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“Happy Birthday, Tesoro mio,” I say, pulling her into my arms.
“What do you mean ‘Happy Birthday’?” she asks. “That was almost a week ago, and you bought me a bracelet. What’s this?” she asks, sweeping one arm out and I release her.
“This is Marchiata. It meansBrandedin Italian.”
“Like my tattoo shop?”
“Exactly,” I say. “This is your new shop.”
“Mine?” she gasps in just above a whisper.
“Yours.”
“That’s why we’re here tonight?”
“Yes, baby. To celebrate you.”
“Thank you,” she says to me, kissing my lips.
I suck them in deep and slowly slip my tongue into her mouth. My cock is growing hard in my pants, and I think about her office upstairs. Yeah, I won’t make it home tonight.
“Okay, can she get some air?” Tony asks, making everyone laugh.
I pull back briefly and see my sister, Gaia, giving me the thumbs up. She’s been back and forth from Italy helping me plan tonight. I wink at her, and she dims the lights.
There’s a collective gasp in the room as everyone goes silent. Soft piano music fills the room in a haunting melody before Rihanna’s voice begins to sing about a relationship she wants to take to the next level.
I pull Piper closer and begin to sway to the music. Soon after, Mikky Ekko sings the same lyrics.
I’m not a singer and never plan to be, but my voice isn’t horrible. I find myself singing the lyricsI want you to stayin Rihanna’s songStay.
Piper rests her head against my chest, and I can feel her heart beating loudly against my body. My arms tighten around her because I want her to know she will always be safe and secure in my embrace.
The guests are gathered around the edges of the shop and on the second floor, where the balcony overlooks the shop. She hasn’t had a chance to tour it yet, but when she does, she’ll find that she has three private inking rooms upstairs and two office spaces, the larger of which belongs to her and has a private bathroom.
On this level, there are four inking stations, a breakroom, a set of bathrooms, and a little store where she can sell merchandise.
“You’re too good for me,” she whispers as the song nears an end.
I step back and release her hands as I kneel. The lights come up just a little, and I can see Piper’s chest rising and falling dramatically in her sheer, come-fuck-me-now dress.
“Sometimes they say that a person’s timing can be off. Maybe they met the right person but in the wrong lifetime. Or maybe they met at the wrong time in their lives. That didn’t happen with you. I met you when and how I was supposed to meet you, Piper. I met you at a time in my life when I was bitter about my life being controlled by and deceived by others. You taught me that despite what I’d gone through, there was still trust and love in my heart, Tesoro.”
“Marco,” she whispers.
“Shh,” I say, pressing a finger against my lips.
“We had two beautiful years of loving each other before you couldn’t take the pain anymore. You told me I had to go, and I vowed to stay away from you. Not because I didn’t care for you but because I loved you. I loved you enough to not continue hurting you and pulling you back into my whirlwind. In the eight years that passed, I was a broken man, not giving a damn about anyone or anything, not even myself. I knew I was foolish the first time I saw you in my club again.
“I could no more stay away from you than a fish can stay out of the water. I wasn’t sure how I would make you mine, but my heart knew I needed you. Foolishly, I stayed away for another year, working through my grief because I couldn’t come to you in pain and sorrow. Piper, what I’m trying to say is mi vuoi sposare?”
When she stares at me in confusion, my heart thunders in my chest, and I’m worried for the first time that maybe she doesn’t want what I want. Perhaps this life is too much for her.
“You asked her in Italian, dude,” Nico dramatically stage whispers, causing everyone to laugh.
Yeah, guess I was more nervous than I thought. Before I can repeat myself, my lady kneels in her tiny form-fitting dress, clasps her hands against my face, and kisses me. Her fingers stroke the hairs of my beard, and I’m lost in her essence.
“Is that a yes?” Gaia shouts from somewhere behind us.
