"No, Luca, it can't" she spoke, rising away from his kiss and sitting upright on top of him. "So, talk to me Luca Capello or nothing else will happen" she commanded playfully, adjusting her position and purposely grinding against Luca's straining cock in the process.
"You drive a hard deal, Im" he said before lifting her off him and sitting to face her properly. "I am ok, honestly. I wasn't the night I called you and I'm sorry I worried you, but I had a couple of days with my grandparents after I leaving my father's house and I've had time to think…" he trailed off. "My father, he made it extremely clear that he never wanted any of us in his life. He kicked me out, told me I was no longer his son. He wants nothing further to do with any of us".
"Oh, Luca" she whispered sweetly, smoothing her soft hand across his cheek, "I'm sorry this has happened".
Luca took her hand in his and kissed her palm, "It's ok, Im, really. Being back at the house brought back lots of memories, I started remembering how bad it had been, how brutal he'd been, how he'd picked on us when we were defenseless and looking to him for protection. He is a miserable bastard; we are all better without him".
"Luca…" she whispered, tears welling in her eyes.
"Im, I realized that there is no part of him in me. I may be his son by blood, but not by nature. You were right, I'm not like him. Ma, Roman and Dom; they raised me and they did a bloody fine job of it and now I have you to complete the picture" he winked at her.
"My nonno, I told him about McNaught and explained that was why I needed to visit my father; he lectured me about managing my temper better" Luca smiled, rolling his eyes for effect, "but he also reassured me that what I did was normal: you were in danger and I was protecting you. Whereas my father was the one putting us in danger and hurting us; I understand the difference now".
"So, you believe me now?" she asked genuinely, "I always knew you were a good man, remember?"
"I believe you Im" he smiled back, "thank you for believing in me".
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
"There's nothing quite like waking up in a new city" Luca yawned as he rolled over and pulled Imogen into him.
"There's nothing quite like waking up in a new city, the city of love no less, with the love of your life" she whispered back, grinding back into Luca's erection.
"Hmm… if you insist Im" he said, sliding his hand over her hip and down to the apex of her thighs.
"I thought you'd be exhausted after last night's efforts Luca" she chided playfully.
Taking his cock and thrusting it between her legs, "Exhausted, huh? You underestimate me Im", he whispered against her ear before slowly sliding out of her heat then pounding back in; her stifled moans all the encouragement Luca needed to take her as he pleased.
"Juliet's balcony, then the markets, then some shopping. What do you think Luca?" she asked as they sat at a café overlooking the Verona Arena.
"Fine with me" he smiled back.
"Really? Are you sure there isn't something you want to do?"
"Im, I'm just happy to be here with you; whatever you want to do, I'm happy with that"
"Ok" she said excitedly, pulling out her notebook and furiously jotting down notes.
"Im, seriously, you really need a new notebook—that ones a mess. Besides, I thought I'd given you more than enough material to fill that one…" he winked.
"Oh, you've given me plenty Luca Capello" she smiled playfully, scribbling one final sentence before closing it up and placing it in their backpack, "ok, let's go".
Weaving through the busy streets, Luca and Imogen gave themselves over to the push and pull of the crowd. “We must be getting closer” Luca shouted to Imogen as they rounded one last bend and stood before the tunnel that led into Juliet’s courtyard.
Walking through, Luca felt less than impressed, every inch of the walls of the tunnel were covered with graffiti and what appeared to be chewing gum modeled into heart shapes. “I’ve seen undersides of desks in high schools cleaner than these walls”.
Standing shoulder to shoulder with hoards of other sightseers, Luca couldn’t help but feel that the supposed meaning behind the tourist attraction had been lost. The courtyard itself was much smaller than he’d expected, Juliet's house and balcony lined the right-hand side, her bronzed statue was at the far end, and most surprising of all, souvenir stores lined the left-hand side. “Fancy an overpriced keyring or magnet to remember this by?” Luca asked sarcastically, nodding toward the stores.
“Oh Luca, seriously” she smiled, rolling her eyes in mock annoyance. “This is beautiful; I’ve wanted to see this all my life”.
“How can you be so full of wonder for something that’s simply a work of fiction? It’s not as though this is actually real. And, the story itself is hardly romantic; four days of lust, carnage, family breakdowns, and eventual death for both of them” he joked.
“Ever the romantic huh, Luca” she laughed. “Look around Luca, everyone who is here believes in what this place represents; true love despite the challenges that were thrown their way. It doesn’t matter that it’s not real, it matters that people believe in the power of love.”
“Well, I’m not convinced about the Romeo & Juliet theory, but I believe in us—is that enough?” he asked, locking his arms around her waist and pulling her in tight.
“That’s all I want you to believe in Luca; just us” she whispered in his ear, bringing an immediate smile to his face. “Now, about that magnet…” she laughed, breaking free of Luca’s grip and heading toward the souvenir shops.
Arriving back at their hotel, laden with shopping bags and exhausted from a day of sightseeing, shopping, and snacking, Imogen pulled out the map Luca had given her.
Spreading the map out on the floor of the loungeroom, Imogen knelt before it, “How long are we staying Luca?”
“In Verona, or Italy?” he replied, walking out from the bedroom.
Imogen couldn’t help but smile, “Italy?” she asked.
“Do we need to put a time on it, Im? Let’s just enjoy ourselves, figure out the details later”, he offered, peeling his shirt off and settling behind her on the floor. “Come here” he whispered, pulling her back onto his lap, “I’m glad you’re here; you make everything right”.
“I love you, Luca” she replied, resting her head against his chest and closing her eyes.
When they woke, on the loungeroom floor still curled around the outspread map, hours later it was dark. The evening had already settled in; music was serenading from the streets below and the smells of traditional Italian foods reached their room with ease.
“Im, wake up” Luca roused gently, “do you want to go get some dinner?”
“Noooo!” she moaned exaggeratedly, “I’m too tired! I don’t care about eating, I just want to sleep…”
“Too bad missy” he replied, hoisting her over his shoulder and striding to the bathroom.
“No, Luca. I want to sleep” she complained, as he made quick work of stripping her naked.
As he reached in to turn on the shower, Imogen made a playful run for the door but barely made it a step away before Luca’s firm hands found her waist and pulled her back to him. With one hand wrapped tightly around her breasts and his other sliding tantalizingly slowly down her body, Imogen gave in to his touch and relaxed back into him.
“Shower, food, then bed” he commanded, lifting her into the shower before stripping and joining her.
As she stood under the stream of water and slowly began to wake up, she asked, “How about we head off tomorrow? I was thinking we could train across to Venice?”
“Is that what you want?” he asked suggestively, reaching behind her for the bodywash and gently running his soapy hands across her body; feeling her melt into his touch.
“I want you, now, Luca” she replied breathlessly, his fingertips trailing from her breasts down the line of her waist before landing firmly on her hips.
“Now?” he teased, sliding one arm under her ass and hoisting her gently aga
inst the shower wall taking her mouth in his as she moaned for release.
Lowering her gently downward and onto his length, Luca gave over to her hastened speed and need, her rhythm gaining momentum and quickly bringing them both to climax.
“So, Venice tomorrow?” he asked, as their breathing slowly returned to normal.
“Is that ok?”
“Oh, Im, you’ve just given me a new appreciation for water—Venice sounds perfect” he smiled.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“You ok, Luca?” Imogen asked, feeling slightly concerned at Luca’s stand-offish behavior. Every since they’d decided to head to Venice, he’d seemed distant.
“Yep, not too much longer to go”
“You seem a bit… distant”
“No” he replied, pulling her in close, “I think I’m just a bit over train travel. I’ve done more in the past two weeks than in my entire life” he exaggerated, rolling his eyes for effect and lightening the mood between them. “What do you want to do when we get there?” he asked.
“Everything—a gondola ride, we could trip out to the islands and do some shop—ah I meant exploring, I’d love to do a trip down the Grande Canal…” she trailed off, “What do you want to do?”
“I’d be lying if I said I was impressed with the thought of more shopping—“ he laughed, “but, I’m happy to follow your lead; as long as you keep me well-fed and satisfied” he winked.
“I thought you were satisfied, Luca? God knows, I’m exhausted from keeping up with your ‘satisfaction’” she whispered back, suddenly conscious of her surroundings.
“Are you still tired, Im?” he asked genuinely, “maybe it’s jetlag, you haven’t really stopped since you arrived. Let’s have a rest today, recharge and set out later this afternoon?”
“Ok” she yawned, leaning into him and leaning forward to place a gentle kiss on his cheek. “I’m definitely up for some sleep”.
Stepping out of Venice train station, the buzz and hype of the city was contagious. Tourists with luggage assessing their options from the mainland across to Venice, the water taxi skippers bronzed and Adonis-like in appearance nonchalantly draped across their luxury watercrafts. It was easy to get swept up in the rejuvenating vibe of Venice.
Imogen followed Luca as he approached one of the gorgeous skippers and negotiated a fare over to Venice. Imogen stood, shell-shocked by the fast-paced exchange and Luca’s amazing command of the language, “You never speak Italian to me” she accused playfully when he turned to face her.
Bending to her ear, he whispered, “Tu sei il mio vero amore—you are my true love”, holding her at arms length just long enough to see the crimson blush hit her cheeks before whisking her forward and into the arms of the waiting skipper.
“Signora, watch your step” the skipper spoke firmly, helping her from the pier and down onto the boat before reaching out to take the luggage from Luca. “Signora, sedere” the skipper commanded, shuffling her to the rear of the boat.
Looking to Luca for a translation, he called to her, “Im, take a seat at the back, the skipper needs the room up front for the luggage” before stepping on to the boat to join her. “What do you think?” he asked, stretching out and taking in a deep breath of fresh Venetian air, “pretty amazing, huh?”.
“Yes, amazing…I’ve gone from being exhausted to excited in an instant” she smiled, basking in the warm sun and resting her head against Luca’s shoulder.
“The skipper gave me the address of his family’s hotel in San Marco Square, they’ll do us a deal” Luca offered, “it’s right behind the clock tower, unbelievable views he reckons”.
“Can we go straight there Luca? I’m desperate for some sleep”
“Yep, straight to bed for my princess” he smiled, holding her close as the taxi made quick work of the journey across to San Marco.
“Can you grab me my backpack Luca?” she asked after a couple of minutes.
“Why, what’s up?”
“I just want to write something down” she replied, as he smiled and rose to get her pack.
“For you” he said, passing her the notebook.
“Will you write something for me, Luca?” she replied.
“Im, my handwriting is crap, I’ll ruin your book”
“Please Luca, write down in Italian what you said to me back on the pier” she asked, and he smiled and obliged.
“Im, get some sleep—I’m going to head out and grab some supplies and food. I’ll be back soon” Luca whispered, kissing her on the forehead before slipping quietly from the room. The skipper had been right; the hotel was in a fantastic position, offering views of the San Marco Clock Tower and close by the shopping and restaurant areas.
Heading out to pick up some basics from the supermarket, it wasn’t long before the winding back-streets of Venice had pulled Luca unknowingly into their maze. Looking around in a vain attempt to find his bearings, Luca conceded defeat and decided to go in search of a map. Turning to see what shops were around him, he was drawn toward a store lined with leather bound books on one side and what looked appeared to be antique looking books on the other. His thoughts leading immediately to Imogen, Luca walked into the store and was greeted with the smell of ink and papers.
“Buongiorno!” greeted the older, much shorter, man.
“Buongiorno” Luca replied, finding himself involuntarily drawn to the hardcovered books, “Inglese?”
“English, Italian, Español, French… I speak them all. You are interested in these books, yes?” he said, reaching for the book Luca had been staring at and handing it to him.
Luca received the book; hesitantly “These are beautiful; I’ve never seen anything quite like it before”.
“Come, let’s set it down, I will explain all” the man spoke, ushering Luca toward the sleek bench behind them. “These books are all handcrafted, it is a dying art these days. You see these pages? Feel the texture, run your fingers over it” he explained, watching intently as Luca touched the pages. “Then, you see these drawings? Every twenty pages, sketches of different Venetian figures of royalty and importance” he explained, carefully scrolling through the pages.
The book was magnificent; there were no other words to describe it. “Do you make these?” he asked genuinely.
“Aah, yes, a painstaking labour of love” he smiled, “I purchased these antique printing plates” he said, disappearing behind the counter and coming back with a set of heavy metallic plates, “these are hundreds of years old and cost almost 10,000 euros” he explained, laying the plates out of the bench for Luca to inspect. “I make the paper, then impress these prints onto the selected pages, then sew and bind each book by hand” he finished, modestly.
“How many do you make?”
“Only one hundred books; these—“ he said, waving toward the small collection lining the wall, “are the last of the batch”
“May I buy one?” Luca asked.
“Yes, yes, of course. I am very happy that you like it so much” he smiled widely, wrapping the book in wax paper which he assured Luca would keep the book completely safe throughout their travels.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Walking hand-in-hand through San Marco Square, Luca and Imogen stopped to take in the uniquely Venetian sights; children feeding the pigeons, restaurateurs busying themselves for the evening diners, and tourists lining the outside of the Basilica awaiting their turn to tour the glorious interior.
He’d woken Imogen late in the afternoon, she had needed the sleep and after a quick shower, he’d surprised her with news of a gondola ride followed by a dinner reservation at one of Venice’s finest restaurants, the Osteria da Fiore.
Hours later, she emerged from the bathroom looking breathtaking in a curve-skimming nude strapless dress with her auburn hair loosely clasped to one side and soft dewy makeup with a subtle light red lipstick.
“God, Im, you look beautiful” Luca murmured crossing the room in a few easy strides and pulling her in close.<
br />
“You’re looking extremely hot yourself tonight Luca” she smiled back, “I could get used to being spoiled like this”.
“Could you now?” he teased playfully, “Then lets let the evening begin shall we?”, offering her the crook of his arm as they walked together out of the hotel and down to the waterfront to their awaiting gondola.
“Mr Luca, you are back, and with your lovely signora” the gondolier smiled, tipping his hat to Imogen and extending his arm to help her onto the gondola.
“Imogen, this is Paolo, our gondolier for tonight”, Luca offered, as Paolo reached for Imogen’s hand and planted a gentle kiss on the back.
“Aah, signora Imogen, it is lovely to meet you, and my honour to show you Venice on this magnificent evening” he smiled back.
As they settled into the gentle movement of the water, Imogen leant back into Luca and enjoyed the view. From the vantage point of the gondola, Venice took on a unique side; bridges filled with locals and tourists going about daily life, restaurants and cafes lining the canals slowly filling with the evening diners, the happy, smiling faces basking in the beauty of Venice.
“Did you enjoy your sleep this afternoon?” Luca asked, breaking into her thoughts.
“Oh yes” she moaned, “I didn’t realize jet lag was so brutal. I’m sorry, I haven’t been very good company at all today. What did you get up to today?”
“Well, this may surprise you, but I did a spot of shopping” he laughed, fully expecting a sarcastic reply from Imogen given how strongly he opposed shopping everytime she suggested it.
"You, Luca Capello, went shopping of your own free will?” she taunted him, “what inspired this change in attitude?” she laughed wholeheartedly.
“You” he replied genuinely and her laughter stopped almost immediately.
“What do you mean” she whispered, her eyes widening.
Capello Brothers 3 Train My Heart Page 7