by Adom Sample
“Dante, what are you doing? You can’t do this. Not yet.”
“I told you I love you. So, I bought you something that will solidify my love for you no matter how long you’re gone or how far away you go.” He bent over and picked up the box. He opened it to reveal two white-gold rings attached to two separate necklaces. “I will keep one with me, and you will keep the other with you. And I promise you no matter how long it takes; you will never see this necklace gone from around my neck. I will keep it with me always, and I hope you will choose to place this one around your neck as well to remind you that I will always be here waiting for you.” He put the necklace over my head and down around my neck.
I looked up at him, unable to stop the tears from rolling down my face. He deserved so much more than a damaged woman like me. I placed my hands on the back of his head and pulled him closer to me, kissing him all over his face.
“I love it.”
“And I love you.” He ran his fingers through my hair. “I was going to wait until after dinner to give this to you, but you kind of ruined that.” He smiled.
“I’m sorry. When I saw the box just sitting there, I got nervous as hell. I thought you were going to propose.”
“And if I were?” He gave me a cunning expression. Stunned, I took my wine and downed it quickly to avoid his question.
“I’m going to take a shower,” I said.
“I’ll have dinner ready by the time you’re done.”
“What are you going to order?”
“Order?” He laughed. “I’m going to cook for you. I had already started before you got here.”
“You can cook?” I stood there amazed.
“Of course. Both my parents knew how to cook. They taught me a great deal. Random confession—I wanted to be a chef when I was a teenager. It wasn’t until I went to college and took business and finance courses that I saw I had a real talent for business. So, I switched majors and got my undergrad in economics and finance. If I hadn’t built the Cayman Roth Conglomerate, I probably would be a chef.”
I gave him a slight grin. He just kept getting that much more amazing. I unbuttoned my blouse. “What are you going to cook?”
He went into the kitchen and strapped an apron around his waist. “Let’s see. We have Valencian paella, gazpacho with pa amb tomàquet, and patatas bravas. For dessert, I’ve prepared crema Catalana. I’m sticking to my Spanish roots tonight, so I hope you don’t mind.” I neared the kitchen and smelled the aroma of the food. It was delightful. I couldn’t wait to eat.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to eat that much.”
He kneeled and opened the oven. The smell of tomato and other spices hit me. It was almost euphoric. The fact that the presidential suite in the L’Ermitage had a full kitchen was great. I was still surprised Dante was able to reserve this suite on such short notice. It was almost as if he owned the hotel.
“You’ll have your fill. You can take what you’re not able to finish home with you. We wouldn’t want it to go to waste.”
I turned away and headed to the shower. For the first time in a long time, I felt at peace.
***
The rest of the night was magical. We ate and talked about the present and future. After we finished dinner, we made our way into the master bedroom. We were lying on the floor for fear of what the sensuality would bring if we were on the bed. I looked at the time. It was four o’clock in the morning, but I didn’t really care. It was Friday night and I didn’t plan on going into the office on a Saturday as I usually did. I needed a break, anyway.
I needed this. I laid my head on Dante’s chest, and we both looked up at the ceiling. I wondered what life events could have kept us apart for so long. And what events led me to marry a man like Nathan. I turned my face into him. His scent gave me goose bumps. Never had I felt so comfortable with someone in my entire life. I guessed one had to experience a real bastard of a man to know when a good one was there waiting the whole time.
I put my hands underneath his shirt and raised it so I could feel his warm skin against my face. This was the first time I had ever touched his warm body without clothes in between us. His chest was hard and muscular, coupled with nice firm abs.
Dante’s body enticed my senses to go further. What was I to do? I wanted him so much, yet I’d made it clear that I wanted to wait until Nathan was entirely out of my system. But his scent was overpowering my sensibilities.
I kissed him from his chest to his navel. That’s when I noticed he was pulsating through his sweatpants. He wanted me just as much as I wanted him. I climbed on top of him and kissed his neck, caressing his warm rock-hard body.
“I want you, Dante,” I whispered in his ear. He grabbed my head with his right hand and pushed his tongue into my mouth. He softly massaged my back.
“I need you more than anything,” he said between kisses.
“And I need you just as much.” I removed his shirt and noticed the artful tattoo of a red dragon on his arm and shoulder. It connected well with the tattoo of a jasmine flower on his left pec. I found it ironic that he would have a tattoo of my favorite flower. And he smelled just as nice.
I went to push down the polyester sweatpants he was wearing, but then he flipped us over. My back was against the floor with my legs wrapped around his waist. I could feel his long, hard girth pressed up against me.
“I want you, Dante. We both deserve this.”
“I want this too. But not yet. I can’t take advantage of you while your heart is still in pieces.” Stroking his girth back and forth between my thighs, he caressed my neck with his tongue. I knew he couldn’t stop, and I didn’t want him to stop. I didn’t want this to end.
He gathered his bearings and rolled off me, though, and my love for him deepened. He had been considerate of my failed marriage, my feelings, my well-being, and my actions while drunk. He had every opportunity to take advantage of me, yet he hadn’t. This man must really love me well beyond mere physical attraction. I rubbed his chest and placed my head on his shoulder.
“Thank you for coming into my life.”
“Thank you for existing for me to love you,” he whispered.
“I’ll be leaving in the morning. I’m going to my mother’s house in Florida, and I plan to stay there for a while. When I get back, nothing will be able to keep us apart. I promise.”
“I trust you, Isabella. I’ll be here waiting for you for as long as it takes. My heart will always be with you,” he said, placing his hand over the ring on my neck. We kissed each other and fell asleep on the floor, dreaming dreams of a world where we were together. I loved this man. He was my angel.
It was my hope that he could wait for me. I needed to fix what was broken in my heart. Dante deserved someone who could love him unconditionally. And I could be that woman. All I needed from him so that I could heal—was time.
Forgive me for leaving, my love. Please—just wait for me.
A Gift of Matrimony
Next book in the series
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Author
Adom Sample born in Kansas City, Missouri and currently lives in Fairfax, Virginia. He holds an MBA from George Mason University. He served in the United States Air Force from 2001 to 2008. During his time in the Air Force he visited numerous countries around the world. He is an independent author who enjoys reading and writing romance, erotic, and paranormal stories. Writing is his passion and he lives to give others ideas and inspire stories to push the
limits of creativity.
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