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We arrived in
the village Conca dei Marini without incident and, to my surprise, Sebastian pulled up in the forecourt of Il Saraceno, a hotel so grand, I was sure it must be frequented by the great and good, the wealthy and the beautiful. Sebastian fit right in – especially on that last one. I looked dusty and travel-stained, as if I’d just crossed the Sahara on the back of a smelly camel.

Il Saraceno
clung to the cliffs, a series of fortress-like arches that mimicked the ancient Moorish architecture of Spanish Grenada. The views down to the sea were in danger of bringing on an attack of vertigo.

“Here?” I asked uncertainly
, aware that my hair resembled a squashed bird’s nest.

“Here,” he said, with a smile.

I was surprised when he unpacked the bike
’s saddlebags, and handed the keys of his machine to a man at the reception desk. I couldn’t imagine him letting anyone else park it; I supposed the valet would simply wheel it around to the parking area.

The receptionist smiled, and
handed an envelope to Sebastian, along with a room key.

“We
’re staying here? But we left all our things at Signora Carello’s?”

“Actually, we haven
’t. I asked the signora to pack us up while we were out this morning. She was cool about it: besides this is kind of her idea. Well, she helped me pick out somewhere special.”

“But a place like this must cost a small fortune, Sebastian!”

“I can afford it, baby. This is my first night as an engaged man – and I want to enjoy it. Hey, don’t worry: the only thing I’ve spent my pay on in the last ten years is booze and bikes: I’m good for it.”

Which wasn
’t the point, but he was in such high spirits, I didn’t have the heart to argue with him.

But the surprise didn
’t end there; when we got to our room, Sebastian swept me up into his arms, and insisted on carrying me over the threshold, his wonderfully romantic gesture leaving me breathless.

The bed was huge, almost seven feet
wide. I’d never seen anything like it – but I quickly formed plans for how we could use it. I barely noticed the opulence of the rest of the room, the chandelier and long curtains trailing across our own private balcony. The bathroom alone was an essay in magnificence: an enormous whirlpool bathtub, plus a vast hydro-massage shower. Both were fashioned out of marble, and could probably have accommodated an entire soccer team. I couldn’t wait to try them out with my very own United States Marine.

Sebastian pulled open the wardrobe doors and didn
’t seem at all surprised to see two suit carriers hanging up inside.

“This one is for you, baby.”

Staring at him in amazement, a smile creeping over my face, I unzipped the carrier that he handed me, to reveal a stunning, floor-length evening gown, in midnight blue.

“Sebastian, it
’s beautiful! What have you done?”

He grinned at me. “I got one, too. A tux – like you wanted.
Except mine is just rented. You get to keep the dress.”

I la
id my beautiful gown on the bed, and wrapped my arms around his neck.

“How did you get to be so perfect, Sebastian, because I could have sworn you were a
giant pain in the ass.”

He laughed. “
Next time I piss you off, I’m going to remind you that you said that, baby. Which will probably be in about five minutes.”

“Probably,” I agreed, with a smile.

“Come on, let’s shower, and then I want to see you in that dress.”

“Why, Chief! You want to put me
into
clothes?”

“You have another idea?” he murmured into my neck.

“Oh, yes, most definitely, and it involves getting you naked on that bed, having my wicked, wicked way with you
before
we take a shower.”

His smile grew even bigger.

“So, let me get this straight, Caro, that’s
two
lots of wicked?”

“The thing is, Sebastian,
” I said, stroking his cheek and watching his expression of amusement turn to lust, “if you’re going to make an honest woman of me, I want to get in as much sinning as possible first.”

I pushed him back on the bed, just in case he wasn
’t on the same page as me, and ripped his T-shirt over his head, loving that moment when his eyes heated with desire. I knelt across him, then ran my tongue from his waist to his throat, making a delicious diversion where I tugged his nipples with my teeth.

Yes, two could play at that game
.

I gripped his wrists with my hands and held them over his head, trapping him.
Then I leaned down to kiss him, tracing his soft lips with my tongue and letting his warm breath wash over me.

“Mm
m, you taste so good, Sebastian, I won’t want anything else to eat tonight.”

He laughed lightly, and
gently pulled his hands free, before running them down my back.

“Yeah? Well, I
’m starving, so unless you want me to eat downstairs alone, baby, you’ll have to put up with a three-course meal. And I guarantee you’ll need your energy later.”

I pouted at him. “Sure you don
’t want the starter now?”

He didn
’t answer with words, but moved his hands around to my waistband, tugging my T-shirt free, and pulling it over my head. It landed somewhere on the floor, while he unfastened my bra one-handed.

There had been a time when bras had presented him with something of a challenge; not any more.

“Mmm, I like this position,” he said, sitting up and nuzzling my nipples, then sucking hard. I moaned and arched my back, pushing my breasts into his willing hands.

He
fished a condom out of his jeans pocket and handed it to me.

“Take your pants off, baby.”

“I will if you will,” I replied, teasingly. “Race you!”

I bounced off him and quickly unlaced my boots, dropping my jeans and panties to the floor in record time.

“Ah, hell,” muttered Sebastian as he struggled to unbuckle his boots.

“You
’re a slouch, Hunter,” I jeered at him. “Just look at what you’re missing.”

I gave a quick twirl, which didn
’t help his concentration.

“Fuck!” he hissed, hopping around the bed, one boot on, one boot off.

“Maybe you should have been a fireman instead of a Marine; then you’d be used to undressing quickly.”

There was a loud thud as his second boot
landed on the floor; a moment later his pants and briefs hit the deck, too.

Damn, he looked so fine standing there, all tall and erect, all hot and devilish. I definitely wanted some of that.

“Lie on the bed,” I ordered.

“Yes, ma
’am.”

I
decided to have a quick taste, feeling his hips arch upwards so he filled my mouth. Okay, maybe not so quick: he tasted salty, his skin silky and delicious.

I held the condom in my hand as I continued to enjoy feeling
his arousal between my lips, in my mouth, under my writhing tongue. I ran my fingernails up and down his chest as I continued to stroke him with my mouth. I was beginning to resent the intrusion of our little rubber friends, and wondered what would be the best time to start taking the birth control pills: perhaps a month before he got home on his next leave? That would be a good surprise for him. A welcome home present for both of us.

“Baby, I
’m going to come if you keep doing that,” he growled, his voice strained.

Oh, I
’d completely lost track of what I was doing. Hmm, better not admit to that.

I released him and sat back, watching the rapid rise and fall of his chest as he tried to pull himself together. Before he got the chance, I rolled the condom down
, and positioned myself over him, sinking down slowly. Very slowly.

He moaned softly and I leaned down to kiss him
. At the same time, he flexed his hips upwards, filling and massaging me at just the right place, causing sensation to spill through me.

“Fuck, Caro! I can
’t control myself with you!”

He started pumping his hips, bouncing me up as I slammed down to meet him.

He came quickly and used his fingers to make sure that I followed him.

I slumped down on his chest.

“Sorry, baby,” he said, breathlessly.

“You have nothing to be sorry about,” I gasped, impressed I
’d managed to string a whole sentence together.

He smiled and stroked my back. “Ready for the main course?”

“You’ve got to be kidding me, Hunter? I’m still…” and my body clenched around him.

“Oh, wow,” he said, his eyes wide, “I really felt that.”

“Good,” I said, rather grumpily. “So did I.”

He laughed, and lifted me off him as he sat up.

“I’m going to go shower.”

With bleary eyes, I watched him saunter into the palatial bathroom, snapping off the condom as he went.

I glanced down at my hand and caught sight of the unfamiliar ring on my finger. I still wasn’t certain how that had happened. But it felt good. It felt right. Although explaining it to my friends would be interesting. I shook my head: hell, explaining to myself would be pretty damn interesting, too.

I heard the bathroom door open
again, and Sebastian strolled out drying himself. Actually, the way he looked, the way he looked at me – that was explanation enough for our impetuous engagement, certainly as far as I was concerned.

“What?” he said, smiling.

“Just wondering how the hell I ended up engaged to such a hot Marine. It’s been quite a week, Chief.”

He frowned. “You
’re not having second thoughts, are you, Caro?”

I shook my head. “No, Sebastian, I
’m not. But you have to admit, it’s all been pretty fast.”

“It
’s been ten years, Caro,” he said, seriously. “I’ve waited long enough.”

His response floored me: h
e had a way of just cutting through all my bullshit.

“I love you so much, tesoro,” I said.