29. Dante
29
DANTE
I laria looks so cute with her hat on backwards, the red on her cheeks from too much time in the sun today making her eyes stand out more.
I should have given her sunscreen.
When I had said a new start I thought we would spend the couch kissing each other and ordering takeout but she had taken it as a full day of dates.
Dates that we should have gotten if we were a regular couple.
Our day hadn’t started until around 11am when we woke up wrapped in each other. Ilaria made me call someone to come clean and fix the penthouse while she showered and by the time I slunk in to join her she was already pulling clothes on.
Two coffees for her and one for me later and we were on the orange line, taking it a stop to State Street where she pulled me off and getting roasted peanuts to eat between sips of her dessert latte she had ordered.
I teased her about her coffee but tasting the sweetness on her lips was my favorite treat.
Ilaria held my hand or my arm, letting me steal kisses as we walked through the commons and pressing herself against me as we waited at crosswalks. She made me feel like she was my second skin and I loved having her close like this.
It felt good to just feel like we were on a date. None of the pressure that had been weighing on our relationship.
We played tourist in our town.
Riding Swan Boats as I stole kisses between her laughter and stood at the observation tower at the Prudential looking over the city. Walking down Newbury St as we ducked into stores and Ilaria played dress up with me as I just beamed under the way her hands felt touching me. How her eyes searched mine as if she wanted approval, which felt like a drug from someone who was so sure of themselves. How she smiled when I bit my lip, giving directions of where to have things delivered.
So this was what love was.
Ending the night we had gone to a local bar for a few beers before Ilaria insisted that we go to the Red Sox game where we sat in the grandstands with her legs over mine as she kept score with a pencil on the scorecard, marking everything without even having to look at the key to figure out what to do.
I reached over pulling off her hat to get her attention. My fingers tugged at her ponytail, rolling the black elastic around my wrist as I ran my fingers through her curls as they fell down, earning me another one of those smiles that I could melt in.
After the past couple weeks this was what we needed.
A day for just us to get along and get to know each other. No plans but just going along with everything and making memories together.
This was the life I had always thought out of reach and yet here it was under my fingertips.
“Let’s go home.” Taking her hat from my hands she pulled it back over her curls with a soft tug.
I had thought she would argue with me but she nodded her head, packing up her scorecard and standing up as she took my hand as we navigated through the crowds to head back home.
I had walked home from baseball games before.
Something about Boston at night always calmed me. It was the quiet loudness of a city that was home. The way sleepy brownstones holding families were mixed with drunk college kids sharing a pizza as they stumbled back to cramped dorms.
I liked taking my time as I slid through the streets, taking an hour to go home but now I wanted to be home with Ilaria, back in bed with her as I held her in my arms an hour ago and didn’t want to share her with anyone else.
Ilaria made a sound as we slid into a car I had order for us. Her head on my shoulder as a soft yawn escaped those pretty lips of hers.
“Tired, principessa?”
My fingers reached out to pull off her ball cap, swirling strands of her chocolate hair around my fingers as Ilaria shifted, looking up at me with her eyes soft, warm and inviting me into her.
So this was what my fiancée looked like when she was happy.
This was beautiful.
“Today was perfect.” She muttered it with her sleepy little voice.
Her nose nuzzling into my neck as she hummed to herself in a way that made me aware that I was going to have to carry her out of here and into our home.
But it was just another excuse to hold her in my arms so I pulled her closer, letting her fall asleep on the short ride to our place.
Our place.
Home.
Ilaria fit in my arms as I carry her up, loving how she curled instinctively against me. Her hand fisting the front of my shirt as I kiss her forehead as I move into our place with the safety of her in my arms.
Thank God it had been cleaned. All of it was repaired and new sheets on the bed. A safe place for my treasure to lay, safe.
“Principessa?”
I test her name in my mouth as she made a whine of a sound nuzzling that little sunburnt nose against a pillow.
My lips curve upward as I slide down, untying her shoes and pulling them off, followed by her socks. She sighs out like it was a relief. Her relief made me smile, pulling off her shorts as I see the lace of her hipster thong all blood red on her tan skin and making me want to bite into her.
Ilaria always wore some shade of red under her clothes and I loved the way it looked on her. Loved the contrast of her skin with the color.
“Dante, lay down.” She mutters out, as if she knew I was losing my mind looking at her. But there was a smile on her face as I shifted, pulling her to sit up despite her pretty whine.
My hands skim underneath her tee shirt, pulling it and throwing it off as her head comes forward, resting on my shoulder as another long yawn escapes from her lips.
So tired as she nuzzles into me.
My fingers come around her, unhooking her bra as she let me pull it off of her.
Shivering softly, Ilaria gives me an amused smirk at me, Ilaria nuzzling against me like a cuddly kitten.
“It’s cold in here, Demon. Not all of us have the hell flames keeping us warm.”
But I was lying her back down as I stand up, tugging off my jeans and tugging off my shirt, getting into bed and pulling Ilaria into my arms once again. I cant stop myself from pressing kisses against her as she made a soft whine of protest.
“Oh fuck.”
She pulls out of my arms sitting up so suddenly she almost knocks me off the bed at her jerky movements, as she swung out of our bed.
“FUCK. FUCK. FUCK !”
“Ilaria?” She was pulling luggage out as she looked at me with this frantic expression that scared me more than I realized. “What’s wrong?
“I forgot to pack. Our flight to Vegas is at 8AM and I haven’t packed a thing.”
She was grabbing bags she had bought and tossing them into her luggage as I frowned trying to remember the plan for Vegas.
I had thought Francesco had told me we were flying out at 3pm. We were supposed to fly with the girls because we needed to keep an eye on them. Especially with everything we still needed to find out about Becca.
Grabbing my phone, I double checked the confirmation of the 3PM flight, looking at Ilaria confused as she rushes around the room. She is currently in the bathroom shoving things into a makeup bag as she moves around like she is afraid of forgetting something.
Shooting a quick text to Francesco to confirm that he had made the plans for our Jack and Jill party and confirming everything that is planned for the time we’re there.
I follow after Ilaria, watching the way she manically moved around our shared space, needing to figure out what is happening. How could I be this confused?
“Do you have an itinerary?”
I was trying to keep calm as she brushes past me, dumping her things in her suitcase as I make my way over, organizing them for her as she picks up her phone. Her thumb scrolling along the screen before I received a text from her with the plans for everything.
She looks around, like she was forgetting something before sighing out and zipping her suitcase, seeming to come down from the high she was on and falling into bed as I just start to process everything I am seeing
“Everyday is themed?” She made a sound of confirmation as she looks at me, a soft blush on her face as if she was embarrassed.
My sweet girl.
“I love getting dressed up so the girls tried to come up with different things that I liked.” She explains and then seems to realize what I am saying to her, “Shit, Francesco got the itinerary to give to you, right? Did you need help packing?”
No, Francesco did not send me an itinerary because he wanted to be murdered.
Ilaria sent me a text with everything she was doing for her themed nights, maybe in hopes that I could pull off a miracle and match her. Which I would because after today keeping her happy was all I wanted to do.
She is reaching for me from where she is naked and looking exhausted in bed. Her eyes were already drooping as she reaches for me as I tuck her in, getting warm lips against mine as she hums out, content.
“I’m glad we’re going together.” She murmurs in a half asleep voice, eyes closing as she lets out another yawn.
And we would be going together, after I packed for all of these themes her friends had planned, ordering things to the hotel we were sharing when I couldn’t find something in my closet.
Sending Francesco another text in warning I was sure that I was going to kill him for not having everything ironed out. He had been tasked with watching Becca and should have known about all of this.
I want this to be perfect.
To make sure that Ilaria not only had the best time for her party but because it was her birthday and I had plans for her day to make her feel special.
Being in an arranged marriage there had been nor proposal so I had planned something so I could give Ilaria that memory.
Even if our relationship hasn’t started off as conventional. I was getting feelings for my fiancée. Faster than I had anticipated. And I wasn’t quite sure how to deal with them.