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“Cecilia?”
His deep voice made me jump and I dropped the vase that had been in my hand, the glass smashing against the marble floor.
“Oh shit!” I shouted as I jumped back to stop the shards cutting my feet. In a flash, I felt strong arms hoist me up and place me on the kitchen island as I gasped. Marco bent down and started to pick the large pieces of glass up with his hands. I tried to calm my arousal and heartbeat at feeling his arms around me and his effortless strength to lift me out of danger’s way to sit me on the side.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said, without looking up as he collected all the glass in his large hand.
“It’s my fault. I am so clumsy.”
He walked over to the bin and put it all away before he turned, looking around in different directions. I suddenly realised he was looking for a brush to sweep the floor. I burst out in giggles as he frowned at me and made his way back to the island. “Don’t worry, I will get Lucinda to clean the floor.”
“What? You think I am not domesticated?” He smirked.
“Oh, I am sure you are. But you don’t have to do that here,” I replied with a smile. He was now standing in front of me as my legs swung down from the kitchen island. Our eyes connected and both our smiles faded as the chemistry between us sizzled. I wanted to look away but I couldn’t.
“I just wanted to come and check on you after what I said out there. I thought I might have upset you and maybe I overstepped my boundaries. If so, I apologise,” he said carefully and my heart started pounding. “I should get back to the children.”
He attempted to walk away but my arm reached out and stopped him, my hand grabbing the sleeve of his shirt. He paused, looking down at it before up to my eyes. And that was it. The moment I broke. I tugged him back, my hands cradling his face as I leaned forwards and kissed his lips before I changed my mind. I pulled back ever so slightly after the briefest of kisses and opened my eyes to see his, wide with surprise and desire. And then the world suddenly moved at high speed. He moved between my parted legs and his hands threaded through my hair as he captured my lips again. My eyes fluttered shut. I moaned lightly as our tongues brushed and he held me tighter against him, his hands exploring my hair, neck and back. The feeling of complete ecstasy washed over me at being in his arms and kissing him after imagining what this would be like so many times. The reality was far better.
Noise coming from the hallway broke us apart just in time for Liv to walk in. Marco had scrambled back from me like I was a live wire and rubbed his mouth of my lipstick as I jumped down from the island.
“I will go and check on the children, Signora,” he said quickly, before practically running from the kitchen doors.
I turned my back to Liv, bending down to grab another vase with shaky hands and taking it over to the sink to fill it with water to give me time to compose myself.
“Everything alright, Cece?” Liv asked sweetly from behind me. “I hope I wasn’t interrupting anything?”
“No. No, not at all. I was just getting a vase for these flowers Raya picked for me and I dropped one. It smashed all over the floor and Marco just helped me clean it up so be careful, don’t come over here unless you have shoes on,” I rambled on with nervous energy and turned to see her staring at me with a mischievous smile.
“Beautiful flowers,” she nodded as I placed them in the vase. I smiled back and her eyes dipped down to my lips. “You may want to reapply your lipstick before you go back outside though. It’s a little smudged.” She winked at me and skipped back out the kitchen.
Oh dio, what have I done?
Biggest Fear
“You saw what?” I whisper-yelled at Liv in my bedroom. She had come racing in, giddy with excitement after I had emerged from the shower to get ready for the surprise dinner tonight.
“They kissed!”
“And you saw it?”
“Well, not exactly. I walked in just as they jumped apart but it was so obvious! They both looked like naughty teenagers caught by their parents! Oh, the irony! And her lipstick was all over his lips!” She clapped, giggling, as I jumped up and down with excitement, holding the towel close to my chest.
“Oh my god!! They kissed! That was more than I was even hoping for at this point! Our plan worked!”
“Yes, it did! Maybe we should start a matchmaking business!” She laughed, sitting down on the edge of my bed in her beautiful black knee-length dress. She was ready to go by the looks of it, while I was fresh-faced with wet hair and naked. No change there. “I spoke to Gio as well and he thinks sending her and the kids on a little holiday is a great idea. He wanted us to join them, but I managed to talk him out of that.”
“Bravo, girl!” I pretended to bow down to her and she curtsied with a smirk. “You really do have my fratello eating out of the palm of your hand.”
“Well, more like eating out...”
I held up my hand to stop her crude comment, giving her a stern glare. “Don’t finish that sentence. Whatever you do to make him melt is your business, not mine!”
She laughed. “Okay, well you better hurry your ass up! We are meant to be leaving in half an hour and look at you!”
“I’ll be ready! Don’t stress! And if I’m not, I’ll just meet you there. Finn can drive me.” Suddenly, Flora’s phone started to ring on the vanity table next to me and I grabbed it in alarm. Luckily, we had the same phones so Liv couldn't tell the difference.
“Is that Mr Phone Sex?” she whispered excitedly. I bit into my lip as I stared at the name Panther. I hadn’t texted him back since this morning. Since he told me he lived in the South.
