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126
They returned to the room together Marcello disappearing into the shower while Azzurra lingered near the vanity, curiously exploring the sleek device he had gifted her. A phone. Only a handful of numbers were saved in it, and he had insisted she carry it with her at all times.

She was so absorbed in scrolling through it that she didn’t notice when strong, damp arms slid around her waist. Azzurra drew in a breath, startled, her body stiffening before melting into the warmth of his embrace. She was still in her dress, hair tied into a neat bun—leaving her neck completely exposed, vulnerable to his lips.

Marcello brushed a feather-light kiss to the nape of her neck, and her body responded instantly, shivers racing across her skin. Droplets of water fell from his hair, trickling onto her shoulders as he trailed open-mouthed kisses along the curve where her neck met her shoulder. The heat of his mouth, the hunger in his touch, made her arch back and sigh softly.

In one swift move, he turned her, his hand closing around her throat not harsh, but possessive pressing her against the vanity. He kissed her lips once, gently, before capturing them again with ferocity, crushing her soft cherry mouth beneath his own.

When she refused him entrance, teasing him with her lips firmly sealed, Marcello growled low in his chest. Without hesitation, his hands slipped under her hips, lifting her off her feet. She gasped, instinctively wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck.

“Marcello,” she breathed, barely breaking the kiss, but he swallowed her words as if starved for her, his mouth demanding, insistent. Their tongues clashed, hers hesitant, his feral. It was all the invitation he needed to lose control.

He carried her to the bed, never once severing the kiss, and lowered her down with surprising care. Azzurra fell back onto her elbows, panting, her eyes wide as she watched him strip his shirt away. Muscles flexed beneath ink and skin, the dim glow of the room throwing shadows across his tattoos. Tossing the fabric aside, he prowled toward her with the calculated grace of a predator closing in on prey.

Her breath hitched when his fingers tilted her chin, his mouth hovering over hers. She unconsciously leaned forward, unable to resist, and he smirked before granting her the kiss she craved. This one was slower, deeper, but just as consuming. His lips moved to her jaw, then down her neck, scattering hungry kisses that made her whimper helplessly.

Marcello’s hand cupped her breast, his thumb pressing lightly until she jolted, moaning softly into his shoulder. She wasn’t stopping him, wasn’t resisting if anything, her trembling body leaned toward his touch.

He pulled back slightly, his thumb brushing the zipper of her dress. “Azzurra?” His voice was rough, careful. “Can I?”

Her face burned scarlet, her eyes cast down. After a heartbeat, she gave the faintest nod.

“Are you sure?” he pressed, his tone suddenly vulnerable. “I’m a beast, and you’re… fragile. I can try to be gentle, but I can’t promise I’ll be in control. I’ve never” He cut himself short, averting his eyes.

She cupped his face, forcing his gaze back to hers. “This is your first time?” she whispered, astonished.

His jaw clenched. “And if it is? Do you want someone… experienced? I wanted to wait for my wife. Is that wrong?” His voice was edged with both hurt and defiance.

Her breath caught. Then, before he could retreat, she leapt onto him, kissing him with adoration, silencing every insecurity. “I love it,” she murmured against his lips, and the relief in his eyes was undeniable.

“You’ll pay for teasing me,” he growled, though his voice trembled when she nipped his ear, turning his composure to ash.

“You want this?” His hands tightened at her hips, grounding her. “Because once you say yes, there’s no turning back.”

“I know,” she whispered, her lips grazing his ear, deliberate, wicked. “And I want this.”

A thrill surged through her veins as she slid the zipper down, peeling the dress from her body with agonizing slowness. Marcello’s throat worked as he swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing visibly. She discarded the dress, suddenly shy, but he shifted them swiftly so that she was beneath him on the bed.

When she tried to cover herself, he pinned her wrists above her head. “Don’t hide from me, Azzurra,” he husked, his gaze devouring every inch of her. Her maroon lingerie contrasted against her pale skin, making his mouth water.

He pressed reverent kisses down her cleavage, then lower, nipping at her belly button until she writhed beneath him. “So fucking responsive,” he muttered against her skin. With practiced ease, he unclasped her bra, tossing it aside, and stripped away the last barrier between them.

Azzurra whimpered, her body instinctively trying to shield itself, but he refused her the chance, capturing her lips in a deep kiss as he trapped her wrists once more.

When he finally pulled back, his eyes roved over her, dark and blazing. Flushed skin. Heaving chest. Tousled hair. Swollen lips. She was exquisite. Perfect.

“You’re so damn beautiful, Azzurra,” he rasped, his mouth finding her breasts, drawing broken sounds from her throat. His hand slipped lower, sliding against the slick heat of her core. She jolted violently, moaning, and his teeth clenched. “Fucking perfect.”

Her fingers tangled in his hair as her cries filled the room. He kissed her ear, his voice a vow. “You’re mine, Azzurra. Mine to cherish, mine to ravish. Mine.”

And she nodded, dazed, lost in the haze of desire.

The world outside seemed to conspire with them. The moon hid behind blushing clouds, the stars veiled their eyes in bashful awe. Winds whispered through leaves, some shy, some laughing, while the sea crashed joyously against the rocks. Even nature bore witness to the sacred joining of two souls.

Time slowed. Their breaths tangled, their bodies collided, sparks igniting in every vein until even the night blushed crimson.

That night, they ceased to be two separate beings. They became one body, one soul forever bound.