Chapter X: Allegro Appassionato Part 2

Friday, July 5th, 09.25 a.m.

Jarod awakened around midmorning; while sleeping, Erin had turned and was now laying on her side, her back against his chest. The sheet had partially slid away, and Jarod noticed that her nightgown, of impalpable lilac silk, had slipped upwards uncovering her hip, and he could see that under it she wore matching panties.

He lifted his head to gaze at her: her relaxed face, with the long eyelashes shading her healthy coloured and tanned cheeks; her beautiful lips, slightly parted as for a kiss; her long brown hair, scattered all over the pillow; her chest moving slowly up and down at the rhythm of her breathing.

A wave of tenderness and love overwhelmed him. He placed one hand on her shoulder and stroked it gently, starting from the base of her neck, following the curve of her collarbone and creeping down her arm, which was resting on her belly. Here, he moved his hand on her hip, down her thigh and almost to her knee, and then slid back, coming up to brush her derrière. He felt aroused – good heavens, he had never enough of her! – and considered stopping, but Erin heaved a loving sigh and opened her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up", he whispered in her ear, "but you're so desirable that I couldn't stop my hands."

She grinned and looked askance at him, then she reached behind her, placing one hand on his buttocks and pulling him nearer. Feeling the evidence of his yearning against her bottom, she commented in a low, amused voice:

"And not only your hands."

"I can't help it, if you've charmed me", he declared, bending to kiss her earlobe and lingering there to nibble at it. Erin lifted one hand to brush his temple; Jarod turned his head and seized her ring finger with his lips, tickling gently the tip with his tongue. Feeling her shuddering, he realized he had found another particularly sensitive spot, so he insisted; he cupped one of her breasts, and through the silk of her nightgown he felt her nipple already stiffening. Flattered, he brushed it with his fingertips.

"You're the one who charmed me", Erin exhaled, feeling desire stirring up swiftly inside of her: she had never realised she was a lustful woman, but now the longing for Jarod caught her in the most unlikely moments, and only her strict self-discipline had prevented her, since they were together, from being too much distracted.

Starting to place a trail of small kisses on the side of her neck, Jarod moved his hand downwards, slipping under her nightgown; he brushed her tummy with a languid caress; he lingered one moment with the tip of his forefinger on her belly button, touching it gently, and then went on downwards. His fingers slid under the silk of her panties, reaching the soft triangle of hair that covered her crotch.

At his arousing touch, Erin moaned in pleasure and parted her legs, pushing one thigh backwards upon his. Kissing the nape of her neck, Jarod brushed her clit, beginning to massage it exquisitely with two fingers. Erin shivered, inhaling abruptly; she felt like drowning in a lake of delightfulness, and a blaze of damp warmth burned her depths. She moaned again, louder.

Jarod began pulling down her panties; Erin helped him, wanton like only he could make her, and then with a twist she slipped her arms out of the spaghetti-strings of her nightgown, pushing it down to her waist.

With one hand he cupped again her now exposed breast, and tickled its nipple, hard and sensitive, with the tips of thumb and forefinger; Erin sighed and pushed one hand backwards, closing it around his erected shaft and making him gasp in pleasure as she stroked it all the way from base to tip.

"Oh, Jarod, please..." Erin muttered, longing too much for him to stand it any longer, "Take me, take me..."

Jarod didn't smile at her greed, because it was the same he was feeling. He lowered behind her, parted lovingly her nether lips with his fingers to ease the entering, and penetrated her slowly. Erin arched her back to help him, relishing inch by inch the sensation of him sliding inside of her.

They began to move together, at first at a swift rhythm, because of the intense desire they were feeling for one another; then, with no need of words, they slowed down, both wishing to make it last as long as possible. It was a very pleasant and relaxing way to make love; they went on for a long time, and finally they reached softly the top of a deep and prolonged pleasure.

Jarod held Erin in position, waiting for their heartbeat to return to normal rate. With a small secret smile, he told her in a low voice:

"And you said you aren't very good in bed! You drive me crazy every time... Did you learn it from the goddess of love herself?"

Erin blushed all over, and her embarrassment delighted and moved Jarod. Perhaps it was exactly this strange way she had to be at the same time shy and brazen, modest and bold, girl and woman, that made her so desirable in his eyes...

He turned her to him and peppered her face with kisses.

OOO

The sun was quite high when they showed up for breakfast. They found a complete Irish breakfast, with fried eggs, bacon and grilled sausages, besides toasted bread, salty butter and orange jam, slightly bitter, and cereals, milk and coffee. Jarod and Erin wolfed everything down, and Maureen hardly hid her hilarity, as she guessed perfectly the reason of their appetite. Erin noticed her mother's amusement and winked at her: she had with her, and with her grandmother, a very frank way to treat sex, so she didn't feel uneasy with her.

The others had already had their breakfast, except for Sean and Dolores, who joined them a few minutes later.

"Now we need a walk to digest this breakfast!" Sean stated as they finished, laughing, "Hey, you two, care to join Dolores and me?"

Jarod and Erin accepted gladly, so the two couples went outside to the garden and strode aimlessly among the blooming flowerbeds. After a while, Jarod noticed that Sean, wanting plainly to speak with him privately, had arranged things so that Erin and Dolores were now at some distance from them. Jarod intentionally slowed down his pace: whatever Erin's brother had to tell him, he was willing to listen.

"I'm sure you're in love with my sister", Sean began, speaking bluntly and looking at him straight in the eye with a very stern expression, "I see the way you look at her, and the way you treat her. Therefore, I won't waste time discussing your feelings for her. But I want to warn you, from one man to another: her ex-husband, too, seemed much in love with her, yet he left her without a word, a justification. When it happened, Erin prevented me to go and beat him to pulp, as I wanted to do, but know this: if ever you should hurt her as he did, this time no one on Earth will stop me. Have I made myself clear?"

Jarod returned his gaze firmly. Somehow, he had expected this speech from one of the De Rossi men, because he knew they loved Erin with the same sincerity he did, and that it was Sean the one facing him rather than Frank or Giovanni wasn't important.

He stopped in his tracks and inhaled deeply before answering:

"You're not the first who warns me, Sean. This confirms what I already know: that Erin deserves the greatest devotion. And this is the way I love her: devotedly. She has not required from me any commitment, any oath, because her ex broke the most solemn of all oaths she could receive and she's not willing to have another one. Therefore, if you accept it, I will take an oath before you: I swear that everything I'll do, I'll do it for her, to make her happy, to protect her from every evil, and where she'll be, there I, too, will be, all my life long, if she wants me. If I don't keep this oath, I allow you not only to beat me to pulp, but to break each and every bone in my body in addition."

Sean blinked, caught by surprise: he had liked Jarod at once, but he hadn't expected such a strong reaction to his warning. He realised he had to do with a man whose heart was generous and good, and whom he could trust completely.

He extended his hand:

"I accept your oath, Jarod."

Jarod shook his hand, solemnly: it was an agreement between two gentlemen, an agreement that none of them would break voluntarily.

OOO

Because they had had their breakfast very late, for lunch the two younger couples decided to have just a sandwich.

"With this sun", Dolores said, "I think I'll spend the afternoon at the swimming-pool. Erin, care to join me?"

"Sure!", she accepted, "Jarod, Sean, if you have other plans…"

"And lose the opportunity to look at two beautiful women in bikini?" Sean joked, wrapping his arms around his wife, "The children are on a ride with their grannies, so we are free to play young fiancés…" he added, kissing her, "What about you, Jarod?"

"I'm in", Jarod answered grinning.

They changed their clothes and, a little later, they met again on the sundeck. The pool was very large, shaped like a bean, partially shaded by a few planes and alders; on the less deep part, a big semi-circular stair led into the water, and next to it stood a Jacuzzi; a small springboard loomed over the deeper part of the pool, and they took turns to dive from it with great fun. Erin and Sean had taken swimming classes when living in Munich with their parents, and Jarod was impressed seeing their almost identical style.

Later, they lay under the beach-umbrellas, waiting for the sun to fade a little bit. Jarod looked at Erin in appreciation: she was wearing a fluorescent green bikini showing up her tanned complexion, confirming her love for bright colours. She returned his gaze: he, too, in his black-and-yellow swimsuit, was very good-looking.

"I have something for you", Erin said, grasping something under her deck chair. She handed Jarod a few bunches of sheets bound with a plastic clip; he looked at her quizzically.

"The first five chapters of my book", she explained, a bit nervous, "if you like them, I'll give you also the rest to read."

Jarod felt his heart swelling: this was another step for Erin on the way of trusting him.

"Thank you, tesoro mio (darling)", he told her, using the Italian expression he had heard Giovanni addressing to Francesca. Erin showed appreciation flashing him that smile of hers that always turned his knees to jelly.

Jarod was soon engrossed in reading and got fond of the novel since the first lines. The story was set in an imaginary world, which she depicted in a picturesque and very plausible way; the main character was a woman with exceptional skills as a warrior and a healer, a contradiction that made her extremely interesting. Soon, Jarod realised that there was much of Erin in her, and he understood her hesitance to allow anyone reading it: it was like revealing all of her soul, her dreams and wishes. But it was exactly this making the characters look alive, real, complete, not flat and banal.

He devoured the first chapters in a flash, but he refrained discreetly from making comments in front of Erin's brother and sister-in-law.

"I like it very much", he said her privately, "and if you don't make me read the rest, I swear I'll go crazy!"

She blushed, very pleased.

"I didn't expect you reading so quickly", she commented then, "You'll have to wait until our return home."

Jarod placed one hand over his heart:

"I don't know if I'll stand it that long!"

Erin laughed at his witticism and brushed his lips with a kiss. As she pulled back, she thought better of it and kissed him again, more passionately. Jarod returned her kiss.

"Oh, well, if you put it this way, I can wait", he muttered.

OOO

That peaceful day came to an and, in the evening, everybody got together again for dinner. Looking out through the window, Erin commented:

"Weather's very bright: tonight we'll have a wonderful starry sky, almost moonless, perfect for astronomy observation."

Jarod, too, liked watching the night sky, but before his escape from the Centre he had had very few occasions to do so, and later only very rarely he had had the time to. In theory, he knew all the constellations, but practically he couldn't even recognize them. Therefore, now he smiled at Erin:

"I'd like to watch the stars with you", he told her softly. She returned his smile and nodded.

After dinner, the adults made some small talk; when darkness outside was complete, Erin and Jarod bid goodnight and took leave. As they arrived to their lodge, Erin removed a big case from the bottom of a locked closet in the hall, then she led Jarod up a narrow stair to the roof and a quite large square terrace.

"They built this for me", she told him, "My passion for astronomy goes back to primary school, but making a profession of it never attracted me: too technical."

She opened the case and took a red-light electric torch.

"I can't assemble the telescope in complete darkness", she explained to Jarod, who was looking at her quizzically, "The red light avoids affecting the night vision."

Assembling the tool requested only a few minutes, then Erin pointed the telescope toward a specific object. She looked through the viewfinder, then satisfied she lifted her eyes to the sky and pointed out a constellation to Jarod:

"Do you see that group of bright stars, looking like a ladle?"

Jarod looked and nodded:

"The Great Bear, isn't it?"

"Right. The name of the central star of the stick is a triple star called Mizar. But you'll see only two stars, because my telescope isn't powerful enough to distinguish the third one, which is very small."

With a nod, she invited Jarod to look through the viewfinder, and he promptly obeyed.

"Hey, it's fantastic!" he cried, enthusiastic, "I have seen a lot of pictures, but looking at the stars with your own eyes is completely different!"

Erin smiled:

"I've always thought so", she declared. Jarod straightened his back again and resumed looking at the sky with bare eye.

"I don't know which one is the Pole-Star", he confessed.

"It's not a very interesting star to watch", Erin said, "Look at the last two stars of the Great Bear's quadrilateral, trace an imaginary line that goes straight on… there, do you see that small star?"

"It's that one?" Jarod asked, amazed, not hiding his incredulity.

"It seems impossible, isn't it?" Erin agreed, amused, "Such an insignificant star, but with such a fundamental role in our history. To make just one example, without it Christopher Colombo would never have discovered America."

"Yeah…" Jarod murmured, "Another proof on how sometimes appearance can deceive."

Erin began to search for something else to point out.

"Watching the stars often makes me philosophical", she commented seriously, "This persuades me it's not a chance that the great classic philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle and Sophocles were also astronomers."

" I've never thought about it", Jarod said, struck. Erin checked through the viewfinder, made another adjustment and announced:

"This is Vega, the main star of Lyra, the brightest star in the summer sky."

"And what's that one, then?" Jarod asked, pointing at a very bright dot. Erin checked it and shook her head:

"That's not a star, but the planet Venus", she explained.

Jarod took his eyes off the sky and looked at Erin.

"Your beauty darkens its splendour", he stated softly. She felt her face blushing at this romantic statement and, not knowing how to answer it, she whispered only:

"Thank you."

For a long moment, they stood there, just looking into each other's eyes in the dim starlight; then Jarod turned his face and stooped on the telescope to watch Vega.

In the following twenty minutes, Erin showed him other particularly interesting objects, stars, globular masses and nebulae, then she put aside the optical instrument and asked him:

"Would you like me to teach you to recognize a few constellations?"

"Sure!"

"Then to watch them there's nothing better than laying on the ground", she said, "so you won't get a stiff-neck."

She rummaged through the big case and took out a thick, rolled up rug, which she spread out on the floor. It was a bit small for the two of them, but they solved the problem holding in each other's arms, and it surely didn't disappoint either of them.

"Good, let's start from the Great Bear that you already know", Erin began, pointing, "Can you find again the Pole-Star? Well, it's located at the end of the stick of another ladle, much smaller, known as the Little Bear constellation. And do you see those five stars forming a W? No, turn your head this side. That's Cassiopeia. Good, now go back looking at Vega, do you see that other bright star? It's Deneb, in Cygnus, you can recognise it easily because it's shaped like a big cross. And that third star is Altair, in Aquila, another cross, but its major axis is slightly crooked. And down there, there's Arcturus, in the constellation of Boötes, also called the Bear Watcher because it's next to the Great Bear. Nearby Boötes you find the Corona Borealis, do you see those six stars shaped like a crown? Between Corona Borealis and Lyra there's that quadrilateral, with all around stars scattered in a spiral: that's Hercules", she paused and looked at Jarod to determine if he wasn't getting bored, and seeing him absorbed in watching the sky, she was glad to discover him still interested, "These are just the major constellations now observable, and I pointed you out only the main parts. Otherwise, we'd have to stay here all night long..."

She broke off because Jarod had taken his eyes off the sky watch her, and even in the faint starlight, his expression was unmistakable.

"If this is an invitation, I take it gladly", he whispered. He turned so he could bow his head to kiss her; Erin snaked her arms around his neck even before their mouths met, parted her lips and welcomed his kiss, returning it. Her response, prompt and passionate, made Jarod's blood boil in his veins; he began to caress her. Sighing in bliss, she took his shirt off his pants and brushed his spine with her nails; Jarod shivered under her touch and began to unbutton her shirt.

All of a sudden, a kind of frenzy caught them both; they tore off their clothes until they were completely naked under the pale starlight, clinging to one another, devouring each other with deep and passionate kisses, exchanging burning strokes.

Under Jarod's skilled fingertips, Erin's nipples became stiff to a point they almost hurt, wringing a protesting moan from her as he tickled them with his tongue; but the sweet torture was not over, because Jarod travelled slowly downwards, with his fingers and his lips, leaving on her skin a trail of fire, lower and lower, until he reached the core of her womanhood. With the tip of his tongue, he tempted her, first lingering on the surface, pleasing her clit, brushing the warm slit between her nether lips; then he penetrated her with his tongue, darting in and out while making love to her, savouring her, arousing her almost to an intolerable point.

Erin uttered a begging moan, arching her back in pleasure; hearing that heart-breaking sound, Jarod lost the iron self-control he had managed to hold so far and, with a groan of longing, he rose, lay on top of her and took her.

Erin felt her depths burning, an almost unbearable heat consuming her, and welcomed Jarod with a gasp of relief: one moment more and she would pass out from desire. She was greedy like she had never felt before, and this made her brazen and bold; she lifted her legs, winding them around Jarod's waist, hooking her ankles behind him to increase the deepness of his penetration. In this position, both were highly stimulated; indeed, they needed only a few minutes and then, for the first time at precisely the same moment, the spasms of the climax shook them, so violently that they felt weak and drained.

Breathless, heated, with light heads and wild beating hearts, they held each other tightly, until the physical and emotional storm was over. Then, Jarod pulled away and rolled on his back, risking falling out from the rug, but keeping his hold on Erin.

"I've always dreamed of making love under the stars", she breathed in his ear, with a languid and slightly hoarse voice: the voice of a woman her man had fully satisfied. For the first time in his life, Jarod felt the pride of the man capable to make his woman happy, not only sexually, but also under every other point-of-view.

"We'll do it again", he whispered in return, "Whenever you want."

They stayed there, rocking one another for a long time, then the chill night air persuaded them to go back inside; they went to bed and fell asleep in each other's arms.

Saturday, July 6th, 10.00 a.m.

The morning after, the catering enterprise the hosts had hired arrived and began the preparations for the cocktail party to celebrate Frank De Rossi's sixty-fifth birthday, which took place in the afternoon, under a large pavilion among the trees of the garden. On the guest list were some local VIPs, such as the mayor and the police chief, as well as the governor of California, who had been a friend from college of Frank, the commander of the FBI San Francisco branch, and a few members of the CIA. There were of course also relatives and friends, more or less close: about seventy people altogether.

Some specialised people would look after the children, making them play and amuse themselves in a smaller pavilion put up especially for them.

At the bar counter, two professional barmen served alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, occasionally performing dexterity shows with glasses and bottles; a number of waiters swarmed about the guests, carrying trays loaded with glasses of champagne and soft drinks, and appetizers. The low dance floor was still in its place, but instead of the deejay, there was now an orchestra performing dancing music.

The happening was formal enough to require tie and jacket, therefore Jarod donned his cream colour linen suit and the blue shirt he had put on in San Francisco, the night he and Erin had gone out for dinner and then to the nightclub. Jarod smiled, recalling that evening: Erin had looked so beautiful in his eyes, his heart had almost burst, but because he was sure that for the two of them there was no future, he had put aside his feelings. And then, only ten days later, he had met her again. He had reckoned how many probabilities there were that this could happen, and the result, being an eight-figure number, had convinced him it couldn't had been a sheer chance: up there somebody had decided that they had to be together. And the more time passed by, the more he was convinced about it.

Erin chose a short cocktail dress of cherry red stretch lace, with a lining of the same colour covering her from her breasts down to just half thigh, leaving the rest almost at sight; she styled her hair in a soft bun, with a few falling locks framing her face. Jarod thought that looking at her was always an eye-candy.

When the orchestra began to play a quick foxtrot, Jarod invited Erin to dance; like the Caribbean dancing, in a short time they fitted together very well.

After a series of pieces, Frank came and asked for the lady, who Jarod gave graciously. He took advantage and invited Francesca, and later Maureen and Dolores, while Erin danced first with her grandfather and then with her brother.

At last, they met again in front of a champagne glass.

"I asked the director for a paso doble", Jarod told her, being this their favourite dance, "He should perform it…" the orchestra intoned the first notes of a famous piece, and he smiled, "now!"

Laughing, they put down their glasses and headed for the dance floor, where they began dancing.

The music took them immediately, carrying them away with it, wringing from them the burning passion typical of the Spanish people who created paso doble; in half a minute, the other dancers began to stop to watch them, and finally only the two of them remained on the floor.

As she realised it, stage-panic overwhelmed Erin for a moment.

"Oh gosh, what shall we do now?" she whispered to Jarod. He flashed her an encouraging smile:

"We're on the wire… let's dance!"

His joking tone defused the situation and Erin relaxed.

They danced on, displaying all their skill, and the orchestra played their game, prolonging the piece far over its normal length and allowing the two dancers to show the vast number of steps that paso dobe counts. Finally, there was a thundering ovation for the two performers, who bowed to the audience like professionals, their eyes sparkling: they had enjoyed every second of it.

The afternoon passed merrily by, and at last, the cake arrived, placed on a tree-shaped support, its leaves actually trays carrying each a Sacher Torte, Frank's favourite. There were six of them, five with ten and one with fifteen small candles, which Frank blew out with big puffs, making all the children laugh hard.

"Wonderful party", Jarod complimented Frank, as even the last guest took leave, at about 7.30 p.m., "Everything was perfect."

He didn't tell him that this had been the first time he shared a birthday party.

"Thanks, Jarod", the elderly man said, looking with true sympathy at the man that had been able to make his beloved daughter smile again, "I'm glad you had fun. Did you like the cake?"

Jarod smirked:

"Delicious!"

"Then ask Erin to cook one", Frank suggested, laughing, "She adores chocolate, and she cooks the best Sacher Torte in the world. It's a receipt that women of my mother's family are handing down for generations, out of the time that Venetia – the Italian region my parents come from – was under the Austrian domination."

"I won't miss it", Jarod said, "Erin is really a very good cook."

Frank nodded his agreement.

As they went back to their lodge, Erin headed for the bathroom and began filling the bathtub with water.

"Too much parties are not good for health", she commented, "Some relax is highly recommended."

She stretched, and the movement attracted Jarod's gaze on her; noticing his eyes, sparkling in a way she had come to know very well by now, Erin moved again, in a more languid manner.

"Shouldn't we try the hydro-massage?" she teased him. He grinned:

"No need to tell me twice!"

As he undressed in the bedroom, Erin removed her make up, but kept her hairdo. When the bathtub was almost full, she added to the foaming water a few drops of ylang-ylang essential oil, which helps relaxing, then quickly took off her dress and underwear and dove.

"Well, Jarod, are you coming?" she called him with cheerful impatience. A moment later, Jarod appeared on the threshold, naked.

"Here I am, honey", he said. Erin's eyes went downwards and stared at his erection.

"Something tells me you're happy to see me", she muttered in an allusive tone. Jarod looked down and couldn't help but grin:

"You guess right, baby!"

Jarod put one foot in the bathtub; the water was lukewarm, perfect for this warm July evening, and smelled of ylang-ylang, which favours sensuality. Before he could make another move, Erin cupped the tower of his manhood and began stroking it. Jarod winced in pleasure, as every time she touched him, and uttered a soft groan. She smiled seeing his reaction and went on to caress him in this arousing way. Under her hands, she felt him harden even more; she heard his breath coming faster, and as she realised he was reaching the edge, she stopped and pulled away, making him room in the bathtub. Jarod entered and sat down in front of her; at once, Erin moved forward and sat between his legs, her core against his, placing her arms around his neck. His scent of sandalwood reached her nostrils, mingled with the ylang-ylang coming from the water, and she felt intoxicated.

"Te quero (I want you), Jarod…" she breathed in his ear in a husky voice. She seized his earlobe with her teeth, biting it gently and giving him shivers down his back. Jarod clasped her, enjoying the feeling of her breasts against his chest; Erin surely knew how to drive a man crazy, but because she was mostly unaware of her skills as a seductress, her charm was thousand times greater than any famous playmate of any for men only magazine.

"Yo tambièn te quero (I want you, too), Erin", he whispered to her; he liked using Spanish to speak words of love, because it was a language that could perfectly put together the passion of both soul and body.

He moved his head, turning his face to hers and placing his mouth on hers. With exasperating slowness, he stroked her lips with the tip of his tongue, first the joining, then the corners, plunging then little by little between them to meet Erin's tongue, warm and wet, slipping along it to explore the deepest spots of her mouth.

Erin almost couldn't breathe, savouring his kiss; every time Jarod kissed her, she was breathless because of the emotions he was able to stir up inside of her, in her body as well as in her soul, and this time, too, she felt shaken down to every last fibre of her being. Never had she felt something even vaguely comparable, except maybe her first kiss, which she had, at sixteen, from a guy whom she had been desperately in love with, the way that only at this sweet age is possible – or so she had thought until she met Jarod…

She moved her centre, stroking it against his manliness; Jarod groaned, dove his underwater and grasped her buttocks, crushing her against his body. It was Erin's turn to groan, feeling the tip of his shaft brushing her opening.

If she knew how to drive crazy a man, Jarod, too, had some good cards to play.

With a smile full of promises, he pulled back, escaping the circle of her lovingly arms, and turned around her; sitting behind her, he propped his back on the edge of the bathtub and took her again in his lap. He slipped his arms under her armpits, embracing her, and cupped her breasts. He tickled gently her nipples with his fingertips until they stiffened, and hearing Erin's soft moan, he smirked by himself: he adored arousing her as much as being aroused by her, he adored touching, fondling and kissing her, he adored making love to her in all ways, and giving her pleasure was far more rewarding than receiving it from her. Because Erin was his woman, the right woman for him, and making her happy had become the main purpose of his life… more important than the Centre, more important even than his family. When he had realised it, a few days back, he had felt guilty, thinking it very selfish from him putting aside his family for Erin's sake, but then he had recalled the words of the Bible: you will leave your father and your mother to join your woman, and you will be with her one body and one soul. Therefore, he had realised there was nothing selfish in his wish to be with Erin, it was simply the natural way life worked. And anyhow, he didn't suddenly care no more about his family: simply, his priorities had shifted, and they were no longer on the top of his list.

Focusing again completely on the woman he was holding, warm and shaky, Jarod slid his hands down her body, caressing her throbbing belly, then her voluptuous hips, down along her beautiful shaped legs as far as he could reach; then he came back upwards, passing on the front of her thighs and finally slipping his fingers between them. Erin didn't hesitate and parted obediently her legs, offering herself to his touch with an anticipating sigh that made Jarod smile again.

Feeling Jarod's hands climbing the internal side of her thighs, Erin perceived a wave of heat in her lap. The promptness she reacted to his touch always amazed her: she had never been, or better, she had never thought to be, a very hot woman, in bed, but Jarod was teaching her she was instead a passionate lover, and very imaginative, too.

Jarod's fingers reached her core and touched the access to her most secret part. She uttered a gasp and her hands contracted involuntarily on his thighs, where she had placed them. She threw her head back on Jarod's shoulder, exposing her throat; he bowed his head to brush its velvety skin with his lips and the tip of his tongue.

Jarod returned one hand on Erin's breasts, leaving the other one between her legs; he began to massage her clit with his palm as he slowly introduced one finger in her warm depths, arousing her as merciless as she had with him earlier. He felt her tremble against him and heard her utter a choked pant, her breath quickening, almost frantic.

Erin thought the pleasure he was giving her was almost unbearable; as she approached the edge, she stopped his hand and pushed it away, turning between his legs. Her gaze was dark with lust and reflected Jarod's.

She knelt over his lap and lowered herself; helping herself with one hand, she guided him inside of her, slowly, because she loved the feeling of him entering her.

Jarod grasped her, pushing his hips upwards to meet her with the same slowness, savouring every inch of her depths. She wasn't narrow like at the beginning any more, but she kept a size that gave him amazing pleasure.

Erin set a steady and regular rhythm that would take them slowly to the top. She curled her arms around his neck and began raining kisses on his face, lips, cheekbones, nose, eyes, forehead, chin; then she returned to his mouth, where she lingered, nibbling it, before deepening the kiss with such a passion, he was left breathless.

Orgasm grew in their laps, at first slowly, then swifter; feeling it coming, Erin moved more vigorously, as their breaths came in broken rattles and pleasure increased, increased, more and more, and finally exploded like an erupting volcano, hurling them high, beyond the sky, towards infinity.

For long moments suspended out of time, they stayed motionless, enjoying one another in a perfect, indescribable physical and emotional ecstasy.

Then time resumed flowing and they collapsed in each other arms, gasping, their hearts beating wildly, heated even if they were sitting in lukewarm water.

They stayed still, clinging to one another, prolonging the marvellous sensation to be a single being, inseparable, inviolable. In a flash, Jarod recalled the legend Sydney had reminded him, speaking about that perfect being, both male and female, whom the gods had separated in their wrath and whose two halves unceasingly search for one another. As he had said to his former mentor, his own research had come to an end: it was Erin his other half, beyond every possible doubt.

With endless tenderness, he cupped her cheeks and plunged his eyes in the brown velvety deepness of hers.

"You are the most beautiful gift life could give me", he declared, in a low and vibrant tone, brimming with emotion, "I had nothing, and now I have everything. I was lost in darkness, and now I'm surrounded by light. Not even in my dreams I ever thought I could be more contented than now, with you in my arms..."

Erin felt tears welling up in her eyes; she had been sure that only the fake characters of a novel could speak such romantic and passionate words, and instead she was hearing them now with her own ears, spoken to her by the most extraordinary man she hadn't even imagined to meet.

Lacking of words, her throat tight with emotion, she knotted her arms around his neck and kissed him.

Sunday, July 7th, 02.40 p.m.

In the early afternoon, Jarod and Erin took their leave kissing and hugging everybody and left with the invitation to return soon, and then they took the road leading to Santa Lorita.

"You have an extraordinary family, Erin", Jarod declared, "I'm really glad I had the chance to meet them. They made me immediately feel like one of them."

She smiled merrily:

"I was sure about that. I hope only that Sean didn't scold you too much, the other morning."

Jarod held his breath in amazement, and then grinned: he should have figured out she would guess what they had discussed.

"Nothing I didn't expect", he said therefore, "He loves you, and because I, too, love you, we understood each other immediately."

Erin said nothing, but placed her hand on his knee and squeezed it.