Fragile Longing

“I want to spend a few days in our lake lodge. It would be good to have time for each other without any distractions, like a mini-vacation.”

Surprised, I pushed to my feet and wiped my face with a towel. “That sounds great.” Remembering Danilo’s comment about the fireplace in the lodge, my belly filled with butterflies.

Danilo stepped close to me and cupped my face. “Just you and me, nothing else.”

I nodded against his mouth and sank into the kiss. His tongue parted my lips, eagerly tasting me. I loved kissing Danilo. It always awakened every nerve in my body. Since he’d gifted me the sex toy—something I hadn’t mentioned to Anna yet—I’d relaxed more and more, and I came every time we used it. While I loved it, I wanted to be physical with Danilo without the help of a device. Maybe the lodge would give us the opportunity.

“Aren’t you too busy?” I whispered when he pulled back.

Danilo hated leaving Indianapolis even for a day. Being the Underboss of one of the most important cities of the Outfit came with many responsibilities, and he took his responsibilities very seriously. That he’d leave his city for several days to spend time with me showed me that he really wanted our marriage to work.

“Our marriage is more important. We could use some time to enjoy each other’s company.”

A pleasant shiver mixed with nerves in my body. Would we finally have sex? I wasn’t as worried about the prospect as I used to be. In the last few days, Danilo had made sure to give me plenty of pleasure to make up for our botched-up first encounter, and I was certain he’d keep doing so.

“I can’t wait,” I murmured, hoping he understood what I meant.

He pulled me even tighter against him and kissed me until my clothes felt uncomfortably warm and my body pulsed with need.

“I need to get to a meeting with Marco,” Danilo murmured regretfully.

“I met his wife in the gym twice now. We really like each other. I thought we could have dinner together some time?”

Danilo looked surprised. “Marco didn’t mention anything.”

I shrugged. “Maybe Bria didn’t tell him.”

The look on his face told me that didn’t surprise him. I hadn’t talked to Bria about her marriage with Marco, so I wasn’t sure if they had problems. The only thing I knew was that they’d gotten married a few weeks before us.

“I’ll talk to Marco about it, but we’ll have our vacation first.” He kissed me again before he turned around. I watched him walk away and let out a small sigh, trying to ignore the pulsating need in my body.

I was more than ready to try again, and I knew this time would be perfect.A week later, we finally made time for our getaway. It was the first time we’d returned to the Mancini lake lodge after Danilo’s birthday party. In the daylight, I could fully appreciate the beautiful landscape surrounding the lodge and the lake.

I peered curiously out of the window. A small flicker of nerves kindled in my belly as we drove up the driveway. I didn’t want to link this place with my bad memories. After all, a place couldn’t really harbor bad feelings, and I didn’t want to be shackled to the past.

Danilo put a hand on my knee and squeezed. “Are you all right?”

I glanced over to him and curled my fingers around his. “Yeah, just enjoying the landscape.”

“I hope you can enjoy the trip. I know your only experience here was horrible, but I really love spending time at the lodge, and I hope you will eventually as well.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll just focus on the here and now.”

Danilo pulled up in front of the lodge, a two-story timber building with a large patio overlooking the tree-lined lake.

I got out and breathed in the fresh forest air. The late July heat dominating Indianapolis wasn’t present here. It was warm and humid, but not hot. Perhaps we could really light a fire in the fireplace.

Danilo grabbed our luggage from the trunk and carried it into the lodge. Now, without dozens of guests and flashing lights, the cozy vibe the inside of the house gave off surprised me. Everything was timber, sheep skin, cow hide rugs, and soft, cognac-colored leather sofas. Huge windows allowed the sun to penetrate the big rooms with their high ceilings. A magnificent stone fireplace dominated the center of the living area as was standard in most lodges in the area. Danilo set down the luggage in the lobby and showed me around. When we stepped out onto the patio, I had a brief flashback, remembering how I’d first spotted Danilo on the lower deck and how we’d danced together. Goosebumps sprang up on my skin, but the onslaught of memories didn’t come.

Danilo touched my hip, his eyes searching mine. “Are you sure you’re fine?”