Born of Fire

As we walked toward the sea, Raf lifted my hand to his lips and kissed the backs of my fingers. We strolled together, enjoying the cool air coming in off the water. When we arrived at my door, it was nearly midnight. I turned to face him. A street light lit up the canal and cast us both in a soft yellow glow.

"So," I began, clearing my throat. "Elda and Pietro are leaving for Puglia for a few weeks. I'll have the place to myself. How about a movie night? For some reason, I feel like watching The Godfather. Can't imagine why."

He grinned. "That's one of my favorite movies."

He stepped closer as I tilted my face up. I closed my eyes as he bent to kiss me, softly at first. When I pressed closer and twined my arms around his neck, the kiss deepened. The fire roared to life in my belly, licking up my spine. Its liquid heat spread through and curled around me. I wrapped my fingers around the back of Raf’s neck and up into his hair, savoring the sweetness of the kiss. He tasted like mint gelato. When the heat traveled up my neck and warmed my cheeks and eyes, my heart fluttered with panic. What if I opened my eyes and they were glowing? He'd freak out.

I kept my eyes shut as my mind raced. I slowly brought the kiss to a close and then dropped my face down. I tucked my head under his chin and against his chest so he couldn’t see my eyes. He kissed the top of my head and brushed my curls away from my cheek. Thank God he didn't seem to notice anything strange. I took slow, deep breaths to calm my racing heart and temper the flame. My cheeks and eyes cooled and when I was certain that my eyes weren't glowing like a rabid dog's, I stepped back and looked up at him.

"Thank you for a lovely night."