treasure your proposal forever, ‘See if the damn thing fits’.”

Then she opened the box. It wasn’t the biggest diamond ever, but I knew she wouldn’t want anything too showy. Besides, her hands were so tiny, anything bigger would have looked like bling—and my Caro was nothing but fuckin’ classy. Besides, it was a blue-white diamond—the best quality you could buy. Or so the jeweler had told me.

The diamond threw rainbows across the table as she stared at it.

“Sebastian, it’s beautiful!” she gasped. “Where on earth did you get it … and when?”

“Try it on,” I suggested, lifting the ring out of the box and sliding it onto the third finger of her left hand. I hoped she couldn’t see my own hands shaking. “Perfect,” I said quietly.

“Yes, it is. Thank you, tesoro.”

She twisted around to kiss me, and I felt like I’d single-handedly raised the Stars and Stripes at Iwo Jima.

“So, fiancé,” she said, “what should we do now?”

The name took me by surprise. I guess my brain was still parked in neutral.

“Wow, fiancé, huh? I didn’t think it could sound so cool.”

“I disagree, Sebastian,” she said, her voice sultry. “I think it sounds hot. Maybe we can agree to disagree, or just accept that it’s an all-temperature sort of title.”

I laughed loudly, happiness filling me that I never thought I’d feel again.

“Well, fiancée,” I grinned, “I thought we could check out those gnarly bends on the Amalfi coast. What do you think?”

“I think you’re crazy, probably certifiable, and I’m horribly afraid it’s contagious.”

I winked at her, holding out my hand as we left the village behind, having made our promise to live our lives together.

Fuck me, that felt good.

And now for part two of my plan to sweep her off her feet and convince her that marrying me was a good idea.

I don’t remember the walk back to Signora Carello’s villa. I just remember the sensation of the sun on my face, Caro’s hand in mine, and happiness in my heart.

That memory would be the one perfect thing in my life.

But if I knew then what was coming, I’m not sure I’d ever have left Italy.

Signora Carello was standing in her garden, watering the plants.

“Did you have any luck finding your family, my dear?” she asked kindly.

“Yes, I did,” said Caro, smiling up at me, her ring glinting in the sunlight.

Signora Carello clapped her hands together and kissed us each three times.

“Oh, felicitations, congratulazioni per il vostro fidanzamento, my children! I’m so happy for you.”

I couldn’t shake the feeling that this is what it would be like having a mom who cared, or maybe a grandmother. I wasn’t too good at judging women’s ages, but the signora must have been pushing 70, at least.

“And now for your surprise?” she said, patting me on the arm. “But some lunch before you go? I was going to fix myself insalata tricolore—you’re welcome to join me.”

Caro nodded her agreement, and we ate lunch in the signora’s backyard, enjoying the peace. Being this happy was energizing and exhausting all at the same time. Weird.

“So, when will you marry?” Signora Carello asked, as we sipped our coffees.

We answered simultaneously.

“I don’t know,” said Caro.

“As soon as possible,” I replied.

The signora laughed.

“Oh, you two have some talking to do, I can see that. Never mind, my dears, you’ll work it out. Have you decided where you’ll live?”

“Caro has a place near New York,” I said, “but I could be stationed anywhere.”

“You’re in the army?”

“No, ma’am, US Marines.”

Signora Carello nodded slowly, a frown of concern crinkling her eyes.

“He has to do two more years,” Caro said quietly. “And he’s being sent out to Afghanistan. On Thursday.”

“Ah.” The signora shook her head sadly.

“Hey, it’ll be fine,” I said, refusing to let the shadow hanging over us spoil today. “Besides, I might see you out there.”

Signora Carello looked confused.

“Caro is a reporter—a foreign correspondent,” I explained. “But I wish she…”

I stopped mid-sentence, aware of the irritated tightening of Caro’s face.

“Well,” said the signora, carefully, “you young people don’t choose the easy path, but it is your own path. I wish you both well. Please come back and have your honeymoon here.”

“Honeymoon! Hell, I’d forgotten about that! Yeah, we should definitely have a honeymoon, Caro. With room service—so we don’t have to get out of bed.”

Caro blushed, but Signora Carello just laughed and stood to clear the plates.

“Don’t say things like that in front of her,” hissed Caro, as the old woman walked away. “She’ll be embarrassed!”

I couldn’t help laughing. “You’re the only one who’s embarrassed, Caro, which is pretty fucking funny. Signora Carello used to be ‘fast’, remember? Anyway, I didn’t say anything that wasn’t true.”

And if the signora couldn’t guess what we’d been doing in our room all of yesterday afternoon, the used condoms in the trash can would probably clue her in. It must be shit running your own hotel.

When we went up to our room, it had already been tidied. Caro didn’t know that we were checking out today.

I could tell she was wondering what was going on, because she looked puzzled when Signora Carello pulled me into a tight hug before we left and whispered a few last minute suggestions for our special date later. She was a class lady. She reminded me of Caro.

The Amalfi coastline was really a huge James Bond set. The roads were narrow, almost single track in some places, unforgiving, with hairpin turns arcing up the mountain and the Med many hundreds of feet below. The Honda was eating it up, its perfect balance allowing me to take the bends at high speed, our knees almost touching the asphalt.

Caro was gripping onto my waist tightly, her sweet little pussy crushed up against my ass. What a fuckin’ turn on.

As we passed the small town of Pontone, I slowed then pulled off the road next to a lemon grove and cut the engine. Just where Signora Carello had suggested.

“It’s a great view, baby. You want to get your camera out?”

She slid off the bike, looking a little shaky, and I grinned at her as she snapped some of the scenery. I had a feeling she might have gotten me in some of the shots, too. Sneaky.

While I pulled out the picnic that the signora had packed for us, Caro climbed further up to get some more photographs. When she walked back, she waved her arm at the food, looking pleased but puzzled.

“Don’t you want to ride on a bit further?”

“Nope, we’re staying here. Picnic.”

I held out a miniature bottle of champagne in one hand and two crystal flutes in the other. “Borrowed from Signora Carello,” I said, answering her unspoken question.

“I think the signora has a soft spot for you, Sebastian.”

“Must be my animal magnetism, baby.”

She rolled her eyes at me.

“Hey, don’t knock it—it works on you.”

“That is true, Hunter.”

I led us to a patch of dry, springy grass and stretched out. But when I opened the champagne, the cork flew off like a rocket, making us both hit the deck.

“Huh, guess it got shook up on the road.”

Caro raised an eyebrow. Yeah, I wasn’t the smoothest guy ever. I bet James Bond never got his champagne all shook up—just his women. Yeah, well I got that bit nailed, I thought to myself.

“Here’s to us, Caro,” I said, serious for once. “Today, tomorrow, forever. Promise?”

She met my gaze, then clinked her glass against mine.

“Yes, tesoro. Forever, I promise.”

Once we drained our glasses, we stretched out on the grass in each other’s arms. There was no pressure, no expectation of more, just a deep contentment from being exactly where I wanted to be with the woman who’d always owned my heart.

“I love my surprise, Sebastian,” she said, her hand resting on my chest.

I laughed quietly. “This is only part of it, Caro. There’s more.”

“More?”

“Much more.”

“Such as?”

“You’ll see.”

After another hour, we climbed to our feet reluctantly and I raced the Honda back down the coast road, pulling up into the forecourt of Il Saraceno. As Signora Carello had promised, it was expensive and classy—and just what I wanted for Caro.

But I was disappointed by the wary expression on her face.

“Here?” she asked uncertainly.

I stared across at the white stone arches that were supposed to resemble a Moorish palace. She didn’t like it? It looked pretty darn good to me.

“Here,” I said, trying to encourage her by smiling.

She still looked uncertain, and I couldn’t figure out what was bothering her. But when she patted her hair and tried to comb it with her fingers, I worked it out. I grabbed her hand and kissed her hard. My woman never had understood that she was the most beautiful thing in my world wherever we went.

But it pissed me off that other guys noticed she was hot. When they looked at her, it made me want to play pool with their balls.

I towed Caro inside and handed over the Honda’s keys to the guy at the reception desk, promising myself that I’d buy another touring bike one day. Caro raised her eyebrows when I took the room key and started walking toward the elevator.

“We’re staying here? But we left all our things at Signora Carello’s?”

“Nope, we haven’t. I asked the signora to pack us up while we were out this morning. She was cool about it. Besides this is kind of her idea. Well, she helped me pick out somewhere special.”

Caro frowned and glanced around her.

“But a place like this must cost a small fortune, Sebastian!”

“I can afford it, baby. This is my first night as an engaged man—and I want to enjoy it. Hey, don’t worry. The only thing I’ve spent my pay on in the last ten years is booze and bikes,” and broads, but I wasn’t going to remind her about that. “I’m good for it.”

Signora Carello had promised that we’d like the hotel, and if Caro’s stunned expression when she saw our room was anything to go by, she liked it a lot. Best of all, the bed was nearly seven feet wide—I planned on having Caro on every inch of that mattress. We also had our own private balcony and a fucking enormous bathroom with a huge tub. Yep, I was feeling very creative.

I left her to look around while I tossed our luggage onto the bed and began to unpack. I was glad to see that the wardrobe held the garment bags that I’d arranged to have delivered.

I pointed at the one on the left.

“This is for you, baby.”

Puzzled, but with a smile hovering at the corners of her mouth, Caro unzipped the bag, then gaped at the floor-length dress.

“Sebastian, it’s beautiful! What have you done?”

I grinned at her excited smile. “I got one, too. A tux—like you wanted. Except mine is just rented. You get to keep the dress.”

She placed it on the bed carefully, then wrapped her arms around my waist, smiling up at me.

“How did you get to be so perfect, Sebastian, because I could have sworn you were a giant pain in the ass.”

I laughed loudly. “Next time I piss you off, I’m going to remind you that you said that, baby. Which will probably be in about five minutes.”

“Probably,” she agreed, with a smile.

“Come on, let’s shower, and then I want to see you in that dress.”

“Why, Warrant Officer Hunter! You want to put me into clothes?” she teased.

“You have another idea?” I murmured, my lips brushing over her neck.

“Oh, yes, most definitely, and it involves getting you naked on that bed, having my wicked, wicked way with you before we take a shower.”

My smile grew even bigger. So did my dick.

“Let me get this right, Caro, that’s two lots of wicked?”

“The thing is, Sebastian,” she said, stroking the tips of her fingers against my cheek, “if you’re going to make an honest woman of me, I want to get in as much sinning as possible first.”

Then she shoved my chest hard, so I fell backwards onto the bed. And just to make her point, she ripped my t-shirt over my head, straddled my hips, and ran her tongue from my waist to my throat.

Holy shit, my woman was on fire.

I reached up to play with her pretty little nipples, but she gripped my wrists and pulled them above my head. I guess she wanted to be in charge. I wasn’t going to argue. Then she leaned down to kiss me, tracing my lips with her tongue.

“Mmm, you taste so good, Sebastian, I won’t want anything else to eat tonight.”

I laughed lightly and gently pulled my hands free, before running them down her back.

“Yeah? Well, I’m starving, so unless you want me to eat downstairs alone, baby, you’ll have to put up with a three-course meal. And I guarantee you’ll need your energy later.”

She pretend to pout. “Sure you don’t want the starter now?”

Hell, yeah!

I shifted my hands to her waistband, tugging her t-shirt free and pulling it off her body. Her bra took even less time to disappear.

“Mmm, I like this position,” I said, sitting up and sucking her nipples, nipping them with my teeth then working my way up her throat. She moaned and arched her back, pushing her tits into the palms of my hands.

Message received and understood.

I pulled a condom out of the back pocket of my jeans and handed it to her.

“Take your pants off, baby.”

“I will if you will,” she replied. “Race you!”

Then she bounced off the bed, unlaced her boots, and stripped—all while I was fighting with the buckles on my boots and trying to watch her at the same time.

“Ah, hell,” I grumbled, staggering around the bedroom with my pants around my ankles.

“You’re a slouch, Hunter,” she laughed. “Just look at what you’re missing.”

She spun around slowly, massaging her tits and pushing them together.

“Fuck!” I hissed, hopping awkwardly, one boot on, one boot off.

“Maybe you should have been a fireman instead of a Marine, then you’d be used to undressing quickly.”

I tossed the second boot behind me where it landed on the floor with a heavy thud. A moment later, I was naked, too.

“On the bed,” she ordered.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Then she bent over me and took my dick in her mouth. My eyes closed as I breathed deeply, holding back an orgasm that was instantly welling up from the base of my spine.

She ran her fingernails up and down my chest in time with her tongue.

“Baby, I’m going to come if you keep doing that,” I growled, and I could hear the strain in my voice.

She let me go after a final long stroke of her tongue, and I tried to slow my heart rate by taking deep breaths, but when I heard the rip of foil and she rolled the condom into position, it was a losing battle. She knelt across me, positioning the head of my dick at the entrance to her soft pussy, then sank down.

I thrust up into her, harder than I’d intended.

“Fuck, Caro! I can’t control myself with you!”

I started pumping my hips, bouncing her up as she slammed down to meet me. Christ, I was losing it; my body was rigid and my balls were so tight they felt about the size of walnuts. It was no use, I couldn’t hold back any longer, so I used my fingers to make sure that she followed me.

I grit my teeth, the tendons standing out in my neck. Caro’s eyes were closed and her head thrown back, her full tits bouncing wildly. What a fucking amazing sight.

She cried out some mangled version of my name and slumped down on my chest, breathing hard. It had all been faster than I’d meant, but fuck me, it felt good.

“Sorry, baby,” I coughed out.

“You have nothing to be sorry about,” she gasped, as we lay together, calming our racing pulses.

I couldn’t help grinning like an idiot as I stroked the smooth skin of her back. “Ready for the main course?”

“You’ve got to be kidding me, Hunter? I’m still…” and a spasm of tremors made her pussy clench around me again.

“Oh, wow,” I muttered. “I really felt that.”

“Good,” she huffed. “So did I.”

I laughed at her grumpy tone, then lifted her off me as I sat up.

“I’m going to go shower.”

She didn’t answer as I made my way to the bathroom, snapping off the condom contentedly.

Yep, she liked the room.

I showered quickly, eager to get to the part where Caro got all fancy. Plus, I was freakin’ starving after that work out.

She was staring at me, a puzzled frown on her face as I walked back into the bedroom.

“What?”

“Just wondering how the hell I ended up engaged to such a hot Marine. It’s been quite a week.”

Her words sent a shiver through my entire body. “You’re not having second thoughts, are you, Caro?”

She shook her head slowly. “No, Sebastian, I’m not. But you have to admit, it’s all been pretty fast.”

“It’s been ten years, Caro,” I contradicted, meaning every word. “I’ve waited long enough.”

Her gaze softened and her eyes got warm. Her smile left little crinkles at the corner of her eyes, and I wanted to kiss every fucking one of them.

“I love you so much, tesoro,” she said.

“Love you, too, Caro.” Then I grinned at her. “Now get your ass in that shower, before I throw you in there.”

“Fine, fine,” she grumbled. “I’m going.”

I waited until she was really moving before I turned to get dressed.

“I’ll meet you in the restaurant, Caro.”

“You’re not going to wait for me here?”

“Nope. I want to see you sweeping down that staircase and have all the other bastards wanting you, but knowing I’ll be the one taking you to bed later.” She rolled her eyes. “Humor me: it’s a guy thing.”

She shook her head, but was smiling as she closed the door to the bathroom.

I pulled on the unfamiliar tux, pleased at how well everything fit, even the pre-shone shoes.

Then I laid out my final two purchases that were seriously fuckin’ expensive. But if they looked as hot on her as I expected, worth every damn penny.

I wandered down to the restaurant, making sure that they’d reserved the table I wanted. It was in a small alcove, making it almost private, and it had amazing views down the cliffs to the sea. All for Caro. Christ, I was turning into such a pussy.

Married. Caro was the only woman I’d ever considered marrying. My parents had been just about the worst fucking example of wedded bliss that you could imagine: yelling at each other, hitting each other, fucking other people, drinking themselves into a coma most nights.

If it hadn’t been for Ches’ parents, I wouldn’t have known that marriage could be anything different. I wanted what they had: knowing that your wife had your back, no matter what—for richer, for poorer and all of that. Yeah, I wanted it all. I could tell Caro was still hesitant. Her answer of ‘I don’t know’ when Signora Carello had asked us when we were getting married made that pretty clear. I just didn’t know if that was because of her ex-husband … or because she wasn’t sure of me.

I leaned against the bar and ordered a beer. We’d have wine with the meal, but right now I’d take a beer.

I’d only enjoyed a few sips when I saw in the mirror that a woman was watching me. Attractive, yeah. Cougar, hell yeah.