After he closed the door, he pulled her back against him and slowly removed her earrings and choker, kissing every spot his lips could find. She moaned deliriously as he undid the back of her dress and turned in his arms, sensing his urgency. He crushed her against him until their bodies pulsated as one entity.
Annabelle didn’t remember being carried to the bed. They no longer had to worry about his leg. This was her husband loving her with the kind of hunger she couldn’t have imagined before meeting him.
“I love you,” he cried. “I can’t get enough of you, bellissima.”
“Now you know how I feel.” Her heart surged as their mouths and bodies began giving and taking, whipping up their passion until they spiraled out of control. He brought her joy beyond comprehension.
Later, when they were sated for the time being, Lucca reached for the remote and turned on the television. “The ten o’clock news will be on in five minutes. I want you to see what you look like from the audience’s viewpoint.”
She rested her head against his shoulder. “You’ll have to translate most of what the TV announcer says.” She’d been working on her Italian, but it was going to take a lot longer to master his beautiful language. When the film segment came on, Annabelle couldn’t relate to the woman in the black sports car.
“It was terrifying to be live on camera. I was praying I wouldn’t make a mistake, or fall on my face.”
He pulled her closer. “You were sensational. My father looks good there, too.”
“You both have intrinsic class. Not every man is so blessed. It’s a quality you have to be born with. My mom remarked on it the day of the wedding.” She hugged him tighter. “Didn’t you love our wedding?”
“Yes,” he whispered. “The only thing missing was my mother. She would have loved you.”
Annabelle kissed the tears that moistened his eyelashes. “I’d like to think she was there to help your father give you away to me for safekeeping. I made vows then, and I’ll say them again now. I, Annabelle Marsh Cavezzali, promise to take care of you and love you all of our life and beyond, my dearest, darling husband, Lucca Cavezzali.”
* * * * *