by Lily Zante
Her mouth fell open. He was a tower of muscular strength, perfectly chiseled and sculpted, his muscles so defined and so sharp that she felt the urge to run her fingers over them to check that they were real. Her heart rate was racing and all the blood in her veins coursed south. The look he gave her was one of pure hunger, as if he needed to consume her right now. It was the first time she felt as if she had some power over him.
When he strode over to the chest of drawers and pulled out a foil packet, she got an even better view of him, uninterrupted save for the pounding of her heart and the pulsating sensation between her legs. Watching this man naked was a type of foreplay she had never before experienced. He excited her without even laying a finger on her. Her breath hitched as he came over to her, and sheathed himself.
Fully aroused, her senses heightened and her body primed, she was desperate for his touch. A wave of delicious anticipation rolled over every part of her as he slowly lowered himself onto to her, his mouth clamping down on hers hard, turning her mind molten. She moaned as he slipped inside, slowly at first, then hard and deep, and she dug her fingernails into his back as he buried inside her.
Chapter 19
He lay on his back, listening to his shallow breaths slowing down while sweat clung to his skin, cooling it. In their haste and frenzied passion, they hadn’t even closed the bedroom door. It was wide open and he could see the balcony in full view. A breeze drifted in, cool and refreshing against the heat and muskiness that hung in the air, the aftermath of long and passionate lovemaking.
He scrubbed his hand across his face, then did it again, contemplating the state of things. He didn’t sleep with his students. And he didn’t sleep with women like Gina. She was too decent, too pure, too nice.
He didn’t do nice but going so long without Rachele had obviously made him more desperate than he’d thought. He tried to fathom it out, how this had happened. Rachele hadn’t been here and Gina had.
It was that simple.
But then again, he’d met hotter women in the classroom before, women who had left no doubt as to their interest in him but his professional code of conduct had forced him to draw the line and walk away. Mixing pleasure with work was a no-no. Even Emilio didn’t go there.
This was different. She was different, and she had slowly worked herself into his heart. He had no regrets. Turning to his side, he scrutinized her face, shiny and flushed, as she lay next to him. There was something about Gina he couldn’t put his finger on. Something that appealed to him, something he hadn’t found in other women because while Rachele kept him company, Gina fed his soul.
She exhaled softly, her lips open, her breathing slowly coming back to normal. Her body had been pliant beneath him and he grew heated again remembering her moans and long drawn out sighs, and the way she clung to him as she shivered, the sound of that guttural noise deep in her throat, making him want to do this all over again.
“I didn’t think it could be like that,” she’d murmured, soon after she came undone, melting under him. He reached out for her hand and she almost pulled it away, but didn’t.
“Hey,” he said, his eyes raking in her side profile. She turned her face towards him. Beads of sweat lined up around her hairline. He smiled. “Aren’t you going to take this off?” He was eager to see her completely naked, to kiss and suck and fondle her breasts, a pleasure as yet denied to him.
She flinched. “No.”
“No?” Even now that they’d slept together?
Her cheeks colored, and she looked away, staring at the ceiling again.
“You’re sweating.” He wiped the sweat from her forehead. It turned hot quickly up here in his small apartment and there was no air conditioning. A stirring awakened within him and he leaned over to leave a quick kiss on her cheek before climbing out of bed. Walking over to the corner of the room, he lifted the heavy fan over to her and switched it on. A blast of cool air fanned out.
“Better?” He stood in front of her in all his naked glory. One look and she would be yearning for more. They all did.
“Could you put something on?” She asked, sitting up and not looking at him. Her air of innocence excited him and made a change from what he was used to. By now Rachele would have had her mouth around him, but Gina looked away.
“Are you embarrassed?”
Her shyness was refreshing and a bolt of excitement coursed through his veins, setting off the desire to be inside her again before taking a shower with her and doing it there as well. She tempted him without knowing, teased him without thinking, this woman who appeared not to have had many men; a woman who played no games, who was transparent and without agenda, and was someone to be savored.
“I wish you’d put some clothes on.”
“We’ve just had sex.”
Her cheeks colored and she held the sheet firmly against her waist.
“You liked it, judging by the way you screamed.” He was getting hard just thinking about it. Walking over to the bed, he sat down beside her, enjoying this exchange.
“Gina.” He lifted a hand to stroke her face. She flinched. It wasn’t the reaction he was used to. Women bared all and gave in to him. He pulled away.
“I don’t usually do this,” she said, looking into his eyes.
“Me neither.” It was technically true.
“I’ve only recently split up with my boyfriend.”
He didn’t understand what her ex had to do with this. He thought back to Monday, at the bar. She hadn’t seemed too upset then. Definitely no broken heart there.
“Do you regret what happened between us?” Because he didn’t. Not one bit.
“I need to go,” she said, sliding out of bed with the bedsheet around her waist. He grabbed her wrist and stood in front of her, fully aware of his hardness, and not caring that she saw it. This girl was too good to let slip out of his fingers.
“Answer me.”
She pursed her lips together.
“Answer me, Gina.”
“I don’t regret this if that’s what you mean, but I need to get back.”
He released his hold on her. “What’s the rush?” He didn’t understand. Something was up but he’d be damned if he knew what.
She snapped up her panties and tried to put them on under the veil of the sheet. It was comical, watching her do it with one hand still holding the sheet in place to cover her modesty. The thought of what was behind that sheet stirred up dangerous ideas in his head. She was shy and passionate at the same time. It made for a thrilling combination.
Being with her had been like no other experience he’d had. A warm, tensing sensation started to stir below again as he admired her half-dressed slim legs. If he wasn’t careful, this could get complicated.
“Why don’t you stay?” It was crazy, him asking her that, but he wanted her to stay and couldn’t understand why she wanted to leave.
“I can’t stay!”
“It was just a thought,” he said, puzzled by how different she suddenly was out of bed compared to how she had been when in it. The stony look on her face dampened his libido within seconds.
He dragged on his boxers. “I’ll give you a ride back to your hotel.” It would be a painful ride given the size of his excitement.
“You don’t have to.” She said it too quickly, as if pleading with him not to. “I can get the tram, or the bus, if you just tell me how to get back.”
“I’m not letting you go home alone.” Not after what had happened the last time. He placed his hands on his hips and surveyed her face, bewildered by her post-sex reaction.
“I’d rather not go on the scooter.”
“If that’s what you want.” He walked over to his closet and pulled out a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. “I’ll walk you back instead.” It would take him an hour to get there and back but he needed to sort his head out.
Chapter 20
It had been the best sex of her life and she couldn’t stop thinking about it as she stood under the power shower, l
etting the thick jet of water wash away all traces of him. The rivulets of water cascaded down, washing away his scent and the impressions of his lips and fingers on her body.
She could see him now in her mind’s eyes, naked and hard with that magnificent body of his which he so loved to display. The image of it set her body on fire. Once more she yearned for his touch, for that deep level of intimacy and could see now how it was possible to spend the whole day in bed with a lover.
He’d looked into her eyes when he was making love to her, made her look at him, undressed her soul, seen inside and made her completely bare and vulnerable. He had ruined her for other men.
The walk home had been surprisingly fine—the beauty of Rome was in the buildings and monuments around them and it was easier to make small talk about those, than to discuss what had just happened between them.
Once she was in the privacy of her hotel room, she was able to replay the scenario that had unfolded earlier, a part of her wondering if she had unconsciously willed it into existence. She didn’t have to go to Trastavere and, least of all, she didn’t need to go to his apartment.
It should have been a red flag to her, the way she felt, the thrill with which he’d left her after the scooter ride that took her there. After that, everything about him had been blown up, magnified ten-fold; his rough, rugged exterior, and his raw magnetism. He was strong and virile, and powerful. How could she have resisted him?
But afterwards, lying beside him in bed, coming to her senses, coming off the high, her natural reaction had been to leave. Shame-faced, at what she’d done, she had wanted to run away. She barely knew him. Four days? Four days and she’d already hopped into bed with him. Things didn’t happen that way for her. She had wanted to leave, to get back to the safety of her hotel room so that she could analyze it all from a safe distance.
With all traces of him off her skin, she only had the memories to console her as she convinced herself that it wasn’t wrong to want a man like that. Even as she tried to reconcile her mind with what she’d done, she couldn’t get rid of her mother’s disapproving voice in her head. A sermon on continuous playback. Years of conditioning were hard to remove. Maybe her mother’s preaching had seeped in deeper than she had thought.
She dreaded going to the course tomorrow, knowing things would be awkward between them. And then, under the sprinkling water, she suddenly froze.
The test. It was tomorrow, after lunch. And she hadn’t prepared at all.
She rubbed her temples, knowing she had no choice but to stay up for a few more hours and look through her notes.
She woke up, and for a few moments forgot where she was. It wasn’t until she picked up her cell phone and saw the time, that the real panic set in. It was past nine on the day of the test, and she had overslept.
Her mouth fell open. Everyone would already be sitting in class, and Christian would be wondering where she was.
And she had yet to pack and check out of the room.
She sprang out of bed as if a 220v charge had gone through her, knocking her folder off the bed in the process. She hadn’t even gone through half of it when she’d fallen asleep.
Leaping forward, she headed for the bathroom but stubbed her toe hard against the bedside cabinet. Howling, more out of frustration and anger than the pain, she hobbled into the bathroom.
Forty minutes later, she checked out of the hotel. And twenty minutes after that, the taxi pulled up outside the Fordana offices. Six minutes after placing her small luggage in a corner of the reception area, she knocked on the door to Christian’s classroom and walked in, doing her best to preserve her dignity.
He was in the middle of writing on the whiteboard. She mumbled an apology, praying that her cheeks wouldn’t heat up as she made her way to her desk. She could feel Christian’s eyes on her.
Even if she hadn’t slept with the man who now stood in front of the classroom, she would have been mortified to have caused such a disruption. Turning on her computer, she tried to make as little noise as possible and wished she could become invisible. She ventured a glance at Christian—it was easier to when he had his back turned to her, and her heart leapt again, making her insides light and fluttery. She opened her folder, but found herself staring at his broad back instead.
“We’re going through the topics we covered yesterday,” he told her, completely matter-of-factly. She nodded her acknowledgement, but all she could think of was what to say to him. How strange it all felt this morning. Everything looked dull and gray here in the classroom. There was no balcony, no magnificent view of the Tiber, no warm rays of the sun.
~~
When she at last showed up, it didn’t matter that she was late, at least she was here. After the way they had parted yesterday, he wasn’t sure what to expect from Gina. He’d caught her looking at him a few times, and then turn away sharply, as if she couldn’t bear for their gazes to meet.
He needed to talk to her.
She was guarded again, her barriers up, like cold, steel shutters, keeping the world out, not letting anything or anyone in.
When the class broke for lunch, he was about to walk over to her desk, to ask her if she needed help going over anything, since he knew she wouldn’t have had much chance to do that last night, but one of the students cornered him.
With a sinking heart, he watched her leave the classroom and tried to pretend he was interested in the person who was speaking to him.
Chapter 21
He was in the training room preparing for the afternoon’s test and his panini lay unopened on his desk.
“Hey.” Emilio walked in with a smug expression on his face.
“Hey.” As much as he wanted to talk to Emilio, getting tips for his interview wasn’t a priority for him right now. He had admin matters to take care off; checking that the test was properly loaded and set up because he wanted to find Gina and sort things out.
“I was out with the sales guys last night.”
Christian’s ears piped up. “You’ve been out with them a lot lately.”
“They’re a good laugh.”
“Yeah.” He typed away, wishing Emilio would hurry up.
“Everything alright?” His friend asked. Christian looked up briefly. It wouldn’t be long before the students returned from lunch. “I need to get these tests ready.”
“I’ll leave you to it.” Emilio walked towards the door then stopped and turned around. “Do anything interesting last night?”
Christian blinked. “Not really.”
“Are you sure?”
Christian lifted a hand to his neck and massaged the flesh. “Yes.”
“Yeah?” Emilio grinned mischievously, like a man who knew a secret that he couldn’t keep. “We saw you yesterday, sitting on the steps, eating ice-cream.”
“You should have shouted out.”
Emilio scratched his nose. “You looked busy. You were with that woman, the one who works for the Cazales.”
“You mean Gina?” Christian tried to keep his voice level. He didn’t know why he automatically felt defensive. He hadn’t done anything illegal, and Emilio didn’t know what had really happened. He was fishing for info. Most of all, Christian didn’t like the way Emilio grinned at him. “That’s the one. Is there something I should know about?”
“No.”
“No?” His friend didn’t seem to believe him. “Looked pretty cozy to me,” Emilio insisted. “Her wiping that ice-cream off your shirt.”
Christian gave him a pointed stare but said nothing.
“It’s just that,” Emilio started to walk towards him again. “She’s not your usual type. I mean, Rachele is hot! What the hell are you doing with this one?”
Christian bit down on his lips. Inside, his gut hardened to steel. “She’s just a friend.”
“And what’s with that thing she’s got on her head?” Emilio flashed a curious smile at him. “That’s what my school teacher used to wear when I was a kid.”
He wished Emi
lio would shut the hell up but defending Gina might reveal his Achilles heel. “Who knows?” he said, throwing his hands up in the air. “Maybe she thinks taking it off leads to foreplay.”
Emilio roared with laughter and he immediately regretted his reply. It was locker room talk, but this time it felt ultra-seedy, and he didn’t like it.
“You actually went there? You did her?”
“No.”
His friend’s eyes widened slightly, and Christian realized he’d given away too much. The truth had made him vulnerable. He rolled his eyes in exaggeration and ridiculed his friend’s response. “You know the score,” he quipped. “Sometimes you have to try all flavors.”
Emilio’s mouth twisted, his eyes gleamed with admiration. “You are one serious stud.”
“You know it.” He forced a laugh. “Do you mind?” He held out his hands. “This stud needs to get shit done.”
“I’m going.” Emilio rubbed his hands together and saluted him. “I need to take some lessons from you.”
“Anytime.”
“Is Rachele still away?”
Christian stiffened at the question. “Yeah.” Emilio didn’t know about the setup he had with Rachele. Nobody did. Against his better judgment, he’d asked her to meet him at Trussardi on one of the nights out with the work colleagues. Now he wished he’d kept his arrangement and his work life separate. “She doesn’t need to know. It’s not as if I’m about to disclose any of your secrets, right?” He dressed up his veiled threat with a smile.
“Chill.” Emilio sobered up quickly. “Your secret’s safe with me. Don’t worry, I won’t tell her.”
“There’s nothing to tell.” He shrugged, borrowing a familiar move from Gina. Emilio put his finger to his lips as he headed towards the door. Christian clenched his teeth together and forced a smile but he feared he hadn’t handled the situation well. Hearing Gina spoken of in those terms had pissed him off bigtime. He wanted to do nothing more than protect her.