He curses in something that sounds like Italian. I’m about to ask him what he said, but he interrupts my train of thought with another bruising kiss. He pumps into me faster, harder, the head of his cock sweeping over my sweet spot over and over again until I shatter around him, my whole body trembling as the climax claims me. It’s a good thing Dominic’s holding onto me because my jelly legs likely would have collapsed out from under me.
“That’s it,” he encourages roughly, breathing in the scent of my wet hair. “Absolutely wonderful.” He kisses my cheek, surprisingly sweet for a man being so deliciously rough.
Dominic turns me around so I’m facing the shower wall, my palms pressed up against the tile as he bends me over. The water trickles over my back, but the only sensation I’m focused on is his big hand stroking the length of my spine, dipping down to grab my ass. His softening cock rubs against my cheeks with a satisfied hum.
“Such a tease,” I grumble, backing up slightly to grind against his length.
He claps me across the ass, not hard enough to be painful, but it’s definitely still a shock. “Such a gorgeous body. You’re so beautiful, Marina, you know that?”
I squirm, unsure what to do with all this praise. I think Dominic senses my mild discomfort because he asks, “That bastard didn’t tell you that often.”
I shake my head. It’s so weird thatnowis the moment my brain decides to feel ashamed. Not when Corey was caught fucking our wedding planner, not when I screamed bloody murder in first class, but now when it’s painfully obvious how little Corey actually cared about me. Compliments were rare, and what little praise I did get was half-assed and often empty.
“Bella mia,” he says with a sigh, slipping an arm around my waist to pull me against him. I don’t think I’ll ever stop marveling at how gentle this giant man is capable of being. “Why did you even agree to marry him?” he asks, a whisper.
A single tear betrays me, slipping down my cheek just to be washed away with the rest of the water. I’ve been too angry to cry. The irony isn’t lost on me. I recognize how strange it is for me to feel safer and more open with a stranger than with the man I was going to marry. Yet it feels like the most natural thing in the world to wear my feelings on my sleeve. For some reason, telling Dominic my deepest, darkest secrets is as easy as breathing.
“Because I loved him,” I admit. “I loved him more than he loved me, and I was too naive to see it until it was almost too late. I was an idiot, that’s why.”
He kisses the back of my shoulder, the crook of my neck. “You’re not an idiot.”
“You don’t even know me.”
“Yet I feel like I’ve known you my whole life.”
I turn just enough to offer him a smile. “I was thinking the same thing.”
Dominic kisses the corner of my mouth. “You’re not an idiot, Marina. There’s nothing wrong with loving someone despite their flaws. What’s unforgivable is how he didn’t give you the same level of love and devotion in return.”
I laugh softly. “You should write a romance advice column.”
“If I ever get fired from my day job, I’ll consider it.”
“Thank you, Dominic. I really needed this.”
“I have a proposal for you,” he says as he pumps some complimentary guava and papaya scented shampoo into his hand. “It’s going to sound crazy.”
“I’m down for a little crazy,” I reply with a smile.
“Don’t go to Hawaii. Come with me to Italy.”
“Are you serious?”
“This… connection,” he says slowly, “it doesn’t happen to me often. I’d like to spend more time with you, and I’d rather not think about you spending your honeymoon all alone.”
I grimace. “It’s sad, I know.”
“Come with me, then. I’ll cover all the expenses.”
“Do you want me to be the pleasure portion of ‘business and pleasure?’”
He gently pinches my ass, earning himself a bubbly giggle. “That’s not a no.”
I take a moment to think. This is all happening so fast. I’ve never been the kind of girl to fly at the seat of my pants. I like to plan things, be organized, micromanage every penny. Spontaneity has never been a part of my character. My choices are always safe and calculated and without risk.
Deep down, I think I was looking for security when I said yes to marrying Corey. A loving husband, a couple of kids, and a big back yard for them to run around in. That’s what people are supposed to want out of life, right?
Not having sex with a stranger in an exclusive VIP lounge at JFK. Not traveling to a foreign country on a whim with a handsome stranger. But my safe choices are what landed me here. If I pass up this opportunity, I might regret it one day.