Chapter 32
The next morning when I woke, Alessandro was already up. I gave a loud yawn and stretched out across an empty bed, sweeping my hand over his spot that had since gotten cold. I sensed Alessandro's movement on the terrace outside and pulling on the shirt he wore yesterday, stepped out to join him. The morning was crisp and chilly but with a touch of warm as the sun made its journey up over the sleepy buildings of Florence.
"Lizzie." He spotted me from his position at the breakfast table and moved out to allow me access to his warm lap.
He pulled me down onto his knees and I cuddled up against his warm body, slipping cold fingers under his thick bath robe. He smelled fresh, like he'd just gotten out of the shower.
"That's cold." Alessandro chuckled at my light touch on his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and gave me a kiss. "You slept well."
"I did," I nodded.
"Yes, you have the cutest little snore when you're in a deep sleep." He grinned and I shot upright.
"I do not! That's a lie!"
Alessandro chuckled. "How would you know? You were sleeping!"
I blushed scarlet. "I know because ladies don't snore."
"Just like they don't burp, fart or drool on their husband's shoulders when they sleep with their mouths open?"
I stopped at that. "Oh god. I don't, do I?"
His lips pressed into a smirk. "Once or twice."
I was mortified.
Alessandro, the perfect gentleman he was (not), only laughed. "You are adorable. And Sexy. And simply irresistible."
He gave my earlobe a playful bite and I gasped as the sensation sent hot tingles shooting through by body and right to my pelvis. Then attacking my neck, he nibbled it like a hungry vampire, his stubbly chin that he'd chosen not to shave that morning scratching up against sensitive skin. I giggled and bat him off with a hand, deathly afraid of losing my balance on his lap and landing on my butt on the cold terracotta tiles below.
"No bella, I'm not finished with you yet," Alessandro husked and grabbing at a knee, he managed to urge me around so that I straddled him on his seat.
Running a hand through my messy tangle of bed-hair, he gripped the back of my neck and pulled me in for a hungry kiss hot enough to melt steel. I moaned against him, the carnal push of his tongue deep into my mouth sending my body into instant firestorm. I felt his solid erection that pressed into the sensitive spot between my legs but just as I was about to start gently rubbing myself there he grabbed me by the thighs and parted his legs.
I broke from the kiss. "Ales-?"
But then his fingers slid between my thighs and my breath hitched in my throat.
"Oh..." I said and he watched on, satisfaction etched all over his face as my eyes fluttered the moment his long fingers glided into that moist, sensitive heat. "Oh god."
My body trembled against his hand that expertly stroked and teased me down there, his every touch sending scorching heat racing through my body. I found myself panting against him, bracing my arms on his shoulders because I needed something to hold me up while he did this to me. My hips moved against him in circular motion, the cracking hiss of sensation reaching fever pitch. My fingers clawed through his hair, my moans turning to desperate gasps. I fell to pieces under his expert hand but still he continued to watch me.
"Alessandro." I strained against him. "Oh god, I need you. Please!"
I didn't want it to end like this. As much as my body screamed out for it, I didn't want to climax by his hand. I wanted him to fill me like he'd never done before, to complete the coupling that would send us both over the edge.
"Please!"
"Your wish is my command, amore," I heard his blessed rasp and before I knew it he was fishing a condom from his pocket and releasing himself from his pants. Strong hands lifted me by the hips and in one clean plunge he was deep inside me.
"Yes!" I threw my head back as the sensation sent every synapses in my body snapping into overdrive.
He filled me to the brim, his solidness pushing into tender, sensitised flesh. Alessandro groaned, hands holding my hips in a bruising grip as I pushed my body into a slow grind. My every move sent a fresh wave of pleasure rolling through me, glutted with such intensity it had me crying out from the sheer sensation of it. I rode him harder and faster, his rock hard cock slamming into me so deep that I saw stars. When the orgasm came, it was with such force that my whole body bucked and flailed against him. I called his name loud enough I was sure the entire city of Florence heard it and Alessandro followed me shortly after. My body flopped against him, boneless and spent. I found myself staring into his two pools of blue, the colour barely visible against the black of his wide pupils. I kissed him on the nose and then just sort of half-sat-half-lay against him as I waited for my body to reboot. Eventually, I managed the strength to lift myself off his body that I was certain had gone numb under the weight of me sitting on him. He fixed himself as I struggled on jelly-like legs to the neighbouring seat, letting out a yelp as cold steel kissed my still very hot and very wet underside. I really needed to consider putting on some underwear.
"So what's on the agenda for today?" I asked.
"We'll pay Luca and Olivia a visit at the villa and stay there a couple of days. Hopefully by now he's gotten what he needs to get out of his system and he can focus on becoming a father."
Alessandro went back to checking his phone and I headed inside to shower.
We drove out to Luca's villa later that morning. The villa sat atop a hill that overlooked the small town of Vinci. Morning sunlight bounced off a sea of rolling hills and set the landscape ablaze with an array of stunning, autumn colour. Olive groves lined the hillside leading up to the massive old house that even had its own fountain bubbling in the stone driveway. The villa had been given a fresh coat of sunny yellow paint which matched perfectly with its Tuscan surroundings. Luca greeted us at the door, not even waiting for his staff to pull it open for him. He seemed a bit more relaxed this morning. Though, maybe it was because we were seeing him in daylight as opposed to the oppressive lighting of a night club.
"Alessandro, Lisabetta." He dispensed with the customary kiss on each cheek.
Inside, the space was sunny yet the tiles inside were a refreshing cool in contrast to the morning that was already heating up. Alessandro whistled his approval as he and Luca fell into a discussion on what Luca had done to fix the place up. Apparently it had been virtually derelict, when Luca had bought it. We followed his lead through a gorgeous entrance foyer and into a sunny sitting area with French doors that opened out to the olive groves outside. It was from her perch on a white sofa that very pregnant woman greeted us with a shy smile. She was so pretty! She was so small and dainty. Long, golden hair reached down past her shoulders in fat locks. It looked so soft that it took every ounce of my will not to reach out and touch it. But most evident was the fact that under her elegant dress was a wide, protruding baby bump. She looked about ready to pop!
"It's nice to meet you, Lizzie." Puffy lips that she insisted on chewing extended into a sweet smile. Even her accent was refined and beautiful. English.
"You must have a very forgiving obstetrician to allow you to be travelling so late in this condition," I said, copying her smile.
She followed my gesture at her protruding stomach and placed a protective hand over it. There it was again; the lip chewing. Was she nervous? Shy? Or maybe she just didn't like me. I wasn't sure. The tension in the air was thick enough that we could cut it with a butter knife and Alessandro next to me was making no attempt at alleviating it. Instead, he just stood quietly, eyes deliberately virtually drilling into woman and her baby bump.
"Olivia and I are getting married," beamed Luca.
He reached for Olivia's hand and held it up to show us the ring he'd bought her. It was a beautiful diamond encrusted in white gold that surely had to be worth more than the average yearly income. Olivia's cheeks blossomed pink, a noticeable quiver forming on her lip. Was that embarrassment? Shame? I was confused, because the last I'd heard she was still married to that old guy in England.
"This, of course will all happen once Olivia's divorce finalises," clarified Luca.
Awkward silence reigned supreme so I opted to take up a seat on the couch across from her and change the topic before Alessandro and Luca found themselves caught up in another argument.
"Olivia, how are you feeling?" I asked her, signalling again to her pregnancy.
She shrugged, stunning golden locks catching the morning sunlight and giving her a glow. She looked like an angel. "As well as a nine-month pregnant woman could be, I suppose."
"Have you suffered much morning sickness?" I asked.
The vague smile she gave me confirmed it. "The doctor said it should have subsided by about three months but it still persists." Then an ironic chuckle. "I have no idea why they call it morning sickness because it seems to just hit whenever it wants."
She pressed a hand to her belly and squinted from the visible discomfort she was experiencing.
I reached for her hand. "Olivia, will you perhaps be more comfortable if you could lie down for a bit?"
"Yes. Please," she said quickly. "But I don't want to be rude."
I glanced at the men who had since switched to speaking in Italian. I doubt they had even noticed. They wouldn't miss us. I turned to Alessandro and ran a hand along his solid arm, alerting him to the fact that I wanted his attention. He snapped from his conversation to meet my gaze and I didn't miss the annoyed glance Luca shot me.
"Amore mio, Olivia is not well. I'm going to take her to her room to rest. You boys can stay and finish your catch-up," I said in my best society-wife voice, making sure to end it with an apologetic glance at Luca, but his face had gone an instant shade of white. He leapt to his feet.
"Olivia? Do you need to see a doctor? Are you well? Is the child-?"
"I'm fine, Luca," Olivia snapped and yet even that seemed to be said with such poise and grace. "I think I just need to rest."
Luca then insisted on taking her to their room, but in the end I won out. I took her hand and Olivia directed me up the main stairs and through a house made for a family of fifty before we reached the master suite. Luca's maid had already pulled back the sheets and Olivia slipped into the bed with a weary sigh.
"Is there something I can get you?" I asked. "Tea? Dry toast?"
"No, I don't think I could stomach anything right now. I'm so sorry for this, Lizbeth. This is hardly what a good hostess should be doing."
I gave her a gentle smile. She was so beautiful and dignified, like a real princess. "Don't you worry about a thing, Olivia. Get some rest. You and the baby are top priority."
The next morning I snapped awake to the clap of thunder. Dawn was just on the approach though the sunlight found itself hampered by the giant thundercloud that rumbled and down-poured all over the Tuscan countryside. It was so relaxing that I just lay there for a while, listening to the thunder and the rain on the terracotta roof. Alessandro beside me was still dead to the world, one hand draped over my hip as he snored lightly into the back of my neck. Eventually, restlessness started to sink in and I slipped out of bed. It was still too early for the household to be up so I pulled on some yoga pants, a loose T-shirt and my runners and headed downstairs to the basement. What in the past had been a wine cellar and food storage was now a state of the art gym which Luca seemed particularly proud of when we'd toured the house with him yesterday. Much to my delight, the gym was uninhabited so popping some music on my headphones, I hit the treadmill in a steady jog.
About twenty minutes later and oozing torrents of sweat, I found myself joined by another body. I shot a sideways glance at Luca's nicely chiselled physique as he joined me on the next treadmill over.
"You're up early," he said.
I tugged the headphones out and attempted a smile while trying to avoid getting sweat in my eyes. "Thunderstorm woke me up."
He nodded and started to jog. We exercised in silence for a bit until I turned my attention to the weights. Luca followed behind, a somewhat bemused smirk reminiscent of Alessandro's planted on his lips.
"What?" I asked and copied the gesture.
He shrugged. "I'm just trying to see what makes you so special."
I shot him the raise of an eyebrow. "I'm not sure what that's supposed to mean, Luca."
He indicated a hand toward the upstairs where the remainder of the household still slumbered. "How you managed to snag someone like Alessandro. He's a fortress. He lets literally no one in. What sort of spell did you cast on him?"
"Um. Love?" I lifted the barbell onto my shoulders and completed a round of squats.
Luca smirked. "If only we could all be so lucky."
I stopped at that, barely managing to place the barbell down without crushing my toes. "You don't love Olivia?"
"I do. I think. It's just that..." Luca fell into a contemplative silence for a moment, only the sounds of grunting leaving his lips while he embarked on his own set of lifts. He dropped the barbell and ran his hands through thick, brown hair. In his equally brown eyes there was sadness. Guilt, I suppose. Then he shrugged his large shoulders. "It's nothing."
"Oh..." I said. "Luca, why is getting married so important then?"
"Because," he spat. He went rigid, body tight and muscles popping in his jaw, expression turning deadly. Ok, so this defiantly wasn't my business.
"Maybe you should talk to Olivia," I said. "Express everything that you're not expressing to me. I know your situation is a little complicated but you still you need to tell her what you're feeling so that she can know the full extent of your point of view."
Luca opted for stony silence after that. Feeling that my welcome was up, I decided to finish my routine and left him to contemplate in silence. Had I meddled too much? I headed back up to my bedroom where, much to my surprise, Alessandro was still sleeping soundly. The man never slept this late. He was lying on his stomach, limbs star-fished across the bed, covers half way down to his butt, revealing one very naked and chiselled back. I smirked and felt the heat from my workout go straight to my groin. He was so sexy, even when sleeping. It really wasn't fair. But it was probably best to let the billionaire lie. He'd been up through the night conferencing with staff on the other side of the world. Planting a quick kiss on the back of his shoulder, I snuck into the bathroom.
At some point in my shower a presence joined me. I gave a yelp as I felt the strong arms wind their way around my body and the firm lips that pressed into my naked, wet shoulder.
"What are you contemplating, amante? Your thoughts are off in space."
I giggled at his ministrations on the side of my neck, becoming increasingly aware of his firm, solid body that pressed up against my back.
"Luca mentioned something interesting to me, this morning."
"You spoke to Luca?" He seemed genuinely surprised and genuinely unaware that I'd left him to sleep alone for most of the morning.
I nodded. "In the gym. I'm not sure that he's entirely prepared to go through with this marriage."
Just as Luca had done earlier, Alessandro went rigid. I spun around in his grasp to watch his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. A grim expression had fallen over his bronzed features.
"Alessandro?"
"I see," he said evenly.
I waited but he seemed intent on not expanding on his thoughts. What was it with Zingaro men and shutting down on their feelings? I toyed with the tiny hairs on his chest now soaked in shower water. I could feel his heart thudding in his chest and I frowned.
"Alessandro, what aren't you telling me?"
His lip twitched and then angled down into a frown. "Nothing."
"Oh really?" I found a particularly long hair and plucked it from his chest and he leapt back and swore.
"Lizzie! What was that for?"
"For closing up on me and then lying about it!" I said. "If you don't want to talk about it, then just tell me! There's no need to lie."
He rubbed the spot close to his nipple which had already formed a red welt and I felt an instant pang of regret. I didn't mean to hurt him... that much. "Alright, I'm sorry. Sì, you caught me. I may be somewhat aware of Luca's and Olivia's situation." He ran a hand through his soaked, black hair. "But for heaven's sake, Lizzie, don't go meddling. Let them sort their own issues out, alright?"
I shrugged. "Its fine, I wasn't going to anyway. It's their business."
Finishing up washing, I stepped from the shower and let Alessandro take over the stall. I dried down and wrapped myself up in the towel.
"Did he talk to you about it too?" I asked through the shower door.
"Sì," Alessandro finished rinsing shampoo from his hair. Then his hands dropped and he glanced at me through the fogged up glass, blue eyes looking sullen. "It is my fault that they are in this situation in the first place."
I frowned. "How?"
Stepping from the stall, Alessandro reached for a towel and took a moment to rub himself down. Then wrapping it around his lean waist, he reached for my arm and directed me back into our bedroom.
"I introduced them. They had chemistry, I noticed it, but I did nothing to dissuade Luca from seducing her."
"Alessandro, Luca is a grown man." I sat down on the bed, crossing my arms over, frown persisting on my face. "He's old enough to make his own decisions. Even the bad ones."
Alessandro nodded and dropped the towel. "I know, Lizzie. But I can't help but think I could have prevented it."
I bit my lip and felt my cheeks ripen not so much from what he was saying but what he was doing. Stark naked he talked across the room without a care in the world and located some underwear in his top drawer.
"I ought to have had enough foresight to see something like this coming. Luca doesn't exactly have a squeaky clean reputation when it comes to beautiful women." Then his face darkened. "And now he's gotten a married woman pregnant and wants to marry her himself."
"What has Olivia's husband said in all of this? I can't imagine he'd be happy," I said.
Alessandro pulled on some slacks, my eyes following the trail of his long fingers as he zipped up his fly. I sucked in a breath. This was like a strip tease in reverse; it was doing my head in! "Livid would be an understatement."
"Understandably," I grated as he slipped the designer polo over chiselled abs, hiding the body that I had spent countless nights... and days... worshiping with my hands and mouth. "But maybe she had her reasons for abandoning him for Luca. Maybe she loves him."
Alessandro's expression deadpanned. "The fact that he is closer to her in age and far wealthier than her blue-blooded husband are good incentives."
"So you think she's a gold-digger?" I asked.
Alessandro's lips pressed together into a contemplative frown. "The woman is resourceful, I'll give you that. But also understand, Lizzie, I am an Italian man. And here in Italy, family is of prime importance. Luca knows he has an obligation to do right by his child and Olivia." Then his eyes trailed down my towel that had somehow snaked open without my realising. Nostrils flared again and I watched his pupils darken with blatant appreciation. "Are you going to dress? Or am I going to undress?"
