I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“Come sit down.” He led me back to bed. “Say the word and we’ll be in Barbados by supper time.”
“It’s a tempting offer, but I want to be bikini ready first.” Wait. What did I say?
Hope bloomed on his face. “Whatever you want, My-la.”
“Can you do a favor for me?”
“You name it.” He sat on the edge of the bed next to me.
“Alba was asking about Paolo. Can you get an update for her? It would mean a lot to her and to me.”
His face fell. “I’m sorry, baby. Paolo didn’t make it through the night.”
I started crying and Ciro wrapped me in his arms.
“This is all my fault,” I cried. “If I’d just listened to you. I was so angry at you. I was stubborn and what did it get me? I hurt so many people.” The devastation hit hard. My sweet friend had started to fall for Paolo, and she would never get to see where it might have led.
“No, baby. I’m to blame. If I hadn’t pushed you away. If I had dealt with my fears in a healthy way. If I could go back. If I could rewind time, I would do it all differently.”
“Oh, Ciro.” I held onto him and continued to cry. “I don’t want to hurt you or anyone else ever again.”
He pulled back and cradled my face in his warm hands. “And I promise never to hurt you again, My-la. I will earn your love and trust back. I promise.”
This man. He never made promises to anyone.
I was without words.
“You and Pippa are my world. I love you.” Ciro’s lips were on mine before I could speak. He kissed me gently, cradling my face and parting my lips.
Did I hear him correctly? He loved me. I wanted to make him say it again, but heck no, I welcomed his affection wholeheartedly.
My face was nothing short of a mangled mess of red, purple, blue, and yellow. There was nothing attractive or sexy about me with swollen eyes, messy bed-head hair, and stitches on my temple.
I was a hideous sight.
Yet Ciro kissed me with all the emotion, passion, and tenderness of a man madly in love.
Pippa patted my side. I looked sidelong at her and found her watching us. She was safe and protected, so I enjoyed Ciro’s lips on mine.
He nipped and tugged with his teeth just the way I liked, the way I needed to get aroused. More than a year later, his technique still worked on me.
A whimper spilled out of me as I clenched my thighs together and pushed down the wanton desire building in my core.
And he stopped instantly.
Why did he stop?
“We better stop or I won’t be able to.”He kissed my nose again, then grinned his sexy, cocky smile. “I want you more than my next breath, My-la.” He ran his tongue along his lower lip, looking proud and confident. Because Ciro knew, that sly devil knew, he’d made me wet.
“You don’t play fair.” I squirmed a little, my lady parts screaming at me for letting him stop. But we had Pippa next to us, and I might be falling under his spell too fast.
“Not when my life is on the line, baby.”
“Your life?” I asked. “How so?”
“Without you, I have no reason to live. I’ll do whatever it takes to win you back, My-la. I won’t lose you again. I promise it’ll be different. And that kiss…” He licked his lip again. “There is a lot more of that with your name on it.”
