Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 519 -

*Tallon*

The long staircase leading to the main building was as old as the city itself and I told her that, describing all of the little details I could to her curious mind. I led her inside, where the shiny marble floors caught her interest. I was delighted when her first instinct was to take off her shoes and pretend to skate around the floors with a giggle. I had done the same thing when I was a kid.

Just for the hell of it, I kicked off my shoes, throwing them to the wind as I grabbed her hand like we were preparing for a waltz and twirling her around on our socked feet. My cheeks hurt from smiling and I felt like I couldn't breathe from how hard we were laughing, especially when one of my spins sent me straight into a priceless vase.

We'd only stared at the broken pieces on the floor for a minute before running away laughing like madmen. I kept an eye on the clock as I took her on a sweeping tour of the 'castle' as she stubbornly called it.

And just when the clock struck four and the sun began to set, I knew it was time for the grand welcoming I'd prepared. I showed Natalia to our room, a little anxious to see her reaction when I mentioned we would be staying together, but she was unfazed like she had already expected it.

Warm and giddy, I led her to the bed where laid out were two white boxes, each stamped with Dahlia's signature on the top-a special order from her favorite brother, she'd said. She'd even told me she'd done something special that I would either hate her or love her for.

"Our clothes for my surprise, milady." I offered her the box without looking, trusting in Dahlia's vision as I handed it off.

She pursed her lips, shaking the box like it was a Christmas present and she could guess what it was, but the fabric wasn't the noisiest.

Eventually, I scooted her into the bathroom, allowing her some privacy to change as I did the same. The suit was exactly what I expected of Dahlia. It was a deep blue silk with matching pants and a silver tie.

Looking closer, there was an almost impossible-to-see embroidery on the fabric in a deeper blue that gave so much more depth than I thought possible. The silver trim added just the right touch as well.

I was surprised at how easily it fit despite Dahlia not having come to visit in years. She knew me better than I knew myself apparently and I gazed into the mirror, satisfied with how I looked. I was just starting to wonder why Dahlia had given a hesitant message when Natalia stepped out of the bathroom.

If there was a way for my breath to be stolen straight from my lungs, this moment would be it.

Like a goddess who'd stepped out of the sea, she wore a dress of the deepest ocean blue that hugged every curve of her body, flaring out at the end in a seafoam silver like she had been adorned by the very waves herself.

Her hair fell in curls on one side of her bare shoulders, her dress the perfect shade of gorgeous as her eyes.

"Wow," I muttered in wonder, taken aback by how wonderful she looked, but in reality, it wasn't the dress that had me so awestruck. The dress was just a feature, a bonus to her beauty. Yet, it exaggerated those features I loved so much, accentuated all of her, and any man would have his jaw on the floor looking at her now.

Dahlia had outdone herself this time.

My lips split into a wide grin, unable to take my eyes off of her as she stepped into the bedroom with a shy smile. "You look gorgeous, Natalia."

She beamed like a star on a cloudless night.

"So what's the big surprise?" she asked coyly as she offered out her hand to wrap around my arm. As we fell into place beside one another, I noticed exactly what Dahlia had been referring to.

The blue of my coat and the silver of my tie were the exact match of her dress. We fit together like one puzzle piece in two halves.

'Dammit Dahlia,' I cursed, realizing now exactly what she had sent to us-a couples outfit.

It wasn't that I was embarrassed to be seen in a couples outfit with Natalia-far from it. I just didn't want this to be too early, to ruin the perfect night I'd set up by making it awkward.

But Natalia glanced me up and down, then at her dress and she giggled, covering her mouth with her hand as she broke into loud bursts of true, joyful laughter. I grinned at her clear joy, putting off my worries as I led her down to the car. The night sky had just turned a dull shade of violet and pink, the sun falling over the distant mountains as I helped Natalia into my convertible, taking the driver's seat. As I readied the car, Natalia leaned over to turn on the radio, beaming when she recognized the song playing.

She sang along quietly, leaning her hand just outside the window as we took off down the streets of the city. Positano was a tourist destination for a reason, and the views were breathtaking as we drove over the mountainous backroads to the main city.

Over the hills, the city was a gleaming beacon of lights, nearly everything lit up and sparkling across the various canals and rivers. Natalia sighed at the scene, a beautiful smile crossing her features.

I smirked to myself-score two for Tallon.

We pulled up to the restaurant, only a simple plain sign in the front that declared itself as il Tridente, which admittedly didn't look like much from the ground, but lucky for me, we weren't going to be eating on the ground. The classic stone structure was easy to miss if you didn't know what you were looking for, and Natalia only raised an eyebrow at me as we entered the plain-looking building.

I only smirked at the waiter standing at the entrance, who bowed when he spotted us.

"Welcome, sir and ma'am. This way please." He gestured his arm toward the winding staircase in front of us.

I sent Natalia a smirk, keeping an eye on her skeptical expression.

He led us to the top of the building and opened the doors leading us to the rooftop. Natalia gasped. The entire city could be seen for miles from this one view and under the night sky, it seemed like a thousand stars had descended upon the city, dancing before us in a rhythm of life.

"Like it?" I whispered into her ear.

"Yes," she breathed, giving me a soft look. "Thank you, so much. I've never seen anything so beautiful."

"Not even this view can compare to your beauty," I grinned, bringing her hand up to my lips for a gentle kiss.

"That was corny," she laughed, with a soft dust of pink on her cheeks.

"But it worked," I smirked, victoriously and she rolled her eyes fondly. The waiter directed us to our table, letting us get settled and as we ordered drinks to start, Natalia glanced around at the empty rooftop with a questioning look. "Did you-" Realization dawned on her and she sent me a shocked look. "Did you rent out the entire restaurant?"

"Maybe." I shrugged.

"Of course you did." She shook her head. "That was unnecessary, you know. I would have been perfectly fine in a crowded restaurant." "Sure," I agreed easily, sending her a wicked smirk. "But I'm kinda selfish and I wanted you all to myself."

"Flirt!"

"Guilty."

The candlelight on the tables set up a romantic glow and we talked as we waited for our food. The drinks were sublime, as I knew they would be, and while I took sips of my Chianti, Natalia was on her third by the time our food had arrived. While the basil Scialatielli pasta was amazing, I was only a little surprised to see Natalia order the Classic Club sandwich with extra crispy bacon. She devoured it and even across from her, I could hear the crunch of her burnt bacon with every bite.

"The poor pig that had to be butchered and then burnt for that sandwich," I teased her, sipping my wine.

"His sacrifice was not in vain," she shot back with a grin. "He was delicious. Besides, if it's not black, it's not done yet."

"Please tell me that's not how you make your smores, because I am about to riot."

"If it's not black-" she repeated, sending me a wicked grin.

"Don't even say it," I gasped in horror, placing a hand over my poor weak heart. "You heathen!"

She burst into giggles, plucking the cherry from her cocktail and pulling off the stem. I swallowed when she stuck the stem into her mouth, playing with it for only a few seconds before she stuck out her tongue. It was in a perfect loop.

"Guilty as charged." She winked.

"Fucking hell," I breathed and she laughed, open and free with no sign of the guard I'd seen from her. Our conversations came easily and smoothly, and I hung on to every word, allowing myself to relax.

I wasn't even drunk but I felt like I was as our conversation delved deeper from the surface and straight into our hearts. She confessed about her mother and how she wanted to pay her back for everything she'd done for her and I'd told her about my siblings, and how I felt like Alessandro still resented me for being chosen as the successor to our family.

I kept out the mafia, choosing my words carefully, but as the night continued, our tongues got looser. Natalia kept downing drink after drink and soon, I wasn't even keeping count. While I was still sober, she'd quickly delved into a state of non- coherence.

It wasn't until Natalia looked me straight in the eyes with a totally serious look and said, "Let's rob a bank," that I realized maybe it was time for the night to end.

"Okay, okay," I agreed easily, grinning as I helped to gather her from the rooftop and head down the stairs. After she tripped on the fourth stair for the fourth time, I simply lifted her into my arms, carrying her down the rest of the stairs and to the car.

"Ooh! Princess! I'm a princess!" She giggled happily to herself, completely out of her mind at this point and I laughed along, settling her into the car. She struggled a bit, wanting to get out, and kept suggesting increasingly alarming things. "Let's get tattoos on our butts!"

"Uh-huh," I nodded, buckling her up.

"I wanna fly! Can we fly?"

"You mean in an airplane?"

"No," She whined, "I wanna be a bird! Get me wings and let's fly!"

"I'll be sure to do that." I kissed her forehead, rounding the car to settle into the driver's seat. I thanked the waiter before leaving, though he kept chuckling into his hand as she threw her arms out and nearly punched me in the jaw. "Good night," I told the waiter, settling her hands at her sides. Luckily, the minute the car started, all of her drunk energy was zapped out of her. She fell asleep within five minutes, leaning on my shoulder as she kept murmuring nonsense. When we got back to the villa, Natalia was so out of it that I couldn't get her to wake up. I carefully pulled her from the seat, carrying my sleeping princess into the villa. I glanced down at her with a grin, having had one of the best nights of my life thanks to her.

And despite my after-dinner plans having been ruined due to her drunken state, I wouldn't have changed anything. I couldn't lay a hand on her, not when she was this drunk. I respected her and myself too much for that.

But as I took her up the stairs, carrying her across the villa's threshold like a newlywed husband carrying his bride, a sudden realization fell over me.

I glanced at Natalia in my arms, my heart soft and warm as I gazed upon her. Softly, I murmured the words I'd been longing to say all night.

"I love you."

Natalia stirred, frowning as she shifted and for a heart-stopping moment I thought she had woken up, had somehow heard me but all she did was murmur, "Macaroni," and fall still once more.

I laughed to myself, laying a kiss on her forehead.

Now I only had to tell her when she was awake.