He tosses them on the bed beside me and then holds out his hands. I’m not sure what he wants me to do. He gestures for me to stand up. I roll my eyes, but do as I’m told. He helps me up and pulls me into a hug. Using the position to his advantage, he unlatches my bra.
I get the same fantastic rush from being half nude as I did from letting my hair down. Will wonders never cease. This night is turning into an orgasmic event, and he hasn’t even touched me.
Francisco picks up the pajama top from the bed and helps me into it. I feel like a child being dressed. He holds out the pajama bottoms, and I step into them, comforted instantly when I’m surrounded by soft flannel.
He scoops me up and carries me around to the side of the bed, using one hand awkwardly to push the covers aside. I hang on, laughing with the last of my strength. Then he sets me down, and I dig my toes beneath the sheets with mind-numbing pleasure.
Francisco pulls the covers up to my chin and kisses my forehead. “Sweet dreams.”
“Where are you going?” I ask.
He removes his tie and sits down next to me. “I’m going to my own room.”
“Stay,” I whisper.
“You need to sleep,” he responds.
“Sleep with me,” I argue.
He raises an eyebrow.
I give him a playful slap on the knee. “Sleepwith me.”
He nods, accepting my proposal. Too well-mannered to sleep in his wedding suit, he stands up. I watch as he undresses and finds a pair of boxers and sweatpants in one of the drawers. He also puts on a long-sleeved shirt, so I can hardly tell if he’s going to sleep or going to work out.
I’m drifting, but I’m still enjoying the show. He’s got such amazing muscle tone, I wonder if I’ll ever get tired of seeing him naked.
He comes around the other side of the bed and slips under the covers. And then his warm arms encircle me, and I fall into his embrace. This bed feels like it’s the center of the galaxy. I don’t want anything else in my life. This is enough.
I fall asleep with my head on his chest, and dream of a lifetime of love. When I wake up, he’s gone. There’s a note on the pillow that says he’s gone to the airport to make sure the plane is ready, and that he’ll be sending a car for me around noon.
I reach for my phone, tapping it to wake it up. I’ve got about two hours to collect all my things and get ready. I’m still feeling tired, even though I slept the whole night. It was an amazing day yesterday, one that I’ll never forget.
I almost don’t want to leave. I haven’t really been able to do any sightseeing. Here I am in Italy, and I didn’t even get to visit Rome. But then I remember Brandon, and I know that I have to go back. There’s still no word on whether he’s okay or not. I trust Francisco at this point to tell me if something has changed.
I force myself to get up and wander over to the shower. Maybe all I need is a blast of cold water to wake me up. But before I step beneath the stream, I chicken out, and turn the dial all the way to the left. Steam begins to rise, encouraging me to dive in. I stand beneath the flow and scrub the remnants of last night’s party off my skin.
CHAPTER 34
FRANCISCO
It took all my self-restraint to sleep beside her without coming on to her. That beautiful body pressed up against mine, all its seductive curves legally mine for the taking. I fell asleep hard, and that’s never happened to me before. I’m not even sure how I did it since it seems like something that would be physically impossible.
I managed not to take her when I woke in the middle of the night. And it took me nearly an hour to fall asleep again because I had to fight my natural instincts tooth and nail. When I woke, I was still hard, but instead of waking her, I took a cold shower.
Now I’m gazing at her across the aisle on the airplane, and she looks even more beautiful than she did in my bed. I’ve got a bad case of blue balls, and it’s beginning to cause me pain. I’m not sure how I’m going to survive if I can’t have her. The fact that I promised to wait until she is ready weighs heavily on my mind. How rude would it be to nudge her in the right direction? She seemed open to having a normal marital relationship. I could just remind her of what she said before passing out beside me.
But the plane is full of people. There are my men, plus ten additional people Carmine sent. Luca himself is seated near Marlena, monopolizing her time. She laughs at something he says and tosses her head like a wild mare. I long to get up from my seat and go to her. Luca won’t mind. As the boss, I could probably get away with making love to her out in the open, but I doubt she’d agree to that.
Dammit. I cross and uncross my legs, my swollen cock getting the better of me. I can’t wait for this flight to be over. The moment I get her home, I’m going to suggest that we go to bed. If I read the situation correctly, the problem last night was just that she was tired. I cling to the hope that is all it was, and that she’ll be refreshed and eager to fuck me when we’re finally alone.
I can’t believe we’re married. If I’m being honest with myself, there’s much more to my desire for her than simply to help her avoid a painful death. I’m not ready to say that I’m falling in love, but my heart is leaning toward that conclusion.
My phone rings—Giovanni. “Hello?” I say as I pick up.
“Congratulations,” Giovanni says.
“Thank you,” I reply. “How are things going at home?”
