Quinn #2
"He’s always doing sweet things, always making sure that I’m okay.” I’ve never had that before and it’s been hard to accept it, but I love that he’s protective.
"He's falling in love with you, too." Vittoria tells me with a grin.
"Vittoria..." I say, trying to gasp for air.
“He’d burn down the world for you, Quinn.”
My eyes fill with tears. “Please?” I plead, begging her to stop. I can’t deal with this. I can’t get my hopes up.
"I just thought you should know."
Valentina arrives and pouts as she stands in the doorway and takes us in. "What did I miss?" she asks.
"Focaccia," Vittoria says, as she gets to her feet. “They’re proofing at the moment.”
Val glances between us. "Why do I feel like I've missed something important?"
"Because you arrived late," Vittoria says softly.
Val crosses her arms over her chest and glares at Vittoria. "That's not an answer."
"It's the only one you're getting," Vittoria grins. “Now, I need to clean up. Joe will be wanting to start lunch soon and you know how he gets when the kitchen’s messy.”
An hour later, I'm wandering through the gardens, needing some fresh air after lunch. My head's still full of everything Vittoria said. He's falling in love with you. The words have been playing on repeat ever since she said them.
I don't know whether to believe her, I don't know if I should.
"You're thinking awfully hard."
I spin around and see that Erin's walking toward me with a camera hanging around her neck.
"Am I?"
"You get a deep furrow in your brows when you're thinking too hard."
"No I don’t."
She laughs. "Oh, Quinny, you definitely have a look." She lifts the camera. "Don't move."
"What?"
Click. The shutter sounds before I can react.
"Erin!" I say, shocked but also curious as to why she’s taking my photo.
She lowers the camera and checks the screen. "Hmm."
"What do you mean, hmm?"
She grins. "I was right."
"About what?"
"You've got a lovely smile."
I feel my cheeks heat. "I wasn't smiling."
She laughs once again. "You were."
"I definitely wasn't."
She turns the camera around and shows me, I stare at the photograph; I am smiling.
"When was that?" I ask, wondering when she took that photo.
"About three seconds ago."
I gape at her. "I don't smile like that."
"You do," Erin says. "You just don't realise you do."
I hand the camera back to her. "I don't like having my picture taken."
Her expression softens. "I know."
"You do?"
She nods. "I've noticed." She falls into step beside me as we continue walking through the gardens. "I don't take photographs because people look perfect," she says after a moment. "I take them because one day they'll matter."
I glance at the camera resting against her hip. "You really do take pictures of everything, don't you?"
She laughs. "Pretty much."
"Why?"
She looks out across the gardens before answering.
"I grew up in foster care." I stay quiet at her words, I never knew that about her.
"Different houses and different families.
" She shrugs like it doesn't matter, but I get the feeling it matters more than she'll ever admit.
"There aren't many photographs of me growing up. "
My heart squeezes.
"So now," she says, lifting the camera, "I make sure there are plenty."
I smile. "I think that's lovely."
"It also means Marco hides whenever he sees me coming."
I laugh. "And Lorenzo?"
"Oh, he's impossible." She rolls her eyes dramatically. "I've managed one picture of him smiling."
"You have?"
"It's blurry."
I laugh again. "He smiled?"
"Barely." She nudges my shoulder. "I'll get one of you both eventually."
Heat creeps into my cheeks. "I don't think Lorenzo would agree to that."
Erin smiles. "He won't have a choice."
I laugh, shaking my head. "You and Valentina are terrifying."
"Damn right we are." She hooks her arm through mine as we continue walking. "Come on. I want to show you the greenhouse. The light in there this time of day is gorgeous."
For the first time since becoming a Mariano, I let someone lead me somewhere without wondering what I'd done wrong. Maybe that's what friendship feels like.
I’m in the shower when I feel warm hands slide around my waist.
"Hi," I say, leaning back against him.
"Hi," he replies, pressing his lips against my jaw.
His palms glide up my ribs, cupping my breasts as his thumbs rub my nipples into tight peaks.
Water streams down our bodies while his cock swells hard against my lower back.
He spins me to face him, my back against the tiled wall, one hand gripping my hip as two fingers thrust straight into my pussy.
They curl deep, stroking that spot inside with steady pumps that make wet sounds echo under the spray.
I moan and spread my legs wider. He adds a third finger, stretching me as his thumb circles my clit.
My hand reaches back to stroke his thick cock, thumb sliding over the slick head.
Pleasure builds fast. The first orgasm hits hard, my walls clenching around his fingers while I whimper into the kiss.
He drops to his knees, lifts one leg over his shoulder, and sucks my clit into his mouth.
His tongue laps hungrily while his fingers keep working inside me.
I grab his hair and grind down, coming again with a sharp cry as my thighs shake.
He doesn’t stop, licking through it until a third orgasm rolls over me, leaving me trembling.