I could tell Marissa was getting anxious about her upcoming graduation. She kept counting down the days and asking if we’d definitely make it back in time. Her brother had texted that his assignment was crazy and he was still trying to make it, but not to count on him. He’d promised to make it up to her. I could tell this bothered her because her nightmares were worse and she seemed down during the day. However, I couldn’t complain too much since I got to hold her every night, which seemed to settle both of our souls.
The business in Florence was quick, only needing to renegotiate a couple of contracts and add on a new product from one of the pasta makers. We were able to handle that in a matter of hours.
I’d planned on staying in Florence and perusing the town, showing her the sights, since she’d only ever visited Sicily, where her grandmother had lived. When she talked about her visit abroad to see her grandmother, her face would light up making her look even more radiant.
The car had picked us up from the hotel and drove past the airport. “Aren’t we flying home today?” Marissa asked, curiosity laced in her question.
“We’re ahead of schedule so I thought we’d take a little side tour for a couple of days and spend it in Montespettoli, before flying back.” I didn’t want to blurt out what was in the town or why, hoping she’d be able to connect the dots on her own.
Marissa leaned into my side on the car ride out of Florence, looking sad, but she seemed to perk up with the views of the countryside. There were several small towns, wine and olive vineyards that dotted the area. They say that Italy is a little piece of heaven here on Earth. I’d have to agree with that statement, because the beauty was like nothing I’d ever seen. I always felt at home when I came back to my family’s roots.
The car drove through the small town. “Is this Montespettoli? It’s beautiful, very quaint.” Her eyes were alight with wonder, taking in every building and every person walking through town.
I nodded as the driver continued forward, to the outskirts of town and up a hill toward our destination. I watched as Marissa read the signs and turned to me. “Prescottini Vineyards? Are they any relation to your family, the Prescott’s?”
I smiled, amazed at how quickly her mind worked. “Our last name was originally Prescottini. My great-grandfather came to America and tried to get work, only to face prejudices because of his name. It was suggested he change his name to Prescott, where he managed to get a job at an import/export plant in New York.
“He got tired of working for everyone else and not making ends meet, so he moved the family down to Florida, when Orlando was still up and coming and saw that there were no specialty shops in the area for Italian replants to purchase any goods and services, like there were up North. So he and my great-grandmother opened up an Italian grocery, which was a huge success. Soon he had other people wanting to sell some of his specialty items in their stores and out of that came our business. We went from a specialty shop to a provider for other shops. We expanded to do both import and exports. Plus, we have the ideal location of being centered between two ports (Port Canaveral and Tampa), along with a major airport to fly in our goods.”
Marissa looked on with adoration. “So the business has been going for as long as you can remember and been passed down amongst the generations?”
I nodded, leaning in to give her temple a kiss. “Yes, love. My great-grandfather’s children helped run the business, though my grandfather led them to new and bigger things, expanding the business as they grew. Then a couple of his kids worked for the business after they went to college. One of my uncles is an international import/export lawyer, while one of my aunts moved back here to Italy to help with this end of the business, and my father runs it from Orlando. My brother works with the international affairs, shipping, and legal departments. My late sister and brother in-law work in the public relations area, and I have a cousin who works in the accounting department. We are a very close family and all have a role to play within the organization.”
“Wow. I never realized how many of your family worked for the company. So who’ll take over when your dad retires?” I loved her curiosity.
“That’s why dad wants you to train me on all aspects of the business since you seemed to pick up on things so easily. He wanted you to have a challenge with the sales aspects and I need to learn everything else. My brother and brother in-law will help, but for some reason he thinks I’d be better suited for the CEO position.”
She was nodding. “I’ve got to agree with that statement. Dane, you have a knack of being able to predict the best items for sales and turn down those you know will be difficult. I researched the items you passed on in both Greece and France, because I couldn’t understand why you didn’t want them. But, I realized the market is already flooded with similar items at a reduced rate and that wouldn’t be beneficial to them or the company.”
I tensed a bit at her words. She’d gone behind my back and researched things. She was supposed to trust me. I was about to speak when she admitted. “I realize I should’ve just trusted your judgment since you’ve been doing this for so long. But, I didn’t want to sound stupid and ask, plus I wasn’t sure you’d answer me.”
I popped my hand against her thigh, thankful she was wearing pants today, so I wouldn’t be tempted to run it up under the edge of her dress. She seemed stunned by the action. “That’s for doubting me and not coming to me with your questions. How can we to build a working relationship, let alone an actual one, if you don’t trust me?”
The wheels in her mind were spinning. I saw several emotions play across her face all at once; anger, fear, and then what resembled love, but I couldn’t be sure, not yet anyway. She looked down at the floor. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” Did she have any idea she just submitted with her apology and looking down at the floor?
I lifted her chin and kissed her briefly on the lips. “You’re forgiven. Just ask whatever is on your mind and I’ll try to answer as honest as I can.” I forced her to look into my eyes as I added, “By the way, this is not a request.”
She swallowed hard and I saw a flush race across her neck and face. I’m definitely wearing her down.
The car stopped and I noticed her eyes were big. The house wasn’t as big as mine back home, but it had a certain ancestral charm. I opened my door and came around to open hers, while the driver tended to our bags.
Before I could even turn around, I heard, “Ciao nipote. Chi abbiamo qui ? Non mi aspettavo un ospite.” (Hello, nephew. Who do we have here? I wasn’t expecting a guest.)
Marissa stepped from the car and we were both hugged and greeted with kisses on each side of our faces. I explained, “Zia Rosa , questo è il mio collega , e, auspicabilmente, il mio amore futuro , Marissa. Parla fluentemente italiano. .” (Aunt Rosa, this is my co-worker, and hopefully future love, Marissa. She speaks fluent Italian.)
“How did you know I speak Italian?” She looked shocked.
Shit, I never admitted to her that I was the one she saved that night on the streets. Don’t fuck this up. Think damn it! It finally dawned on me. “My father told me you’d be a great asset in Italy because you spoke Italian. I guess he got that from your application?” I shrugged my shoulders trying to pass it off as nothing.
She seemed to ponder the thought for a moment. “That is true. He did ask if I spoke any other languages and if I’d be willing to learn some new ones. I guess that makes sense.”
Phew, talk about a close call. How do I tell her that she spoke to me in Italian that night, while I was not all there? Later . . . this can wait until later.
My aunt decided to speak in English since either way, Marissa would be able to understand us. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Marissa. I must apologize that we weren’t expecting you. When Dane called yesterday to see if he could stop by for a couple days, he didn’t mention he had a co-worker with him.”
“Thank you Ms . . .”
My aunt grasped onto her hand. “Please just call me Rosa, dear.
Come let’s grab your bags and try to figure out what we’re going to do for sleeping arrangements.”
I didn’t understand my aunt’s reluctance. “Is there a problem Aunt Rosa?”
She turned to me and admitted. “We had a few tiles come off the roof in the back and caused a leak in two of the guest bedrooms upstairs. We’ve had the roof redone, but are currently redoing the bedrooms. All we have is the main and one spare at this point. By chance, would you be willing to share a room? It has its own bathroom.”
Marissa’s eyes went big. I leaned toward her ear and whispered. “This is entirely up to you. You know that we can share a bed and nothing will happen. If it’s too much, I can either sleep on the floor or on the sofa down stairs.”
I backed away and held on to her face so I could judge her expression. She took a deep breath in, “We can share, as long as you promise nothing more than what we’ve done already.”
I let loose the breath I’d been holding. “You have my word as a gentleman. I’ll give you a heads up on anything we try and you always can say, “No,” to me and whatever we’re doing, even if it’s just kissing. Understood?”
Her voice was faint and shaky. “Yes.”
Rosa told me which room I’d be in and I escorted Marissa up to our small suite. Afterwards, I showed her around the villa. We started with the kitchen, family room, workout room, patio, the vineyard, and ended with Rosa, and her husband, Dante’s room. I walked her out onto the back balcony and pointed to where they had a pool and hot tub on the premises. You couldn’t see the pool easily from the house, only the edges of it, with trees and bushes planted around for privacy.
I noticed Marissa’s face lightened at the idea of a swim. “Would you like to go for a swim before lunch? Then we can meet up with Dante and I can take you on a tour of the vineyard, show you where they process the wine and the olive oil.”
“Yes, please. I can’t believe how hot it is over here. It feels like summer.”
“I agree. This is the most critical time of year for the vineyard owners. While we’re still in Spring and everything is so green, the summers can be brutal, causing the potential for fires. It’s a hard life that Rosa and Dante have, but they seem to enjoy running the vineyard and do it so efficiently. The wines and olive oils produced here are our top sellers to gourmet shops. The wine you had at my house and on the plane was from Prescottini Vineyards”
I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her back to my chest, realizing how perfectly we fit together, as she continued to look out amongst the land. “Do you spend a lot of time here? Do Rosa and Dante ever visit the states? How far does the land extend?”
I stretched my arm out and leaned down close to her ear. “See the house in the distance?” She nodded. “That’s where they process the olive’s and press them into oil.”
I turned her slightly toward the west. “Over there is a large structure where the wine is made. The property includes 200+ acres and keeps growing as older farmers decide to retire or give up on nurturing the land. My cousins live in some houses on the outskirts of the property to ensure the area is protected. As for your other questions—Yes, I visit often. Dante doesn’t visit as much as Rosa, since he oversees operations here, but that may change since he’s slowly turning things over to their sons.”
Marissa leaned her head back toward me, looking up into my face. “Thank you for bringing me here. This is remarkable. There are no words to describe its beauty.”
Her simple words sealed our fates together. Tiffany, and all the other girlfriends before her, never cared what my family did, never wanted to know about the history, and definitely didn’t care about joining me on a trip to my family’s origins. They only wanted what our money could buy and the places I could take them to shop.
It was time to tie Marissa to me. I’d follow Kent and my father’s plan and start pushing more of my dominant side, while trying to learn what triggered various responses in her, both good and bad. I needed to understand the damage Tom had done and work to reverse it so I could have her complete trust and she could have mine. She’d already saved my life it was time for me to save her from her past.
DANE AND I HAD taken turns changing into our swim suits. I’d asked his help with mine, because I had the hardest time trying to tie the string that ran across my middle back. He kept teasing me that I should go topless like some European countries do. This was my chance to see if he really meant it. “Okay, maybe I should take this off.”
I’ve never seen a man do an about face so quickly in my life. He wrapped his hands around me. “Like hell you will! No one gets to see what you look like, without clothes, except me.” He started back tracking as soon as I tensed. “I’m sorry. I meant that I hope one day we can be close enough to get to that stage.”
Oh my freaking god! Did he just say he wanted to see me naked? I needed to talk to Dawn and soon. I needed someone’s opinion, other than my own on what’s going on. I’ve been finding Dane irresistible and charming; feeling things for him that I’m not sure how to describe, but was I falling for him?
He turned me around to face him. His face looked pitiful, giving me the puppy dog eyes. “Forgive me?”
How could I stay mad? “I guess I can. I feel a little protective of you, too.” Oh, shit! Did I just admit that out loud? I just stared at the floor and tried to talk my way out of it. “I mean, we spend all of our time together. We’re bound to feel some caring toward one another.” Double crappers! I keep saying too much and now he’ll read into it. He just shook his head, grabbed our things and took my hand as he led me out to the pool.
The pool set a little further away from the house than what I expected. I’d thought the pool in France was other worldly, but this was an oasis. Flowers, trees, and bushes sprang up around the pool area, giving a person total privacy to lay out in the sun and catch some rays or push the envelope and try their hand at skinny dipping. Dane kept teasing me with the idea, but I could never be so bold.
He was being a bit overprotective, insisting I lay down so he could rub me down with sunscreen. I thought it was to cop a feel the way his fingers kept brushing up against the underneath side of my breasts, causing goose bumps all over. However, as soon as he was done, he slapped my ass, proclaiming, “My turn,” before handing me the lotion and turning around.
The slap didn’t hurt, but turned me on. What the heck was that all about? Why did that make me tingle?
“Why don’t we take a dip in the pool first before we catch some sun?” He’d already walked over to the deep end and dove in. I opted for the steps at the shallow end, to ease into the water.
The temperature of the water was perfect. I’d just leaned back to wet my hair and was starting to right myself when he popped up from the water, his hands going immediately to my hips, drawing me closer. His lips crashed hard against mine, plundering my mouth with his tongue. The intensity took me by surprise and finally I was able to come up for air. “Watch it Dane!”
“Sorry, bella. You just looked to irresistible to refuse.” His hands ran up my sides, making me laugh. “So you’re ticklish . . . hmm, I could do a lot with that knowledge. It would make for some nice punishment in the future.” His words made me stop as I noticed his eyes half hooded and smoldering. He was looking like a predator and I was his prey.
I took a step back, but he held tight and moved with me. A few more steps and I found my back pressed against the side of the pool, as one hand came up to hold onto my hair, pulling it back so I’d be forced to look up into his eyes. “I don’t mean to scare you Marissa, but I can’t deny how I’m feeling for you.” To emphasize his point he ground into the apex of my thigh. Holy mother of—is that his–? He wants me! But, can I feel free to love.
My hands found his chest and tried to push him away, but he was a solid wall of sinewy muscle making him hard to resist. His hand held my hair firmly as his lips moved across my shoulder, gently biting me at the juncture of my neck. Why does this feel so good? His lips trai
led up to my ear, where he nibbled on the lobe, sucking it into his mouth and then nipping me on the skin just below my earlobe. Why was I objecting to this?
All rational thought left me; I was left to feel. Hell buckets, he’s trying to make me feel. I opened my mouth to grumble, when his lips sealed over mine taking whatever words I was going to speak with him.
Who moaned? Was that me? My mind kept trying to make sense of things, but parts of my body were feeling things I’ve never felt before. It was then that I realized his hand was working over my breasts through the material. He was slowly kneading them and pinching the nipples until they were hard rocks. Tom had only grabbed them and squeezed hard making them sore and painful. Why did Dane’s touch feel so different?
His lips slid slowly down my neck to my chest, where he kissed the swell of one breast and teased one nipple through the bathing suit top, while he continued to palm the other. My breath caught when he bit into my nipple. What the hell’s wrong with me? Why did that cause me to clench in unmentionable places?
His fingers began to slide over the edge of my breast and press underneath the fabric, cradling me with a gentle touch. “May I, mi amore?” May he what? All I could do was nod when he pushed the fabric aside and began sucking my breast into his mouth. Oh my God! This feels good, but what if someone sees?
I was getting thoroughly embarrassed, happy that the area surrounding the pool wasn’t visible to just anyone. He must have read my mind. “Just feel, Marissa. Let yourself enjoy life. Let go of your inhibitions.”
My head fell back and a strangled moan of ecstasy escaped my throat. My hands found their way into his hair and held him tighter to my breast; my subconscious begging for more.
His head popped up and brought me forward to his chest, cradling me skin to skin. I’ve never felt my boobs be so sensitive, but our connection felt heavenly. “I want you, Marissa. It’s all I can do to hold back and not have you right here, right now. But, I know you’re not ready to submit.”
I Need You Always Page 11
