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I lifted a brow, smirking at the sly grin on his face. “All of eternity?”
“And then some.”
Linking my fingers through his, I threw a glance over my shoulder at Luciana. “See you tomorrow.”
“Goodnight you two.” She smiled and shook her head, disappearing into the back room with the money and the ledger.
As soon as she was gone, Bennett yanked me against his chest, his mouth crashing against mine. I wrapped my arms around him, ridding any possible space between us while he kissed me deeply.
Pulling away with a small sigh, I ran my hand through his hair and rested my forehead against his. As much as I enjoyed our nightly routine, if he didn’t stop kissing me soon, it was going to be hard for either of us to walk home unhindered.
“I’ve missed you,” he whispered. “Maybe I should move my office here. What do you think?”
“That neither of us would get any work done.”
“So?”
I pulled back to look at him, shaking my head. “Let’s go home, mon coeur.”
“Let’s.” He took a step away and offered me his arm. “I’m famished.”
“Good thing the stew has been cooking all day,” I replied, threading my arm through his for the short walk to the door.
The streets of Valletta were slowly emptying as the sky overhead continued to darken. A soft breeze swept through the city, carrying with it the clean, salty smell of the sea I’d come to love.
Slipping my arm around Bennett’s waist, I leaned into him as he slung his arm over my shoulders. Neither of us spoke as we strolled through the quiet streets. We didn’t need to. Each look, each touch, said it all.
Life in Valletta was everything I’d ever wanted and never thought I would have — a life of my own making, with someone who loved me beyond measure.
Of course, running an American business from overseas wasn’t always the easiest thing in the world, but we made it work. Whenever either of us had to return to the States, we made the trip worth our while, staying for weeks on end before packing up and returning to the sanctity of our palazzo.
Us.
We.
Ours.
Words that still seemed foreign, even though the proof was there on my hand — the black titanium band that would never, ever leave my left ring finger. The proof was in the way Bennett looked at me. The way he kissed me. Even the way he killed for me. Though, that hadn’t been much of a problem in Malta, thankfully.
Here, we were safe from all of our demons.
“I’ll grab the post,” Bennett said, kissing my cheek before peeling away to check our mailbox.
Nodding, I headed upstairs to finish dinner.
I’d just poured the wine when Bennett reappeared, setting a wrapped parcel on the kitchen island. It was addressed to me in a handwriting I didn’t recognize.
“What’s that?” I asked.
Bennett shrugged. “I have no idea. I figured it was another book. Aren’t you expecting that first edition from London?”
“It’s rather large for a book.” Tearing through the brown paper, my nose wrinkled when a box came into view. It was a simple, wooden box save for the fact it was covered in dried mud. A dark red stain colored one corner.
Sliding around the side of the island, Bennett leaned down toward the box, his brows drawn together. “My love, what is that?”
“I have no idea.” I reached for the lid, but Bennett grabbed my wrist and shook his head.
“I don’t have a good feeling about this.”
