AN:  Hey guys!  I swear to God I'll be moving the story along much quicker after this chapter, but you're gonna have to wait a little bit for the update because I'm going on vacation this week!  P.S.  start looking for this story under an R rating!  It's gonna get steamy!

Elizabeth blinked her eyes, not believing what she was hearing.  "Lorenzo…You have…What?  Children?"  He just looked at her. Elizabeth was so confused, and Lorenzo was just about a surprise a minute. "Where is she now?  I mean, God, you've been in Port Charles since the summer, have you seen her?  I mean, what, were you married?"

He exhaled, deeply.  "I still am."

Now Elizabeth's jaw dropped.  "But you…Last night…" she couldn't stop stuttering, and she didn't know if this was worse than constantly bawling her eyes out in front of him.  "You…You kissed me last night."

His eyebrow cocked in surprise, and Elizabeth thought she might see a hint of a smile in the corner of his mouth.  "Well, yes I did, Miss Webber," the tone in his voice was…was he teasing her?  For the first time ever in his presence, Elizabeth managed to relax and smile back at him.  And then his face was stony again.  "My wife…I don't know where she is.  I haven't seen her in almost three years.  I suspect I never will, again."

Now it was Elizabeth's turn to exhale.  "Well, what happened- you know what?  This is none of my business."  And she began to get up to leave, but his hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.

"No, don't go, Elizabeth."  She looked into his slate blue eyes, and her breath caught for a minute.  She could feel the heat in the fingers curled around her slender wrist, through the leather gloves he wore and her own wool coat.  His eyes gave off just as much heat, two liquid pools of blue lava, and Elizabeth was afraid if she didn't sit down again, she would melt.  "I wouldn't have offered the information if I didn't want you to know."

She nodded.  "Well, then, would you mind…I mean…"

"You want to hear the rest of the story?"

Elizabeth sighed.  "Yes."  Yes, of course I do.

Lorenzo settled back, resting one ankle on the opposite knee.  Elizabeth took notice of the fine cut of his suit, the elegance of his butter-soft leather gloves.  He was, without a doubt, the most well-dressed man she'd ever met.  "I met my wife five years ago.  She was the most gorgeous woman I'd ever seen in my life."  Lorenzo paused, and gave her a strange look, and Elizabeth waited for him to continue.

Until now.

"We had a very passionate relationship, and a whirlwind courtship.  We were married within a year."

"Did you love her?"  Elizabeth asked.

He seemed to be thinking for a minute.  "Too many people make the mistake of confusing sexual chemistry with love."  And Elizabeth was silent again, thinking of the nights she'd lain lonely for Ric's touch, even after she knew what kind of man he was, how she'd married him even though she knew.    "Anyways, after we were married, our daughter was born very shortly," his voice softened, taking on a register she'd never heard him use.

"What's her name?"  Elizabeth asked.

"My wife or my daughter?"

"Your daughter."

"Cara," his voice was slightly hoarse, as if it was difficult for him to say.  "Cara.  It means precious in Italian.  And she is, so very precious to me."  His eyes held a faraway look, and Elizabeth wondered if he knew she was still there.     

"Lorenzo?  May I ask you something?"  His face snapped back to his usual expressionless countenance and he turned his attention on her.  "Where is she now?  And why haven't you gone to see her, wherever she is these past six months?"

Lorenzo swallowed hard  "I haven't seen her since she was eleven months old.  She's three and a half now.  As far as I know, she doesn't remember me, and I hope to keep it that way."

Elizabeth's eyes widened in shock.  She was more confused now than ever, but before she could ask another question, his cell phone rang loudly, breaking the spell of their intimate conversation.  He snapped it open and barked into the phone, "Yeah?"  Elizabeth never understood how people could answer a telephone like that.  He grunted a few more one-word answers, glanced at her and hung up.  "Elizabeth, I'm sorry to leave you, but I have some business I must attend to."

Her heart quickened.  "Lorenzo, is it anything danger…I mean…" Since when are you asking Lorenzo Alcazar about his work?

But he smiled, the surprising gentleman that he was.  "I appreciate your concern, Elizabeth."  He rose from the dock, offering her his hand to help her up, which she took.  But she somehow stumbled her footing anyway, and ended up tangled in his arms while he caught her.

God Elizabeth, if you could be anymore clumsy around this man…But she had no time or room in her head for such thoughts when he was holding her so tightly, and staring at her with the heat and intensity she now knew he was capable of.

It was her own undoing.

It was her reaching up and tangling her fingers in his hair before bringing his mouth down on top of her own.  She knew what his kisses were like, she wanted more of them.  And he delivered, kissing her back with all of the hungry passion she felt herself.  His right arm circled the small of her back, and the other arm cupped around her shoulders, bringing her body closer to his own.

*          *            *

Oh, she was so small in his arms, so sweet and willing on his lips.  Lorenzo didn't know if he'd ever given himself over to passion like this before, in public, in the middle of the day.  Her cheeks that were so cold from the wind off the harbor were in sharp contrast to the heat he could feel under his hands, his mouth, his tongue…

And then they broke away, rather suddenly, as if they had both come to their senses.  "Didn't um…didn't you say you had to be somewhere?" she chewed on her bottom lip nervously, and Lorenzo had never seen anything so adorable in his life.

Adorable?  Since when did I ever say adorable?

Her lips were swollen and had the wonderful look of a well-loved woman, but Lorenzo knew, from her hungry kisses, and also because he, for some reason had made it his business to know, that she wasn't well-loved.  And something in him suddenly wanted to correct that.

"I did.  I really should be going," he allowed himself to smile again, and seeing that it pleased her, he smiled wider.  Her chin had two small bright red marks.  From the beard.  And Lorenzo was somehow, in a teenage boy sort of way, pleased with himself that they were there.  As proof that he really had kissed this beautiful, amazing woman twice in one day. 

"Good-bye Elizabeth."

"Good-bye Lorenzo."  And Lorenzo turned and walked away, almost happy it was so cold out to cool his molten hot blood.

*          *            *

Elizabeth touched her fingers to her lips, and sighed.  What was happening to her?  One minute she's crying about the shambles her life has turned into, and the next she's making out with Lorenzo Alcazar on the docks?

Was this okay?  Did she really have a right to be happy all of a sudden?

She allowed herself a small twirl, and decided that yes, yes, she could be happy, and excited.  After all, a kiss was just a kiss.

"Oh, wipe that stupid look off your face."

She whirled at the most unpleasant sound she'd ever heard.  "What do you want, Faith?"