Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 58353 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 292(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58353 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 292(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
We stop at a gelato shop and I peruse the flavors, trying to decide which ones to try. There's a rainbow of options, most I can't decipher. My Italian is a zero on the skill chart. "Um," I begin warily. The young man in his brown apron behind the glass counter waits patiently. A line is forming behind me. I fidget as I feel the pressure to order fast. "Can I have...ah, the pink one there, with another scoop of..." I point helplessly. My neck is sweltering as the other customers mumble.
Marco's voice cuts through the rude energy. "She'll have both of those." He quickly orders for me in Italian, his voice smooth and confident. I can't help but feel a little giddy at the idea of being with someone who knows their way around this city so well.
Clutching my cone of beautiful pink and green swirls, I shuffle from the shop. Marco ordered himself something that looks like crumbled butter cookies. Crossing the cobbled street, I settle on the low steps of one of the many gorgeous old buildings. "Thank you for that," I gush.
Marco smiles and shrugs. "It's nothing."
I take a small lick of my gelato, enjoying the cool refreshing temperature on my lips. Tart flavor explodes on my tongue. "Oh my god." I slurp the green pistachio. "Oh. My. God. This is amazing!"
Marco watches me eat with a smile on his face, clearly enjoying my enthusiasm.
We continue walking, eating as we meander. As we turn down a quiet alley, Marco suddenly takes my hand. I feel a jolt of electricity at his touch. "Wait," he hisses. His voice setting me on edge and not in a flirty kind of way. He's not making a move, he's protecting me. My fluttering heart goes colder; in the dark alley ahead I notice two men in red and black moto jackets. They're bracing their upper backs against the rough building walls, slouching on their feet. It gives them the air of being lazy. Marco's grip tightens––he must sense something I don't.
I can see the hesitation on Marco's face, his eyes flicking between the men and me. I try to hold back a shiver, but my body betrays me. The men look up and see us, their eyes narrowing as they size up Marco.
The men approach us, their eyes fixed on Marco. Their pace is slow and deliberate, and their expressions are menacing. They look like they're in their mid-twenties, with scruffy beards and cold, hard eyes.
"It'll be okay," Marco murmurs in my ear.
One of them reaches out and grabs Marco's arm. "You're not from around here, huh? Tourists gotta pay up. Don't you know that?"
I clutch Marco tighter. The other man is eyeing me like I'm the gelato I just ate. "If you don't want anything to happen to that sweet piece of ass you got, you better listen to my pal."
Marco hasn't moved. He's still as a stone statue. With his attention on the guy clutching him, he speaks in a cool, calm voice. "You're right. I don't want anything to happen to her."
"Good, good," the first guy laughs. "Then you better do what's smart, old man."
"I agree." In a motion so sudden it startles me, Marco punches his elbow into the gut of the man touching him.
The asshole doubles over in pain, gasping for air. Without missing a beat, Marco grabs my hand and pulls me behind him. The other man lunges at us, but Marco is too quick. He dodges the attack and delivers a swift kick to the man's knee, causing him to crumple to the ground in agony.
I watch in shock as Marco takes on the two men with ease. He's like a trained fighter, his moves calculated and precise.
When he’s done the men lay on the ground, moaning in pain, Marco turns to me, his eyes dark and intense. "Are you okay?"
I nod, feeling a mix of fear and arousal coursing through my veins. That was scary but also so, so hot. I’ve never seen anything like it and my body is firing on all cylinders. Marco may be dangerous, but he's also incredibly sexy.
What I just experienced was insane. It's only out of instinct that my legs move, following Marco as he leads us out of the alley. I shoot a final look back at the fallen men.
Marco is much more than meets the eye.
What is he going to reveal next? And how much longer can I contain this intense feeling?
Chapter Four
It's around half past five. Do you know how beautiful Rome looks at that hour? It's enough to make a girl swoon, especially a girl who is walking next to a man like Marco.
"Oh," I gasp, because I did swoon––or stumbled. My body shifting off balance. Marco braces me, making sure I don't topple to the hard street. It's packed with tourists and dangerous Vespas zooming past that could easily smash into me if I got in their path.