Chapter 24
Mia
I can’t move or take a step without feeling the aftereffect of Santino taking me the way he did in the bathtub.
He was like an uncaged beast, not holding anything back, and I took it all, wanting it all, and loving it all.
Santino went to make the breakfast he promised me, but I’ve been slow to get dressed and meet him in the kitchen. It feels like I’ve fought a battle, physically and mentally, and now that I’m in the calm aftermath, I’m a little lost.
I’m so sore, I put on yoga pants and an oversized sweatshirt, not trying to attract Santino in any way. I can’t take anymore today. In the best way possible, that is. But still.
I slowly shuffle out of the room and down the hall. “Mmm,”
I hum, “the coffee smells good.”
I sidle up onto one of the stools around the kitchen island and Santino pours me a cup from the pot and places it in front of me with a small carton of creamer.
“Thank you.”
I wiggle to adjust myself and wince.
“What’s wrong? Are you hurt? Did I hurt you?”
The worry in his voice is sweet.
“Just sore. I’ll be fine.”
I pour a little cream into my coffee and stir it. “I don’t mind, actually,” I add quietly, feeling my cheeks heat.
Santino moves my hair over my shoulder and runs his fingers across my cheeks. “You don’t mind, huh?”
he asks with a little smug smirk.
“No, I don’t. But I can’t do that again for a while. At least for the rest of today.”
“Understood, my bride.”
Giving me a gentle kiss on the lips, he goes back to cooking me breakfast and I prop my elbows on the counter and watch him. He’s only in a pair of low-slung sweatpants, which leaves his perfectly sculpted back, arms, chest, and abs as my view with my morning coffee.
He looks quite domestic, and I quite like it. I like it a lot.
I knew I was falling in love with him on our date a few days ago, but this weekend has connected us in a way that I can’t even put into words.
I gave him my body, soul, and heart every time he touched me, slide into me, and made me float amongst the stars. I handed him all the pieces of me he needs to break me beyond repair, and after this morning, I’m a little scared.
I’m scared that I’ve given into him too quickly and too wholly. I’m scared he’s too good to be true and this is all going to blow up in my face.
“What are you thinking?”
Santino asks, placing a plate of pancakes in front of me, shaking me from my thoughts.
“Nothing,”
I say quickly, reaching for the maple syrup. He grabs my wrist before I can, though, and brings my hand to his mouth to kiss each pad of my fingertips.
“Don’t lie. Not after everything. Tell me.”
“I’m scared.”
“Of?”
“You. This. Us. Take your pick. I’m scared that I’m giving my everything to a man who has the power to destroy me.”
I look away from his penetrating gaze, but he grabs my chin and turns my face back to look at him.
“Intimacy is scary, Mia. Giving yourself to someone isn’t easy or something that should be done lightly. But when two people choose to do it together, equally giving themselves to the other and being vulnerable, then it’s a little less scary, right?”
“So, we’re doing it together?”
“Yes, my bride, we’re doing it together,”
he assures me. “And I’ll keep telling you no matter how many times you need to hear it, that I’m serious about us. There’s no second shoe that’ll drop. There’s no ulterior motive. There’s no second guessing. There’s no backtracking. There’s only us, moving forward and figuring it all out together. Do you think you can do that with me?”
“Yes, I can,”
I tell him, and the corners of his lips lift in a boyish little smile. “And I want to.”
Santino leans down and kisses each of the corners of my mouth before kissing me fully, sealing the deal.
I spin towards him and wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him down to kiss him properly. I kiss him like he deserves. I give him everything I can’t say yet in this kiss, showing him that I’m so far down this path with him that I didn’t even realize I can’t see the starting line anymore.
“Eat your pancakes before they get cold, farfalla,”
he murmurs against my lips, kissing each corner again.