Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 516 -

*Tallon*

After a long day of stressfully trying to track down our mole, I was more than ready to meet Natalia for a date. I had spent such a long time pursuing her that it still surprised me when she quickly answered my texts and calls.

I had called her during lunch to ask her out to dinner and was excited when she easily said yes. Now I was on my way to pick her up from her apartment. She lived within walking distance of the heart of the city, and although I would have felt much better if she was safe within the compound, I couldn't help but agree with her that her apartment was in a great location.

I walked up to her door and knocked, holding a bouquet of flowers in my hand, including a sprig of bleeding hearts. I smiled to myself as I remembered our previous conversation. I knew I was being sappy as hell, but I didn't care. Natalia was worth it.

She opened the door with a small smile on her lips. My jaw dropped as I took in her perfect figure in a form-fitting red dress. I could practically feel my mouth watering as I stared at the way it hugged her hips. It was cut low in the front, and she had paired it with a teardrop necklace that might as well have been a damn arrow pointing directly at her cleavage. Her demure smile changed to a smirk when she realized that she had literally left me speechless.

"I-wow-you look amazing," I finally managed to stutter out as I handed her the bouquet.

She took the flowers and studied them, grinning when she noticed the bleeding hearts.

"Thank you," she said simply, still smiling widely.

I loved that I had been the one to make her smile. I had noticed that she always looked a little sad around the eyes, and I was determined to be the one to change that.

"How do you feel about Spanish food?" I asked. "I know an amazing wine and tapas place near here."

"That sounds amazing." She took her bouquet inside and sat it on her table, then turned back to me.

I reached out the crook of my elbow so that she could put her hand on it.

"You're so old-fashioned," she chuckled.

"A beautiful woman is always worth dusting off the old chivalry," I responded as she tucked her hand into my arm and we began our short walk to the restaurant. "And besides, I want everyone we pass to know that you're my date. You look far too gorgeous tonight."

At that, she threw her head back and laughed. Her laugh was perfect. She was normally so reserved that her laugh always caught me a little off guard. I loved the way her laugh overtook her body; it was like she forgot everything except whatever had given her such joy. I wanted to spend the rest of my life making her laugh just like that.

"Tallon, has anyone ever told you that you are an insufferable flirt?" she finally asked once she had caught her breath.

I pressed my hand to my chest in mock hurt. "You think this is me flirting? No, this is just me being honest! Do you really not know how amazing you look? Come on, surely you looked at yourself in the mirror at least once before I got to your place."

"You are ridiculous! And what's with the fake humility? I know you know exactly how good-looking you are. Surely you have women falling all over themselves to try to get with you," she said.

She was still smiling, but there was a slight edge to her tone that made me think it was time to get serious and tell her just how deeply my feelings for her ran.

"Natalia, there is nobody who has ever made me feel the way you make me feel. I need you to know that to me, this is more real than anything else I've ever felt. I care about you too much for you to not know how special you are to me." I stopped on the sidewalk and turned to her, dropping her hand from my arm so that I could gently frame her face with my hands.

She was still looking down instead of meeting my eyes, so I moved one hand under her chin and encouraged her to lift her face so she could see the sincerity in mine.

"I don't think I'm alone in feeling like this," I said quietly once she met my eyes.

"No... you're not," she said.

Before she could pull away, I leaned forward and kissed her, trying to bridge the gap that she seemed so intent on keeping between us. I knew that the passion we had for each other was like a pile of kindling, and I was determined to be the match that set it all on fire.

Our kiss was scorching, all tongue and lips and teeth pressing, silently saying everything that we weren't yet brave enough to voice out loud to each other. Her hands were clenched against my chest, holding fistfuls of my shirt. Aware that we were in public, I kept my hands chastely pressed against her cheeks, but I couldn't help but think of where I'd love to let them wander if we were alone.

Finally, we had burned through whatever tension we'd seemed to be holding, and we both came up for air. Natalia's eyes were bright with emotion. The streetlights and stars reflected in their blue depths, and I knew I could spend forever letting myself get lost in them.

"You are remarkable," I said softly before finally turning back in the direction of the restaurant.

She smiled and tangled her fingers in mine, letting me lead the way. We had only walked a few blocks before the delicious scent of seafood and Spanish spices enveloped us. The sound of a guitar playing flamenco music drifted through the night. The restaurant spilled out onto the sidewalk, where they had string lights hung up over small tables.

Natalia stopped and turned to me, a grin on her face. "This place looks amazing!"

My heart warmed to see the pure joy overtake her. I still wasn't sure exactly what it was that made Natalia so reserved, but I had an inkling that it had something to do with her family. I wondered if she hadn't grown up being taken to very many fun places.

I knew that I had lived an exceptionally privileged life thanks to my family; not many people had traveled as extensively as I had. Knowing that I could give Natalia just a bit of that excited me just to think about it. I began to think of all the places I could take her, but I knew I would have to be careful not to scare her off. She probably wasn't ready for an international trip just yet, but perhaps I could convince her to come away with me just for a weekend.

We were quickly seated at the restaurant; I slipped the hostess a few extra euros to ensure she would give us the best table, right next to a small fountain that was bubbling in the corner of their patio. The twinkle lights were strung on the opposite side from us so that our table was more in the shadows than others. I wanted Natalia to feel like we had plenty of privacy. I had come to realize that she was an extremely private person and I respected that, knowing how many secrets I myself had to keep on a regular basis.

"Have you ever eaten Spanish cuisine?" I asked her before our waiter came over.

"No, I have no idea what to order." She was scanning the menu a little desperately, obviously trying to decide quickly.

"Do you want me to order for the both of us?" I asked. I loved to take control like that, but I never wanted to come off as overbearing, not to a woman like her. She nodded as the waiter arrived.

In Spanish, which I knew was rusty, I ordered an expensive bottle of Spanish wine and a ridiculous amount of food. I was showing off slightly, but I couldn't stop myself. I was so eager to prove myself to Natalia.

"Wow, impressive," she said when the waiter walked away. "How many languages do you know?"

"I'll be honest. I barely know Spanish." I laughed. "I primarily speak Italian and English, and a tiny bit of Russian."

She had an odd look on her face. I worried that I was coming off as pretentious. "It's more thanks to my parents than anything else," I rushed to say, trying to ensure I didn't seem like a snob.

"That's nice," she said, seemingly wanting to change the subject. Thankfully, the waiter arrived with our wine so I didn't have to sit in my embarrassment for too long.

Natalia took a small sip and smiled. I drank from my own glass and tried to force myself to relax. I felt my limbs loosen a bit as the liquid hit my stomach.

Before we had the chance to start up our conversation again, our first round of tapas had arrived. Our waiter set down a plate of mussels in red sauce and another plate with warm bread to soak up the red sauce. I watched as Natalia took her first bite, satisfaction filling me as she closed her eyes in enjoyment. Choosing that moment to be brave, I decided to finally ask her to go away with me. "What do you think of taking a long weekend to travel?" I asked.

She looked surprised, but I had emotionally prepared for that reaction. I knew that she would initially be wary, but I hoped that I could convince her that she would enjoy it.

"Not far, just to Positano and the Isle of Capri. I promise you'll love it. Just for the weekend."

I could practically read her thoughts on her face. She was worried that this was too big of a step, but I knew that it was exactly what we needed. I didn't know why, but she seemed determined to keep some amount of distance between us.

I was sure that a weekend away together would give me the time I needed to show her that she didn't have to be scared to let me in. I would be there for her. In fact, if I was really being honest with myself, I was beginning to think that Natalia was the woman I was meant to spend the rest of my life with.

"I don't know, Tallon..." she hedged. I waited, unwilling to push any harder than I already had.

Finally, she smiled. "Okay, what the hell? Let's do it!"

I grinned and reached for her hand across the table. "We can leave tomorrow. I'll arrange everything. Just tell me what time to pick you up."

I could see the excitement overtaking her trepidation as she grinned back at me and squeezed my hand. "Okay, I can be ready by eight."

We spent the rest of the dinner planning our trip, our excitement building as we talked. By the time I was leaving her at her apartment, I could hardly wait for the next day. Our goodnight kiss lingered until we were both panting and clinging to each other, but she pulled away before it could grow into anything more.

"I need to pack," she said as I kissed my way down the side of her neck.

"Alright," I whispered. "But come tomorrow morning, you're mine."

I felt her shiver under my hands and pressed a few more kisses to the soft spot under her earlobe that I knew would raise goosebumps along her neck. I wanted to leave her wanting more, and I intended to give it to her.

"Goodnight, Tallon," she finally said, her voice breathy with desire.

"I'll see you tomorrow, love," I told her before shutting her door gently.

I practically skipped to my car.

I felt like things were finally going right between us.