Despite thinking he had gotten on with living his life after losing Lisa, he was now seeing that in some ways, he had completely shut down. He had been living for his research and his sons mostly.
Now, his boys all had partners and no longer needed him in any way. He had never felt lonely, but something had been missing, and he'd felt it more acutely in the past months.
Time to live for us. Not just them, his dragon said, and Marcella's smile flashed in his mind like warm sunshine. Hewould wait for her as long as she needed to get used to the idea of mating with him, but he wasn't ever going to be able to walk away for good.
Marcella was beautiful, brilliant, and had made him feel truly alive for the first time in decades. Cosimo doubted winning her heart would be easy. A smile crept across his face. It was a good thing that he came from a family that lived for a fight.
26
Marcella wasn't sure how she would feel or react after spending the night with Cosimo. She had expected some anxiety and worry about how his family would respond, and if he would act differently toward her, but so far, nothing had changed. If anything, Cosimo had been sweeter and more attentive than before.
The rest of the Greatdrakes were already out in the city by the time Marcella and Cosimo left the hotel. They had a nice late lunch at a bistro she had always loved. They hadn't seen any of Renata'sstreghestalking them, and it had been a relaxing afternoon. Despite all of that, a part of her was still waiting for Cosimo to turn around and crush her in some way.
Now, Marcella was sitting beside Cosimo, holding a bunch of flowers and driving toward her family's old property. It was just outside of San Tomè, a short drive from the city. While she couldn't go to the house itself, the small graveyard was at the back of the property, and she wasn't going to leave without seeing her parents, no matter what Renata said.
"Are you feeling okay?" Cosimo asked, not taking his eyes off the road. "You've been giving me a strange look all day when you think I won't notice."
"It's hard to explain without sounding ridiculous," she said, fiddling with a rose petal.
Cosimo took her hand and kissed it. It was such a simple gesture, and it made her heart turn over every time he did it.
"Tell me, Marcella. All your emotions are valid, especially the ones you dismiss as ridiculous. I won't laugh or be mad, whatever it is."
"It's exactly that!" she said, gesturing at him. "Normal men don't say things like that. I keep waiting for something bad to happen because you're being so..."
"Considerate of you when no one else has been? For treating you like a woman whom I respect?" Cosimo replied, frowning behind his glasses. "Perhaps it's the quality of the men you have let yourself settle for in the past that is the real problem here. I'm not trying to play you, if that's what you are thinking. I'm trying tocourtyou, because you're warm and funny and so brilliant that you have had me chasing my tail for over a year."
Marcella was speechless again, and he took it as a sign to continue.
"As for something bad going to happen, don't you think having to deal with Carlo and Renata is bad enough? I doubt she will forgive me for refusing to hand you over. Not to mention damaged Carlo. She's too used to getting her own way. That is where we will face our challenges,tesoro mio. We don't need them between us."
Marcella let her head drop back against the headrest and sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry for waiting for you to turn around and treat me badly. That's on my past, not on you. It's just strange for me to feel this interested in another person and not be a little scared of it."
She didn't mention the earth-shattering, pussy-destroying sex that was also a part of the bargain. Her body was telling her in a hundred small, delicious aches that she'd had the best sex of her life the night before, and she wanted to do it again.
"It's strange for me too. I haven't been interested in anyone like this since my wife died, so I understand your trepidation. I'm nervous that I'm going to scare you away with what I am, how my kids are, and that's not even mentioning the extended family," Cosimo said and laced his fingers between hers. "I'm a very large package deal, and that would send anyone running fast in the other direction.Mio Dio, that's not even mentioning my crazy sister who will no doubt be even more of a handful when we find her."
Marcella laughed softly. "Cosimo, my ex-husband and his mother want to kill us. You cut off his finger last night. I think I have plenty of baggage no one would want to deal with either."
"Quite the pair, aren't we?" he said, laughing with her. "I'm not bothered by your past, Marcella. It would take more than the likes of Carlo to do that. And just because you are about to ask what will scare me off, it's nothing. Nothing about you is going to scare me off. The only thing that will be able to stop me is you deciding that you don't want me."
Marcellahadjust been about to ask him that. Damn, he was good. "Okay, but I am going to hold you to that."
"You can hold anything against me you like," he said with a small grin.
She shook her head at him even as her whole body clenched with desire. "Don't get me aroused before going to a graveyard."
"Why? Graveyards don't turn you on?" There was something veryknowingin the smile he gave her.
This man. Marcella put a hand over her face. "That's not the point. These are my family's graves. There will be no fooling around."
"Maybe not in this graveyard then," he whispered, making her laugh harder.
The teasing eased Marcella's anxious anticipation, and soon, she was leading him down a narrow road between two lavender fields. Most of the land around them was stripped of trees for farming, but her family's property had always kept a small wood on it, in addition to the large garden around the actual house.
They pulled up under the trees, and Marcella tried to steady her heart rate. She knew Renata and Carlo wouldn't care for the graveyard, but it still hurt to see how overgrown it was. She picked up a tote bag that had the things she needed and got out of the car.
Marcella swayed as the power in the land vibrated under her feet. She slipped off her wedge sandals and wriggled her toes in the grass. Cosimo leaned against the car, patiently waiting and not hurrying her along.
