The night was thick with heat, the silk sheets barely covering me, clinging to my skin. The balcony doors stood open, letting in the scent of the sea and lemon blossoms.

Salvatore lay beside me, propped on one elbow, his dark eyes tracing over me. His fingers skimmed my stomach, warm and deliberate.

"You’re quiet tonight," he murmured.

"Just thinking," I said, my fingers brushing his forearm.

"About what, bella?"

"This. Us. How unreal it still feels sometimes."

His lips curled into a smirk. "You doubt me?"

"Never."

His hand trailed up my thigh, slow and knowing. "Then stop thinking," he murmured, pressing a kiss to my temple. "Just feel."

I laughed softly, shifting closer. "Bossy as always."

His chuckle rumbled against my skin as he pulled me in. "Only with you, amore mio."