CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Saturday, June 10
Rome
Hank sat up in bed, looked out the window, and knew he’d picked the right hotel. Hotel de Russie was not only beautiful, it was charming. Their room looked out over the secret garden and had he not heard the distant sounds of the city, he might believe they were somewhere outside it.
Glancing over, he studied the naked woman sleeping alongside him and silently congratulated himself. It had been seventeen days since he’d met Stazi on the stairs of the museum and they were now on vacation in one of the most romantic cities in the world.
Granted, the circumstances that brought them here together were not ideal, but it wasn’t anything insurmountable. A Russian oligarch wasn’t going to stand in the way of his happiness, nor was the Bratva. He’d been training for a confrontation like this since he was eighteen and left for the academy. Opportunities to put things right were why he’d learned the skills he had, and the fact that he’d honed them to perfection made the whole thing a lot easier.
The next ten days were going to be about getting to know Stazi and creating a foundation for their relationship. Being away was going to let them both open themselves up in a way that didn’t always happen when people were stuck at home in their routines.
At least, he hoped that’s what was going to happen.
And a lot of sex.
Because let’s face it, what happened between them wasn’t just about getting naked and losing themselves in one another’s bodies. It was about their souls connecting. Laughing silently, he ran his hand down his face and realized he might not only be a romantic but a hopeless one.
Running his hands lightly over her skin, he wondered what it was specifically about this woman that unchained his emotions. After he’d retired, he’d often felt that the years of locking them away wouldn’t ever allow him to connect fully with another human being. The women he’d dated over the last couple of years had certainly believed it because they’d told him in no uncertain terms that he was emotionally unavailable.
Which clearly meant he’d been dating the wrong women because not one of them made him want to open up, and now he knew it was because he wasn’t interested, not because he was incapable.
Being with Stazi had shown him that he was more than capable and, in fact, wanted nothing more than to show her everything. She might not be ready for the full picture or really even interested, but he knew eventually she would be. And when she was, he was going to hold nothing back.
Rome was going to help him show Stazi what they could become together and he planned on making the most of it. Feeling her move under his hand, he glanced over and saw her blink several times. He slid down, laid his head next to hers and grinned. “Buon giorno, amore.”
“Quanto tempo è e perché stai parlando in italiano?”
“I have no idea what you just said, so I’m going to assume that you just begged me to ravage you.” He rolled her over and settled himself between her legs. “It’s our first day in Rome, so we better make sure we start our vacation correctly.”
Stazi laughed and held on to his arms. “Naturalmente, che altro faremmo? Fai l’amore finché non urliamo il nome di un altro.”
“Oh, you want to do it twice?”
“Hank, I said, ‘Of course what else could we do…make love until we scream one another’s names.’”
Leaning down, he pressed their mouths together and knew they were equal in their lust for one another, and hungry for each other in all ways. “You can scream in Italian, English, or Russian. It doesn’t matter to me as long as I make you scream.” He ran his hand slowly down her body and slid it between her legs. “So wet…were you dreaming about me?”
“Always,” she replied.
Taking himself in hand, he slid his tip over her clit, trailing it down to her entrance and back up. When her juices coated him, he knew she was more than ready.
No morning foreplay. They were heading for the main event. Pushing a fraction of the way in, he exhaled because she felt completely perfect. Slowly, he pushed deeper.
“Oh Dio, altro,” she said loudly. “More, Hank. It feels so good.”
“Yes,” he replied. The way she held him inside her body, squeezing tightly, had him barely gripping his control. Every time they’d made love, he’d learned something new, and it made him fall a little further under her spell. “You feel fucking perfect, Staz.”
The need to have her closer crawled against his skin as he lowered his head and muttered how tight and smooth she felt. “When I think it can’t get better, it does,” he choked out. He kept his pace slow and steady. Every atom of his body tightened as the pleasure of fucking her brought his orgasm a breath away.
“You’re mine,” she cried out as her hips twisted and her fingernails dug into his skin.
“Yes!” he shouted as she moved beneath him, taking his cock like it was the best thing he could give her. Her muscles began to pulse, and her growing tightness lit his orgasm. “Let go.”
Her eyes fluttered as her scream vibrated and he was gone. Clenching his jaw, he pushed into her with jagged, uncontrollable thrusts.
Totally focused on finding the edge, he let out a groan that was ripped from his body as he poured himself into her, desperate to let her have every drop of his come.
Collapsing, he felt her soft body cushion his fall. He needed to remain close as he got his breath back.
“Hank,” she whispered, trailing her fingers down his back.
“Yeah…”
“Can you move a little?”
He lifted his head and grinned. “Of course.” Rolling off, he made sure she went with him. He anchored her against his body with his arms. “Christ Almighty, I lose my mind when we’re together. I think I was loud enough to be heard in the dining room.”
Patting his side, she let out a laugh and then pushed up. “The only way to know for sure is if we do it again.” Wiggling so he would release his hold, she straddled him with her hands on his chest. “Let’s see if you’re as loud on the second round.”
Leaning up, he pulled her mouth to meet his. “A worthy experiment.”
***
Stazi led Hank along the path that would take them directly to the Via Sacra, which was the Forum’s main thoroughfare. In ancient times, victorious military campaigns would often celebrate with a dramatic procession known as the Triumph up this very road toward the Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus on the Capitoline Hill. She thought since he majored in military history, that he would enjoy spending the day tromping around the ruins. “Would you like to see where Julius Caesar was cremated?”
“Sure, honey, whatever you want.”
“Are you normally this easygoing or does it have something to do with how we spent our morning?”
“I’m happy to be a tourist and have you show me around.”
Looking up, she studied his face and knew he was being honest. Truth was, she was feeling exceptionally relaxed as well and it wasn’t just because they’d spent the morning in bed. It also had to do with the fact that Ivan the Terrible hadn’t followed them to Rome. And as far as she could tell, no one else had been dispatched to keep an eye on her, and for that she was grateful.
The weight of what she’d been under only became recognizable in its absence.
Somehow, she’d successfully ignored the enormity of the threat by simply handling things on a daily basis and leaving the rest to Hank and Lucky. Which hadn’t been fair at all. “Thank you.”
Stopping next to a chain link fence that was covered in ivy, he looked down. “What for?”
“Everything. I’ve allowed you and Lucky to shoulder the burden of this whole thing and it isn’t right. I want you to know how much I appreciate what you’ve done.”
“Honey, I wouldn’t have it any other way. This is what SAI does. I told you when this thing started that I wouldn’t allow anything to happen to you and I meant it.”
A large group of people bustled past them and Hank stood in front of her so she wouldn’t get jostled. Winding her hands around his waist, she gave him a hug. Her heart and mind had flipped completely and she wasn’t sure how it had happened. I love you, she thought. I love you with my whole heart and I wasn’t sure that was possible. Tears gathered in her eyes and she prayed she could will them away before he saw the emotions on her face. No way did she want to explain what had caused them.
Grinding her teeth together, she got herself under control before she pulled away from the embrace. A revelation that the man holding you now owned your heart wasn’t easily processed, so she did the only thing she could…nothing. Better just let the idea sit for a while and see what happened, no need to make a confession until she knew he might someday reciprocate her feelings. Clearing her throat, she lifted her head and smiled. “Did you know this was originally an Etruscan burial ground when it was first developed in the seventh century BC?”
“I didn’t. When I was in college, all of my history studies surrounded military battles and how they changed the government.”
“We’re not far from the Curia, which was the original site of the Roman Senate.” Stepping back to the path, Stazi turned and pointed right. “We’re not far from it. We should head that way so you can see the Arco di Settimio Severo, which commemorates the Roman victory over the Parthians.”
“Now, that was a battle,” Hank said as he slung his arm over her shoulder.
Standing among the ruins under the afternoon sun made her realize how fortunate she was to be here with Hank. Not only because she apparently loved him but also because he understood the history behind the crumbling stone, and what it had cost people to change history. Slapping herself figuratively upside the head, she realized she was done for. Love goggles were firmly in place and there wasn’t a thing she could do. “So, who is your favorite Roman general?”
“Sure, ask me something easy.”
Taking his hand, she led him back on the path in the direction of the arch. “Top two.”
“My first one would have to be Caucus. The guy was basically the Yoda of Rome. He was an old, blind and battled-scarred vet who put younger soldiers to shame. One of his greatest moments was when he was called into the senate in a moment of crisis when Pyrrhus of Epirus had worn down so many Roman armies that the senators were ready to surrender. Caucus delivered a speech so uncompromisingly defiant that it goaded the Romans back into action. He said something along the lines of, ‘Each man is the architect of his own fate,’ and with those words, he became the architect of Rome’s.”
“Do you believe those words?” she asked as they picked their way over the uneven ground.
“Absolutely. Every day that I spent on the Teams allowed me the opportunity to do just that. I needed to prove myself and start a journey that would allow me to do something exceptional, and becoming a SEAL gave me that. It changed my DNA.”
“Who would you have been had you not become a SEAL?”
“I can’t answer that because I don’t know who that man would be…the one who was never on the Teams. It gave me everything I ever wanted because I got to test the limits of my ability.”
“Okay, give me your second favorite general.”
“All right. I guess I’d have to say Flamininus. He was a reluctant conqueror and even though his military feats were not showstoppers, his integrity was unshakable. He was in command of Rome’s armies while the republic was expanding east into Greece, and his duty to Rome forced him to break the back of Greek rule where it posed a threat. The only problem was, he fiercely admired the nobility of Greek culture and hated watching the Greeks become slaves even when Rome was the one enslaving them. So, in 196 BC, in an unprecedented move, he gave up Rome’s control and declared Greece a free territory. He saved countless lives and was a class act.”
“What were you looking for when you decided to become a SEAL?”
“Ultimately, I wanted to test my ideas about myself and who I thought I was. In my heart, I always believed I was attuned to a more primitive version of what men were once required to be, and still are when our special skills are called for. By training and temperament, I was afforded the chance to see if I was up for the task.”
“And were you?”
“Yes, I absolutely was. Most men at some point ask themselves, ‘What would I do if I were confronted with a deadly-force encounter? If I were in a pizza joint and a man came in with a shotgun, if someone on the street flashed a big knife and demanded my wallet, if someone I loved was threatened somehow, what would I do?’ At some point or another, almost every man wonders, ‘How would I perform in mortal combat? Could I kill before I was killed? Who would I kill for? Who deserves to die?’
“For me, just thinking and wondering about it wasn’t enough. There is a breed of man with something inside him that pushes him to find out. And I am that man. My dreams have always centered around adventure and conflict, and most of the time it was mortal combat. That’s who I am at my core and that is the thing that always motivated me. So, to answer your question, I absolutely found what I was looking for on the Teams. It gave me the opportunity to know that I had the ability to perform when I’m called upon. Those who have fought in combat units often have a deeper appreciation of life because they have fought for that life and they know what it means.”
As they got closer to the arch, Stazi realized she would never have to ask the man another question. Everything she needed to know about him had just been answered. The two men he described were not flashy generals with bloody victories on their hands. They were men who made choices based not on furthering their own glory but on doing the right thing. He had also asked and answered a difficult question about himself and had come out with the answer he needed.
Which made tears gather in her eyes again. No way around it, Hank Coleman had her heart.
***
Hank studied Stazi across the table and felt like something was different. They were sitting on the terrace of the restaurant in their hotel, and he sensed that she was starting to have some real feelings for him. Which he prayed was true.
She had her hair piled on top of her head and wore dangly earrings and a dress that tied at her shoulders. He’d never seen anything so beautiful in his life and he was fucking head over heels in love. The need to confess his feelings beat against his chest, and he didn’t know how much longer he was going to be able to hold back.
The day they’d spent at the Forum had been amazing. Their shared love of history made the whole thing a hundred times better than he could’ve imagined. He’d loved hearing things from her art history perspective and she seemed to be interested in his military perspective. So as far as he could see, they were a match made in heaven.
For two people who seemed to have nothing in common, they sure had a lot of things to talk about. Which was the best discovery he’d made so far. Not only did he crave this woman physically, he was also equally interested in her mind. And that had never happened.
Stazi set down her menu and looked up. “Why are you looking at me that way?” She ran her hand over her cheek. “Do I have something on my face?”
“No, honey, I was just thinking how beautiful and interesting you are.” He stood, went over to her side of the table, and pulled out a chair. “I want to sit next to you.”
“Okay.” She straightened her fork and gave him a small smile. “I hope you don’t plan on stealing any of my food because I am starved.”
Placing his arm on her shoulder, he leaned down and gave her a small kiss. “No, I’m not interested in your food, but I am interested in your mouth.”
Patting his leg, she nodded. “That’s fine. Just don’t touch my pasta.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it, honey.”
“Did you enjoy the Forum today?”
“I did. I was surprised to see the famous ruins sitting in the middle of the city. Not to mention the chain link fence that surrounds the area and the ivy climbing over some of the statues.”
“It’s the perfect representation of Rome. One part ancient history, one part bustling city, and another utter neglect.”
The waiter arrived and Stazi placed her order and then asked Hank what he wanted and placed his as well. “I want to try some of your grilled cockerel. That sounds delicious.”
Hank lifted an eyebrow and grinned. “Anytime, honey.”
“Funny, I didn’t think you were old enough to begin experiencing hearing loss.” She gave him a sympathetic smile. “I thought you still had a couple of good years in you.”
Growling, he bent his head and kissed her behind her ear. “I plan on showing you how good I am as soon as we’re done with our meal.”
Stazi turned her head so their mouths were a breath apart. “I’ll eat fast so we can do it before your bedtime.” Puckering her lips, she gave him a quick peck and then leaned away. “Oh look, here comes our drinks.”
Sitting back in his chair, Hank ran his hand over his shirt and grinned. “Guess I have to keep you up all night so you can be confident that the man you’ve chosen will always satisfy you.”
After they had their drinks in hand, Stazi lifted hers and smiled. “Thank you for coming to Rome and letting me share the city I love.” They clinked glasses and then she went in for a kiss. About to seal their mouths together, she spoke against his lips. “I know you are absolutely the best choice I could’ve ever made.”
Before he could respond, she pressed her mouth to his and showed him every feeling she had.