Chapter 37: A scheme

Marco’s POV

I had rules when it came to flings. Simple, strict rules that kept my life uncluttered. The main one was easy: one night, and that was it. No repeated visits, no late-night phone calls, and no lingering thoughts the next morning. It had always worked for me. It kept things clean and under my control.

Then Fabio happened.

I had already gone against my own code by climbing into bed with him more than once. Several times, if I was being honest with myself. And if breaking my rule was not bad enough, my mind refused to let him go e ery time we parted ways. I found myself thinking about him at random hours of the day. I fantasized about him when I was alone, wanting him so badly that the desire felt less like attraction and more like an addiction I could not shake.

Eventually, I came to terms with it. I told myself it was just physical. I told myself I could handle it as long as I knew what it was.

But then, now here he was. In Sicily, standing behind me.

He did not say a word at first. He just exhaled a slow, warm cloud of cigarette smoke that drifted past my cheek.

My body went completely still. It was not the kind of stillness that came from pure shock. It was the kind that brought a flood of unnamed emotions straight to my chest. Something strange happened inside me in that single second. To be clear, I was not aroused. This was entirely different. It was new, strange, and so sudden that it almost overwhelmed me.

My chest felt heavy and full, like something hot was trapped inside my ribs, demanding to be let out before it burned me alive. My heart missed a beat. Then, without warning, it began to drum against my ribs, racing far faster than it ever should have for a casual encounter.

This was absolutely not normal for me.

Then came his voice, quiet and smooth right near my ear.

"We meet again, Marco."

The sound of his voice triggered something instant inside my blood. It felt like a sudden surge of raw heat, though it was not the familiar burn of lust. It was an uncomfortable, indescribable warmth that spread from my chest outward to my hands and legs.

I made a move to turn around so I could face him, but before I could complete the motion, he reached forward. His arm swept up, wrapping around my face and chin, locking me gently but firmly in place. He kept me facing forward, pinned against his chest.

Once more, he blew a thin stream of gray smoke against the side of my face.

"Missed me?" he asked softly.

Did I? Hell yes. I had missed him far more than I had any right to, considering we were supposed to be nothing more than casual sex partners who shared a bed when it was convenient.

"What do you think?" I asked in return. My voice came out very low and deep, almost rough around the edges.

I felt the weight of his chin rest lightly over my shoulder. He stayed silent for a long moment, letting the noise from inside the club wash over us in the dark. Then, he leaned in and pressed a slow kiss directly against the side of my neck.

I held my breath, biting the inside of my lip to keep a groan from escaping. I hated how overly sensitive my skin had suddenly become to his touch. It was true that Fabio had touched me everywhere before, and usually, it only brought a manageable intense heat. But right now, his lips left a sharp, tingling feeling that spread across my entire body. My knees felt weak, almost giving out beneath my weight. I caught myself quickly, tightening my stance so I would not stumble.

Fabio leaned closer, his warm breath fanning across my skin as he whispered, "What I think is..."

He paused, placing another light kiss on the exact same spot on my neck, before he finished his thought. "...you have missed me more than I have you."

I closed my eyes as his lips stayed against my neck. He kissed the spot again- first lightly, then pressing harder, then softening his touch back to a mild graze that made my pulse spike.

"Yeah," I spoke, my voice still hushed against the night air. "And something else, too."

"What is it?" he murmured against my skin.

I opened my eyes, took a firm breath, and finally pulled myself out from under his arm. He let me go without a fight. I turned around to finally face him properly.

The moment my eyes landed on him, I wished I had stayed turned away.

He looked entirely too good. The light caught the sharp lines of his face, highlighting his dark eyes as they fixed heavily on mine. He was gazing at me so deeply it felt as if he were looking right through my skin and straight into my soul. His lips were curled into a slight smirk- the kind of expression that clearly screamed trouble for anyone foolish enough to stick around.

I was not prepared for how hard seeing him again would hit me. I hated to admit it, but it did scare me. Still, I kept my voice steady and spoke up.

"I also think you’re stalking me now," I said, narrowing my eyes at him. "It might be understandable to end up in the same city, but the exact same place? I should be suspicious right now."

The smile on his face did not fade. If anything, he let out a quiet chuckle. He looked down for a second, taking another pull from the cigarette that was originally mine, then raised his head back up to look me in the eye.

"Well," Fabio said smoothly, "it should also be understandable for me to be in the same place, considering I own this club."

I blinked once, raising a single eyebrow at him. "Really?"

Fabio did not answer immediately. He just stared into my eyes silently, taking his time. When he finished the last of the cigarette, he dropped the butt to the ground and crushed it under the sole of his shoe.

"Mm," he said, stepping a fraction closer. "Palermo is my home. I only came back to visit my family and check up on my businesses. Who would have thought I would run into you here? Isn’t this what people usually call fated?"

I took a breath and decided to let the inquisitive detective inside me fall aside. Whether he was telling the exact truth or making up a story did not matter to me in that moment. The facts were simple: he was standing right in front of me, and that was all it took to have me on edge. I was a goner for Fabio.

"You mean you and I are fated?" I asked, taking a step forward to close the small distance left between us.

"Then what else would you call this?" he asked, his eyes dropping briefly to my mouth before rising back to my eyes.

"A scheme, perhaps," I replied. "But I’m so into you right now to care whether it is or not."

Fabio licked his bottom lip, letting out another small chuckle. "The way you said that makes it seem as if you’re really into me. I almost believed it for a second."

I chuckled back, keeping my tone light and half-joking. "What would you do if I really fell for you?"

Fabio narrowed his dark eyes slightly, his smile softening as if he were actually taking a moment to consider the question.

"Walk away, maybe," he said cleanly.

I did not back down. Instead, I stepped even closer until there was virtually no space left between us. I raised my arm and laid it straight across his shoulder, anchoring myself to him.

"Are you sure about that?" I asked quietly. "Are you sure you would not be on your knees thanking me?"

Fabio threw his head back and laughed out loud, the sound rich and dark. "Oh, shut up! As if you are some unattainable prince."

I raised my other hand, resting it the same way across his other shoulder so I was holding him close. I looked deep into his eyes, letting the joke fade out of my expression entirely.

"If there ever comes a day where I really fall for you," I said, keeping my tone deadly serious, "I’ll walk away myself. Because trust me, Fabio... I’ll ruin your life to the max."

Fabio observed my face for a long second, his laughter dying down completely. He searched my eyes, trying to read whatever was happening behind them, before he spoke.

"Then you better not," he murmured.

I let out a quiet sigh and nodded my head. "Worry not. I’m too stone-hearted. Only a high-voltage electric current could make my heart race."

It was a lie. A blatant lie that I chose to accept as my own truth because the alternative was too dangerous. Whatever had happened to my body a few minutes ago- the sudden warmth, the drumming chest, the weak knees- was just a physical reaction to the surprise of seeing him. I had been thinking about Fabio too much over the last month, so when he suddenly showed up behind me, my heart had simply reacted to the shock. That was all it was. It had to be.

Fabio shifted his weight, his eyes darkening as he changed the subject. "Then, what next? I hope you haven’t found the love of your life while I was gone. ’Cause all I want is to hear you crying over me."

He leaned his head down, bringing his face dangerously close to my lightly parted lips. He raised his tongue, tracing it slowly over my bottom lip, sending a fresh wave of now familiar heat straight down my spine.

"I wouldn’t be standing here fantasizing about how I’m going to collect the debt you owe me if I had found someone else," I admitted, letting out a shaky breath against his mouth.

"So," Fabio whispered, his breath hot against my skin. "My place or yours?"

Before I could answer, he leaned in and bit my lower lip a little harder than necessary. I let out a sharp hiss at the sting, and he let go with a quiet, satisfied chuckle.

"Yours," I said without hesitation. "You don’t want to end up where I live right now. I’ve got a bunch of wild animals terrorizing my life over there. Tonight is my night off. With you."

Fabio laughed softly, his deep voice vibrating directly against my lips. Without another word of warning, he crashed his mouth onto mine, pulling me in tight. He sucked on my lips with a sudden, needy pressure that demanded a response, even while I tried to keep myself from completely surrendering to the pull right there.

He pulled back just an inch, his eyes dark and heavy as he whispered against my mouth, "Gosh... I fucking missed this."

I reached up, wrapping my hands around the back of his neck, and pulled him right back down to me.

"So did I," I murmured, and gave in completely.