“Because I was embarrassed with everyone talking about me. And you.”
I brushed her hair from her face. “I like that. A you and a me.”
“Yeah?” she whispered. “I’m not too sure if it makes sense, but I can’t keep denying all these butterflies and heart flips.”
“Sometimes things don’t have to make sense for them to feel right.”
“I’m pregnant with my psycho ex-boyfriend’s baby whose father is now trying to either kidnap or kill me, and you’re a mafia boss who rescued me, but then my brother ended up getting killed. I’d say we’re complicated, not right.”
I shrugged. “We’re a complicated right. You never know how life is going to go, so you gotta be able to roll with the punches.”
She reached up and traced her fingertip over my lips. “You know how you had two lists of things you could do with me?” she whispered.
I nodded.
“Which list do you think a kiss would fall onto?” Her eyes connected with mine, and her breath caught.
“We might have to make another list. That might be on the PG-13 list.”
“Maybe we can add it to the list and then check it off?”
I grabbed her hand and pulled it to her side. “I kiss you, and things change quickly. I’m not a man who plays and shares. I’m serious in business and in my personal life.”
“So, if we kiss now,” she trailed off.
“Then I’m gonna kiss you a hell of a lot more, Royal.”
Her breath caught, and her mouth dropped open. “And what happens after that?”
“I’m a patient man, Royal. I have a feeling your kisses will hold me over until you’re ready for more.”
Her emerald green eyes filled with desire. “Okay,” she whispered.
“Okay that we kiss and then I get to keep kissing you?” I needed her to fully understand that a kiss was going to catapult us into a new place.
There would be no pressure for more, but it would be a promise that there would be more when she was ready for it.
She nodded slightly.
“I gotta hear it from you, mio amore.” Not because I was some ego maniac, but I needed to hear it to know that she understood.
“I want you to kiss me, Marco.” She bit her bottom lip. “Now and later.” She closed the gap between us and pressed her lips to mine.
Shock rocked me, but then, I was back. My hand on her hip shot to her face, and I cradled her cheek in my hand. My lips moved over hers, and her soft moan fell into my mouth. Her hand pressed against my chest and balled the fabric of my shirt in it.
There was a need and a hunger in her kiss that I didn’t expect to be there. I had wanted to kiss her since the first day I had laid eyes on her when she was with the Meeks. Her sweet innocence was too much for me to walk away from.
“Marco,” she gasped.
I pulled back an inch and looked her in the eye. “Okay?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I just wanted to say your name when your hands were on me.”
Holy fucking shit. I don’t think she understood what she did to me. “Well, I’m not going anywhere, mio amore. You can say it all you want.”
Again, she pressed her lips to mine, but I swiftly took over the kiss. Her hands roamed over my chest and popped open the buttons of my shirt. “Marco,” she whispered against my lips.
I didn’t stop kissing her this time. My name on her lips willed me on.