We run through it a couple more times as soft piano music plays from the speaker. Sienna’s hand stays warm in mine the whole way. Her thumb strokes slow circles on the back of my hand, and I stroke back absently.
When we’ve gone through it more times than necessary, and Clara is finally satisfied, she claps her hands again. “All right, everyone! We’re looking great. We’ll take about thirty minutes while the team finishes setting up for the rehearsal dinner, and I talk with the bride and groom. Feel free to relax, grab a drink, or do whatever you’d like. Just be back here at 8 p.m. sharp!”
The group starts to disperse, but I quickly grab Sienna’s hand before she can slip away. “Come with me,” I say. “I have something for you back at the villa.”
Her eyebrows lift in surprise, but a curious smile tugs at her lips. “Right now?”
“Right now,” I confirm, gently squeezing her hand. “It won’t take long. We’ll be back before anyone realizes we’re gone.”
She searches my face for a second, then nods, that playful smirk returning to her eyes. “Lead the way, then.”
We slip away from the group while everyone is still chatting and laughing. The walk back to our villa feels nerve-wracking, and my palms begin to sweat in hers.
As soon as the villa door clicks shut behind us, she turns to me with a raised brow and a teasing smile. “Okay, what’s this mysterious thing you have for me?”
I don’t answer with words right away. I pull her closer, cup her face with both hands, and kiss her like I’m making a promise I already know I want to keep.
She kisses me back the same way, fingers curling into my shirt, pulling me closer until there’s no space left between us. The kiss quickly turns hungry. Her body presses flush against mine, one leg sliding up to hook around my thigh as she rocks against me teasingly. The friction of her core rubbing against my thigh makes me groan low in my throat.
“Fuck, Sienna,” I murmur against her mouth, my hands sliding down to grip her ass. “You planning to kill me?”
She smiles into the kiss, grinding harder. “Not yet.”
When I finally pull back, her lips are slightly swollen, and her eyes are bright with heat and curiosity.
“That’s not fair,” she breathes, smiling. “You can’t just drag me back here and kiss me like that without telling me what this is about.”
I rest my forehead against hers, my thumb brushing her cheek. “Go sit on the couch. I have something for you.”
She steps back and eyes me suspiciously. “Why do I suddenly feel nervous?”
“Don’t. There’s nothing to be nervous about,” I assure her. “Go sit down. I’ll be out in a second.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Sienna
When Milo returnsto the living area carrying a white box tied with a pink ribbon, I sit up so fast on the couch that I almost feel lightheaded.
My eyes bulge.
I know that packaging. I’ve walked past that exact boutique’s signature box in my daydreams more times than I can count.
“Milo… what is that?” My voice comes out higher than usual, a mix of suspicion and barely contained excitement.
He doesn’t answer right away. Instead, he crosses the room and sets the box gently on the coffee table right in front of me. Then he does something that steals every ounce of breath from my lungs.
He kneels.
One knee on the floor, right there in front of the couch, he looks up at me with those storm-gray eyes that always seem to see straight through every wall I’ve ever built. Moonlight filters through the deck doors, catching the sharp line of his jaw and the light scruff along it. My heart stutters so hard I’m sure he can hear it.
Oh my God. What the fuck is happening right now?
He gives me that quiet, devastating half-smile, then reaches for the box. “Just trust me, okay?”
I swallow hard and nod. He unties the ribbon with careful fingers, then lifts the lid. Inside, nestled in layers of pink tissue paper, are the shoes.
The strappy silver heels I’d stared at in the boutique window every time I walked past it in New York. The ones with delicate ankle straps and tiny crystal details that caught the light like tiny stars.
