She loved Marco. She did with all her heart.
The next morning after breakfast Marco announced he had something special planned. He immediately had the twins attention. “I thought we’d go visit a special place,” he said. “We leave in a couple days but you can’t leave until you’ve seen the Grotta Azzurra.”
The Blue Grotto. Payton’s cheeks warmed, remembering the explicit lovemaking from the night before. She knew she’d never hear the name of Capri’s famous cavern without thinking something entirely different.
Although most people didn’t bother with life jackets, Marco insisted the twins wear them as they transferred from the motor launch into the tiny rowboat.
Payton had expected that the hype around the caves would be just that, but as the oarsmen rowed them through the mouth of the cave they were immediately circled by intense blue light, the blue light coming from beneath the water and glowing with a supernatural luminosity.
It was unlike anything she’d ever seen before. The neon-blue took her breath away.
No one spoke in the cave. The quiet was like that of a great Gothic cathedral, no one felt like breaking the serene stillness.
But back on the dock the girls couldn’t stop talking about the blueness of the water and the strange blue light. “Like from outer space,” Gia said, eyes big, hands flying. She talked like a true Italian, all passionate gestures and energy.
It was noon when they finished their excursion and Marco suggested they stop for lunch at the popular and always crowded Piazzetta for pizza and Italian sodas. Despite the crowds, they were seated immediately—it seemed to be Marco’s good fortune to never wait in line—and they ate outside under a bright blue and white striped awning.
On their way back to the villa, Marco mentioned he had one quick errand to do and asked the taxi driver to pull over at a small convenience store. It wasn’t until they were home that Marco showed Payton his purchase. He opened the paper bag and she peeked in.
Condoms. Dozens of them. “You’re not taking a chance, are you?” she mocked.
“No. Because last night was good, but it wasn’t enough. I want to be inside you.”
The moment the girls were tucked in for the night, Marco picked up a bottle of wine, two glasses, and led Payton to the bedroom.
There were few preliminaries and no more discussion. Payton felt Marco’s urgency as he kissed her, undressed her, his hands cupping her breasts before caressing her hips, and the curve of her bottom.
“I’ve thought of nothing all day but being with you, touching you.” His voice sounded hoarse and he dipped his head to suckle her breast. With her nipple in his mouth, he slowly circled the rosy aureole with his tongue, drawing smaller and smaller circles until he concentrated on just the aching nipple.
Payton buried her face against his shoulder, her lips parting in a helpless moan. She loved the way he touched her, loved the wild sensation flooding her veins, but it didn’t answer the emptiness her.
“How can I want you like this?” she choked, her voice breathless, hoarse.
“Because you know I want you just as much, if not even more.”
When Marco finally entered her, and his body filled her, they were fierce, their movements wild, even a little desperate. They hit the peak fast and yet they both still wanted more.
“I’d never get tired of this,” Payton sighed as she rested her cheek on Marco’s chest. “Nothing in the world feels like this.”
“I agree. This is good. Better than good, this is amazing.”
The next three days passed as more of the same. Swimming and playing with the girls during the day and then spending half the night making love. It was as if they were learning about each other for the first time, learning that they had more in common than twin daughters and a shared passion for design.
They loved to tease each other and enjoyed endless contact. They’d bump into each other during the day just to feel pressure and skin. They’d touch beneath the table. Walk holding hands.
Payton felt like she was a newlywed finally getting her honeymoon.
On their last night in Capri, they stayed up late, enjoying the warm air, the beautiful moon, the reflection of light against the water.
When they turned in, they went to Marco’s room and silently they stripped off their clothes and very silently made love. It was their last night on the island and the moment felt poignant, charged with meaning.
Making love was also different. They’d found a new comfort with each other. Their bodies instinctively responded. They knew what each other liked and needed.
Marco intentionally kept Payton from peaking too soon, changing the tempo to delay her release. He didn’t want the night to end. He didn’t want to lose any of the intimacy or happiness he’d known during the past week.
But Marco could only hold back so long and he built the rhythm again, allowing the pleasure to build. He could feel himself near the edge and as he drove into Payton with deep hard thrusts he felt her tighten around him, felt her hands clench his arms and he covered her mouth with his, drinking her cry of ecstasy into him.
If only it could always be this way, he thought later. If only there were more moments like this, moments where he felt utter peace.
“You’re too good,” Payton murmured huskily, running a hand through his hair, ruffling the weight of it.
She was still so warm and lightly damp. He loved the feel of her, the shape of her, the smell of her. She was so real, and natural and gorgeous.
“Bella,” he murmured, kissing her. “Mia bella Amore.”
Then he shifted her, rolling her onto her back so he could look into her face. “This has been nice, yes?”
“Heavenly.” She smiled and traced a line in his face, one of the grooves that paralleled his mouth. “You’ve given me five amazing days and five perfect nights. I’ve never felt so content.”
He felt the same. “I told you Capri was magical.”
“You were right. When we arrived here I was so nervous, so afraid of everything.” Her fingers were gentle as they explored his face. “I don’t feel that way anymore. I feel brave. I’m afraid of nothing.”
His chest hurt. She might not be afraid, but he was. He couldn’t bear to think he still might lose her after everything they’d been through. “Marry me.”
She blinked. She didn’t say anything. She just stared up at him.
“Marry me and stay in Milan,” he continued. “There’s no reason not to. It’s right for the children and it’s the right thing for us. You need me with you in the coming months, and Payton, bella, I need to be with you.”
“Marco, we’ve tried this before.”
“So?” He pushed the sheet away, and lowered himself slowly over her, his weight supported by his arms.
She reached up to press against his chest. “It didn’t work, remember?”
His knee separated her thighs, parting her legs to make room for him. “It didn’t work because we weren’t being mature. But we’re older. We know better. We know that the girls’ happiness is the most important thing, and the girls will need us together now more than ever before.”
As his body lowered, and his mouth covered hers, Payton felt a wave of intense emotion. Once upon a time she’d had a dream. It had been to come to Italy, to see the great art and cathedrals of ancient Rome…
Marco entered her and Payton nearly cried out loud with hunger, with pleasure.
“Besides,” he added, burying himself in her, filling her completely, “this time we have love on our side.”
The next morning they were took a helicopter from Anacapri to the Naples airport, and then a private plane from Naples to Milan.
The air in Milan felt hot and heavy after the bliss of Capri. Marco’s driver unloaded their luggage at Marco’s ornate villa on the outskirts of the city.
The girls immediately trotted off to go play and Marco captured Payton’s hand as they stood in the entry.
“You haven’t given me an answer,” he said, his deep voice pitched low.
Payton felt his tension, his leashed passion and as his dark eyes held hers, she felt herself fall, falling hard, falling for him all over again.
Being with Marco was like a fantasy, but better because it was real. He was real. His kindness and strength weren’t illusions. When her health was jeopardized, he stepped forward and he went to work making everything all right for all of them.