“Okay, sounds like a plan; but,” he said. “A stop in Rome first. There’s a dressmaker I’d like you to visit.”
“Why on earth are you interested in my clothes? You only ever snark about them. Cats on my feet, forsooth. No, I haven’t forgotten that one. And wait, why not in NY? I know a place.”
Paolo shifted his weight away from her and rocked himself up to kiss the end of her nose. “This can’t be something outré. Simple, white, properly Italian, with lace in the usual places.”
Lace in the usual– “What, are you writing our marriage vows already?”
Paolo held himself motionless over her. “Marriage vows are not something one writes, you absurd woman. One recites the traditional ones.”
“Do I have to promise to obey you? ‘Cause it isn’t going to happen.”
“Ah. Perhaps we shall write our vows after all.”
“I’m not changing my name, either.” She wrinkled her nose at him. “Would be weird anyway, being an Agnelli; too much potential for bloodshed.”
“Oh, like being a Lafitte is any better.”
“Maybe we should get like a totally new name? Like Prince.”
Paolo’s shoulders shook in one of his quick silent laughs. “That’s settled then.”
He sat back on his heels and threw the blankets back from his shoulders. Cora shifted herself on the pillows and spread her legs to give him room to kneel. He lifted her hips and set her into place on his thighs.
Cora pointed a toe at the ceiling in a nice slow stretch, then delicately placed her foot on Paolo’s shoulder. Taking a Lafitte to bed and then asking her to marry you had some payoffs that she wanted to remind him about.
Paolo bent his head down to kiss her toes, then trailed his fingers down her leg, from ankle to thigh, and further. His gaze followed his fingers. Along, around, between, to the secret places. He liked what he was seeing. Uncomplicated appreciation for her body. Paolo liked all of her. That was good. Sometimes men had been freaked out by how strong she was, how obvious the muscles were when she took her clothes off.
He entered her slowly this time, a hand guiding himself in, the other bracing himself, his eyes on her body. Cora watched his face. He was intent, solemn, completely unaware she was watching him. He rocked his hips to settle himself inside her body and there it was, what she’d been waiting for, that eyes-closed surrender to pleasure thing she’d seen him doing last night. That was the biggest surprise of all.
He seemed content to stay just like that, kneeling between her thighs, joined with her, eyes closed. Cora ran her hands up his thighs, from his knees to the place where her legs were wrapped around him. Fuzzy legs, nice legs, and a firm butt. He’d look good in a morning coat and those striped trousers, assuming he was thinking mega-traditional. Any excuse to see him dressed up. Not at the moment, though. Naked was good right now. Fancy clothes for weddings, no clothes for sex.
“You going to buy me a ring?”
Paolo’s eyes snapped open. “‘Course I’ll buy you a ring. Several. As many as you like.”
Paolo stroked a hand over her belly and traced his forefinger around her navel. It tickled, and Cora giggled.
“Oh lord, it’s wonderful when you laugh,” he said.
Then he shifted back and away from her body, but only long enough to lie down on his side next to her, his arm under her head. Cora wrapped her leg over his thigh and he slid himself inside her again. She sighed and squeezed him, just a tiny bit. He felt good moving with her like this. Honestly, all sex felt good, even the twisted kind, but sex with Paolo was a number of things Cora could list that were in addition to good. Last night, intense and surprising. At the moment, comfortable. He fit inside her just right, and this position was perfect for kissing. Slow mellow kissing, from a man with his eyes half-shut and a silly-happy look on his face.
Rainy-day sex, cozy. Sunshiney sex might be good too. Honeymooning in Italy would be nice.
“Rome? Next spring?” she said.
“Too long to wait. Fall. In the church in town here.”
“People will say we’re rushing into it.”
“Rushing? How long have we known each other?”
Cora counted, and was surprised by the answer. “Eight months.”
“We’ve taken our sweet time.”
And they were taking it now. Leisurely morning sex. Paolo seemed to be prepared to take all day. Which, okay, would probably be too long especially since they had lunch to go to at her mother’s, but why not spend the rest of the morning like this? Slow slow simmer. She sighed and ran her fingers through Paolo’s hair.
“What am I going to say when Mama asks me how you proposed to me? I can’t just say you did it while we were f–“
Paolo kissed her hard, sticking his tongue into her mouth deeply and completely without invitation. He pulled back and kissed her again more gently, and Cora kissed him back, mollified.
“I’ll make giving you the ring memorable,” he said.
“Oh, now we’re down to just one ring.”
Paolo glared at her adorably, but continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “None of your American flim-flam or public displays of nonsense. But you will want to tell your mother the story of how I put the ring on your finger. I promise you that.”
“Holding you to it.”
“Oh, God, I– Cora. Truly?”
His face had changed completely, and he looked uncertain of himself for the first time since she’d asked him to leave her apartment. Cora took a deep breath and put all of herself into her answer.
“Yes, truly.”
That was what he’d needed to hear. He clutched her to him almost hard enough to hurt, touched his forehead to hers and just held her like that for a while. Then he abruptly let go of her and pulled away. He knelt straight up in the bed and wiped a hand over his face.