“Bene,” he says, smiling softly at me. “Then you are halfway there.”
“And have you thought about your dreams?” I ask him carefully. “Have you decided to race again?”
He shrugs, looking pained. “I do not know. I want to, perhaps even in a lower division, more as a hobby than a career. But I still worry about another accident.”
“But at least now you don’t have to worry about the twins being alone. I’m here. And so are Felisa and Lorenzo.”
“What do you want for me?” he asks quietly.
I give him a soft smile. “I want you to be happy.”
“I already am.” He kisses me again and then we join Felisa and Lorenzo in the living room.
“He told me your good news,” I say to them.
“You don’t mind?” Felisa asks, but there is a twinkle in her eye that tells me they would stay even if I did mind, bossy old thing that she is.
“Not at all,” I say. I won’t have to leave the kids or Derio or Capri, but I’m no longer held back from discovering myself. I look at Derio and smile, big and bright. “I promise I’ll get a job right away.”
He lets out a small laugh. “It’s okay, Amber. Take your time finding out what you want to do. You deserve it and I will support you through it. If you want to show off that green thumb of yours, maybe we can get you on board with one of the local nurseries. If you want to cook, well, maybe you’ll have to fight Lorenzo for that.”
Lorenzo looks over when he hears his name mentioned, but of course he doesn’t understand what was said. Derio quickly translates for him and Lorenzo makes fighting fists. I make the fists back, laughing.
“I don’t know,” Felisa says as she gazes around her. “I’m not even sure if I can measure up to you now. This place is spotless.” She picks up a white couch cushion and turns it over. There is a huge red wine stain there from the other night. I thought I was being clever. How did she know? She must have some super sixth sense for dirt and disorder.
I feel myself flush. “Well, we can’t all be perfect.”
“Ah, but you are perfect for me,” Derio says, circling his free arm around me. He eyes Felisa and Lorenzo and tells them, “If you don’t mind, I’m letting Amber take me to our room.”
Felisa waves at us dismissively, turning her back to us.
Derio pats me on the butt. “Come on, let’s go. I really need to lie down.” I help him up the stairs to our bedroom and he says to me, “By the way, I have more good news for you.”
“What? What could be better than you coming back home?”
“I spoke to someone who works in immigration. They are still going over our case and reviewing the files, but my contact, Federico, seems to think you have a very good chance at having your visa extended indefinitely.”
“Really?” I cry out. I don’t want to get my hopes up over this—it feels like I’m on the verge of winning the lottery—so I keep my squeals inside.
“We won’t know for a few weeks,” he says, “and of course this is just his feeling. But now I have a good feeling about it as well.”
We go inside the room and he shuts the door behind us. I immediately throw myself at him, kissing him hard and deep, on his lips, his beard, his neck, his collarbone. My hands roam up and down his body, softer and thinner now thanks to weeks of being confined to bed and missing his daily workouts, but still strong. Still mine.
“Am I hurting you?” I murmur against his skin as my lips skirt the V-neck of his T-shirt and he lets out a gasp.
“No,” he moans. “You feel like an angel. Don’t stop.”
I pull back and eye his cast on his leg below his long shorts. “Can you stand for this or do you need to lie down?” I start to undo his pants, my hands firmly gripping his erection. I’ve fucking missed him, missed this.
“I’m a strong man,” he jokes, sounding breathless. “Of course I can stand.”
I unzip his shorts and let them fall to the floor before I take his gorgeous cock out. My Italian Stallion. I’m going to make him forget he was ever in the hospital.
I eagerly place him in my wet mouth and start to give him the best head possible. His hands find my hair and make tight fists while he groans loudly.
Suddenly, his hand jerks and he says, “You know, I think I need to lie down. You’re better than I remember.”
I wipe my mouth and grin at him before leading him over to the bed. I carefully push him down onto the thick duvet, his body beautifully bronzed against all the white, and finish him off. He comes hard and fast, spouting off a string of Italian curses, and I take all of him.