And it gives me goose bumps. That laugh. I’m too gone to get hard, but it is as sexy as fuck. I hold her so tight, determined not to wake up, but try as I can, I can’t control my dream. I fall asleep inside my dream.
“Don’t go,” I whisper as I fade away.
“I’ll never leave you,” she whispers.
I begin to cry, because it sounds like a lie. I try to hold on, but my fingers start slipping. I can’t hold on. “I’m sorry, I can’t hold on,” I whisper.
“Don’t worry. I’ll hold you. I’ll always hold you because you are my man.”
Then it becomes black in my world again.
Chapter 41
Dante
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCn4gTCalMI
It’s All Coming Back To Me Now
I open my eyes. Sunlight is filtering in through little cracks in the shutters. At first my alcohol marinated brain is too fried to make sense of the patterns on the wall. Where the fuck am I? My head is banging. Fuck, it feels like there is an electric drill in my head. Wincing, I close my eyes. In seconds my eyes snap open. Pain slams back into my body. It is not a gradual affair, but the full wallop in one shattering hit.
She’s gone.
I couldn’t hold her.
She’s gone.
She’s never coming back.
Hell, I need more alcohol. There must be more in that second bottle. I pull myself upright.
“Baby.”
I freeze. Slowly, very slowly, I turn my head and look at the other side of the bed. My eyes bulge. Rosa! What the fuck? I open my mouth, but no words come out.
“I love you, Dante,” she says.
My hand reaches out, trembling, disbelieving, ecstatic, hopeful. I expect my hand to touch air, but it connects with warm flesh.
I twist around and haul her into my arms. I don’t care why, or how, or what. I hold her tight. She is mine and I’m never letting her go again.
She makes a small whimper of distress and the sound reaches my brain. I loosen my hold. The bruises. My hands fly away from her.
I look down on her face. “Rosa?”
“It’s me, Dante.”
“Oh God. This better be real.”
“It’s real, baby.”
“How the hell?” I’m so shocked I can’t even get a proper sentence out.
“I didn’t get on the plane. I was going to. I was already halfway up the steps when Star’s car came onto the tarmac. Remember, I told you she was in Switzerland. She couldn’t reach me on my mobile so she called the palace. They told her I had been taken to hospital. So she went there. When she found out I had gone to the airport she rushed there. She made me go with her. I was so frightened for our baby I couldn’t think straight or even for myself. I mean, I actually let Linnea convince me it was a good idea to trust her with my life. So I went with Star, but I sent Elsa with my things.” Tears start to roll down her face.
“Elsa went down with the plane.”
She nods. “Poor innocent Elsa died because I didn’t take her with me. I feel so terrible. How could I possibly have known the plane would combust? It never even crossed my mind. I just wanted to talk to Star alone. I was lost. You don’t blame me, do you?”
“God, no. I don’t blame you, Rosa. Not at all. I love you with all my heart.”
She touches my face. “You love me?”
“I love you so much I wanted to die with you.”
“Don’t say that. Even hearing that hurts me. I’m already so broken with pain. I’ve been so blind and so stupid. I didn’t understand anything. I forgot to trust my own instincts. I trusted all the wrong people. They won’t get away with it, will they, Dante?”
“No, you didn’t. And no they won’t, but it was my fault. I shouldn’t have taken you to that vipers’ nest.”
“I am glad you took me. I have unforgettable memories. It is there I realized I was in love with you.”
I smile even though it hurts my head to do so. “It took you that long?”
She smiles back. “When did you find out?”
“I knew you were special straight away, but I didn’t want to believe it. Then when you came to Rome to tell me you were pregnant, I knew it was a sign. You were the woman for me.”
“Yeah, but when did you find out you were in love with me?” she asks, a cheeky smile on her face.
“You want to know the truth?”
“Of course.”
“While I was eating you out that first night in Rome.”
“What?”
“I realized you were everything I wanted. Everything about you was perfect. Your smell, your taste, your smile, those sounds you were making while I was sucking your little pussy.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really.”
“What are you going to do now, Dante?”
“I’m going back. I’m going to fight them,” I tell her fiercely.
“How are you going to do that? They seem to be prepared to do anything to keep their power. Even murder.”
“I will return and force my father to abdicate immediately. He is sitting on the throne, but it is Linnea and Linnus who are running the show. I told my father I was prepared to keep them in Avanti with a generous allowance, but that was before they tried to blow you up in the plane. I will cut this snake off at the head. I intend to imprison Linnea for treason whether my father likes it or not. He is welcome to remain in the palace and tend to his garden. His life need not change, but I will rule Avanti. It is my duty to my people that their rights are safe-guarded.”
“I’ll be next to you no matter what,” she says softly.
“I’m a better man for having met you, Rosa.”
She smiles.
“You don’t know what a mess I was yesterday. You just can’t even begin to imagine.”
She bites her bottom lip. “I’m really sorry, you thought I was dead. It must have been awful for you. I can’t even beg
in to imagine what I would have felt if I had thought you were dead. I tried desperately to contact you, but you switched off your phone. Then we saw the news of the crash on TV, and I knew it was not an accident, but I couldn’t get through to anyone. Of course, I knew not to speak to your family. Finally, I got to speak to Matilda and she told me what had happened. I tried to think what you might have done. So Star got me here in one of her husband’s private planes. I went to your hotel, but you had not been there so I came here. I wasn’t sure, but I hoped and prayed you would be here.”
“It was horrible without you, Rosa. Indescribable. The pain. I thought I was dying. I didn’t know how to carry on.”
“I’m here now.”
“My head is banging, but the only thing I want to do is just fuck you.”
“Nope. You are going to take some headache tablets and go back to sleep. When you get up I’ll blow you, okay?”
“I’m almost afraid to sleep.”
“I promise you we’ll be here when you wake up.”
“Will you please marry me quickly, Rosa? I love you so much I don’t ever want to be without you.”
Tears appear in her beautiful eyes. “I love you, baby. I can’t even tell you how much. And yes, a thousand times, yes. I’ll marry you. As soon as you wish.”
Epilogue
Rosa
Even though Dante said that he wanted to get married straight away, a royal wedding is an elaborate and grand thing that requires major planning. We have to hire not one wedding planner, but a whole team, and it takes an entire year to plan it. Also, I wanted to lose some weight after the baby was born before I squeezed into my dream wedding dress. The general consensus was I should wear a merengue dress, but I told them where to stick that idea. I always wanted to be a mermaid and this was my opportunity. I went all out, fish tail and all.