Eva walked across the wide marble-tiled second-floor deck of the stunning vessel to join Maisie, her white bikini accentuating her tanned skin beautifully. Sitting down, she bounced Donatella on her lap until she quieted. ‘It’s a beautiful boat, but I haven’t been able to sleep a wink from worrying that one of the boys will throw themselves overboard just for the sheer hell of it.’
‘Romeo assures me that’s impossible. Trust me, I grilled him for hours on that very subject before I agreed to bring Lucca and Marcelo.’
Two-year-old Marcelo glanced up at the mention of his name and grinned from where he splashed in the shallow pool with the second set of Giordano twins, Gianni and Angelo.
Eva kissed the top of her baby’s head and sighed happily. ‘It’s good to see them relax, though, isn’t it? I just wish they wouldn’t relax so...vigorously.’
Maisie laughed and glanced to the side as two powerful Jet Skis whizzed by, trailed by excited cheers and urges to go faster.
Romeo’s jet carried Lucca and Zaccheo’s his oldest sons.
As they made a final turn past the boat, Romeo’s gaze met hers. The contact was brief, but the love blazing in his eyes snagged Maisie’s breath. Her heart raced as the overwhelming love, which incredibly grew stronger every day, pounded through her blood. She reached up and touched lips that still tingled from when they’d made love hours ago. Then her hand drifted down to her flat belly, and the surprise that would bring another smile of joy to her husband’s face.
‘Since Romeo hasn’t crowed about it, I’m guessing he doesn’t know yet?’ Eva asked, glancing pointedly at Maisie’s stomach.
Maisie gasped. ‘No, he doesn’t, but how...?’
‘Please. You’ve been positively glowing since you stepped aboard the Dolcezza Gattina yesterday. I’m guessing you didn’t get a chance to tell him because Zaccheo monopolised his attention until the early hours?’
Maisie snorted. ‘He didn’t come to bed until five this morning.’ Whereupon he’d woken her and made love to her until she’d been too exhausted to move. By the time she’d woken again, he’d been up with their children. ‘I’ll tell him tonight.’
‘Tell me what, amore mio?’
Maisie jumped guiltily at the deep voice that heralded her husband’s arrival.
Romeo climbed the last step and headed straight for her. This close, his tight, lean physique, damp from the ocean’s spray, was even more arresting. ‘If I told you now, it wouldn’t be a surprise, would it?’ she finally said when she could speak past the wondrous reality that this gorgeous, incredible man belonged to her.
After kissing his younger son, he lowered his body onto her lounger and braced his hands on either side of her hips, caging her in. Outside the unique cocoon that wrapped itself around them whenever they were this close, Maisie peripherally saw Zaccheo greet his wife with a kiss; heard the staff attend to the children.
But she only had eyes for the man who stared down at her with an intensity that hadn’t abated since the first moment they’d set eyes on each other.
‘Is there any reason it needs to wait till tonight?’ he asked with a thick rasp that spoke of other urgent desires.
She scrambled for a sound reason, but in the end couldn’t find one. ‘No.’
‘Bene.’ He stood and held out his hand. ‘Come.’
Her excitement ratcheted another notch, but she paused as she stood. ‘The children...’
His fingers tightened around hers. ‘Emily has everything in hand.’
Romeo led his wife to the master suite and shut the door behind them.
Surprise or not, he would’ve found a way to bring her here at the first opportunity. Because he couldn’t get enough of her. Of her love, her devotion to him, to their family. Of everything.
He pulled her bikini-clad body close now and exhaled with happiness when her arms slid around his neck.
‘I love you.’ She sighed against him.
He shuddered hard, those three words never ceasing to move him. ‘Ti amo anch’io,’ he replied gruffly. ‘I’m so thankful you made that journey to Palermo three years ago.’
‘So am I, but I’d like to think you would’ve found your way to me sooner or later. You just needed to put your ghosts to rest.’
He nodded. The ghosts had finally been slain. Lorenzo Carmine had been found guilty of murder and jailed, never to breathe free air again. The rest of the famiglia had scattered to the wind, bringing an end to Agostino Fattore’s poisoned legacy.