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"Have you ever thought about having children?"
His question catches me off guard, and I hesitantly meet his gaze. His eyes are searching, filled with a longing I can't help but recognize. The weight of my own desires and secrets threatens to suffocate me as I contemplate how to respond.
"Um," I stammer, a mix of hope and uncertainty lacing my words. "Yes, I have. I've always wanted a family. But...sometimes I'm not sure if that's in the cards for me."
“Why?” he asks, curiously.
I shrug. “I don’t know. Never thought about it in depth, I suppose.”
"Sometimes I think about what it would be like to have a little one running around the house, calling me 'Papà,'" he says, a wistful smile touching his lips. "But then I remember the life I was born into, the danger that seems to follow me wherever I go...and I wonder if it's fair to bring a child into this world."
He looks down at his coffee cup, cradling it between his hands as though it holds the key to his future happiness. For a moment, I can see the man he wants to be – a loving father who shelters his children from harm, who would do anything to keep them safe.
"Maybe..." I begin, my voice uncertain as I grapple with the complexity of the situation. “Maybe if you’re a good Don, your little one would be proud of you.”
“Maybe,” Dario whistles, leaning back. "Imagine," he says,, "a little boy with your eyes and my stubbornness."
I almost spurt out my coffee at the insinuation. Is Dario asking me if I’d like to have kids with him? I look at him and a playful smile tugs at the corner of his mouth as he gives me a wink. He’s only teasing, thank god. Why then, though, do I have waves of shivers passing down my spine.
I lean back now, and to cover up the strange mix of emotions in me, I decide to tease him right back.
"Or a girl with your bad sense of humor and my… well, I don't know. My taste for good coffee?" I say, unable to keep the smile from spreading across my face. We share a brief, intimate laugh as our eyes meet, the world around us fading away as we lose ourselves in each other's gaze.
Chapter 30
In The Heat Of The Moment
Dario
By the time we reach home, I can see the exhaustion in Jasmine's eyes. I feel guilty. While the day was exhausting for us both, I realize that the emotional support she offered me drained her of her own. In my own, silent manner, I want to help her unwind the way she helped me offload.
I reach for a bottle of red wine from the cupboard and pop the cork. "How about a bath, cara mia?" I suggest, pouring two glasses of wine. "I can run you a nice, warm one and you can carry the wine in with you. Just unwind, while I proceed to cook us dinner."
"Dario, that's too much," she protests, though I can see the yearning in the curve of her lips. "I'll help you cook. Or we can just order in?"
"I like to cook, cara mia. Mi aiuta a rilassarmi." – It helps me unwind.
She sighs and toys with the idea in her head, savoring the taste of the wine before her. Then, she meets me eye-to-eye and breaks into a dazzling smile. "Oh, who am I kidding? Mi piacerebbe, grazie." – I'd love that, thank you.
"Perfect," I say jovially, jumping to my feet with a clap of my hands. "I'm going to make you the best damn bubble bath you've ever had."
"The best, huh? You better not disappoint."
"Oh I never joke around about things as sacred as bubble baths."
She laughs for a while, her voice ringing through even as I walk towards the master bathroom, setting my glass down on the vanity. The sound of water running fills the room as I turn the taps, making sure the temperature is just right. Adding some lavender-scented bath oil, I watch as the water turns a milky purple, soothing and inviting.
As I stand up straight, my gaze catches something in the mirror: Jasmine is standing right behind me, looking straight at me. It's like a scene from a dream, ethereal as the fog drifts up from the hot water, turning the whole room humid, and wet.
While looking right at me, Jasmine shifts her weight to one hip, her voluptuous figure even more enticing to an innocent observer such as myself and she slowly pulls off her jacket and throws it on the ground.
Then, one by one, she frees each button of her cardigan until she's standing there in front of me in nothing but a white T-shirt. She turns around, slowly, her neck arching back as she keeps her gaze on me and ever-so-slowly, she bends down, her ass pointed right in my direction.
Her jeans fall to the ground, and her thong hides little from my view. She turns around to face me, steps out of the crumpled jeans and ties her hair back, her T-shirt lifting to reveal the curve of her belly. I feel heat rising in my chest, but I don't look away.
"Like what you see?" Jasmine suddenly asks, catching the flush on my cheeks. A playful smile dances across her lips, her confidence shining through.
"How could I not." She's breathtaking, every inch an enchantress who has me completely under her spell.
