Oceans Between Us (A Cinderella Romance)

by Taylor, Helen Scott

  He trod quietly upstairs. Her door stood ajar and he could see the bed. She lay on her side, her hair fanned across the pillow in a shiny arc. How he longed to run his fingers through that hair, to cradle her in his arms, to kiss her, to show her how much he loved her. He should not have walked out on her without a word the first time they made love. He had been foolish, thoughtless.

  He knocked softly. "Maria, tesoro, wake up. It is nearly ten o'clock."

  She opened her eyes and yawned.

  He pushed the door wider and smiled. "Downstairs I have coffee and pastries warm from Mamma's oven."

  "Mmm, I can smell them." She stretched out a hand to him. He slipped inside and shut the door. She shuffled back so he could sit on the edge of her bed. He gave in to his need to touch her hair, stroking it back from her face, sliding his fingers through the silky strands.

  "I can't believe the time," she said. "Why did I sleep so late?"

  "All the sciacchetrà you drank yesterday?"

  She giggled. "That might have something to do with it."

  She lay warm and beautifully sleepy beside him. Dino had longed for an opportunity to get her alone. She filled his dreams, starred in his fantasies. His need for her had crept up on him and taken him over. And she probably had no idea what effect she had on him.

  He stroked a finger along her cheekbone, brushed the corner of her mouth. She stilled, her eyes on him, her pupils large and dark in the blue-gray of her irises.

  "My family has gone to La Spezia. We are alone, amore."

  His words hung in the air between them. Her hand settled on his thigh, stroked up to where his shirt was tucked in his jeans. She tugged out the fabric and sensation shot through him as her fingers touched the skin of his belly.

  Dino pulled his shirt off over his head and leaned down, capturing her mouth, inhaling her sweet floral fragrance. His hand pushed down beneath the covers and cupped her breast through her silky pink camisole. He groaned. It felt like a lifetime since he'd last touched her this way.

  "Get in bed," she whispered, kissing his face.

  He stood, toed off his boots and shucked his jeans. He slid beneath the covers into the blissful softness of her welcoming embrace. This was his idea of heaven, spending time with Maria in bed every morning. He would take her to America with him when he started filming. He would not be without her again.

  ***

  With a little sigh of bliss, Maria lost herself in the sensation of Dino's lips and hands, drawing tingling lines of pleasure across her skin. He had been so restrained with his family watching them, she'd wondered if they would have any intimate time alone.

  "Much as I like this, I want it off," he said, pulling her silky top over her head. His hands smoothed over her breasts and he dipped to kiss her skin, nipping, making her giggle. He grinned. They tussled and laughed, sharing teasing touches and kisses until they were both hot and bothered. Then Dino snagged his jeans from the floor and dug a condom packet from his pocket.

  "You planned this."

  He dropped a kiss on her belly. "I worked hard to persuade everyone to go out today."

  She let her fingers play over his thigh as he tore open the foil and protected himself. Then she pulled him down, welcomed the weight of his body over hers. All those years with Tom and it had never felt like this. Joining with Dino was almost a spiritual experience.

  They cuddled for a long time afterwards, talking, remembering things they had done together in Cornwall. Maria admitted she had been at the O2 Arena in London and seen Dino sing "Maria." He actually blushed, his olive skin turning a flattering shade of copper.

  They showered together, fooling around like teenagers splashing water and laughing, until the playful touches grew passionate as they smoothed their soapy hands over each other. Then they discovered they had half flooded Rob's bathroom and spent ages mopping it up. "How are we going to explain all the wet towels to your brother?" Maria asked.

  "I will tell him the truth."

  "Don't you dare!"

  "He will guess, cara. My brothers and sisters are not stupid, they know why we wanted to stay here alone."

  Maria pulled a face. "As long as your mother doesn't find out."

  "Mamma thinks you are a good girl."

  "I am!"

  He slipped his arms around her from behind, pulling her back against his naked body. "I know," he whispered against her ear.

  Eventually, they managed to dress, although Maria kept tickling Dino as he tried to pull on his jeans. It was difficult to keep her hands off him. She wanted to be touching him all the time.

  After a late breakfast, Dino showed her around Riomaggiore. It might be a seaside fishing village like Porthale, but there the similarity ended. The village was crammed into a narrow valley, the tall houses perched almost one atop the other up the steep hills on either side. Because of the geography, there was only one main street and few vehicles. Most of the houses could only be reached by foot, following narrow walkways that twisted and turned. She had never climbed so many steps. Although she thought she was fit, her legs ached. She hung on Dino's arm and let him pull her up the hills.

  Every corner revealed a new delight. Potted plants adorned nooks and ledges, adding welcome splashes of color. She took off her coat and carried it, the sleeves of her blouse pushed up to the elbows. By midday, the temperature was as warm as a British summer's day.

  The place was a wonderland of curiosities. Tiny windows and crooked stairs, old metal gates up narrow side alleys, overgrown and mysterious. She snapped photos on her camera to show her family. They reached a viewpoint outside a church, and she stared over the higgledy-piggledy roofs at the sparkling water in the bay below.

  Dino stood behind her, enclosing her in his arms. "Now I show you where I played as a boy."

  He took her to a tiny house with peeling paint. Dino smiled wistfully. "My best friend Romeo lived here with his nonna, his grandmother. He and I would ride down the streets on a wooden cart we made from driftwood and crash into the walls. Mamma did not approve of Romeo." They walked down the gray paved main street, mingling with the locals and a few early tourists. Maria browsed the windows of gift shops.

  Dino led her past the houses, up a steep path, and out onto the rocks. They stood high on a cliff looking down at the sea, and Dino held her hand tightly. "Romeo and I stood here and shouted our dreams to the wind." He laughed. "We would spread our arms like wings and try to fly, but when we jumped off, we always fell into the sea."

  "Goodness!" Maria leaned out and peered over at the white-capped waves rolling against the cliffs. "You were either very brave or a little mad."

  "Back then, Romeo and I thought we were invincible, cara."

  He led her back towards the houses and along a path by the edge of the sea. They passed through a metal gateway with two entwined hearts above. "Now we will walk the Via dell' Amore, Lover's Lane."

  He put his arm around her waist and cuddled her close as they strolled. The views were fantastic, the steep rocky cliffs hollowed out by a succession of small coves. Above them the cliff was home to plants and flowers while at the top she caught glimpses of vineyards and olive groves. The soothing sound of the sea accompanied them, reminding Maria of Porthale. After a time they came to a place where the path cut through the cliff face. One wall was decorated with romantic graffiti, heartfelt words left by decades of lovers. On the other side, the Mediterranean was visible through arches cut in the rock.

  Dino smiled and pointed at a strange sight. In the center of one of the arches was a statue of a kissing couple with a bench below. On either side, the railings were adorned with padlocks of every shape and size. "What on earth is that about?" Maria asked.

  "The padlocks symbolize eternal love and commitment. Boys and girls from Riomaggiore and the next village, Manarola, have met here for decades. Couples come to attach padlocks to show their love is forever." He pulled a brass padlock from his jacket pocket with their names written on it. Maria gave a soft gasp
at the significance.

  "Maria, amore mio." He drew her down on the loveseat beside him. "I know I did not start this well, walking out and leaving you without a goodbye, but please believe that you mean everything to me. To prove this, I attach this padlock here." He snapped the metal device in amongst the mass of others and tossed the key into the sea. "Now our love is locked in forever and can never be undone."

  Oblivious to the other people walking past, Dino pulled her onto his lap and kissed her. Then he pressed his lips to her ear and whispered: "I love you, Maria. Will you marry me?"

  Warm and languorous in his arms, it took her a moment for his words to register. Joy filled her. He loved her! Then the rest of what he'd said sank in.

  She trembled inside with a potent mix of excitement and trepidation. She loved Dino and wanted to be with him more than anything in the world, but if she married him he would expect her to follow him wherever he went. "I thought you had to go away again?"

  "I do, but only for a few weeks until I finish my concert tour. If we get engaged now, our families can organize the wedding. You will come to America with me as my wife." He pulled her close, kissed her. "I do not want to be parted from you for months and months while I am filming. Please say yes."

  She clung to the front of his shirt as memories of her last night in Austria crashed back. "Will we have to live with the film crew people?"

  "Do not worry about the details, cara. We will decide everything later."

  All the blood seemed to drain out of her head and she heard her pulse beating in her ears. "I don't want to be left with people I don't know."

  Dino's hopeful expression faded and tiny lines appeared between his elegant dark eyebrows. "What is the matter?"

  Maria didn't want to tell him about Austria. She hadn't even told her parents. Chris was the only person who knew her shameful secret. "I love you." She kissed him to prove the point. The last thing she wanted was to hurt his feelings. "I want to marry you and spend my life with you, but..."

  He cupped her cheek in his palm and examined her face. "But you are not happy about traveling, is that it?"

  She nodded.

  "What is it, cara? You can tell me."

  Love meant sharing, being honest. If they were to get married, she had to trust him. Maria curled against him, pressing her cheek to his shoulder. "I'm probably being silly. Just because it happened once doesn't mean it'll happen again."

  "What happened?"

  "When I worked at the chalet at the ski resort, Tom and the other ski instructors were always joking around. You know what men are like when they get together and have too much to drink. One night they started playing strip poker with some women they'd picked up, so I went to bed. In the middle of the night three of the guys came to my room—"

  A harsh Italian word burst from Dino's lips. "Did they hurt you?"

  Tears filled Maria's eyes as an echo of the powerless terror rushed through her. They'd tugged her bedcovers off and held her down. "I screamed. A German woman came to help. She was the only female ski instructor. She hit them with a ski pole until they backed off and left me alone."

  "Your boyfriend, where was he?" Dino asked, his voice tight with anger.

  "I found out later he was drunk, passed out on the sofa."

  "Maria, amore." Dino hugged her so tightly she could hardly draw breath and pressed his lips to her hair. "I will take care of you. Never would I let anything like that happen to you. If you are frightened to travel, we will stay in England. The movie does not matter."

  Relief rushed through her, soothing the panic. "Thank you, Dino. Thank you." She framed his face between her hands and kissed him.

  When she broke away to grab a breath, he touched a finger to her chin and angled her face up, gazing into her eyes. "You are all right now, amore? I do not want you to worry about anything."

  "Mostly it doesn't bother me. It's just the thought of living somewhere else, with people I don't know."

  Holding her with one arm, Dino dug in his pocket and pulled out a ring. "Before Mamma left for La Spezia, I told her I would ask you to marry me. She gave me this ring. It was her grandmother's. She wants you to have it. But if you want a new ring, cara, then tell me."

  He held out a beautiful gold ring set with a square-cut emerald flanked by four diamonds. "It's lovely, Dino. How sweet of your mum. This is perfect." He slipped it on her third finger and kissed her hand.

  "It fits so well. It was meant for you, I think." He hugged her tightly. "I am afraid Mamma cannot keep a secret. My family, they will all be waiting to celebrate with us."

  "What would you have done if I'd said no?"

  "I knew you could not refuse me." He attempted an arrogant lift of his eyebrows but spoiled it by grinning.

  Maria giggled, her heart so light with happiness she was sure if she jumped off Dino's cliff right now the wind would carry her up with his dreams. Dino stood and pulled her to her feet. "Come, let us go and share our good news and drink lots of Roberto's expensive champagne."

  Gripping Dino's hand, Maria hugged his side as they wandered back along the coast path. He stopped to kiss her and they chatted and laughed. Inside Maria trembled with joy and anticipation. A few weeks ago it had seemed as though her dreams were dead, but now they were all coming true. Dino had agreed to settle in England! Now she just had to persuade him to buy a guesthouse similar to the Crow's Nest for her to run, somewhere happy to raise their children.

  Back at the harbor, Dino's family had returned from La Spezia and were waiting for them outside, enjoying the sun. The men leaned against the wall chatting, while Carlotta and Giuliana played with the children. Giuliana leaped to her feet the moment she saw Dino and Maria and skipped towards them, grinning. "You said, yes? Please say you said yes?"

  "I did."

  Giuliana squealed and grabbed Maria's hand to examine the ring. "This is so wonderful. I have another sister. Tonight we will get drunk and celebrate."

  "Not too much drinking," Dino said, dropping a kiss on his sister's forehead. "Maria has to fly home tomorrow. She doesn't want a headache."

  "Spoilsport!" Giuliana batted Dino's shoulder and linked her arm through Maria's. "Come and see Mamma." Maria was congratulated by the gaggle of women who crowded around her to see the ring while Dino's brothers slapped him on the back and hugged him.

  Mrs. Rossellini appeared in the doorway and opened her arms to Maria. She allowed herself to be drawn into a warm hug. Dino's mother spoke to her in Italian, tears shining in her eyes. Giuliana translated. "Mamma says she is delighted to welcome you into our family and she knows you will take good care of her little boy and make him happy."

  "Thank you. I'll certainly do my best." Funny how that had been her first inclination when Dino arrived at the Crow's Nest, to take care of him and make him happy. Although back then, she had never dreamed she would be doing it for the rest of her life. She smiled to herself, remembering how much Dino enjoyed her cooking, and how she loved looking after him. But as Rob popped the cork on a bottle of champagne and sloshed bubby into her glass, an unsettling question crept into her mind. Would Dino really be happy living in a guesthouse? After all, that wasn't his dream but hers.

  A trail of excited boys and girls scooted around her legs and she laughed, letting her doubts slip away. Maria couldn't wait to have children. She was certain Dino would make a wonderful father.

  Dino came to her side, slipped an arm around her waist, and kissed her. "My family is so happy, amore. They already love you as much as I do. Now you will have to learn Italian so you can talk to your mother-in-law." He tapped the end of her nose and she giggled, light-headed from happiness and champagne.

  "I must call Mum and Dad. Tell them the good news." With a smile, Maria wandered away from the merry group, pulled her mobile phone from her pocket and dialed. It was Chris who answered.

  "Oh, Mari, that's fantastic news," Chris burst out the moment Maria mentioned marriage. "I know you'll be happy. Dino's such a great gu
y and so smokin' hot. Tina will be jealous. I'm jealous! You'll make beautiful babies."

  "I hope so."

  "Oh, my God, you'll get to go to Hollywood with him!" Chris gave a little squeal. "You lucky, lucky thing."

  For some reason Maria stumbled over her response. "Um, I-I don't think that's going to happen now."

  "Oh, no! Why? Did the movie people drop him? Poor Dino. He was so excited about the movie. He must be devastated." Maria swallowed, taken aback by Chris's tirade. She ought to explain it was Dino's decision and he hadn't been dropped, but it was difficult to think how to describe the reason over the phone.

  "Can I speak to Mum?"

  A moment later her mother came on the line. "I'm so happy for you, darling," she said. Maria heard the smile in her voice. "I was obviously wrong about him." Her mother's approval lifted a huge weight off her shoulders.

  "I do love him, Mum. I know you were worried, but he's willing to make changes in his life so I'm happy." Maria discussed her plans for the next few weeks and how she felt bad about leaving her new job so soon. Then her mum passed the phone back to Chris.

  "Drink lots of champagne, enjoy your yummy Italian, then come home and give me all the juicy deets." Chris giggled. "Oh, and remember to tell Dino that I'm really sorry the movie fell through. He's so talented and gorgeous he's bound to be asked to star in something even better. See you tomorrow."

  Maria dropped her phone back in her pocket and bit her lip. She was relieved by her mum's reaction to her news, but unsettled by the way Chris made such a big deal about Dino losing the movie.

  She glanced back at the happy family group celebrating in the sun and the neighbors who had come out to congratulate Dino. He chatted and laughed, sipping champagne. What would his family say when they found out he planned to give up the Pavarotti movie? It had been one of the main topics of conversation. All his relatives had sounded excited. And whenever Dino spoke about the movie he positively glowed with enthusiasm.

  ***

  Maria slept badly that night. She tossed and turned, Chris's words plaguing her like ants under her skin. She woke at dawn to the sound of men talking outside and lay in the semi-darkness, listening to the musical lilt of the deep Italian voices.