Bound to Him

Chapter 16

𝓓𝓪𝓷𝓽𝓮

   Marianne's siblings arrived an hour later. I had enough time to shower and get ready. My plan was to stay in my office while she and her siblings caught up but Gideon and Xander came over and here we are now.

Sitting and drinking. Well, they're drinking and I'm just sitting. I can take Marie's music, but her siblings? They drive me crazy.

At every given moment they argue about something so ridiculous. But I love the reaction it pulls out of Marie. Her face lit up, her laugh bouncing off the walls.

It drowns out all of the noise and suddenly it's just her and I. If this is what it takes to hear her laugh then I'll have to deal with it.

Besides I'm learning a lot about her. Like how her favorite movie is Mamma Mia. According to her siblings, she's watched it a million times. That's the only thing they've said about her I myself didn't already figure out.

Like her favorite flower; lavender. She likes black, loves to read romance books and when she's annoyed she cooks or bakes something.

Rising from my seat I head towards the back door, grabbing my cigarettes and lighter on the way out. After a while, I'm joined by Carmen.

She takes a seat in one of the lounge chairs, staring off into the distance. Carmen's a lot like Marie, except for their size. It's like their mother gave birth to the same person twice.

"You should take her to Greece," she randomly says. Sensing my confusion, she continues. "She's always wanted to go there for her honeymoon. My sister's a hopeless romantic and despite our life, always dreamed of falling in love with someone she chose, not our papà. She had it all planned out, they would go on dates, and he would propose to her in some cliché way. Then he would take her to Greece, the one place she's always wanted to go since she was a kid."

She finally turned her attention to me. "And she wouldn't have to tell him to take her there because he would know. He would know because he pays attention to her, the little bits and pieces." She twirls the ring around her finger. "Don't hurt my sister Dante, she deserves to be happy. As much as I hate being compared to my sister, she deserves happiness, because she would always put ours first before her own. That's just who she is."

With that, she heads back inside. I've never seen Carmen so ... serious. She's always so bubbly.

I returned inside and watched from a distance as Marie enjoys herself. A plan forming in my head.

——

  Never in my life did I ever think I would be nervous to take a girl out on a date. I've never done it because I was never interested in anything but sex.

However, I want this to go nicely. A part of me wants it to be perfect. Who would have thought I, of all people, would put someone else's needs before mine.

I'm just not sure I can give her everything she deserves. Give her all of me.

I take a sip of my coffee. My eyes are focused on the stairs, waiting for Marianne to walk down them. She's probably in the bathroom freshening up. Once I hear the sound of a door closing, I grab my shirt off of the counter.

Marianne descends the stairs as I pull my shirt over my head. Her eyes take me in, then they stay glued to my shirt before she walks towards the coffee machine.

"Good morning," I say before taking another sip of my coffee.

She simply grunts a reply. Another thing I've noticed about Marianne, she doesn't like to talk when she wakes up. Not until she's fully woken up.

That brings a smile to my face, one I hide with another sip. I take her in, her hair's in a messy bun and she's wearing a T-shirt big enough to be mine. Come to think of it, it does look like my shirt.

"Is that my shirt?"

She looks down studying her clothing. "I guess it is," she shrugs. "Must have picked it up when I was doing laundry."

"Keep it, it looks better on you."

How should I go about this? Should I just tell her or should I ask her? Then I remember that she doesn't like me telling her what to do, taking away her freedom of speech and

"I was wondering," I clear my throat. I'm fucking nervous, what if she says no? She cocks a brow at me, I'm staring at her not saying a word because it's hard to get the fucking words out.

"If I could take you out on a date?"

She doesn't respond. That does nothing to calm my nerves. For a second I think she's going to tell me no, but a small smile forms on her lips. It takes my breath away how beautiful she is. I'll never get tired of seeing her smile and how I'm the one that made her smile. She's smiling for me.

"Who knew the Dante Russo was capable of asking for something instead of demanding it." she laughs. My heart beats out my fucking chest and I pray to God she can't hear it. "I would love to go on a date with you?"

I can't hold back my smile, I want her to know that her response made me the happiest fucking man on the earth.

"Go and get ready," I nod towards the stairs. "And wear one of those sun dresses."

That's what she was wearing when we first met officially. I don't miss the smirk on her face when she turns to head upstairs.

First I'm taking her to get something to eat, then I'm taking her to a bookstore. One where I may have reserved it for just the two of us. And while we're out I'll have some of my men set up her new bookshelves in one of the guest rooms.

Today has to go perfectly. I'll try to give her as much of me as I can.

——