The Turning Point

by Marie Meyer

  “What happened then?”

  “A beautiful girl knocked some sense into me.” He winked.

  Ugh! Please. He wielded his damn charm like a fishing pole. How many other girls had been lured in by that wink? Embarrassment flared on my cheeks. Why hadn’t I declined his lunch invitation and carried on with my vacation as planned? There was a reason I was a loner, found solace in academia…It was safe. All mind, no heart. No risk of getting hurt.

  But dammit, somewhere along the way he’d reeled me in.

  Chapter Seventeen

  So, why are you telling me this? I’m just a distraction from reality? What do we have here?” The question was directed at him, but in all fairness, I should have asked myself, too. Wasn’t I doing the same thing—using him as a distraction, a reason to hide from my real problems? Granted, I wasn’t sleeping with every Prince Charming who flashed his dimple, but I had put miles and a man between a profound, life-altering decision waiting for me at home. I had no right to be angry with him, but yet I was. It hurt to be used.

  “I don’t know what this”—he waved a hand between us—“is. What I do know…I haven’t thought about Julia once since I met you.”

  I guessed he wasn’t counting his unconscious thoughts into that equation. Did he even know that he talked in his sleep?

  “I’m not going to lie—the second I laid eyes on you, I wanted to take you back to my room and forget Julia existed.”

  I stuck out my tongue. No girl wanted to hear that. “And that line works for you?” I was sympathetic to his plight, but with all his talk of one-night stands, it was quickly boiling away, leaving a toxic by-product. Meaningless sex? Yeah, that’s what Scotty had been. Been there, done that. Not a fan.

  “No. Sitting on my ass in the middle of Pompeii, I shielded my eyes from the sun but looked up and saw something much brighter. I watched your eyes widen in shock as you realized you’d knocked me over. You clapped a hand over your mouth, and two seconds after I saw you, I knew you were different. Not the type I wanted to take back to my room and forget about the moment we finished. I wanted to remember your name, the number of freckles across your nose, the sound of your voice. I hadn’t breathed in six years, and in that instant, I could.”

  “So, you didn’t want to sleep with me?” I was so confused. First he was saying how much he wanted to get into my pants, and then he changed his tune. I didn’t know whether to be insulted, impressed, or thankful. I did know my lady parts had gone into mourning. When it came to Lucas, they were under the assumption that he was not meaningless.

  “That’s not what I said.” Tilting his head to the side, he pinched his eyes halfway closed, studying me. “Give me your hand.”

  “Why?”

  Open palmed, he flapped his fingers back and forth impatiently. “Let me have your hand.”

  I extended my right hand, palm up. Lucas took my wrist, faced it palm down, and laid it right on his crotch.

  Hello, jaw, meet floor. Holy. Freaking. Shit. My eyes snapped open wide.

  “Does this answer your question? This is pretty much how I am when you’re around.”

  He was so hard. My lady parts threw off their black veils, their clothes, and their lingerie, ready to get busy.

  I lifted my hand, slowly, taking note of the lust blazing from his eyes. I settled my hand back onto my lap, unsure of what his expectations were at this point. I knew he tried to avoid those, but with what I just felt in his pants, I was fairly confident he expected us to slip between the sheets. Was I ready for that?

  “When I said you were different, I meant it. I don’t want you to be another Julia-induced fuck.”

  Wow. Okay. That was blunt. No sheets, then?

  “You know what’s funny?”

  I shook my head because after having my hand on his…you know…words had fled my brain.

  “All those one-night stands were meant to distance Julia from me, but they only kept her close. It was really fucking hard to forget about her when all I kept doing was comparing. Then you came around, and I wasn’t comparing. I saw you. I wanted to get to know you.” He fanned his fingers across my cheek, his eyes searching mine. “That’s why I’ve been so careful.” He leaned in closer, our faces a fingerbreadth apart. “I didn’t want to mess things up. I want more time.”

  More time. He picked the wrong girl for that. It’s quite possible I already have one foot in the grave. I should tell him. I needed to tell him.

  “Sophia, sharing a hotel room with you has been a blessing and a curse. I’m fascinated by the little things you do. The way you loop your hair into a bun and keep it in place with an ink pen.” His hand on my cheek swept back, combing through my hair. “When you sit down, you tuck your right foot beneath you.” His other hand smoothed over my thigh. “The way you rub lip balm onto your lips with your pinky finger before you go to bed.” With the faintest of touches, he moved his mouth over mine, mimicking the back and forth motion of my pinky finger.

  His lips continued to brush over mine. “I want to catalogue each and every one of these Sophia quirks.”

  “Quirks?” I breathed. “Do you think I’m odd?”

  Pulling back a little, I saw him smile. “Quite the opposite. I’m captivated by every little thing you do. It’s refreshing. At night, when we turn out the lights, it’s like I’m in a tug-of-war match with the sun. I lie awake, listening to you breathe, feel the warmth radiating from your side of the room. Every clenched muscle in my body aches, trying to resist your gravitational pull. I’ve been in a dark place for a while, and all I want to do is step into your light.”

  My heart was going to beat right out of my chest. Why did he say all the right things? I should still be mad at him, but dammit, I wasn’t.

  “The first night I walked you back to your hotel, I couldn’t get the image of that pretty mouth of yours out of my head. It took all my restraint to kiss only your cheek.” He ran his thumb over my bottom lip. I sucked in a breath, my lips parting. “And then, the other night, in the alley, I lost control. I promised myself I wouldn’t but…”

  He stared at my mouth. Lose control…lose control, my heart thumped.

  “I’m glad you did.” My words were a garbled whisper. He reminded me how bright, how fun life could be…how much I’d been missing. I wanted more…with him.

  His eyes pulled tight, the two small creases between his brows deepened, and a few wisps of blond hair touched his forehead. “Even after everything I’ve told you?”

  I nodded infinitesimally, our noses brushing. “Even more so.” He’d finally let me in. “Most of what you said was hard to take; I didn’t want to hear it. But I’m glad you trusted me with the truth.”

  “I was scared you’d run. I’ve had enough running to last me a lifetime. I didn’t want to give you a reason to leave.”

  “I’m not running.” I said, punctuating my statement by touching the button on his pants.

  “Sophia.” He swallowed my name and shook his head. His eyes burned with that brightness I craved…I wanted to feel that alive.

  Working the button open, I lowered the zipper. My eyes remained locked on his as my fingers pushed beneath the hem of his shirt. Flirting with the waistband of his boxer briefs, I mustered the courage to dip my fingers inside, roaming over the hard V-shaped muscle below his abdomen.

  I wasn’t sure where my sex-kitten confidence came from, other than the fact that I felt safe with Lucas, but I went with it.

  He dropped his forehead against mine and inhaled, his eyelids fluttering closed. “Sophia, this isn’t a good idea,” he said through clenched teeth. “Not after what I told you.”

  “Shh, it’s okay. I trust you.” I did trust him. I knew what we’d shared over the last couple weeks wasn’t something fleeting and forgettable.

  “You have no idea how badly I want you.” He kissed me softly, inhaling my breath.

  “Then show me.”

  The world fell away. It was only Lucas, me, and the agonizing bliss that
connected us.

  Spurred on by the rush of endorphins, I pulled my fingers away from his lower region long enough to yank the shirt over his head. I’d seen him shirtless before, getting ready in the morning…at night, before bed. He shamelessly walked around the hotel room without a shirt just to torture me, I was sure. I’d pretend not to look; staring was rude…especially openmouthed staring, which I tended to do. But when he was occupied, his attention focused elsewhere, I’d look my fill.

  If surfing built bodies like his, I was surfing’s newest fan. Sweet Jesus!

  Now I not only got to look, but also touch. I splayed my fingers over the ridges of his stomach, feeling his muscles ripple under my touch.

  Lucas pushed my shoulders back, easing me onto the pillow. Coming to his knees, he brought his leg over my body, straddling me. “I’m only breaking this one rule,” he growled, running his hands over my arms. I loved how his round, hard biceps flexed when his fingertips pressed into my skin.

  “What rule?”

  “I promised myself I wasn’t going to touch you.” His hands gripped the bottom of my shirt and pulled it off in one, swift motion. “As you can see, that’s shot all to hell and then some.” A rush of indescribable pleasure reduced me to a quivering mass of rapidly firing nerve endings the moment Lucas put his hands on me. I arched my back, begging for more.

  “I won’t break anymore.” Despite the words, his voice didn’t have the same verve, almost like he was thinking out loud, willing himself not to cross any more lines, but I prayed he would.

  His thumbs traced over my nipples, through the thin lace of my bra, sending a direct current of electricity right between my legs. Before I could process words, Lucas moved his hands to my stomach and unfastened my button and zipper in record time. Hooking his thumbs beneath the top of my shorts, he eased them down as I lifted my hips. He didn’t waste any time with my panties either, pulling them off just as quickly.

  Shifting down on the bed, he nestled himself between my legs. He ran his nose along the inside of my thigh, while his tongue teased the sensitive skin. His palms pressed to the inside of my knees, pushing my legs wider; then he kissed me…there.

  Uh…wha—

  Holy. Shit!

  Like flipping through radio stations, my brain went from scrambled static to an operatic soprano singing high notes in octaves well out of reach.

  His tongue did things a tongue has no business knowing how to do. My body succumbed to the new sensations, quaking each time he moaned against my core. With his hands at my hips, he drew me closer, demanding more. My back arched and my hips begged to move. I’d never felt more alive. The ache low in my belly grew more intense with each flick of his gifted tongue. I knew his mouth was enchanting, but this was on a whole different level. He’d cast a spell and consumed me.

  Then, when I didn’t think I could take any more, he sent me over the edge. A starburst of white light bloomed across my closed eyes. My arms and legs clenched, and I bucked beneath him as he set every spasm free.

  When I came back to earth, he was at my side, tracing lazy circles across my stomach, his hair mussed and a cocky grin plastered on his face. “You’re fascinating.” His deep bedroom voice rumbled low in his chest.

  I cleared my dry, scratchy throat and turned away, my cheeks reddening from what we’d…he’d done. “Yeah, right.”

  “No, truly, watching you fall apart was sexy as hell.” He inched his hand higher, curling it over my breast, across my neck, and onto my cheek. With the slightest bit of pressure, he turned my head in his direction. “When I said I wanted to catalogue all the Sophia quirks, I meant these, too. What makes your body come alive? Where can I touch you and make you scream my name?” He moved his mouth to my ear. “What you feel like on the inside right before you come.”

  I shivered.

  His hand moved southward again, slowly, memorizing all the soft curves of my body. Pressure built in the hollowness between my legs again, demanding to be filled. With only words and a smooth touch, he’d already lit another fire inside me.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The bathroom door clicked shut and a moment later I heard the shower come on. I let out a long breath and bit my smile, throwing the covers over my head. Inside, I was leaping for joy.

  Hidden away in my cocoon, flashes of Lucas and his brilliant tongue cycled through my brain. He went down on me twice but refused to let me do anything to him, insisting last night was about me, a chance to memorize more of my little quirks and a way to prove I was different from the others.

  I’d say he proved it…and then some. A giggle bubbled up from my chest, followed by the condescending voice of my responsible side.

  God, what are you doing? Yeah, he’s sticking around for now. But once you tell him about the Huntington’s, he’ll leave you, just like he did the others. No one deserves to be burdened with someone who’s going to die.

  Guilt sliced through my afterglow like a hot knife through butter. It wasn’t fair. Lucas deserved to know what he was getting by being involved with me. Not to mention our time together was dwindling. In two weeks, I’d go back to St. Louis, and Lucas wouldn’t.

  That’s right, yet another reason why you shouldn’t get attached.

  Yeah, another reason. But when it came to matters of the heart, reason took a leave of absence. Lucas had already taken up residence. The hard part would be evicting him before Huntington’s took over my body.

  “Boo!” he shouted, pulling the covers away from my face.

  “Ahhh!” I jumped. “You scared me!”

  Laughing, Lucas straddled me, pinned my shoulders to the bed, and started shaking his wet hair in my face.

  “Stop!” I yelled, laughing, tossing my head side to side. “Stop it!”

  “Oh, come on, I like it when you’re wet,” he joked, leaning down to kiss the spot right below my ear.

  I sighed and relaxed into the pillow, my hands roaming over the hard muscles of his damp chest. “You’ve got a dirty mind.”

  “I can’t wait to show you how dirty.” Nibbling my earlobe, he blew out a hot breath. Pulling the covers away from my body, his fingers slinked their way south.

  I put a hand on his. “Nuh-uh, San Diego. I need a shower.”

  He stopped his thorough study of my neck’s geography and popped his head up. “Mind if I join you?”

  I cocked my head and smirked. “You already showered.”

  “Doesn’t matter. I told you, I like it when you’re wet.”

  “Ugh! Let me up!” I pushed on his chest and he rolled away with a groan.

  Freeing my legs from the blankets, my feet hit the floor. Standing, I stretched, the hem of my shirt riding up over my panties. Lucas watched with shameless lust.

  Harnessing my inner vixen, I swayed my hips toward the bathroom, and right before I disappeared around the corner, I crooked my finger in his direction. “Okay, dirty boy, you can keep me company in the shower, but only”—I held up my finger in warning—“if I’m the one doing the washing.” Last night, he had all the fun—okay, not all the fun—but now it was mine turn to catalogue his quirks.

  And faster than a lightning strike, Lucas hurdled the queen-size bed.

  * * *

  “This is a sorry excuse for a beach,” Lucas said, snapping his towel out onto the black volcanic shoreline.

  The Mariana Grande wasn’t so much a beach as it was a small patch of coast designated for swimming. Sorrento’s rocky shoreline didn’t make for the best beach getaways. But I was content with plopping my towel down. For me, all a beach needed was sun, salt water, and waves lapping at the shore. I’d take the beach any way I could get it.

  “Well, aren’t you a beach snob.” I made a face and stuck my tongue out.

  Lucas got right in my face and sucked my tongue into his mouth, kissing me deeply. “Fuck, yeah,” he growled.

  “Hmm…,” I hummed, taken completely off guard. “What was that for?”

  Pulling away slightly, Lucas co
cked a devilish grin. “I’ve wanted to do that since the first time you stuck out your tongue.”

  “Oh, really? And you remember the first time I did that?”

  “The day we had espresso. You took one sip, stuck out that exquisite tongue of yours, and drove me mad.”

  My jaw dropped. I was utterly gobsmacked. How he remembered something so inconsequential was beyond me.

  “I told you”—he tapped his temple—“every little thing you do goes right up here.”

  I smiled at that thought, but Old Sophia brandished the guilt-knife, slicing open a new cut. All the little things Lucas was storing, his “Sophia quirks,” they weren’t really me. It was Sophia Italia he was taking note of…the Sophia that pressed pause on the life she didn’t want to face at home and picked up a new one in a land far, far away.

  I took a deep breath and tried to forget about how wretched it was going to be when I had to set Lucas free. “I drive you mad?”

  Tossing his head back, Lucas groaned. “Out of my fucking skull.” He pinched my sides, making me squeal. “Now, do I get to see this swimsuit you’ve kept hidden, or what?”

  Grabbing the bottom of my cover-up, I pulled it over my head, revealing the bikini my mom had bought me. The one I had said wouldn’t be making an appearance. Well, I lied. Apparently, Mom knew the girls would need to be dressed up at some point.

  Lucas’s eyes dropped to my chest. His mouth opened and closed a few times, but he uttered no words. Now it was his turn to be speechless.

  The girls were showcased well in black and white polka dots. A decorative buckle—at the center of my chest, just below my breasts—held the skimpy top together, while a contrasting strip of alternating black and white stripes ran just underneath the girls, giving them some added lift.