Page 56 of Whatever You Need

His mouth fell open. “You really were a spoiled little brat growing up, weren’t you?”

My hands flew to my hips. “You have one second to take that back.”

He shook his head. “Sorry, but I speak the truth.”

I playfully punched him in the chest. “That’s not nice. Just because I had nice things growing up doesn’t make me a bad person.”

He smiled down at me. “I didn’t say you were a bad person, just that your life was just a little bit different than mine.”

“Opposites attract, right?” I teased, kissing the corner of his mouth.

His gloved hand slid behind my neck, holding me in place. “They sure do.”

He took my lips in a soft caress. There was something about this kiss that felt different. It wasn’t hurried or heavy. It was sweet and slow, and I wanted to cherish it, because I never felt anything so perfect before.

My heart stilled in my chest as the realization hit me. I was in love with him. Here under the star-filled sky, with snowflakes falling around us, I lost a piece of my heart that I would never be able to reclaim. It didn’t matter that we came from different worlds, because we were making our own little world together. Despite our differences, we were compatible in all the ways that mattered.

I pulled back when I felt his grip on me loosen. I opened my eyes to find him watching me. He brought his hand up and brushed his thumb across my jaw. The look on his face was warm and tender. Funny how something so soft and gentle could have the power to break me in the end.

A little boy bumped into his leg, causing him to stumble back a bit.

“Well, I guess that moment is gone.” He laughed.

I moved a lock of hair that had fallen on his forehead. “We can pick up where we left off later.”

I looked over his shoulder and spotted what I was looking for. “There it is,” I said, dragging him over to the white tent. I pulled the scarf off the display shelf. “What do you think? Will she like it?” I asked, running my hands along the heavy knitted scarf.

Marco tilted his head to the side. “It looks like something the Pope would wear.”

“Seriously?”

He ran his hand along the top of his hair. “It reminds me of one of those scarves they sell at the Vatican.”

I glanced at it one last time. It was red and green with geometric shapes. I thought it looked festive and Christmassy.

“I wouldn’t know that because I’ve never been to the Vatican.”

“That’s right. I forgot. Maybe I’ll take you to Italy someday.”

I sucked in a breath. He was talking about the future. A future I wasn’t sure we would ever have. When he said stuff like that, it was impossible not to think about how much longer I could keep the truth about that contract buried. I would eventually have to tell him, and there was no way he wouldn’t hate me in the end. As soon as that thought struck, I shook it off and refused to let it steal the joy from this moment.

I lifted my lips into a smile. “Wine, pasta, and you on the beach in a speedo. Sounds like the perfect vacation.”

He narrowed his eyes at me, and I stuck my tongue out and turned toward the cashier to pay for Sophia’s gift. Once it was in the bag, I grabbed Marco’s arm and linked it with mine.

“Now, let’s go get that cheesesteak.”

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