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“Thank you.” She smiled. “It’s beautiful.”
“You deserve beautiful. Thank you for letting me. I wasn’t sure you would.”
She reached up and planted a kiss on his lips. “Neither was I. It was hard for me to do that, but I know it’s part of who you are, and …”
“And what?” He looked worried.
She smiled. “I can always give it back when you break up with me.” She didn’t know if she expected him to look relieved or frustrated when she said that. Whatever she’d expected, he surprised her. He smiled happily. “Good.”
“Good?”
He chuckled. “Because I don’t ever want it back.”
His words sent shivers down her spine as he held her gaze, and, for the first time, she believed him.
Chapter Thirteen
“Have I told you how beautiful you are?” Mary Ellen took his breath away as she came down the stairs. She’d been so quick getting ready that he’d thought she must be coming down for something she’d forgotten. As far as Antonio could see, she hadn’t forgotten a damned thing. She was wearing a long orange and yellow skirt that skimmed her feet. It covered everything, yet accentuated her figure perfectly. Her top was an off-the-shoulder number, white and demure, yet it featured her full breasts and only had him wanting to undress her here and now instead of taking her out to show her off.
She smiled when she reached the bottom. “Not in the last hour or so. You can tell me again if you like. I love hearing it.”
He got to his feet and went to her, placing his hands on her waist as he let his gaze travel over her. He drew in a deep breath, resisting the urge to pull her against him. “You, Mary Ellen, are beautiful. You’re perfect.”
She laughed. “I’m a long way from perfect; for starters, there’s far too much of me to be perfect. Did you know I was on a diet when we started seeing each other? I need to get back to that soon. But, since beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I’ll take the beautiful part, thank you.”
He shook his head with a frown. “Please don’t go on a diet. I love you just the way you are.” He realized what he’d said as soon as he said it, and held his breath, waiting for her reaction.
She didn’t seem to notice, or if she did, she ignored it. “I have to go on a diet. I’ll only keep getting bigger if I don’t.”
He shook his head and tightened his hands around her waist. “I’ve already told you I wish there was more of you. You’re curvy. A man wants something to fill his hands with.” He slid his hands around to cup her ass and smiled. “Perfect.”
She wasn’t going for it. “You might like to fill your hands with it, but you know what they say, more than a handful’s a waste, and most men don’t like big.”
He scowled. “Then most men are crazy. And why does it matter to you what they like?” He bit his lip as soon as he’d said it. He knew it could come across as jealous or possessive, and he supposed, in a way, it was. He didn’t want her to care what other men liked. He wanted her to be happy that he loved her body, that to him she was perfect.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “I wasn’t saying it matters to me; I was simply saying what’s normal. Are you ready to go?”
He hesitated for a moment. He wanted to push it. He wanted to make her understand how he felt, but there was no point. He’d have to take his time and make her see that he meant what he said, and all he could do was wait and hope that one day the way he saw her would be more important to her than what most men thought.
He nodded. “Do you want to walk to the Boathouse?”
She smiled, and all the tension left him. “Yeah, shall we? That way we can have a romantic walk back in the moonlight.
He nodded, liking that idea, and wondering whether they’d make it back to the cabin before he could undress her. He’d love to see her naked in the moonlight—to make love under the stars.
She snapped her fingers in front of his face. “Did I lose you? You just zoned out on me.”
He gave her a guilty smile. “I was thinking about what we might do before we get back here.”
She looked at him in surprise. “Outside?”
He nodded. He could tell the thought turned her on. “If you want to? Under the moonlight. On the beach?”
She nodded eagerly. “Or maybe here, on the deck, so we can run for cover if someone comes?”
He chuckled. “Someone will come, all right.”
She laughed. “You know what I mean.”
