ILARIA (book 3)

52. ASAHI

My eyes crack open when I can hear my dogs barking from downstairs.

Ilaria's shoot open too.

"How'd we end up on the floor?" She rolls onto her back, staring at the ceiling.

I look at her naked body, dark bruises all around it.

Oops.

"That stupid rosé, that's how." I sit up.

She smiles, pulling off the duvet from the bed and putting it around her body.

I stand up, walking down the stairs in my boxers, my vision blurry and head banging.

Not a great idea.

I open the front door and my dog walker stands there. "Nori is being a pain." She looks at me awkwardly. "Uhm-"

"Yeah, see you later." I take all the dogs off her and keep them on the leash as I close and lock the door.

I take them all off and put their foods in their bowls, then walk upstairs. I close the bedroom door, Ilaria was still on the floor.

"Baby." I look at her.

"Shhh, heads sore."

"Tell me about it." I crouch down, lifting her up.

She groans and as soon as I put her on the bed, standing up. "Using your bathtub." She walks right into my bathroom.

God, her body is a blessing.

I follow her, she was sitting on the toilet so I begin running the bath for her. "Can I join?"

"Will it end with your dick somewhere around my body?" She asks. "Too sore for that right now."

"No dick."

She smiles. "Go get me some clothes."

I leave, grab her a sweater and some boxers of mine and she was putting in a bath bomb when i returned.

I put two towels on the heater and she smiles at that. When the bathtub was half full she gets in. I wait until it's completely full and get in behind her.

She leans back into me. "I'm gonna get in trouble." She closes her eyes. "So many hickeys."

"May have gone a little overboard but your reaction when I kiss your neck is just..." I kiss her neck gently.

She smiles but keeps her eyes closed.

We don't speak again until she announces she's getting out of the bathtub.

I watch her walk right into the shower and I get out then too, draining the tub and following her.

I wash her hair for her, still silently. We spend far too long in here then she walks out, her body dripping as she wraps the towel around herself. "Get me some clothes, please." She starts washing her face.

I put the sweater on the counter and dry myself down, then do my skincare as she gets changed.

She heads out as soon as the sweaters on.

She's overthinking.

She goes silent when she does.

I follow her quickly, she was putting her dirty clothes in my washer. "Speak to me, princess."

"There's nothing to say." She ties her hair into a low ponytail.

"Ilaria, what's on your mind?"

She turns to me. "This is it."

"It doesn't have-"

"Yes it does." She rubs her lips together. "At the end of the day, you still don't want marriage and I need marriage to continue tradition."