Captured by him

Chapter 40

Mason Pov

When we arrived at our destination, Annalise was still asleep on my lap. As her chest rose and fell, her faint breath lightly touched my hand. With her head turned to rest on my shoulder, her jaw was defined just the perfect amount. Her neck was left exposed to me. Although Antonio had done a tremendous job at covering them up, I could still see the marks I had left on her from the other night.

And undoubtedly, more would join them soon.

Gently lifting her with me as I emerged from the car, I made our way up to the apartment that was ours for the next little while. I opened the door, carrying my beautiful wife over the threshold, and laid her on the bed. Our apartment overlooked the ocean and I opened the doors leading out to the balcony letting the sea breeze wash over me. With my back towards Lise, I headed outside with my hands in my pockets.

The sounds of the ocean crashing against the shore helped put my mind at ease. It had been a pretty wild past couple of days, granted I had caused some of it. I heard a muffled noise from the bed which made me turn around. Lise had rolled over and was now lying on her side, facing me. Her eyes lazily opened and she stared at me with a blank look across her face.

"Where are we Mason?"

"And a lovely evening to you as well, Lise."

"No, Mason, it's not. Tell me where we are." I raised an eyebrow at her. "Please." she finished.

"Almafi coast, Italy."

She pushed herself up from her laying position, resting her feet on the floor beneath her. Her hands rested beside her, her eyes still focused on me. The white fabric of her wedding dress still clothed her body. She was biting the insides of her cheeks and her fingers were playing with the sheet underneath her.

"You aren't nervous, are you?" I questioned.

"Should I be?"

"I don't know, you tell me?"

Using her hands to steady herself, she stood up from the bed and made her way over to where I was standing. Facing out to the ocean, Lise leaned her forearms on the railing. I rested my backside on the railing and watched her. A soft breeze blew over us, making her hair float off of her shoulders. Her full, crimson lips glistened under the moonlight.

Her doe eyes gently blinked as she remained watching the ocean. Shifting my body closer to her, I noticed her stiffening. My hand wrapped around her waist causing her to shift her attention to me. As I began to lean in towards her, she pulled back. I sighed but before I could open my mouth, she began conversing.

"What time is it?"

I looked down at the watch resting on my wrist.

"11, why?"

"It's already 11? Was there anything else I had to do?"

"Well, I can think of something we could do." I paused watching her blush and embarrassment fill her face.

She pried my hands from her and put distance between us.

"That's a hard pass from me, Mason."

"Shame," I muttered, lifting her chin, so our eyes could meet. "I'm sure you would have enjoyed it as much as I would have. What did you have in mind?"

"Well I'm tired and I just wanted to go to bed." She said timidly.

As I sighed, I could sense her tense. She pushed herself away from the edge of the balcony and distanced herself further. Her feet glided across the deck as she went to make her way back inside.