LOVE on The Horizon (Breaking The Rules #1) (23 page)

“Don’t ever talk about her like that again,” I hissed through clenched teeth while shaking with rage. I could’ve easily kept hitting him until he lay unconscious.

Her mother gasped before shouting for Cooper and her husband.

Rebecca ran to my side instantly. She wrapped her arms around my waist, pleading, “Please, Marco, it’s not worth it.”

All I could do was stare at him over the top of her head, praying for the strength to keep my distance. Because standing a few feet away while ignoring how badly I wanted to annihilate him with my bare hands was the hardest thing I’d ever done in my entire life.

Sam reared to his full height, bringing us eye-to-eye. A small trail of blood trickled from his busted lip, and he raised his hand wordlessly to wipe it away. My guess was the only reason he didn’t land his own punch was due to the remorse that mixed with the rage in his blue eyes.

Through a haze of fury, I watched as Cooper came running out of the house with his father closely behind. He immediately stepped between us, placing a firm hand on each of our heaving chests. My heart was still thundering with anger beneath his touch, but that had nothing on the way my head pounded from regret.

“What the fuck just happened?” Neither of us responded, prompting Cooper to turn to Rebecca. “Becks?”

“Sam insulted me, so Marco punched him.”

“You two should be ashamed of yourselves,” Mr. Stanton said quietly, yet his voice echoing off the trees reverberated loudly through the cold air surrounding us. I was afraid to look at his wife or my wife-to-be, for that matter. He was right. I should’ve been ashamed of myself. I completely lost control, and nothing or no one could reverse the damage I’d done.

I stepped away from Cooper’s hold on my chest while pinning Sam with my glare. “I apologize for hitting you, but I will never be sorry for protecting her from anyone who tries to hurt her…including you.”

With my brain too busy controlling my emotions, my accent sounded thicker than normal to my own ears. Turning, I offered a pathetic apology to both her mother and father before stepping around them to head toward the house.

While walking away, I heard Rebecca mutter, “I can’t believe you said that.”

“I’m sorry, Becks,” Sam responded immediately. “I didn’t mean it.”

I hadn’t reached the bottom of the stairs before she came flying in behind me. “Marco!” She closed the distance and threw her arms around my waist. “Can we go?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea right now.”

“Yes, it is.” The way she said it held little doubt to her convictions. I kissed the top of her head, and she searched my eyes nervously. “I can’t be here a minute longer. I feel like I’m suffocating.”

Ironically, so did I. Having her within touching distance was the only way I was able to breathe normally.

She moved away and began throwing things into her suitcase. She stopped when I hadn’t moved. “I’m so sorry,
bella
.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about. He was out of line, and he knows it.”

“Your mother, your dad, they’ll never forgive me for this, for stealing you away.”

She dropped the shirt in her hands and walked back to where I still stood, rooted to the ground.

“They will. I promise you they will. This is about me, and what I need and want. This is also about them finally respecting my wishes on my terms. The only way I can force them to change is by showing them I’m no longer the baby of the family, always needing help or to be rescued. I’m an adult now, and this is my tough-love way of having them see that.”

“Can I come down?” Cooper asked from the top of the stairs.

Rebecca called out a quick yes, prompting him to join us in the basement. His eyes focused on the open suitcase on the bed, and he scrubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “Ah, come on, guys, don’t leave. Come up and talk.”

“He’s right,
bella
. Let’s wait.”

She shook her head stubbornly. “We need to go now. What happened between Sam and Marco was inevitable, and I’m surprised Marco didn’t snap sooner. But I’m dangerously close to snapping myself, and the only thing that will save Sam’s ass right now is if I distance myself from him and Dad too, for that matter. His behavior has been abhorrent, and I’m sick of it.”

Cooper stepped closer to his sister. “Dad is getting cranky in his old age. Trust me, we’ve all felt it and attribute it to how close he is to retiring. He’s getting old, and you and I both know that’s an awful fate for him. As far as Sam goes, he’s a prick, but he loves you, Becks. His methods just suck.”

“Well, then, while I’m gone, he can work on his methods.”

With a renewed determination, she resumed packing as we both stood staring at her.

“Rebecca, don’t be silly,” her mother said, following us to the car like a puppy dog. “Please, sweetheart. He said he was sorry. Sleep on it. Things will look better in the morning.”

“I don’t think so, Mom. I still feel it’s best for us to leave now.” She handed me her carry-on to place in the trunk. “Once we get settled, we’ll come back for a visit. Maybe by then everyone will have calmed down and we can start over.”

Her mother lowered her eyes, completely crestfallen over Rebecca’s response. “Mom, this was a surprise visit. At least you got to meet Marco.”

“Yes, I’m glad I did. I can see how happy he makes you, sweetheart.” Mrs. Stanton met my eye and smiled sadly. “Marco, please don’t hold this against them. My husband isn’t handling this well, and my son is extremely protective of us. It has little to do with you.”

“I have sisters too,” I responded, purposely avoiding her request. I wasn’t about to condone Sam’s behavior. The more I thought about his insinuation regarding my relationship with Rebecca, the more my blood boiled. Quickly clearing the dark thoughts from my mind, I added, “It was nice meeting you. Thank you for opening up your home to me.”

She nodded but otherwise remained silent.

Rebecca softened slightly, offering, “We’ll come in to say good-bye.”

I’d never seen her this way before. So determined, so angry. I stood behind her with my hands on her shoulders, my show of solidarity. She placed one hand on mine, her way of saying thank you.

Together, we followed her mother back into the house. Her dad and brothers sat in the living room, surprised to see us walk through the door. Mr. Stanton immediately stood and walked over to Rebecca.

“Sweetheart, have you reconsidered?”

“No, Daddy. We’re going.” Her father was about to speak again, and she quickly added, “My idea.”

His eyes cut to mine before moving back to hers. “When will we see you again?”

“I don’t know. I’ll call you once we get settled and we’ll plan a visit.”

He hugged her tightly, but the pride in him refused to talk her into staying. He turned his gaze my way again. “She’s my baby girl. I can’t apologize for wanting the best for her. I don’t know you enough to determine if you are indeed the best thing to happen to her. Prove it to me.”

I couldn’t fault the man for his comment. It didn’t mean that I changed my opinion of him…he was still a jerk.

Cooper was next, throwing his arms around her while rocking back and forth. “I love you, Becks.” He whispered something in her ear, causing her to well up with tears. Throughout all this chaos, she hadn’t cried once. Whatever it was that Cooper said clearly got to her. He then looked at me and asked, “Please look out for her?”

“With my life,” I responded automatically. His smile was genuine when he stretched his hand toward mine. I accepted it and reciprocated with a firm shake as he still held his sister in a strong hug.

When Cooper released Rebecca, her eyes flew over to Sam. He took a step, hesitated, and then took a few more until they were face-to-face. “I’m sorry,” he mouthed with no sound.

“For the record, now I’m the one who is beyond pissed at you, Sam.”

“I know.”

They didn’t hug. They didn’t say anything else. A silent agreement just passed between them that the rest of us couldn’t understand.

Sam met my eye, nodded, and walked out of the room. The tears that shimmered after Cooper’s good-bye began to spill as she watched her brother leave.

“Okay, let’s go,” she said to me, impatiently swiping them away.

“Let’s go to the airport.”

He stopped the car as he was reversing out of my parents’ driveway. “
Bella
, we can fly out tomorrow.”

“No. It’s a holiday weekend, and I want to catch the first flight out tonight.”

His forehead puckered as he scanned my face. “Maybe you’ll want to see them tomorrow. Your mom is right, things always look better in the morning.”

“We need distance.”

He slowly moved his head from side to side as he prepared to argue with me. “You’re still wiping away tears. I think you should sleep on it.”

“Hon, right now they are all waiting for me to come running through the door, and this time, I can’t do it. If I went back to that house, either tonight or even tomorrow, my family would take it as a sign of doubt on my part.” My father’s twinkling Christmas lights caused shadows to dance dramatically across the frown lines on Marco’s face. “Trust me, I’m fine. I just want to get to Florida,” I said, nodding to reassure him.

“Okay, I’ll do whatever you want.”

He may have conceded, but the look in his eyes told me he still disagreed with my decision. I knew what I was doing. Changing my mind and admitting I was making a mistake was true to form for me. They expected it. There was only one other time in my life when I stuck to my guns—and that was when I left to interview with Sunset.

The drive to the airport was spent in silence. He was worried about me, and I loved him for it. The visit may have been a disaster, but I accomplished one monumental thing in regards to my family. I gave them an opportunity to witness firsthand that I’d changed, matured, and I no longer need them to bail me out. And it had nothing to do with Marco’s money. I’d had no idea he was wealthy, and as far as I was concerned, that was just a tiny detail, a dollop of whipped cream on my favorite dessert. With or without it, I loved every bite, and that’s how I felt about Marco.

I couldn’t expect him to understand my theory of sticking to my guns based on principle. Just as I’d never get over the guilt I felt because he chose me instead of staying home and making his family happy. What we had to remember to do was reach deep within ourselves to bring the happiness to the surface so it could overpower the guilt and deny it the opportunity to grow.

I flipped on the radio and found a cheesy station that played Christmas carols, singing along and hoping to distract him. But tension continued to radiate off his body like the heat coming through the vents. When Rudolph failed to lighten his mood, I took his hand and placed an openmouthed kiss on his palm.

He cut his eyes between the road and me when I began tracing the letters I-L-O-V-E-U with my tongue.

“
Bella
, you drive me crazy.”

“That’s my plan. I would love to know what’s on your mind right now, but I’m not going to force you to tell me. Just know that I understand, Marco. I felt the same way just a few days ago in Florence. I feel extremely insecure regarding your family. I can’t help but wonder if they are in Italy speculating on my gold-digging ways.”

“Of course not.”

“You have no way of knowing because you’re giving them space to figure out that I’m not. Just like I’m giving my family space to figure out you are the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

A stunning smile spread over his sexy as fuck lips.

Bingo…he finally heard me.

Slowly, he curled his fingers around mine. I wasn’t done with my game, so I pried them open to continue tracing F-U-C-K-M-E. He groaned as if he were in pain. Fuck Rudolph and his stupid red nose, my methods were obviously more effective, and his mood improved with each letter I traced.

By the time we arrived at the airport, my Marco was back. The annoying rituals required to fly these days weren’t so bad thanks to the late hour and the fact it was Thanksgiving night. It took longer to return the rental car than it had to check in and move through security.

As we sat in the deserted airport, an even better method of distraction popped into my head. I placed a firm hand on his thigh and asked, “Ever heard of the Mile High Club?”

“Yes,” he responded hesitantly.

“Wanna join?”

The thought of fucking him while at thirty thousand feet caused me to squirm in my seat. It must have affected him as well, because I watched him scan the area where we sat before adjusting himself. The airport was empty since travelers were still celebrating Thanksgiving. When he noticed that my eyes were glued to his hand as he subtly squeezed and shifted his jewels, he whispered, “Stop.”

“What?”

“You’re driving me insane,” he rasped out, his big brown eyes flashing gold with desire.

“I’m not doing anything…yet.” Smirking, I raised a brow suggestively and said, “We can always start now while still on the ground. It looks like you need some relief.”

“No!” He glanced around to make sure the few others in the terminal were still ignoring us. In a much lower voice, he added, “Getting arrested in your tiny town for having sex in a cemetery I could handle. Getting arrested by the TSA is another story.”

“You’re no fun.”

“And I’ll prove to you that I am, once we get on that plane.”

“Yeah?” He nodded before kissing my lips. I moved my lips to his ear, causing him to moan. “Did you know that the vibrations of the plane combined with the lower oxygen levels actually heighten arousal which delivers a very intense orgasm? That’s why so many people want in on that club.”

“Seriously?”

Pulling away, I bit down on my bottom lip and nodded slowly. His eyes focused on my mouth, and when his hand resumed twisting and tugging on the fabric of his jeans, I kept my teeth clamped down to stop from grinning.

“Having trouble there, Romeo?”

He narrowed his eyes before saying, “It’s not funny.”

By the grace of something holy, the announcement of our flight beginning to board caused relief to alter his frowning face. Lost in our individual thoughts, we didn’t say much as we checked in and strode down the walkway toward our plane.

Eagerly, Marco and I settled into our first-class seats. We stared at each other while grinning like fools. The flight was partially booked, with most of the passengers heading into coach. We took advantage of the much-needed privacy and started making out without stopping for air until the flight attendant reminded us to fasten our seat belts.

He leaned closer and asked, “I’m over six feet tall. How are we both going to fit in there?”

“We’ll manage.” I had to laugh at the look on his face. “You look so nervous, relax.”

He craned his neck toward the back of the plane and then tilted his head into the aisle toward the cockpit, all the while jiggling his foot incessantly.

“I’m horny, and scared…not a good combination.”

“As soon as the seat belt sign comes off and the flight attendant is busy serving drinks, I’ll go to the bathroom. Wait one minute, and then follow me in.” I wove my arm through his and sucked on his neck. “Sound like a plan?”

He nodded wide-eyed, causing me to laugh again. My normally confident fiancé looked anything but as we waited to take off so we could officially be inducted into the Mile High Club.

The door slowly opened, and he hurried inside, practically slamming it shut behind him.

“She’s helping to serve drinks in coach,” he informed me. “We’re really doing this?”

“Hell yeah, we are,” I said confidently.

It was a very tight fit, but I was determined to make it work. I maneuvered him against the wall before I lowered my jeans and underwear to my ankles. “Hmm, this won’t work. They’re restricting my mobility.” I debated on removing them altogether but instead decided to remove just one shoe and one leg. Satisfied with my range of movement, I then hopped up on the vanity, spread my legs to test my boundaries, and flashed a thumbs-up. When my ass immediately fell into the tiny basin, a loud giggle escaped.

“Shh,” he said, panicked.

“No one can hear us. It’s soundproof.”

“It is?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Sounds good, though,” I admitted with a wide smile.

He placed his hands on either side of my hips and leaned forward to whisper, “Undo me,
bella
. This is your show.”

His eyes blazed with desire as he waited for me to run the show. His lips were right there, waiting for mine. My hands worked the button and zipper of his jeans, while my lips worked his lips, my tongue, his tongue.

I reached in and gripped him tightly. He closed his eyes, pushing himself into my hand. I knew I was more than ready for him, and I didn’t want to waste time. Pulling him out and over his briefs, I resumed kissing him harder than before while guiding him to my entrance. The moment his tip touched my pussy, he pushed forward on a long moan.

I heard—
Oh fuck…Holy shit…don’t stop
—and the words sounded amplified in the tight space. Not until he put his hand over my mouth did it occur to me that I was the one speaking.

How he was able to stay so quiet with each thrust was beyond me, because I had to resort to whimpering against his throat as my orgasm traveled through my veins.

It was true what they said about airplane sex. I felt like a live wire, plugged in and charged to the point of pain. Every part of my body sparked until an intense electrical discharge zapped through my core.

“Oh my God,” I mumbled into his shoulder while my muscles continued to clench around him. I had to bite down on his firm skin to channel the excess.

Suddenly, he gripped my chin and crashed his lips against mine. The sound I had been waiting for rolled from him to me as he drove into me over and over and over…and then he stilled.

“Don’t move. I need a minute.”

With my body slumped over hers and my forehead pressed against the mirror behind her, it wasn’t like she could go anywhere. The seconds ticked, bypassing the acceptable amount of time that one would normally spend away from their seat.

The phone-booth-sized bathroom suddenly jolted and shook. Wave after wave of trembles rolled through the walls. When the little seat belt symbol illuminated and dinged, her mouth hung open on a shocked gasp.

“Oh, crap,” she whispered wide-eyed, but the grin on her face contradicted the panic she should have been feeling…the panic that I was feeling.

“Fuck.” I pulled out of her, hastily pulling tissues out of the wall over her shoulder. Cleaning first my dick and then her pussy, I quickly zipped and buttoned my jeans.

“Don’t just stand there, get dressed,” I hissed when all she could do was giggle uncontrollably. “Rebecca!”

While still sitting on the vanity, she tried to shimmy her panties and jeans up her legs, but all the while her giggles grew louder and louder.

And that’s when the knocks came.

Bang…bang…bang…

“Excuse me, the captain has turned on the
Fasten your seat belts
sign. Please return to your seat,” a female voice said through the door.

“I’m going to jail,” I mumbled to myself, causing Rebecca to laugh harder. I proceeded to release a string of the filthiest Italian curse words in my head. I read stories of pilots forced to make emergency landings because of someone’s drunken behavior. Being arrested for refusing to emerge from a bathroom after having sex had to rank up there for reasons to emergency land. I could just see her father’s face now.

Gripping her chin and forcing her to look into my panicked eyes, I commanded, “I really need you to focus.”

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry.” She bit her lip, trying to control herself. We were practically nose-to-nose, yet she had the nerve to say, “Move back. My pants are stuck and I can’t move my legs up.”

We were busted. There was no way around this.

With a resigned sigh, I blindly reached until I felt her panties and jeans, found her bare foot, shoved it into the necessary holes, and then yanked them up in one swift motion.

“Where’s my shoe?” Her shoe was nowhere to be found.

“I’ll buy you a new one.”

“Just act cool. Talk Italian to her,” she whispered when I turned to open the door. I gawked at her over my shoulder while she tried to maintain a serious face, but she was failing miserably.