Page 103 of Vicious Intentions
“Thank you.”
“But can I say something now?”
“Hmm,” I mumble my consent.
“If there’s any doubt in that pretty little head of yours about how I feel, then let me make this clear. All I want is you, Anna. All I think about is you. All I dream about is you. Holding you in my arms and kissing you the way you deserve consumes my every waking thought. Never question that,vita mia. You are all I’ve ever wanted… and all I ever will.”
My cheeks burn again, my sullen heart jolting back to life.
“I wish you were here,” I whisper so softly I’m afraid he’ll miss it.
He lets out another raspy groan. “You’re making this difficult on me.”
“I am?” A faint smile pulls at my lips before I can stop it.
“Yes, very. You have no idea how many times I’ve almost jumped on a plane to see you.”
“Really?” My smile lingers, as warmth spreads through my chest, something fragile and hopeful taking hold.
“Does that surprise you?”
“A little bit,” I confess as I trace circles on the duvet with my finger. “But maybe you’ll get your chance soon enough. My birthday is next month.”
But when he doesn’t respond with the excitement I expect, my smile slips.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but I can’t come to you then.”
“Oh.”
I don’t ask why not. I know why. As amade man, he can’t just hop on a plane whenever he feels like it. Especially when it means coming into enemy territory. He has obligations now. I understand that, even if I don’t like it.
“I don’t want to disappoint you.”
“You didn’t. I mean… I know it’s difficult to come and see me.”
“Anna?”
“Yes?”
“I promise we will be together before the year ends.”
“Promise?”
“On my life,vita mia. On my life.”
With his promise, I let myself hope… even if a small part of me is afraid to.
The following day, I spend most of it daydreaming about the night before. Did that call really happen, or did my lovesick heart imagine it?
No. It happened. Mycaro miocalled me. Not only did he bring one of my most vivid fantasies of him kissing me to life, but he practically confessed he’s falling for me just as fast and hard as I am for him.
To say I haven’t been able to concentrate on anything else today would be the understatement of the century. By the time the final bell rings, I’m already halfway out of my seat. For once, I’m grateful I don’t have to go to work or sit through a piano recital.
I’m even more thankful that my father sent his bodyguard, Bruno, to pick me up instead of Marcello. There’s no way I could fool Marcello today. I’m far too restless for it to go unnoticed.
The entire drive home passes in a blur. Forty minutes, and I barely register a second of it. My fingers keep drifting to my lips, tracing them absentmindedly, as if I could still feel the ghost of his kiss there, the warmth of it, the way it lingered even after the call ended.
I catch myself doing it again and drop my hand, glancing toward the front seat, concerned that Bruno might have noticed. However, he keeps his eyes on the road, silent as ever. By the time the car pulls up to the house, my pulse is already racing.
