“Do you like to eat socks?”
“That's silly, Piper.”
“You won't think so if you don't eat now, because that's what your fish will taste like soon.”
His eyes grew as he stared at her. Then he went to town, shoveling his fish into his mouth. Apparently, socks were not a desirable menu item.
By the time we made it home, it was bath and bedtime.
“Papa, can Piper read my story tonight?”
“You'll have to ask her.”
“Piper, do you know how to read?”
Hiding a smile, she said, “I sure do.”
“Will you read my bedtime story to me?”
“As long as it's not about lizards or worms.”
“Okay.”
Gabriele marched upstairs to take his bath with me following. As he was getting into the tub, he asked, “Papa, why doesn't Piper want a story about lizards or worms?”
“I don't know. You'll have to ask her.”
“Okay. I hope she doesn't snore.”
“You shouldn't worry about that.”
“Papa, do you think she'll let me sleep with her some time?”
That's something I'd like to know. “You'll have to ask her that too.”
“But if she snores, I won't sleep.”
“That's right.”
“Papa, do you think Piper is bellissima? I think she's prettier than all the girls in my class.”
“Yes, I do.”
“If you don't marry her, do you think she'll marry me?”
“Maybe. But you'll have to ask her that yourself.”
“I'm glad she's here. Aren't you?”
“Yes, Gabriele, I'm glad. Now let me rinse your hair. Close your eyes.”
When he was rinsed off, he asked, “Do you think she'll like me better now that I'm clean?”
This kid and his questions. “I think she'll adore you.”
“Can I ask her?”
“You can ask her anything you want.”
“I love you, Papa.”
“Gabriele, I love you more than my own heart.”
“Me too.” He pursed his lips for a kiss. Then I wondered how long these days would last because God knew I'd miss them when he had grown too old for kisses for his Papa.
Chapter 21
Piper
Reading Gabriele a story was too cute. But when he asked me if I liked him better now that he was clean and if I would marry him, I almost cried. My emotions choked me so that I couldn't speak.
“Piper, don't you like me? Is that why you're crying again?”
“These aren't sad tears, Gabriele. These are happy tears. You have made me very happy.” I hugged him tightly to my chest.
Then he said something so hilarious, I snapped out of my teary-eyed moment.
“Your hugs are a lot squishier than my papas. Yours remind me of nonne.” He pulled away and patted my boobs. Alessandro watched with a grin that threatened to explode into a loud laugh.
“Well...I...thank you!” I kissed the top of his head.
After Alessandro put him to bed, we discussed a few things downstairs.
“I'd like to help with cooking and other chores.”
He held up a hand. “First off, I have a housekeeper that comes in three times a week to clean and shop for most things. Gabriele also has a nanny that comes around seven every morning and stays until six. She's very well compensated and so is the housekeeper, so chores won't be necessary.”
“Then I'd like to pay you rent and I won't take no for an answer. I'll pay what I was paying for my other place.”
“That's not necessary.”
I sipped the wine I'd been drinking. Being with Alessandro meant wine every evening. “Necessary or not, I won't live here for free.”
“Fine. Have it your way.”
“Something else. If you ever need help with Gabriele, I hope you'll ask me. You have to know I adore him and if I don't have class, I am willing to help.”
“Thank you, that's very kind.”
I held out my hand and he shook it. It wasn't your routine handshake. This one stirred my blood and electrified my heart. The impact had me sucking in my breath.
“Are you okay?”
“Fine.” Only my voice wasn't my own. It was some cartoon character's who had invaded my body.
“Piper?”
“Hmm?”
“What was in your bedside drawer?”
Holy mothefu—”Nothing important.” Why won't that stupid voice go away?
“Why won't you look at me then?”
Because if I do, I may spontaneously combust. “I don't know.”
“Yes, you do.”
A long bronzed finger reached out and touched me beneath my chin. Then I was staring into his hazel eyes, dammit. I didn't have the strength to look away. Far away. Like toward the moon. Or even the sun or another planet if I were able to see that far. His eyes were beautiful and I fell into their hazel depths. Gold surrounded by green, I wanted to stare at them forever. Or maybe not. I wanted to see him naked instead. What the fuck was I thinking? This was going to be difficult enough. Maybe I should say something insulting to make him Professor Asshole again.
“What's going through that mind of yours, Piper?”
He was too close. His warm breath fanned my cheek and oh, God, my core was about to leap out of me and hop on his cock. I giggled at the thought.
“You're thinking of something you shouldn't be, aren't you?”
“How do you do that?” I finally asked.
“The giggle gave you away. What was so funny?”
Dear God, don't let him pull this one out of me like he did the bathroom issue.
“My lips are sealed.”
“Mmm, but are they? I seem to have a way of getting you to disclose your secrets. What's in your drawer? I want to know all about your grown-up things.” He mimicked my explanation I gave to Gabriele.
“Right. Like you don't know.”
“Oh, I know. I peeked inside.”
My mouth circled as I gaped. “You what?”
“I confess. Curiosity killed this cat.”
Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. What was I going to do? My hands pressed against my heart as I just continued to gape at him like a helpless beached whale. Okay, whales probably don't gape, but then again, what do they do? I dropped my head into my hands and groaned. “How could you? That was my most intimate drawer. You invaded my privacy.”
“Maybe I wanted to see what you liked in case I was interested in buying you a new one.”
“I don't want a new one. I love the ones I have.” I sounded like a petulant child, whining for a toy. But he crossed the line. “Are you going to rummage through my underwear drawer too when I'm not here?”
He guffawed. Oh, he was infuriating. “Stop it. This is for real. How would you like it if I invaded your most private things?”
He instantly turned serious. “You're right. I did something I shouldn't have. I disrespected your privacy and it will never happen again. I promise Gabriele will not cross any boundaries as well.” He stood and began walking away.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, mister. You can so casually go through my stuff but then just flip like a switch. What's up?”
“Nothing.”
“No, you don't.” I pointed to the couch he'd just vacated. “Sit back down here.”
He wavered but then reluctantly sat.
“So?”
“You're right. I do have things I want to be kept private.”
“Such as?”
“I can't say. That's why I want them kept private. They are too difficult to speak of.”
“I see. You can rifle through my things, but I can't know anything about you. Is that how it works?”
His mouth hardened into a firm line. “I wasn't rifling through your things. I only wanted to see your adult toys.”
“What if there had been other things in there?”
“Piper, I wouldn't have touched
them. It was curiosity only. That incident we shared on the flight over, has had me curious about you and when Gabriele...I was just interested in what kinds of things you enjoyed, sexually. That's all it was. I would never dig into anything else of yours.”
Hazel eyes stared back at me and they were honest and open. I had no reason to doubt he was telling me the truth. “Fine, but promise you won't do that again unless you ask first.”
A smile appeared and Lord help me he was beautiful. “I promise. And you don't have to worry about the little nosy one either.”
“Yeah, those questions of his were hard to field.” He continued to smile. “But there was something else I wanted to say.” His smile disappeared. “That thing we did on the plane should never have happened. I don't know what got into me for initiating it. I must have been out of my mind. And one other thing. If you want to date while you're here, feel free to do so.”
As my jaw fell open, he walked out of the room. If he had thrown a bucket of ice water into my face, I would've been less shocked.
Chapter 22
Alessandro
By the time I shut the door to my room, I was shaking. Why had I said those last two things to her? Neither were true. If a date ever picked her up here, there was a distinct possibility I would do bodily harm to the chap. And after that incident, as I called it, on the plane—I had thought of nothing else since. All I wanted to do was slide my cock into her silkiness, the same soft and slick pussy I'd fucked with my fingers. I was the biggest idiot in the world. No, make that the universe. My hands yanked on my hair and I nearly shouted out my frustrations.
The loud pounding on the door disturbed my destructive thoughts.
“Yes?”
“Open the door.”
She was not shy, that was the truth. Piper stood there with an outrageous expression on her face.
With flinty gray eyes, I was positive she was going to nail me good. “Don't you dare say those kinds of things to me and then walk away. You’re a coward. First, how can you possibly think I would want to date someone after the traumatic experience I've just had. You have lost your effing mind. And two, the way you spoke to me downstairs about the incident” —she used two fingers to air quote— “just made me feel like a cheap slut, which I am not. You owe me an apology.” She crossed her arms and her eyes pierced me. I flinched under her intense gaze.
“I'm sorry. You're right. I shouldn't have said those things.”
“I honestly don't get you.”
“I don't imagine you do. Now may I shut the door?” My gut was trembling because I was a coward. I couldn't face what she was close to forcing me to do. I had shoved my past under the proverbial carpet and wanted it to stay there. But Piper, with her perception and intuition, was almost too much for me at the moment.
She huffed and turned away. I was sorry because there was more to her, more to us, than just some lousy conversations. The problem was, I envisioned a life with her. Gabriele never stopped talking about the woman. It was incessant. I saw why. She had a way about her that was deeper than most people.
The best thing to do would be to move on, but when I tried, all I did was think of her. She was under my skin in the worst way. A woman had never done that to me and considering Chiara, I never thought these emotions were possible.
In the morning, we barely spoke. Gabriele was our sweet buffer. But he wasn't stupid. He sensed something was up as he kept casting strange looks at the two of us.
As I was hugging him goodbye, he said, “Papa, hug Piper too. She's sad today and needs one.”
I nodded and sent him on his way with his nanny. Then I followed them a few minutes later, without giving Piper a hug.
It was a busy week ahead as we were nearing Christmas break. When I entered my office, one of my students followed right behind me. She was the most annoying person I'd ever taught. Yes, she was knowledge-hungry, but she never stopped. At first, I was a bit concerned she had a crush on me, but those worries fled when I found that her conversations were all literature related.
“Professor, can I ask you about our readings and the possibility of changing our discussion?”
What the hell? She wanted me to change the group discussion. “Why?”
“Because my thesis is on a different topic and it would be more valuable—”
I stopped her. “Ms. Wellington, you've had the syllabus since I took over the class and knew what each book, reading, and discussion would be. I'm sorry I can't accommodate your particular needs.”
“Um, okay, Professor.”
Every day it was something else with that one. I had a meeting in ten minutes so I rushed out to make it on time.
The week was long and tedious. My head wasn't into teaching and I was scheduled to lecture at another university in York next week. It was time to get myself together. Piper had gotten me off track and I saw Christmas as only making it worse. Spending two weeks with my family and hers would be a nightmare. Avoidance was my plan. Gabriele would be the one to handle that. He knew the estate as well as anyone and could give them tours of the winery, along with Papa. There I went again, losing focus.
The faculty meeting was a bore and I doodled it away by writing Piper's name a dozen or more times. I was asked a few questions about the lecture next week. A few of us were going and we'd be spending the night. I volunteered to drive and texted the nanny then to see if she could spend the night with Gabriele.
After the meeting, I read her response. Dammit, she was unable to. I'd have to ask Piper. I quickly sent her a text but didn't receive an answer. I'd check with her tonight.
Later that day, Piper answered, saying it would be fine. My day ended early so I picked Gabriele up from school and we stopped by the candy store so he could pick out some treats.
“Can I get some for Piper?”
“Yes, you can.”
He picked out a giant swirly lollipop for her and on the way home he asked, “Did you give her a big hug, Papa?”
I stammered something out to the effect of trying but she had to leave.
“Why was she sad?”
“I don't think she was sad. I think she was tired.”
“Oh.”
“But, hey. Next week I have to go away for a night and she's going to be your nanny for overnight. It's just going to be the two of you.”
He clapped his hands saying that it made him very happy.
It was getting late and I was cooking dinner when Gabriele asked where Piper was.
“She may be studying late tonight.”
“But she always comes home to eat your food.”
I didn't want to admit she was most likely still angry, so I told him to send her a message on my phone and ask. Thirty minutes later we hadn't heard anything. Now I was worried. She'd responded to my earlier message but not this one. Maybe her phone was dead, and she didn't get it.
“Where is she, Papa?”
Playing it off, I said, “She's probably studying. Maybe her phone went dead and she didn't get your message.”
An hour after that, when we'd eaten and the kitchen was cleaned, I had Gabriele go upstairs to bathe. I wanted to call the police. I knew she'd been working with them so maybe they could shed some light.
Just as I was getting ready to phone him, the door opened and in she walked.
“Where the hell have you been?” My angry tone gave it all away as she looked on.
But I should've known better when she bit back with, “It's none of your damn business.”
“That's where you're wrong. My son has been asking for you and I was getting ready to call the police. Given your situation, a simple call would've been the polite thing to do.” I stomped away, furious with myself and her.
Chapter 23
Piper
Christ! He was right. I'd been so wrapped up in making him pay, I'd forgotten about little Gabriele. And then the whole police thing slipped my mind too. I'm so selfish. I owe them both an apology.
Marching upstairs to
pay my dues, I knocked on Gabriele's door.
“Come in.”
I opened the door and almost cried. He was sitting on Alessandro's lap and they were reading their bedtime story together. They say a picture is worth a thousand words and this was worth a million. Those two were beautiful together.
“Piper! Why didn't you call us? We waited on you for dinner until it was cold.”
“I'm so sorry, squirt. I had some studying to do and I forgot, which was the wrong thing to do. I promise not to do it again. And Alessandro, I'm very sorry you went through the trouble of cooking dinner for me. I should've called. It was very selfish of me not to.”
He sliced his head up and down one time, but Gabriele said, “Okay, but we missed you. Didn't we, Papa?”
“Uh, yeah, we did.”
“Sit down and listen to the story Papa is reading. It's about a girl who didn't have a mama and wanted one.”
“Okay.” I sat on Gabriele's bed as Alessandro read to him. The story, as it turned out, was a little girl who didn't have any parents at all and was eventually adopted by another family and lived happily ever after.
When it was over, Gabriele hopped off his Papa's lap and skipped over to me. “Will you adopt me so we all can live happily ever after like Lucinda?”
“Well, squirt, kids with parents usually don't get adopted and since you have a Papa, I'm afraid I can't.”
“But I don't have a mama. Well, I do, but I can't see her.”
“I see.”
He took my hand and asked, “Will you be my mama? I love you just like a mama. And you're real pretty. And I love your...” He pointed at my boobs. Oh, how I wanted to laugh, but this was also a serious conversation.
“Gabriele, I love you too. But I can't be your mama. What I can be is your very close friend though. Is that okay?”
“Yes, but why can't you marry my Papa? He loves you. I know it because when you're not happy, he's grumpy Papa.”
Wasn't that interesting?
“Your Papa and I are real close friends too, but for now I think someone needs to go to bed.”
The Best of Forevers Page 42