Page 85 of Monster in Disguise

"What did you do to your face?" My hands instinctively fly to my cheeks.

"I just put on some foundation and mascara," I reply, confused by his concern.

He shakes his head, his eyes searching mine. "Your freckles are gone. I don't like it."

His hand finds mine and leads me to the kitchen. He gently takes a damp napkin and begins wiping away the makeup from my face.

"There, that's better," he says with a satisfied hum. I feel a blush creeping up my cheeks as I lower my gaze.

"Hey, you're beautiful no matter what. But I love your freckles, and I love looking at them." He lifts my chin to meet his gaze. "All one hundred thirty-nine of them."

"One hundred thirty-nine...?" I blink in surprise. "How do you?—"

"I counted." He smiles proudly. "I've been watching you so much it's become a habit," he adds, a little self-consciously.

His fingers trail softly against my skin, causing shivers to run down my spine.

"Seventy-two on your left cheek," he says as he gently caresses my left side. "And sixty-two on your right cheek."

I stare deeply into his eyes. "That's only one hundred thirty-four."

His lips curl into a fond smile before pressing a quick kiss to the tip of my nose.

"Five small ones on your nose," he whispers.

I blush furiously and avert my eyes, my heart beating so fast in my chest I'm afraid it's going to leap out any moment now.

"You're perfect and so are all of your freckles. Never hide them from me," he murmurs. "Now let's go before we're late for our reservations."

The restaurant Marcello booked for us is a stunning Italian place with an outside garden.

"You mentioned that your favorite food growing up wasarancini. This place is famous for their Sicilian food."

"You remembered that?" I'm shocked at his thoughtfulness. But then again, Marcello has this special ability to surpriseme every single time. "This is amazing. Thank you," I tell him sincerely.

We are shown to our seats in the heart of the garden. After we peruse the menus, we settle on a full course meal, with appetizers, soup, and a main dish.

"I love this," I say as I gaze around me. The garden is housed between two buildings, but there's an in-built ceiling full of roses.

"I'm sorry I haven't been around as much, but things have been hectic," he apologizes.

"You have enough on your plate right now." I know he's been having issues with some businesses, even if I don't know any of the particularities.

"There have been some rogue groups that have been targeting our merchandise, and we aren't any closer to catching them." He sighs and brings his hand to massage between his eyes.

"That's why you agreed to marry me, wasn't it? For my brother's help?" I feel compelled to ask this, mostly because I'd been wondering for a long time.

Marcello grimaces but nods. "That, and that I needed to bring something to the table to make the famiglia trust me as capo."

"I see."

"The last few months have been nothing but trouble. There are a lot of new players in the city, and we still don't know who we are dealing with exactly."

The appetizers arrive, and we both dig in.

"Is it okay if you talk to me about..." I look around before whispering, "that?" I'd seen enough in my family to know that men didn't talk business with their wives.

"Why not?" He leans in. "You're my wife." He gives me a smile, and I feel my stomach contracting. Butterflies... I'mhaving butterflies in my stomach. Lord! Now I understand the origin of the idiom.

---