Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 548 -

*Tallon*

Natalia and I were greeted with the soft green hills of Tuscany as the sun was finally making its way towards the horizon. The sky was painted in several shades of violet, gold, and pink. It was the perfect way to end the day as well as start our wonderful trip together.

Natalia could still hardly believe that I had chosen this specific location for our destination, the place where we'd first met. For the past several minutes, I was listening to her adorable boasting excitement for having a chance to really see some of the incredible sights that she hadn't enjoyed before when her family had controlled her.

And she was right to be excited. Tuscany was home to a multitude of museums, galleries, and plazas. Her thirst for exploring made me want to dive straight into our schedule as soon as we got off the private jet.

The pilot informed us over the intercom that we were clear to land and that we expected to touch down in a couple more minutes. I watched Natalia lean back in her seat and fasten her seatbelt. Her smile hadn't left her face since we'd left the compound.

Hopefully, I would be able to keep that smile on her face once we got to the villa. It was far too late for us to do any sort of sightseeing, but I was determined to make sure we were well-rested and prepared for the following day. As excited as Natalia was, her little yawn did not go unnoticed. I found myself smiling while she tried to hide her exhaustion. I'd tried to convince her to take a short nap while we were still in transit, but she persistently refused. "I don't want to miss anything," she said.

And with that in mind, I left her be. But with the day eagerly slipping away, I wanted us to get to the villa and settle in. I even managed to reach out to one of the chefs on our staff to have a special dinner prepared as soon as we arrived.

I was personally excited to show Natalia around the villa. The place was gorgeously constructed out of tan stones and soft-colored tiles. The place had belonged in my family for countless generations and was always well taken care of by the staff that remained there throughout the year.

A car was scheduled to pick us up from the airstrip and bring us straight to the house. I graciously took Natalia's hand in my own and led us down the small staircase of the jet to the car waiting for us below.

The ride over to the villa was blissfully serene. Her eyes stayed glued to the window again as we coasted through the small village.

"Oh my God, it's so beautiful," she remarked.

Part of me always sort of wondered what places Natalia wanted to visit. Aside from secretly promising to show her the rest of Italy, what other places would she be interested in traveling to? Would she want to visit Spain? What about France and Germany?

Come summertime, I was more than okay with picking some tropical island for us to spend a few weeks away together. Hell, I didn't care where we'd go. As long as I was with her, it didn't matter.

A wave of pride swelled inside of me while her gaze remained fixed out the window. It was beautiful. Most of the houses in the village were smaller and tucked away amongst the healthy vegetation and greenery. They all carried that same country flare that could make anyone feel right at home.

A humored smile touched my lips. "Just wait until you see it during the day," I mused.

Tuscany was just one of those places that was stunning all year round. If it turned out in the end that Natalia really enjoyed the place, I would have had no objections to us coming back here in the near future for a longer period of time. A few moments later, the car pulled up to the villa and we were greeted by a few of the staff members. Two of the men went to take our bags inside while one of the housekeepers escorted us toward the dining room. "Ah, Mr. Valentino. It's so good that you've come back to visit."

I smiled and lightly nodded. "It has been a while, hasn't it? I promise to hopefully come back here more often if the future allows," I said.

"Come, come. One of the chefs has prepared a light meal for the two of you."

I snaked my arm around Natalia's waist and guided her toward the large table. Just as we were seated, the dishes were brought out and placed in front of us-freshly made tortelli paired with a white wine butter sauce. It smelled amazing along with the basket of freshly made rolls. One of the staff came up from the wine cellar, holding a bottle of Ribolla Gialla.

I watched Natalia take her first bite. Her eyes rolled back and I chuckled. Our meal was delicious and thankfully not too filling. Afterward, one of the staff members informed us that our bags had been placed in the master bedroom. "Let's get to bed," I said warmly. "I'm sure you're exhausted after today."

Natalia nodded her head and the two of us made off to the bedroom, where we got ready for bed. With nothing more than a pair of pajama pants I slid under the inviting covers and waited for Natalia to finish up in the bathroom. "Jesus Christ," I hissed under my breath.

I felt my entire body tense up as I watched her open the bathroom door to reveal a dark purple nightie. The silk nightdress reached the middle of her thighs and effortlessly flowed as she made her way over to the bed. The material hugged every single one of her perfect curves and left nothing to the imagination.

"Well, I 'was' tired," I thought shamelessly to myself.

I didn't know who was in charge of packing her suitcase, but I was ready and willing to send the largest, most elaborate thank-you note I could replace.

Natalia pulled back the covers to climb into bed, but she paused half way through. She looked at me in puzzlement, completely unaware of her natural beauty. "What?" she asked.

"Do you have any idea how gorgeous you are?"

Her eyes widened while a deep blush touched her cheeks.

"Oh, stop it," she hushed.

I swiftly reached out to cup her cheek and leaned over to press a chaste kiss to her lips. I thanked her for allowing me to take her on this trip, given that it was a bit last minute. But so far, I was convinced that she was enjoying the surprise. I turned to shut off the remaining light in the room and the two of us slipped into a consuming, yet welcoming sleep the moment we closed our eyes.

***

The following morning, we were greeted by the sun streaming its light through the curtains of the bedroom. I cracked my eyes open and instantly found myself smiling as my gaze took in the magnificent sight of Natalia wrapped around my side.

She looked so peaceful that I actually felt bad about disturbing her sleep. But I had planned a full day out and I couldn't wait for us to start exploring together.

I leaned over to press a soft kiss to her temple, trying to coax her into waking. Natalia slowly blinked her eyes open and graced me with a warm smile.

"It's time to get ready, love. We have a busy day ahead of us," I told her.

With one last lingering kiss, I got up from the bed and headed into the bathroom for a quick shower and a fresh change of clothes. I secretly wished that Natalia would have joined me in the shower, but I could see that she was still feeling a bit sluggish from our travels the night before.

No matter... as soon as I finished up in the bathroom I gave her privacy and wandered into the dining room. The staff had laid out a perfect spread of fresh fruit, cheeses, and pastries to pick on.

Natalia joined me no later than twenty minutes and she looked breathtaking. She wore a long dress with a pair of sandals that were perfect for walking around all day. She left her hair down and braided it back with just a few pieces framing her face.

Once we finished breakfast, we set off to where we became swept up in the stunning art and culture of the lustrous city. We started out at the Piazza del Duomo, where Natalia had utterly fallen in love with Renaissance artistry and Gothic architecture. Her mind looked as though it had short-circuited when we came upon the Leaning Tower of Pisa. We spent hours roaming about the place, where eventually I got us to a small cafe that made homemade biscotti. From there, we kept wandering around the multitude of small, well-kept villages and simply enjoyed the ambiance and local life.

I caught myself glancing over at the beautiful woman next to me throughout the day and consistently asked myself how I'd become so lucky. As crazy as our relationship has been in the past, I couldn't imagine myself with anyone else. She was the one.

"Today was incredible, Tallon," Natalia said. "Thank you so much for taking me here."

Our perfect day was spent the best way imaginable and I wanted it to have that same wonderful ending as well.

"It's not over yet," I told her with a knowing smile.

For our evening plans, I made a reservation at one of the most exclusive restaurants in the city. I had specifically asked for a private room, overlooking the Apennine Mountains. I wanted total privacy for us. Not to mention I had another special gown waiting for Natalia back at the villa for her to wear. I did not want any other man getting the chance to ogle her tonight.

Natalia raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

"We have special dinner arrangements tonight."

A look of worry streaked across her face. "We do?" She looked down at her clothing. "Am I even dressed for these so-called dinner plans?"

I chuckled and pulled her into my embrace. "You look perfect in anything you wear, but I've already picked you up something special for tonight."

After we had enough wandering and exploring, I had the car bring us back to the villa. We headed straight to the bedroom to get ready.

Natalia froze in the doorway when she saw what outfit I had chosen for her. It was a sift, petal pink colored gown with a long slit up the side. Along with it was a set of rose gold earrings and a matching necklace.

"Tallon," she said breathlessly. "It's beautiful."

"Try it on," I urged her.

She took the dress into the bathroom to get ready while I began to change out of my own clothes. For tonight, I decided to go with a light beige suit and a tie that would match Natalia's gown. Before she'd finished getting ready, I swiftly took out the small velvet box from the top drawer of the dresser and slipped it into my pocket.

My heart leaped into my throat when I finally got a real chance to look at her. As I expected, the dress fit her like a glove, and her hair remained in loose curls around her shoulders.

"You look perfect."

"So do you," she whispered back.

As the driver took us into the city, Natalia went on to talk about everything we had seen during the day, but my mind was reeling from the one question that was branded in my mind. The velvet box that held the ring felt like it was burning a hole in my pocket.

I just hoped that I could make it through tonight.