Chapter 29
KARINA
There’s nothing like a Sicilian sunrise.
The deep blue pre-dawn sky is slowly brightening with hues of orange, buttery yellow, and hot pink as I luxuriate in the clawfoot bathtub on the balcony of our suite.
The tub is still virtually overflowing with bubbles, though the water temp has started to cool.
A fresh breeze chills my bare shoulders, giving me goosebumps, and I sink deeper into the suds.
Despite the early hour, this is truly paradise.
Marco wraps his arms around me from behind and kisses my neck. “Did you ever think you’d see the sun rise over the Mediterranean from your own private outdoor bathtub?”
I snuggle my back against the reassuring warmth of his chest. “I can honestly say I never imagined I’d take a vacation to Sicily at all, not to mention stay at some ridiculously fancy hotel with a bathtub on the balcony. So, no. How about you?”
Turning to look over my shoulder at him, I’m met with a kiss.
“I don’t know,” he says teasingly. “I’ve done this a few times before. It’s getting old.”
I slap bubbles at him. “You have not!”
Today we leave Palermo—in a rented Ferrari, I kid you not—to embark on the next leg of our trip in the city of Catania, which is just a few hours away on the other side of the island, near Mt.
Etna. The east coast is supposed to be even more beautiful than the west coast, but I’ll believe it when I see it.
After that, we’ll continue southwest to Agrigento to see the famous Valley of the Temples and the ancient Greek ruins of Akragas.
I’m so glad that Frankie and Charlie put their brilliant heads together to plan this trip itinerary for me and Marco.
“When are we picking up the car from the rental place?” I ask.
“Not for a few hours. We can take our time checking out of here,” Marco says, sliding his hands higher to cup my breasts.
I melt into his touch, urging his hands up and over my pebbled nipples.
When he starts rolling them between his thumb and forefinger, I tilt my head back so it’s resting on his shoulder and let out a happy sigh.
We’ve been enjoying each other so much that I have a permanent ache between my legs, suck marks on my neck, and bruises on my inner thighs.
But I never stop wanting him. My hunger for Marco is insatiable.
“You know…we’re on a private overlook,” he murmurs. “No one can see us up here.”
A hard shiver goes through me. “Oh, really?”
“It’s still kind of dark. Dark enough to obscure shapes into shadows.”
His cock stirs against my lower back.
“I see where you’re going with this, and I like it,” I tell him.
He kisses the back of my neck and continues toying with my nipples until I’m moaning, my body primed and strung tight with urgency. Moving my hips, I bump against his erection and marvel at the feel of it growing even harder.
“Get on your knees and lean forward,” Marco commands. “I’m going to fuck you while you watch the sun come up.”
“Ooh, how you spoil me,” I say coyly.
Rising up on my knees, I grab the front lip of the tub to steady myself as Marco repositions himself. Then he wraps his hands around my hips and presses his cock to my entrance. The tip glides into me, hitting so deep from this angle that it takes my breath away.
“You okay?” Marco asks from behind me, his thrusts slowing.
“God yes,” I answer. “Give me more.”
He wraps his arms around my torso, holding me tight, and then starts pumping up into me with everything he’s got.
The water sloshes around us but I relax my body, reveling in the feel of him fucking me.
This is what I want. I want him to use me hard, to get off, to come so fast it leaves him shuddering in the wake of his spent lust.
“That’s it,” I coax, my voice coming out in a harsh gasp. “More, more, more.”
“Turn around,” he says breathlessly. “I need to look at you.”
I do a one-eighty, and once we’re face to face, he pulls me in for a rough kiss, our teeth knocking together, our tongues sparring.
We groan at the same time as I sink onto his cock again, locking my ankles behind his back.
I grab the sides of the tub to anchor myself as I start to ride him, splashing water everywhere.
I don’t care. I need him. I need this, need us.
Moving together as one. Faster, harder, deeper.
Every stroke of his cock taking me higher.
Tossing my head back, I catch a gorgeous, upside-down view of the once-in-a-lifetime experience enveloping me.
The colorful, wakening sky and green-blue expanse of water.
The distant mountains and the sprawl of spun-sugar clouds.
The breeze caresses my skin, my nerve endings sparking from head to toe as I take my husband hard and deep.
I’m filled to the brim with his cock, with his love, with this pleasure. Moaning. Panting. Ready to explode.
Marco wraps his lips over my left nipple, sucking at the very heart of me, his soft grunts driving me on.
“I’m coming,” I cry out helplessly.
Pulling me against his chest, he lets out a primal groan and explodes inside me, pushing me onto an even higher plane of orgasm.
We ride it out as one, clinging to each other, our moans mingling with the singing of the birds.
My eyes are wide open, and I drink in the colors all around us as I take in everything, everything, every last drop that Marco has to give me.
As we start to come down, he sighs contentedly. “Round one.”
“If there’s going to be a round two, I need to get out of the water first. Before I get honeymoon hypothermia.”
Marco laughs and then climbs out first so he can hold a thick Turkish towel out for me to step into.
He takes his time wrapping it snugly around my body, then slips one around his waist before we head inside.
Climbing into bed, we pull the linen sheets over us and he turns on the TV.
The news reporters speak faster Italian than my brain can translate, and I only catch half of what they’re saying.
“Maybe we should move here so my Italian improves,” I joke.
“Let’s do it,” Marco says without missing a beat. “We can buy a house here.”
A tingle goes over my body. Move…to Italy? For real?
“It is perfect here,” I admit.
“It wouldn’t have to be Sicily,” he adds. “We could go inland if you don’t want to be on an island. Explore the coastal towns so you won’t miss the beach. See where we like best.”
For a moment, we just look at each other, our excitement palpable.
What would a fresh start in Italy look like?
We’re both conversational in Italian, though of course Marco is much better at present.
We’re used to the weather, and our heritage is here.
We could set up a new Bellanti Vineyards outpost, grow grapes and press micro batches of wine, explore the business side of things. My heart leaps with the possibilities.
“What if we started a pure Italian line for Bellanti wines?” I muse. “Frankie could come out and help us get everything established. She studied winemaking in Tuscany, right?”
“That’s right.” Marco lets out a breath. “I was kinda thinking the same thing. Let’s talk to Dante when we get back. See how serious we still are once we’re back on our home turf.”
I nod and he takes my hands in his, bringing them up to his lips for a gentle kiss.
“Honestly, Karina, I’m down for anything. As long as I’m with you, I’m happy to go anywhere. The world is ours.”
Laughing, throwing my arms around my husband, I hug him tightly and snuggle into his chest. My mind is whirling with the kind of big dreams I’ve never let myself have.
We could start a family here, raise our children in the Italian countryside—far away from the painful memories of our pasts.
We’d finally be free of the stain my uncle left on me, free of the darkness that Enzo Bellanti left hanging over Marco as well.
“I can see it now,” he murmurs. “A line of wine that picks up where Bellanti Vineyards first originated. Did I ever tell you my great, great, great grandfather started out growing grapes here? He moved the family to California because the growing conditions are virtually the same.”
“Is that the only reason he left Italy?”
Marco lightly runs his fingers over my shoulder. “No. He was looking for a better life for his family.”
“So are we. He found it in California, and maybe we’ll find it back here.”
We’re quiet again, both of us lost in our thoughts.
“Or maybe we already have everything we need in Napa,” Marco finally says. “My brothers are there. Frankie and Charlie and Livvie. The new baby will be here soon, too.”
I smile. “I know. But let’s keep our horizons open. I feel the same way you do—as long as we’re together, there’s no dream I wouldn’t want to pursue. Maybe we really can have it all.”
“We absolutely can.” Marco drops a kiss on my nose and then goes on, “Starting with breakfast. Let’s get dressed and go find some espresso and brioscia.”
He doesn’t have to ask me twice.
We walk along the old, paved streets, hand in hand as the sun pours down and the city wakes up. There’s so much to love about Palermo, from the smiling faces to the sea breeze to the baroque architecture and lush greenery spilling from balconies and patios and window boxes.
The scent of fresh ground coffee lures us around a corner.
Sure enough, we find a cute café where we grab a table by the window.
Moments later, a line forms for the incredibly rich pastries being placed in the bakery cases.
We eat too many. Drink too much espresso.
Then we go shopping and walk the beach, slipping off our shoes to walk in the cool water.
When we get back to the hotel, it’s just about time to pack our bags and get a cab over to the car rental agency.
I’m cramming the last of my souvenir purchases into my suitcase while Marco stands out on the balcony, watching the sky.
“Look at those clouds rolling in. It’s going to rain,” he tells me.
“Maybe you should come back inside then,” I say as a strong gust blows the curtains hanging on either side of the French doors.
He smirks at me and hitches a brow. “Ever taken a bath outside in the rain?”
I open my mouth and then close it. My logical mind says this is a bad idea, but what actually comes out is, “No…there are lots of things I haven’t done yet.”
And I want to experience all of them with Marco.
But— “Aren’t you worried about lightning?” I ask, my nerves getting the best of me.
He steps back into the room and prowls toward me, sweeping me into his arms.
“It’s not…that kind…of a storm,” he says between kisses. “Just summer rain. Warm drops hitting your naked body…running down your skin while I catch them with my tongue…”
There’s no point trying to fight him. I’m practically swooning in his arms.
“I like the sound of that,” I purr.
He goes out to the balcony again and turns on the taps, then gestures for me to join him.
The second I do, he starts stripping off my clothes.
Soon I’m standing there naked in the churning wind.
Our view is of mountains and beaches, not city streets, but I honestly don’t care if anybody spies us up here.
I’m on my honeymoon, and I’m madly in love. Fuck propriety.
Marco ditches his clothes and scoops me into his arms, walking me over to the tub. When he lowers me into the hot water, I gasp. As soon as he’s settled in, facing me, I wrap my arms around his neck and press my forehead to his.
“Maybe we should start working on that baby,” I whisper against his lips. “If we can’t live in Italy, we can at least bring home a special little something from our trip.”
“That’s a little more intense than bags of marionettes and martorana.” He cups my cheek and coaxes my mouth open for a slow, passionate kiss. “I’m in.”
So am I.
Wholly, completely, and forever.