Within moments I was back, unfastening a velvet jewelry roll.
“Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue,” I said, laying out the treasures I had brought her.
“Oh…” she said, her beautiful eyes wide. “These are…”
“Those are from me,” I said, indicating the sapphire earrings and necklace, each a teardrop shaped edged in smaller diamonds. They had been outrageously expensive, of course. Something I would never tell my bride.
“This is on loan from Auntie,” I said, picking up a comb studded with rhinestones. “It is old, and borrowed,” I added, helping her to put on the necklace first, then inserting the comb into her already flawless hair.
“You are so beautiful,” I murmured, wishing I had more time alone with her. But the judge would be waiting. “Are you ready?” I asked, holding out my hand.
She smiled sweetly and nodded, putting her hand in mine.
“Let’s go.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Theresa
“Do you take this woman to be your wife, to have and to hold, until death do you part?”
“I do,” Michael said. Then it was my turn. I was asked the same question. I felt Michael’s eyes on me as I answered.
“I do.”
“I pronounce you man and wife,” the stern face judge declared. “You may kiss ze bride.”
I almost chuckled at his thick accent. But then I was being swept up off my feet and kissed so thoroughly that I was pretty sure Michael had checked my tonsils while he was back there. He looked pleased with himself when he set me back down on the ground.
“You may need to have another ceremony in ze unite states.”
“I plan to,” Michael said, still staring at me. “And Italy, where my family lives.”
“What?” I squeaked. I was getting tired of him informing me of our plans. The next thing I knew, he’d have me barefoot and pregnant…
Oh merde!
I tried to think back. We’d only been making love for a handful of days. But we hadn’t used a lick of birth control.
How could I be so stupid? I simply… forgot. But he didn’t.
I looked at him. He was still staring at me. The look on his face was beyond possessive. There was pride of ownership stamped on his proud, aristocratic features.
“I need to talk to you about something,” I said as we left the building. I had a gorgeous bouquet of white and pink peonies in one hand. But I had no one to throw it to.
I carried it with me to the waiting limo, but it was nowhere to be found. Instead there was a very small, very fast looking convertible sports car, with a more sensible looking SUV behind it for our bodyguards.
“I thought we could enjoy the ride,” he said. I stared at the car. It was a beautiful day. But I would completely windswept by the time we arrived.
Of course, a man would never think about that.
But he had been right, I thought as we wound our way through the incredibly scenic route towards the Margarelli estate. We had spent one night in a hotel in Switzerland. I had never seen most of Europe, so every single sight was a treat for my senses.
Michael had known that. This was a gift to me. And I was loving every minute of it.
Even though my hair, did in fact look like a rat’s nest.
I bit my lip, remembering the night before, and especially this morning. I had woken first for once, and peeked under the covers. When I looked at his face, his eyes were closed, but he was smiling.
“Like what you see, little girl?” He had asked. I giggled nervously before pressing a kiss to the flat plane of his stomach.
“Yes.”
I kissed a little bit lower, letting my hands glide over the sheets to caress his hardening shaft. He tensed, his hands finding me and holding him still.
“Theresa…” he warned.
“It’s my honeymoon too, you know,” I said, pouting. He looked at me, and I saw that he was nervous. But he relaxed his hands and let me proceed. I lifted the sheet away from his delectable shaft and bit my lip. “Just tell me if I do anything wrong, okay?”
“Yes,” he said, but he sounded pained. I stole a look at him as I slid my hand down to caress his sac, then circled my palm around his girth. “The only rule is… no teeth.”
“No teeth,” I parroted dutifully before turning my attention back to the matter at hand. I kissed the tip, experimentally running my tongue over it. He groaned. Encouraged, I started to kiss him more aggressively, pulling him further into my mouth.
He hissed in frustration when I stopped. I smiled and then started again, tasting and teasing him the way he teased me. He cursed, and I stopped again.
“Am I hurting you?”
“No,” he moaned. “But keep going. Every time you stop…”
I smiled, suddenly feeling very powerful. I slid over his body into a new position. I scraped my nails up and down his inner thighs, then settled between them.