The Breakup (25 page)

“Come on, let’s tell the others,” Marco said.

They went inside the club and spent a few minutes gathering everyone up. They had to wait out a slow song, snickering while they watched the other two couples snuggle while they danced. Marco leaned close to Aja’s ear, his breath tickling her, “Looks like love is in the air, baby.” He pulled her into his arms and they moved with the crowd, finishing out the song.

After the song finished, Aja and Marco gathered together outside the club while Marco told them about his friends.
 

Olly high-fived Marco, “Awesome. You guys rock. Let’s go. I want to see him piss his pants.”

They climbed into Marco’s car. Pietro got in the back and patted his lap. “You can sit on me, Mia. There’s not much room back here.”

Mia laughed and climbed in beside Aja in the front. Aja was proud of her friend.
Don’t want to let him think he’s got her too soon.
But, the signs were there. Her friend was smitten.

They drove quickly and Marco soon pulled up by the gloomy-looking building. He knocked and they went through the ritual again. Carlos’ eyes scanned the group and asked, “Any Americans here?”

Olly laughed, not caring if Carlos saw.
 

“No Americans,” Marco said with a sigh that only Aja heard.

The door swung open and Mia gasped. Pietro moved close and put his arm around her. She looked up at him with a smile.

“Follow me,” Carlos commanded.

They moved down the corridor and entered the same room Aja and Marco had visited before. The scene in front of them was much different. Stephen was tied up and blindfolded. He was on the couch they’d sat on the last time they were there. He squirmed and glared at the captors he couldn’t see. Aja’s stomach became a nest of snakes and the hair on the back of her neck stood up. Stephen was evil. She couldn’t stand being in the same room as him.

There were several of the men from the club gathered around the couch. Carlos marched over to Stephen just as he whined, “What am I doing here?”

“I think you know,” Carlos said.

He grabbed Stephen’s shirt and yanked him forward, “We don’t take kindly to foreigners trying to kill our people.”

Olly and Pietro moved across the floor with a grin and quiet steps. They weren’t about to let the others have their fun without them. She was glad Marco stayed at her side.

Carlos kept shouting things at Stephen, demanding to know names, of who she didn’t know, but it was all part of the plan. They wanted to scare the shit out of Stephen so he’d leave Italy and never come back. Aja hoped it would work.

When Carlos pulled out a knife and put it to Stephen’s throat, Marco hurried the ladies out of the room. Out in the corridor, with the door shut, he said, “You don’t need to see this.”

Mia looked miffed, but Aja was glad. She trembled and leaned against Marco. “I don’t ever want to see him again.”

Mia put an arm around Aja. “I’m sorry, honey. I hate him for what he did to you.”

Julianna looked at Aja for a minute, her face unreadable. She moved to the door and Aja followed, watching as Julianna opened the door and marched over to Stephen, pushing Carlos out of the way. She slapped Stephen, hard, across the face. She stared at him for a few seconds while he quivered and shrank back against the couch.

“
Bastardo
,” she spat.

“What? Who’re you?” Stephen sputtered, obviously surprised to hear a woman’s voice.

Carlos didn’t miss a beat. “My wife hates men like you.” He put the knife back to Stephen’s throat. “You’re going to leave town and never come back. Otherwise, we’ll make you disappear.”

Julianna joined them at the door again, giving Aja’s arm a squeeze.

Stephen shrank back and whimpered, nodding his head eagerly. “I’ll leave. I’ll leave. Don’t worry.”

“I’m not worried,” Carlos said with a growl in his voice.

It would have been funny, all the play acting, if it wasn’t Stephen involved. Aja wanted to get out of there before his blindfold somehow got loose and he saw her. She moved away from the door just as Olly thumped Stephen on top of the head from behind the couch.

Marco led Aja, Julianna and Mia to the car where they waited for Pietro and Olly.

The two men came out about 15 minutes later, laughing together. Olly yanked open the door and climbed in beside Julianna. “He’s pissing himself.” Olly kissed Julianna on the cheek. He didn’t notice that her eyes got big and she put her hand on her cheek. He went on laughing about how they’d scared Stephen so bad he would avoid Italy for the rest of his life.
 

They were driving away just as Carlos and the other men dragged Stephen out the front door. The blindfold fell off and as one of the men grabbed Stephen and tied it on again, she thought he looked into the car.
 

What if he saw me?
Aja couldn’t stop thinking about it all night.

They dropped Olly at his hotel. He gave Julianna’s cheek another kiss as he left. “See you in the morning, all,” he said as he jumped out of the car and ran up to the hotel entrance.

Julianna settled back in her seat with a sigh and a far-away look. Aja smiled to herself. Julianna would make a good partner for her feisty brother. He didn’t know it yet, but she could definitely stand up to him.

Pietro got out with Julianna at her house. She said to Mia before getting out, “You want stay with me?”

Mia looked at Aja who was snuggled up to Marco and smiled, “Sure. I’d love to.” She gave Aja a quick hug and got out of the car.

“I’ll see you in the morning, Aja.”

Marco squeezed her knee as they drove away. “I’ve finally got you to myself.”
 

He gave her a quick kiss and Aja’s stomach fluttered again. This time the feeling was pleasant anticipation.

Chapter 30

Marco and Aja were finally alone. Nona was in bed when they got home. They sat at the outside table with a bottle of wine and some local cheese.

Aja leaned her head back on the wooden chair and stared at the sky. The stars were like holes in black fabric that let the light of the moon shine through. She felt nothing but contentment, and it was the first time in a long time that she could remember feeling that way. Stephen seemed a long way away at that moment. She was happy to be with a man who loved her and treated her so well.

Marco leaned toward her and ran his finger down her arm. Her skin prickled and the hairs stood up in response. Aja kept her head back and closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling. Marco was a man who knew how to make a woman relax. It was so different from Stephen. He made Aja feel tense and on her guard every time he was around. In the beginning she mistook this for love, thinking that it was just because she was so aware of him. Later she realized it was because she didn’t trust him. With good reason.

Marco’s hand wandered higher and he began stroking her collarbone and Aja wanted to move closer, force his hand to move lower, but her bones felt liquid and her muscles wouldn’t respond to her commands. He brushed back her hair and then moved his chair closer, until he was sitting in front of her. Aja didn’t have to open her eyes to know exactly where he was. It was as if she was tuned in to his channel and could feel everything he did without even being aware she was doing it.

“Marco?”

“Hmmm?”

“Why were you in Florence?”

She heard him chuckle. “Promise you won’t be mad?”

“I won’t be mad.”

“I was following you. To protect you from Stephen.”

“I thought so,” she said. “I love you, Marco.”

“Aja, you’re stunning in the moonlight.”

She felt her lips curve in a smile, though she didn’t seem connected to it. Her mind was somewhere in a dream state. Maybe it was the wine, but she didn’t think so. Marco was much more intoxicating than any wine she’d ever tried.

He ran his hands up her thighs and a shiver passed over her skin. She was wearing a thin silk dress and it felt like air between his hands and her skin. The effect was erotic.

Aja tipped her head forward just enough to see Marco. His eyes were dark with passion and she felt hers surge higher. He slid his hands around her hips and pulled her forward until she sat on him, her legs wrapped around the sides of his chair. She could feel his erection pressing through the thin silk and she pressed back, the sensation electrifying. He ran his tongue along her neck and every so often pressed kisses into the wet spots. Aja’s skin rose in goose bumps again and she closed her eyes, letting her head tip back. Marco raised his hands higher on her back to support her and began kissing his way down her chest, pushing aside the silk of her dress. He soon found one of her nipples and he ran his tongue around it in lazy circles. Aja moaned and pushed against his mouth.

She sat up and wrapped her arms around Marco’s neck, pressing herself hard against him. His mouth came up to meet hers. “I want you now,” she whispered. “Please.”

Marco pulled back a little, breathing hard. “Not yet, love. I have a surprise.”

Aja opened her eyes and struggled to focus. “What?”

“Come.” He stood and held her as she slid off his lap, supporting her so she didn’t end up a puddle on the cobblestones.

“No more surprises Marco, please. Just take me to bed.”

“I will baby, I will. Just be patient.”

Marco took her hand and began walking across the grass, in exactly the opposite direction Aja wished to go. “Where are we going?”

Marco kissed the side of her neck and pulled her along.

They walked a ways, stopping every so often to kiss before Marco urged her on again. Soon they stood in front of a little cottage. Marco pushed open the old door and pulled her inside. He closed the door and complete darkness descended.

“Stay there for a minute,” he whispered.

She heard a match being struck. Marco lit a couple of candles, illuminating the interior of the cottage. She was surprised she hadn’t seen it before. It was quite old, maybe even the original house on the property. It had an old-world charm. Best of all, there was a bed in the corner near the old stone fireplace. A blanket was spread out on the packed earth floor. Marco had prepared a picnic with wine and cheese, fruit and even some chocolate. He took her hand and led her to the blanket. Aja sat and tucked her legs underneath her.

“We’re going to spend all night here, baby,” he whispered into her ear and his breath tickled the fine hairs on her neck, causing her to shiver.

Marco sat and pulled her close to his side, then reached for a strawberry.

“They’re fresh picked. Only the best for you,
amore
,” he said as he ran the tip of it across her lips. Aja stuck out her tongue and he brushed it across. The strawberry smelled sweet and fresh and a little earthy. She took a bite; the juice ran out of the corner of her mouth and dribbled down towards her chin, but Marco leaned over and caught it with his tongue. He smelled spicy and warm. Aja closed her eyes, breathing him in, loving the contrast between his smell and the sweetness of the berry.

Marco finished the strawberry, then poured two glasses of dark red wine. Aja was glad to see he poured only a small amount, because she wanted to remember this night.

He handed her a glass and she shivered as his hand brushed hers. “To you,
amore
, the love of my life.”

Aja couldn’t speak, she just lifted her glass and took a sip, her eyes not leaving his for a second. She could see Marco’s Adam’s apple bob in his throat and his eyes grew even darker as Aja felt his gaze like fire on her skin.

He set his glass down and reached into his pocket, his eyes on hers. He held something in his hand, which he kept covered. Aja’s skin rippled in anticipation. Marco leaned close and took her hand.

“I love you Aja.” The air around them seemed to soften every sound. “I want to spend the rest of my life learning you. I want to experience everything life has to offer with you by my side. I want to see you grow soft and round with my child.” He placed his hand over her waist. “I want to see your hair threaded with silver and know all that time, all through the years, that you’re mine and I’m yours. Aja Rain, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

He opened his hand. The candlelight caught in the diamond he held and sparkled back at her. Aja gasped.

She looked up at Marco, tears glistening on her lashes as he slipped the ring on her finger. “Well?” he asked with a smile.

“Yes, Marco. Yes, I will be proud to marry you. I love you.”

He leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.

Marco lifted his glass to his lips and his hand shook as he took a sip. His eyes slid down her face to the neckline of her dark blue silk dress and he swallowed again. Aja lifted her hand to her chest and ran a finger around the edge, then popped the first button. Marco leaned forward, but she put out her hand and stopped him.