I couldn’t risk him knowing I was carrying his child.It’d be another way for him to keep me trapped.I didn’t want that for myself anymore.
I had lived on the edge since I found out I was pregnant.Every shift and mood in his eyes tormented me.Even when traveling to this restaurant that he recommended we eat at tonight, I kept thinking he’d drive us into the middle of nowhere and threaten to push me over the edge of a cliff if I didn’t tell him what I was hiding.
But it never happened.
The possibility was more haunting than the reality.
I glanced at the bustling night outside.
“Are you okay?”I snapped my head toward him, my heart skipping a beat.
I swallowed thickly.“Uh ...it’s nothing.”
“Tell me, Red,” he insisted.
“It’s silly,” I blushed.
“I’d do anything for you.I don’t care how silly it is.”His expression didn’t shift.I felt guilty for a second, wanting to change my mind.But no matter how hard I thought it through, I had to do the right thing.
“I have always wanted to take a stroll and explore the Sicilian nightlife barefoot.”I bit my lip.
My eyes widened as he rose to his feet.This dark, dangerous man who had come to have all of my heart crouched at my feet.My skin caught fire when he grabbed one of my legs, hiking my dress a bit as he unbuckled the straps of my heels.
He gathered them in one hand, then stretched his free hand forth.I smiled, slipping my hand into his.I allowed him to lead us out of the restaurant.
Although it was winter, the cold seemed bearable tonight.I could feel it breezing across my skin, making my teeth chatter softly, but I endured it.I wanted to maximize the experience that tonight had to offer.
Golden lights lit up the streets, flowerpots flanking each side of the small shops that lined the roads between the tall brick buildings.Vibrant Italian music emanated from a bar nearby, amplifying the energetic ambience of the night.
Damien had my heels clutched in one hand and held my hand with the other while I gathered the hem of my silky dark dress.The chilly sensation that swept through me as my bare foot hit the ground was nothing short of electric.
I wanted to freeze this moment and live in it for as long as I could.
I locked eyes with him and saw that he was already looking at me.There was something about the way he stared at me.It was like everything else didn’t matter—like the only thing he could see.
“You are so fucking beautiful,” he murmured.
I blushed.“Thank—” I squealed as he twirled me around, letting me come crashing into his chest.
“I didn’t know you had a romantic bone in you, Mr.Romano,” I teased, easing into his touch as he wrapped his arm around me.
“There’s so much about me you’ve never allowed yourself to know, Mrs.Romano.”His voice was thick with emotion.
His lips brushed mine.My body burned with a hunger that terrified me, causing me to lean into him.I sighed when he took my lips, fisting his shirt.The way he kissed me was different.
The strokes of his lips against mine were slow and intentional like he wanted to savor this moment—me barefoot in his arms, and him kissing me after a savory dinner at a downtown restaurant in Sicily.
It was epic.
Damien’s phone rang.He hissed through his teeth.He didn’t let me go.He fished his cell from his pocket.His eyebrows furrowed as he glanced at the caller ID.
“What is it?”I asked, worried.
“It’s my father.”
My stomach did a flip, knotting in worry.
“Stay right here, Red.Don’t move.”My body mourned the absence of his touch as he let me go.
