Chapter Twenty-Six

I'm surprised that Marco is allowing me to leave the house and go to the beach alone. But at the same time, we've both increased the trust that we have for each other.

I know he's not going to hurt me, and he knows that I want him to succeed. At least, I hope he knows that.

His note was a sweet surprise. And having Jane join me for a day of pampering was a nice break away from the boredom of the beach house.

It felt like it had been forever since I'd given my hair any kind of TLC, and I'm feeling a lot sexier tonight.

A big part of me hopes that this wasn't all for nothing.

The note said to dress up, so I put on the new dress that I bought on impulse while I was out shopping.

It wasn't part of my list of things to buy, but I saw it just before I paid and decided to get it in an attempt to manifest better days.

The dress is white and flowy, with lace sleeves and an open back.

It's the most gorgeous dress I've worn in a while, and it feels fitting for whatever surprise Marco has in store for me.

The sun is low in the sky and casting an orange glow across the ocean.

I follow the same path we took last night until I see the cabana up ahead.

I can already see him standing there, with fairy lights and cushions, and what looks like a picnic.

This is it—he's finally decided he can trust me.

This is his way of offering me romance instead of fear.

My heart beats hard and fast behind my ribs, and a lump forms in my throat.

My cheeks feel warm. I wanted this, but a part of me is still worried that it won't work.

Marco was right when he pointed out that we come from such different worlds, but it is true that we're almost the same person.

I walk closer to the cabana and step inside, taking Marco's outstretched hand as I do so.

He's dressed in a black suit, his dark hair slicked back and his usual stubble is gone.

I'm glad I shaved my legs before this date, because it's a whole lot fancier than our casual dinners have been.

"You made it." Marco has the biggest smile on his face, which is incredibly odd for him.

"Of course I did."

I kiss him softly on his lips and see his eyes close as I do, which is odd for him. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything is good."

His expression is not one I've seen before. He looks… softer. Possibly nervous. "I just want to say something."

"Okay. I'll listen."

Marco takes a deep breath, looks out at the sea, and then back at me before he begins to speak.

"After reading your letter, and after all the time we've spent together, my thoughts and feelings have been all over the place. I'm sorry for not giving you an answer sooner, but I had to clear my head and know that my next decision was going to be right for both of us. Before I say anything more, I need you to know that I love you. I love the way you challenge me, the way you make the ordinary extraordinary. I love your passion for life, your empathy towards other people, and the beauty that comes from inside you. I know we come from different worlds, but I"m ready to face that challenge with you. I want to make you happy, Grazia, and I"m willing to work with your family, no matter how different our worlds may be. I choose you, and I choose us."

I can feel my heartbeat in my chest, strangling the breaths my lungs are trying to take.

I expected a romantic date, but this is more than I thought possible for where we are right now.

"Marco..." I hold his hand as he goes down onto one knee and looks up at me.

"I mean every word, Grazia. I"m not promising a perfect journey, but I am promising to navigate it together. I want to be the reason behind your smile and the one who stands by you through thick and thin. Will you let me do that for you? Will you marry me, mi chica?"

"I…" My thoughts feel like there's been a tornado in my brain.

Everything is being swept away, and I can't grab onto a single thought to reply to him.

Marco has just told me that he loves me, and he wants me to be his wife. Barely a week ago, he was handcuffing me to a bed and accusing me of trying to trick him.

I know how we got from there to here, but a part of me worries how much it would take to keep things this good.

And then I think about how my brothers would react to an announcement that I am now marrying their enemy.

They would disown me.

Marco is still on one knee, gazing up at me and holding the most beautiful ring I have ever seen.

I feel a tear slip down my cheek and quickly wipe it away.

"I don't know if we can do this…" I whisper to him, my voice cracking with emotion.

As much as I want to accept this ring, I am too scared to say yes.

"We can. Grazia, if we should learn anything from our brainstorming session, it's that we can actually do whatever we put our minds to. We are a strong team together. Please." He stands up and holds both of my hands now, staring into my eyes.

I'm sure I see his eyes welling up with tears, but I can't really tell since mine are pouring the tears out now.

"But what about…" I look around, trying to put all of my fears into one sentence.

"What about what? Your family? My plan? Your rose garden at home? We will figure it all out, my love. I promise you I won't let you be sad for one single day."

I only need one more minute to think. His reassurance is all it takes to convince me that we can and will make this work.

"Yes," I say, softly, then looking up at him.

I repeat the words louder so that I can be sure he's heard me. "Yes, I'll marry you."

Marco grabs my face and kisses me, on the lips and then the cheeks and all the way down my neck.

I laugh at the energy he puts into it.

He pulls away and grabs my hand, slipping the ring onto my finger and kissing my hand.

I extend my arm to look at the ring. It's so shiny. More importantly, it fits perfectly, and if I squint at it, it almost looks like it's always been there.

Marco's lips come back to mine, and this time, I kiss him back with just as much energy.

We hold onto each other tightly as he sucks on my bottom lip, and I run my hands up his arms, over his shoulders, around his neck, and into his hair.

It gets too hard to keep kissing with such ferociousness while we're standing, so we both sit down on the cushions that Marco has laid out.

As soon as we're both sitting, he immediately reaches for my face again, pushing his tongue into my mouth and stroking my leg with his free hand.

I move one of my legs so that his body fits perfectly in the space between them. Still sitting, he moves into the space.

Our hands explore each other's bodies, over our clothes at first, then I slip my fingers under the hem of his shirt, and he slides his hand down the top of my dress, cupping my breast.

I think about telling Marco that we should go back to the house, but my body is craving him now so badly, that I grab onto his belt buckle instead and pull him closer to me.

He reacts by crawling over me, forcing me onto my back as he hovers over my body.

I start to undo his buckle as he slips off the lacy thong I put on under my dress.

He can tell I'm struggling, so he helps me with his pants and slides them down just enough to release his cock and slide it right into me.

Marco knows me well enough by now, and as I throw my head back he covers my mouth with his hand.

"Shhh," He whispers into my ear.

I oblige, keeping my moans as soft as I can as he thrusts in and out of me, going slowly, biting my ear as he does.

The sound of the waves and the soft light of the candles in the cabana—and maybe the thought of us having sex out in the open—wakes up all of my senses.

As soon as I feel myself close to cumming, I rock my hips to match Marco's thrusts, and grip his firm butt cheeks, forcing him slightly deeper into me.

I lift my head and bring it up to Marco's shoulder, biting down hard as I feel my body shaking from the climax.

Marco speeds up when he can tell I've cum, going faster until he groans and cums himself. I giggle.

"What happened to ‘shhh'?" I ask him, teasingly.

He laughs and pulls his pants back up before moving to lie next to me. "Should we have some of this picnic?"

I sit up and grab a bunch of grapes, suddenly starving.

Marco sits up too, moving to the other side of the low table that has been set out.

I notice he has his gun with him, which means he left his guards at home. It's a comforting thought for me after our steamy moment.

We nibble on the food and have some of the tequila as a celebratory meal, toasting to our lives and our future.

Marco tells me how nervous he was about asking me, and I tell him how this is the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me.

We keep the conversation light and happy.

We both know that we'll be dealing with the hard stuff tomorrow—and every day after that.

After some food, Marco asks if I want to take a photo.

I'm sure my makeup is ruined and my hair is a mess after I spent twenty minutes on the ground, but I agree, wanting something to remember tonight by.

We do the typical selfie, me holding my hand with the ring up and Marco kissing my cheek.

"Do you have to go back to your house tonight?" I ask Marco as we walk back into the beach house.

We're both wet and cold, since it started raining as we started walking back.

"Actually, I was thinking we could both go back to our house," he says, emphasizing the word "our", which gives me a fluttery feeling in my chest.

"That would be nice." I smile. "But I need to shower and get into warmer clothes first. Join me?"

Marco follows me like a puppy as I lead him into the bathroom.

I'm enjoying this new dynamic, him listening to me and allowing me to take the lead, but still being the protective man that he has been all along.

We both undress in the bathroom and Marco turns on the shower.

I grab his arm before he can get in, kneeling in front of him, making sure my knees land on the plush shower mat.

He's already hard, but I want to help make sure that's going to last, so I place my mouth around his shaft.

Using my tongue and lips, and lightly grazing my teeth along his dick, I keep going until he moans and reaches down to pull me up onto my feet.

We step into the shower together, and Marco grabs one of the loofahs.

He squeezes soap onto my chest and rubs it in with the loofah, kissing me as he does so.

He moves the soapy loofah in circular movements down to my stomach, and slowly towards my left thigh, then the right.

Suddenly, he turns me to face the wall and pushes me up against it, washing my back with the loofah first, and then dropping it at our feet and pushing his body against mine.

He lifts my hips to meet his, entering me from behind, his hands steadying my hips as he sends me into yet another explosive climax.

This time, we come together, and when we're done, we stand under the shower for a few more minutes, holding our naked bodies against each other.

Getting out of the shower, we both get dressed and Marco tells me to bring my bag and any other items I want to take with me.

The car ride is short, but we're both exhausted, and we don't end up talking much.

At one traffic light, Marco reaches over and puts his hand on my thigh. I cover it with my own hand, noticing the ring again and smiling into the darkness.

I am yawning uncontrollably by the time we reach Marco's house, although I should get used to calling it my house too.

He said "our house", so I should too.

He takes my bag in one hand and holds my arm to steady me with the other.

In his room, we get into bed, and even though part of me wants to sleep, I ask him a few questions about the future he sees with me.

He tells me what he thinks, and I describe my own visions, including the wedding, our lives, and possible kids.

Once we fall silent, Marco cuddles up to me, his chest on my back.

I only last for a couple minutes of spooning before I turn over and kiss him again.

We quickly get naked and make love. This time it's gentle and soft, and we barely make a noise.

It's a comfortable pleasure, and I cum seconds before Marco.

He rolls over, and I place my head on his chest, kissing him once more before I fall asleep.