Button couldn’t hide the surprise on her face. The ferocity in her eyes disappeared quicker than the snap of a finger and her lips parted in shock. With just her words and her looks, she defeated me. She managed to tame the most feral beast in the world.
“I’m sorry.” I meant every word I said, and I didn’t care if the staff saw me at my weakest point. Button was my queen, and I’d come to terms with the fact I wouldn’t always be the ruler in the relationship. Sometimes she would be the dictator, and sometimes I would.
She still hadn’t recovered from the shock on her face. Countless times she fought me with tooth and nail and said the harshest things I didn’t want to hear. But she never brought me to my knees the way she did now. It took her a moment to recover from the shock. “I forgive you.”
***
We had dinner on the terrace like every night. The weather was too perfect to be ignored. It was cool with a warm breeze, and the nighttime air wasn’t quite so humid at this time of year. Button pressed being outside under the sun. Even when she was inside she sat on the balcony just so she could be closer to nature and all its fruit.
“Thank you for dinner. It was excellent.” Actually, it was nothing compared to Lars’s cooking but I appreciated what she did. She did the sexiest thing a woman could do for a man—cook for him. It was something I never had a desire before until now. The idea of her doing anything thoughtful for me was a turn on.
“Thanks for saying that. I know it wasn’t very good but Lars is teaching me. I’m sure in a few months I’ll be better.”
I sipped my wine to dismiss her words.
“It’s definitely not easy like mac and cheese.” She chuckled to herself at her own comment.
“I’ve never had it.”
“You’re never had it?” she asked in shock. “Like, ever?”
“I’ve had noodles with parmesan, but not the American version you’re talking about.”
“It’s so good. I’ll have to make it for you.”
It sounded like processed horseshit to me. “Maybe.” If she made it for me I would suck it up and eat it. But I wouldn’t be happy about it. Europe was so much more hospitable than America. Their food wasn’t fresh, it was full of pesticides, and it didn’t taste nearly as good. In the closest town there was a local market every morning where Lars brought our groceries. Most of the produce had been picked the day before.
Now that dinner was finished my mind drifted to my favorite activity. When I came home, we spent our time fighting rather than making love. Now that my stomach was full and Button was looking beautiful across from me, that’s what I wanted to do next.
She rose from the table then stood a few feet away on the concrete underneath the swaying trees. Twilight was deepening into night, and the lights strung across the patio were blocking out the stars up above.
I stared at her with a raised eyebrow.
She extended her hand. “Dance with me.”
I heard her command but didn’t understand it. The last time I danced with a woman was so long ago I couldn’t recall. But here she was, asking me to dance to sound of silent music. If it were anyone else, I would walk inside without giving her a second look. But that excitement in her eyes and that smile on her lips pulled me toward her like a magnet.
I joined her under the steaming lights and took her hand in mine. My arm wrapped around her waist and I slowly guided her across the invisible dance floor. The movements came natural to me, but I suspected that confidence came from the woman in my arms. She wanted a dance, and I would give her the best damn dance she’d even seen.
When she smiled I knew she loved it.
I’d never done romance before, but here I was dancing with a woman I adored. I said those three little words I vowed to never utter, and I even bowed to her in the greatest gesture of possession. I’d never known this kind of happiness, and honestly, it was a little scary.
It was scary because if I lost her, I’d be done.
She pulled me herself closer to me and pressed her forehead to mine. Her eyes stared at my lips but she didn’t kiss me. Completely enamored by me, she was obsessed and devoted. She showed me her love long before she said it, and I loved seeing that look in her eyes.
Something supernatural possessed me, and I suddenly began to sing quietly under my breath. My words were in Italian, and I serenaded to the woman in my arms. It was an old love song, something I heard in the village where I grew up. I was too young to understand love, and as I grew older I knew I would never have the privilege of feeling it.