Page 104 of Till Death Do Us Part

After our last day at thecastello, I found his moods were unpredictable. He’d stare out at the sea and get a look in his eyes like he was watching a storm brewing when the day couldn’t have been any brighter. His movements were stiff, almost calculated. Other days, only the two of us existed in the world, and all was right in it.

We hadn’t left the villa in a week. Some days, I was so sore from having so much sex, I’d take numerous baths to soak the aches away. But it never seemed like enough. The pull to be near him was a constant thing and only grew stronger every day we were together.

The days were adding up, and I wasn’t sure if I ever wanted to leave.

On whatever morning we were on, Felice told me to get dressed. I was almost insulted.

He narrowed his eyes at me. “You wanted to visit the beach.”

“I see it every day from our terrace.”

He gave me a blank look, like he wasn’t sure what to do with me. I was learning that Felice Maggio had a lot to learn about living with a woman. He reminded me of a dangerous carnivore, trying to figure out the ways of a little herbivore.

I laughed, rolling over, the sheet sliding off me. I stopped when he squeezed my ass, and we were at it again.

We finally made it out of the villa a few days later.

Felice showed me around the city. We walked miles and ate at little places unknown to tourists. We visited the ruins of the Greek theater and had dinner with Felice’s great uncle and his family. We picked out new furniture for the villa. We chartered a boat and visited grottos, dive sites, and cliffs. We went swimming on Isola Bella (Isula Bedda in Sicilian, meaningbeautiful island). We paid a small fee and visited the Nature Reserve.

I’d noticed cable cars during one of our trips. Thefunivia, it was called, and it would take us from the town of Taormina to Mazzarò beach.

Celso and Fredo took their own car. We were one behind. The interior had two metal bars for holding on and a wider one with padding to sit on.

After the door shut, I wasn’t sure I wanted to be inside. I’d never been claustrophobic, but as the car climbed higher and higher, the sounds like something from an airplane, it felt like I was having a panic attack.

What if we got stuck? What if the cable snapped? I looked out and down. It was a far fall in a box. We’d probably flip before we hit.

The car shimmied, and I grabbed for Felice. He’d been staring out the window, and he gave me one of those looks—trying to figure me out.

“I don’t like this very much,” I admitted.

“You’re with me,” he said with all the confidence in the world. Like his words alone could keep us from plummeting to our doom. “If I didn’t feel you were safe, you wouldn’t be here, my little herbivore.” He sat me on his lap and kept my head tucked underneath his chin. His arms wrapped around me like bars.

I held on, breathing him in, the panic starting to subside.

“Keep your eyes on mine,” he said when I sat up some, trying to look down again.

“If we fall, we fall together,” I whispered.

He kissed me, shutting me up. The fear faded when his mouth kept my mind busy. We pulled apart when the car stopped and the doors opened.

We trekked down to the beach, where Felice’s great uncle owned a hotel, and spent the entire day there. The sun was high and bright, playing across the teal of the sea, white sparks glinting like daytime starbursts in my eyes. The air smelled salty and clean, and I allowed the breeze to sweep me away. Going with the flow like Plato had said.

The scenery couldn’t keep my attention for too long, though. I was always swept back to him.

My husband.

Time in the Mediterranean had darkened his skin, and with his black hair and green eyes, he reminded me of an exotic wild animal. A carnivore with sharp teeth and a petulance for blood. His attention, though, was always on me.

Time with him always felt like it moved too fast, and the hot day seemed to melt into a tepid night. Pinpricks of light dotted the beach as we had dinner.

After, I wanted gelato. I ate it slowly, pretending to take in the water, but I was dreading the ride back. I sighed when we made it to the pick-up point. I went to ditch my gelato, not able to stomach it.

“Give it to me.” Felice held out his hand.

“Here.” I handed it over.

We sat in the box again and the doors closed.

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