When the bleached blonde showed up at his office and began to strip out of her costume, he’d wanted to melt into the floor.
“I became pretty popular at the law firm after that,” he said.
Willow cackled.
“The bosses weren’t too happy, though.”
“I was so afraid you were going to lose your job.”
“Yet it’s still one of your best memories, huh?”
She nodded, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. “I’m just sorry I wasn’t there to see your face. Jessica, your old office assistant, told me how horrified you were. You have no idea how much I would have loved to see it.”
“Want to know what my favorite memory is?” Harrison asked.
“Hmm?”
“Three years ago. July Fourth weekend.”
“Yeeeesssss.” A blissful smile stole across her lips.
“Your mom drove in from Houston that Thursday evening and took the kids back with her for the weekend.”
“We bought a bunch of food and didn’t leave the house for two days.”
“Not only did we not leave the house, we didn’t put any clothes on either,” Harrison reminded her.
She nestled her head underneath his chin and released a dreamy sigh. “We made love more times that weekend than we have in the last six months.” She looked up at him. “We never should have allowed things to get to this point, Harrison. We’ve been too damn good together for too damn long to let things fall apart the way they have.”
“But we’re fixing it,” he said. “And we’re not broken. A little bent maybe, but nothing can ever truly break what we have, Willow. Our bond is too strong.”
He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. And for the first time in a long time, life was starting to feel normal again.
It was almost midnight when he and Willow arrived back at Termini Station. They were fed only a drink and light snack on their three-hour high-speed train ride from Venice, so they were both famished by the time they made it back to Rome. When Harrison discovered the lights on at the tiny, four-table restaurant just off the Piazza della Repubblica where they’d eaten a couple of nights ago, he was prepared to offer the man behind the bar an extra hundred dollars if he could get the chef to whip them up something quick to eat.
In keeping with the giving nature of the people they’d encountered here in Italy, the chef was all too happy to make them a dish and keep the restaurant open while they ate, encouraging them to take all the time they needed while they enjoyed their late meal.
“Two times on the same trip. I guess we can call this our restaurant,” Harrison said as he twirled spaghetti onto his fork. “We’ll have to make sure we eat here every time we visit.”
“Every time?” Willow’s brow rose. “So, does that mean I won’t have to force you to take that long, long flight again?”
“It wasn’t all that bad.” He shrugged. “What’s a little blood-chilling anxiety when you compare it to the fun we’ve had? Totally worth it.”
“I agree,” she said with a laugh. “It’s worth it for the fun and the food.” She forked a piece of veal from her plate and held it out to him. Harrison closed his lips around the tender meat and pulled it into his mouth.
“Divine,” he said.
Willow’s exuberant grin relaxed into a slow, secretive smile. Her eyes grew heavy with desire as she continued to stare at his mouth, and Harrison’s hunger for their meal abruptly took a back seat to a different kind of craving.
“Are you done?” he asked. She nodded. “Good.”
He called for the check and, surprisingly, had the bill squared away within a matter of minutes. The short, two-block walk to their hotel felt more like twenty. They couldn’t move fast enough to satisfy the urgency pumping through his blood. His skin burned with the need to get his wife alone and savor every delectable inch of her mouthwatering body.
Taking her by the hand, Harrison led her into their hotel room and straight to the bed. They stripped out of their clothes, but before he could lean her back on the covers, Willow put a hand to his chest.
“It’s been a long day and we’re both grimy. We need to shower before we get to doing this.”
Harrison chuckled, shaking his head at her practicality. They climbed into the shower, which was barely big enough for the both of them. Yet, they somehow made it work. As he washed her back, he ran his tongue along the slope of her neck, nibbling just below her ear. He rubbed his soapy hands over her breasts and down her stomach, slipping them both between her thighs and cupping her. Willow gasped as he spread her open and teased the ridged knot of nerves there, rolling it between his fingers, pinching and plucking until her legs started to shake.
“Okay, that’s enough,” she said in a strangled voice. “We’re clean. Let’s go.”
“About damn time.”
They attempted to towel themselves dry as they rushed out of the bathroom, but instead of joining her in bed, Harrison hoisted her up and wrapped her legs around his waist. Palming her incredibly grabable ass in both hands, he carried her over to the table next to the windows. He hoped no one could see them through the sheer curtains, but making love to his wife with Rome’s romantic skyline as their backdrop was an experience Harrison wasn’t willing to pass up.
He dropped to his knees and tugged her forward before wedging himself between her thighs and draping her legs over his shoulders. Then, with his hands gripping her waist, he dipped his head between her legs and feasted.
She tasted better than any of the delectable dishes he’d eaten this past week. He rolled his tongue around her clit, flicking it across the taut nub, lapping up her delicate flavor with deep, leisurely licks. Willow braced one hand on the glass tabletop and wrapped the other around his head, pulling him closer to her, pumping her hips to the rhythm of his tongue’s movements. Her low, erotic moans of pleasure shot straight to his dick.
Harrison couldn’t hold out much longer. The need to be inside her, to connect his body with hers, pressed against him like a raging bull, straining to burst through its cage. With an urgency he hadn’t felt in longer than he could remember, he stood, lifted Willow off the table, turned her around and thrust into her from behind.
Her back bowed as she spread her fingers flat on the tabletop and pushed back against him.
“Oh, God. Harrison. More. More.”
He met her demanding cry with longer, deeper thrusts. They rocked against each other, with Willow pushing back as he plunged forward, the erotic rhythm of their lovemaking sending him close to the edge. Too close.
Harrison pulled back before he could reach the point of no return. Because he wasn’t nearly ready for this to end.
He turned Willow around and hoisted her into his arms once again. She let out a yelp of pleasure as she caught his face between her hands and drove her tongue into his mouth.
Balancing her with one hand cupping her ass and the other cradling her back, Harrison carried her to the bed and deposited her face down on the covers. He explored the small of her back with his tongue, trailing it along her smooth skin.
“Turn over,” Harrison whispered. When she did, he settled between her thighs and connected her mouth to his. Taking his erection in his hand, he guided it into her warm, inviting heat, plunging with renewed ambition, desperate to make her body quake around him as it had last night.
Harrison braced his hands on either side of her and drove into her over and over again, quickening his pace, then holding back, repeating the pattern again and again, until he felt her thighs quiver against his hips. Unable to withstand his body’s demand for release, he once again slipped a hand between them and brushed his thumb back and forth over her clit.
She surrendered completely, her body shattering underneath him. The sight of her losing herself was so hot it drove him straight over the edge. After only three more strokes, Harrison exploded in an orgasm so intense he thought he was sure to die. It traveled from the top of his head to the tips of his toes and all point
s in between.
His arms gave out. He collapsed on top of her, his body too spent to support him a second longer. He quickly rolled to the side, pulling Willow on top of him.
“Good Lord,” she breathed against his chest. She looked up at him and gestured her head toward the window. “We need to get us a table like that for home. It’s the perfect height.”
Harrison’s laugh rumbled in his chest. “I’ll ask the concierge for the name of the manufacturer.”
She laughed and yawned, lowering her cheek onto his chest once again. “Baby?”
“Yeah?” Harrison asked.
“I hope you don’t take it the wrong way when I fall asleep in the next thirty seconds. Today was epic, but you wore me out.”
He smooth his hand up and down her back. “Well, when you think about it, we pretty much covered the entire country today, from South Italy, to the north, and back to the center.”
Willow’s answer was a light snore.
He chuckled, drawing the bedding over her back. But as his wife drifted into a peaceful slumber, Harrison lay restless, staring up at the ceiling. Even as he replayed their conversation in the gondola over in his mind, he had to fight the urge to reach for his phone and check his email. It was as automatic as breathing. But how much was it really costing him?
He’d been so sure that he was killing it when it came to being the all-around family man. So maybe he went some nights with only a couple hours sleep. As long as he was there to shoot hoops with his son, teach is teenage daughter how to drive, and satisfy the hell out of his wife when they slipped into bed at night, what did it matter?
But it did matter.
There was something to be said for taking a bit of time for himself. This trip had shown him just how enjoyable life could be when he allowed it to slow down a bit. The Delmonico acquisition wasn’t going to collapse in the next couple of days. He didn’t have to know what was going on at all times back at the office.
And once they got back home and this deal was done, he would learn how to put work aside—truly put it aside—and enjoy his family. He was lucky as hell to have them. He’d always thought providing for their physical needs was the best thing he could do for them, but after his conversation with Willow today, Harrison now questioned his priorities. He’d sacrificed enough of himself for his career. It was time he focus on what really mattered in his life.
It wouldn’t be easy. This drive to be the best had been a part of him for far too long. But he vowed to try. His family was worth it.
Chapter Nine
As the near scalding water rained down on her sore muscles, Willow luxuriated in the exquisite ache still humming throughout her body. It had been far too long since her inner thighs had experienced this delicious tenderness, the result of being spread wide for hours.
After Harrison led her on that sensual foray around their hotel room, she’d quickly fallen asleep, but just an hour later she’d awakened, ready for more. She’d used her hands and mouth to tease Harrison’s body awake, stroking and sucking until he was hard and needy. Then she’d climbed on top of him and taken them both to paradise.
Goodness, but she’d missed sex with her husband. And, despite her soreness, she was ready to go again. They had a lot of lost time to make up for, and there was at least another hour before the National Museum opened. Surely they could spend some of that time making each other come.
Willow stepped out of the shower and toweled herself dry. Recalling how insatiable Harrison had been last night, she doubted it would take much to convince him to join her under the sheets for another round. Or maybe they could try the dresser this time? Up against the wall? All three places?
She wrapped the towel around her before exiting the bathroom.
And stopped short.
He stood with his back to her, stuffing clothes into his open suitcase, his phone tucked between his shoulder and jaw.
“I’m going to look for the earliest flight I can get. If I can fly out within the next few hours, I can be in the office by morning.” He tossed a partially folded shirt in the suitcase. “Don’t worry about my trip. I’ll come up with an excuse for Willow for why we need to leave early.”
Willow tucked the towel more securely underneath her arms and then folded them over her chest.
“Oh, you will?” she interrupted.
Harrison whirled around and stared at her, his eyes wide with shock and guilt. “Uh, Jonathan, I’ll call you back.” He tossed the phone on the bed and held up his hands. “Let me explain.”
“You’ve come up with an excuse already? I’d have thought it would take at least a few minutes.”
“Willow—”
She held up a hand. “Save your excuses. I don’t want to hear it.” She grabbed the bra and panties she’d left on the bed and pulled them on, then she plopped down next to his open suitcase and gave it a shove. “I just can’t believe you, Harrison.”
“Would you let me—”
“What has this entire trip really meant to you?” She looked up at him, trying to discern if she could even trust his words. “Was there any truth to anything you’ve said, or was this just your way of placating me? Whisk me off to Italy and maybe that’ll shut me up for a while. Is that it?”
“No! Come on, Willow, don’t do this. Not after the week we’ve had.”
“It hasn’t been a week!” she screeched. “That’s my point! I can’t get a full week of your time without you trying to cut it short because of some damn client. It shows me exactly where this marriage rates on the scale of what you consider important.”
He threw his head back and dragged his palms down his face.
He had the nerve to be frustrated with her? Really?
“Are you going to let me explain, or am I just the bad guy here, no matter what?” Harrison asked.
“You’re just the bad guy this time. Deal with it.”
He released another of those irritated breaths. It only served to piss her off even more.
“I agreed to call my children only once a day while we’ve been here. My children! That’s how important this trip was supposed to be to our marriage. Yet now we’re cutting it short—going to the expense of buying last-minute airline tickets—because some high-maintenance client needs you?
“What if you died tomorrow? What would this client do? Do you think their entire business would implode? Newsflash! It wouldn’t. They would just hire some new lawyer and go on about their merry way.”
“Newsflash, I’m not dead,” he countered. “I am their lawyer and an issue popped up that no one expected. I need to be there.”
“We go home tomorrow, Harrison! Why can’t Jonathan handle it until we get back?”
“It’s not Jonathan’s responsibility to handle it. This is my client.”
“And I’m your wife! Where do I come in on your priority list?”
He spread his hands wide. “I booked this entire trip for you! I got on a fucking plane and flew across the ocean for you, Willow. You’re telling me that’s not enough?”
She folded her arms over her chest and pushed her shoulders back. Lifting her head in the air, she said, “I guess it has to be.”
She snatched a sweater dress from the closet and went back into the bathroom. When she emerged five minutes later, Harrison was sitting at the table where he’d made love to her just last night, using an iPad she didn’t even know he’d brought with him.
“Have you been working this entire time?” Willow asked. “What have you been doing? Tiring me out with sex then waking up in the middle of the night so you can work?”
“This is only my second time using this thing all week.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” She put her hand up. “Don’t answer. I don’t even care, Harrison. Text me when it’s time to go to the airport.”
He propped his elbows on the table and rubbed his temples. “Please don’t do this.”
She grabbed her purse and headed for the door.
&n
bsp; “Willow!” he called, but she continued walking. She couldn’t bear to even look at him right now.
She watched the door to their hotel room as she waited for the elevator, readying herself for the moment Harrison stormed into the hallway, determine to make her understand why he would allow his work to intrude on this time that was supposed to be just for them. The elevator door opened but their hotel room door didn’t.
“Go on without me,” she told the couple in the elevator. She hooked a thumb over her shoulder. “I just remembered I forgot something.”
Willow turned toward their room and propped her hands on her hips. The pain in her chest intensified as each second passed with the door remaining closed, to the point where she could barely take a breath without wincing.
He had not come after her.
The elevator dinged its arrival. Willow glanced once again at the hotel room door before finally boarding the elevator. She felt numb as she made her way through the lobby and out into the chilly, overcast morning air. She turned right, retracing some of the same steps she and Harrison had taken this week. She walked along the old streets, peeking in the windows of the various shops, restaurants and gelatarias, her mind hardly comprehending what she was seeing.
How had he allowed her to just leave? How could he not even try to talk to her? To bring her back in that room and give her a solid explanation for why he so blithely tossed aside all the strides they’d made repairing their marriage this past week?
Hurt and anger encompassed her entire being, the bitter taste of it resting on her tongue, sinking into her bones.
With only a scarce idea of how she’d arrived there, Willow found herself back at the Trevi Fountain. She took a seat on the stone steps and mindlessly observed the tourists who walked up to the low gate surrounding the fountain. Kids pitched coins at the water, teens recorded short videos of themselves posing like the marble statues behind them, lovers stared into each other’s eyes and kissed. Everyone looked so happy, so carefree. It made her feel guilty to have such agonizing thoughts flittering through her head while surrounded by such joy.
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