EPILOGUE
VIVIA
“Keep those hands steady.”
His voice in my ear vibrates with command, and my body, as always, responds. “It’s hard to keep my hands steady,” I grate out through gritted teeth, my eyes focused on my target ahead of me, “When someone has his big, hot, manly body all pressed up next to mine.” And my ass still stings from the retroactive punishment he gave me for heading into Boston without a guard.
Bossy.
“Is my girl needy?” he whispers.
“Dario. I’m never going to learn how to shoot if you use every single lesson as an opportunity to flirt with me.”
He sighs and releases me. “Go on, then,” he says. “Do it without me touching you.”
But I miss the warmth of him next to me and pout a little. “No. Come back here.”
With that manly chuckle that does wicked things to my insides, he comes back, wraps his arms around me, and squeezes. He kisses my neck and holds me to him.
“You’ve done an awesome job for today. Let’s put this down for now and get something to eat.”
He doesn’t have to tell me twice. I’ve already taken off my ear muffs because we were just practicing stance, which is why he took decided advantage of the situation to whisper in my ear and damn near grope me.
Naturally.
“I’ll grab your things while you put those away. Sound good?”
I nod. “Yep.”
We leave for Maui tomorrow, and I cannot wait. While others have gone to Italy or stayed right here in Boston for their honeymoons, Dario and I have good reason to want out of here for a little while. We both need some space. We want time alone, without interference from any family, where we can get to know each other more, and enjoy things like room service and white sand beaches where we don’t have to fish for our own dinner. I will pay top dollar for a drink with a little umbrella in it.
I take our ear muffs and weapons to put them away, when two other men stride in. Normally, we like to shoot at the private range, but Dario wants me to practice at different places so I can get more of a broad spectrum for practice.
“Not every day you see a beautiful woman a shooting range.” I blink in surprise. Is he talking about me? I’ve been so smothered under Dario, it never dawned on me that anyone would even attempt to hit on me. I look up to see the most piercing pair of blue, blue eyes I’ve ever seen. I’m around hot men all the time, but this guy’s… breathtaking. He exudes raw masculinity, power, and danger. He’s got three other men with him, all armed, all hot, but there’s something about all of them that makes me want to find Dario, and now.
I give him a forced smile. “My husband’s teaching me,” I say sweetly, just as Dario turns the corner and sees the two of us. My husband. It feels nice to say it aloud, and I like the way this guy cools his jets a little.
“Gentlemen,” Dario says. I don’t miss the way he casually turns his arm to reveal the rose tattoo on his forearm, and I definitely don’t miss the way they all step back, all but blue-eyes. Dario takes my hand. “Everything alright, Vivia?”
“Of course,” I say, but I’m still happy to walk out with Dario.
“Who were they?” I whisper, when we’re no longer in ear shot.
He shakes his head. “I’m not sure, but they weren’t here accidentally. Nothing to worry about, though. The only thing I want you to worry about right now is how many bathing suits you’re gonna pack that I can strip off you when we get to Maui.”
I grin. “One for every day of the week, of course,” I say, my heart soaring as we walk to his truck that’s waiting nearby. I cannot wait to be alone with him, just the two of us.
It’s all happened in such a whirlwind of events, I still haven’t really wrapped my brain around any of it. But I do know one thing. Having him beside me — solid and dependable, loyal and protective — feels different than anything else I’ve ever felt before. I don’t feel suffocated, like I have in the past. I feel… cherished. And that’s a world of difference.
“Dario,” I say thoughtfully, when he opens the door for me to get in.
He nods, walking to his side of the truck and sliding into the driver’s seat. “Yes?”
“What if we don’t have babies right away?”
He shrugs. “Then we don’t.”
“Won’t that affect your rank, though?”