Love in the Shadows

by Dylan Madrid

  Luca released his hold on Quintin, but their faces and mouths were still close enough to kiss. “Again, your timing is impeccable,” said Luca.

  “And why’s that?”

  “This is my last assignment, Quintin.”

  “Meaning?”

  Luca slid his arms around Quintin’s waist and gently pulled him until the front of their bodies touched. “Once we have completed the mission,” he said, “I am all yours. If you want me.”

  “You’re my reward…for good behavior?”

  “I know this is much to understand, but I really do not want you to leave.”

  “It really sucks that we met under these circumstances.”

  “In a way,” Luca said, “the ambassador brought us together. We owe him that.”

  “I don’t know if I can do it, Luca. I’m being honest with you. What you’re talking about terrifies me more than…more than you do.”

  Luca looked surprised. “I scare you? Why? I am not scary.”

  Don’t say it. Don’t spill your guts to this poor guy. It’s too soon.

  “No, but I’m scared of all these feelings I’m already having,” said Quintin, despite the silent vow he’d made to himself to not do anything to scare Luca away. “It’s too soon to feel so…intense.”

  If Luca was made nervous by Quintin’s serious tone, it didn’t show. “Then let us enjoy the water and the moon and the night. Forget about everything else. There is just you and I here.”

  Quintin smiled, relieved. “Any chance it can stay like this forever?” he asked.

  Luca placed a palm against Quintin’s cheek “You and I?” he asked. “Or the cottage?”

  Quintin’s gaze dropped down to Luca’s lips. “Both,” he said.

  “Well, you have already received approval from my grandmother. My mother—she has very high standards, so you might have to work a little harder where she is concerned. Mia madre non è facile da accontentare.”

  “I think you’re worth the effort.”

  “You are beautiful,” Luca said. “And I believe you desire me.”

  Quintin nodded weakly. His voice was a whisper. “Yes.”

  “I want to kiss you.”

  “Well, what’s stopping you?”

  Their mouths met, lips parted, tongues touched. Within seconds, passion consumed them like a wildfire and their kisses became almost savage.

  Breathless, Quintin stepped back. “You’re one hell of a kisser, Luca Russo.”

  “You are very good, too, Quintin Pearson.”

  They kissed again, pulling at one another, their hands roaming over each other’s bodies.

  This time, Luca pulled away first. He breathed in the night air, gulping it in like water.

  “What do we do now?” Quintin asked.

  Luca sat down. He gestured for Quintin to join him, to slide into the empty space between his open legs. Quintin could feel Luca’s warm breath on the back of his neck.

  “I just want to be here with you…holding you…looking up at the moon and the stars,” Luca said.

  “And the water…it’s so beautiful…all of it,” said Quintin.

  “Only because you are here, bello,” said Luca. He slid his arms around Quintin and rested his chin on his shoulder.

  Quintin leaned back, feeling his shoulders press against Luca’s strong chest. “I know you work a lot, but what do you do for fun?” he asked.

  “Well, you know I love to cook,” he said. “When I am not working, I go back to Italy. It is my favorite place to be. Cinque Terre is my home.”

  “I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never been there.”

  “I will take you there very soon.”

  “I’d like that,” Quintin said. “To see where you grew up.”

  “When I was younger I played sports.”

  “I avoided them at all costs,” said Quintin. “I still do.”

  “I love to go the cinema. But I like old films. Good movies.”

  Quintin grinned. “Me, too. The Blue Dahlia is my favorite.”

  “And you? What is your life like?”

  “Mine? There’s not much to tell. I spend most of my time writing. I never intended to be a journalist—if that’s even what you can call me. I always thought I would be a poet. But opportunity knocked and I was scared it would never knock again. So I accepted the offer and began writing articles for people who are three times my age. But the magazine has changed my life. I don’t know what I would do without it. On Thursday nights I have dinner with my friend Fiona. We work together. Really, she’s my only friend in London. Otherwise, I watch a lot of television. Spend way too much time on my computer. Sleep the weekends away when I’m not working overtime.”

  “And your family in America? You do not visit them?”

  “I haven’t been back there since I moved to London.”

  Luca sounded concerned. “They don’t come to see you?”

  “We’re not really close.”

  “No? Why is that?”

  “I’ve never been able to figure that out,” said Quintin. “We’re all very nice to each other. No one fights or argues. It’s just…none of us have much in common—not even my parents. They don’t even sleep in the same room. I have a grandmother. But she lives in a nursing home. I send her letters and cards and flowers, but I don’t visit. I mean, what would I say to her? She isn’t sweet like Louisa.”

  “You sound very sad, bello.”

  “It is what it is. My life is in London now. Before Kevin left, things were different.”

  “Kevin?”

  “My ex. He was also American. We were together for over a year. Then one night, he slipped out and disappeared and I never saw him again. At least not until earlier today on the ferry to Calais.”

  “He was on the boat with you?”

  Quintin nodded. “I’m sure it was him. I didn’t get to talk to him. I have so many questions. Why would he leave me?”

  “The answer is simple,” Luca said. “The man is a fool.”

  “You’re very kind to say that, Luca. Clearly, he had his reasons. I just don’t know what they were. I’ll probably never know. Maybe I don’t need to.”

  “I will tell you something I know,” he said. “It feels very good to hold you in my arms.”

  “This moment is magic,” Quintin said. “I don’t ever want to forget this.”

  He could feel Luca’s words on his skin, warm and gentle against his face. “Then it shall be my duty to remind you of this every day,” he said.

  Quintin’s gaze drifted out to the surface of the water. The moon’s reflection was a glowing white ball, rippling with a soft rhythm. It lulled Quintin, putting to sleep the last five months of anxiety and sadness. Never before had he felt so relaxed, so wanted.

  This feels so right. For the first time in my life, I have something I never knew was possible.

  Quintin closed his eyes, hypnotized by the rising and falling of Luca’s chest with each breath he took. By the sensation of Luca’s touch as he trailed his fingertips over Quintin’s skin, lingering in just the right spots. What initially began as an attraction in the dark was evolving into something much bigger and brighter. Quintin just hoped it wouldn’t fade away and die before they realized how fortunate they were to have discovered each other.

  All because of the ambassador. Because of Regina’s invitation.

  I never want to leave Belgium. Never. This place is poetry.

  This place is love.

  The Capture

  Sleep was not even a consideration.

  There was palpable tension in the night air, swimming invisibly in the narrow spaces between Luca and Quintin’s bodies. It tickled the back of Quintin’s neck, tiptoeing from his shoulders down to his palms before pinching his fingertips and shooting off and up toward the moon and the twinkling sky. It was apparent in everything. It clung to the edges of their words. It tightened the backs of their throats, squeezing more and more desire into their thoughts and voices. It clung to the
bases of their spines, where it lingered and hoped to be extinguished like a glowing ember.

  Luca and Quintin remained on the beach for almost another hour. They lay on their backs, allowing the star-studded ceiling to exude its sense of magic over them.

  Quintin wondered what was running through Luca’s mind.

  Regrets?

  More secrets?

  Was he already preparing a speech to give Quintin in the morning in which he would try to say good-bye as gently as possible?

  Quintin stole so many glances at Luca, studying his profile, the permanent dark scruff on his cheeks and chin, the thin black hairs on the backs of his knuckles, and the way he folded his hands and placed them on the center of his chest, as if he were sending silent prayers up to whoever was listening above.

  This man is adorable. He’s smart, sexy, a little dangerous. How did this happen to me?

  Back inside the cottage, Luca went to the kitchen and made them mugs of hot cocoa, using rich Belgian chocolate. Quintin sat nearby, breathing in the heavy, sweet air.

  I probably look like an idiot. I can’t stop smiling.

  They sat together on the sofa, sipping their drinks and staring into each other’s eyes.

  When Quintin yawned, Luca asked, “Are you sleepy, bello?”

  “Yes,” Quintin said, “but I don’t want this night to end.”

  “We will have many more together,” said Luca. “Of this I am certain.”

  Quintin wasn’t sure if what Luca was saying was true, but he didn’t care. All that mattered was being in Luca’s presence, being the focus of his admiring gaze and sweet attention.

  Moments later, Luca led Quintin by the hand into the narrow hallway where they stood in front of two open doorways, each leading to a dark bedroom.

  “I will sleep in here,” Luca said, gesturing to the bedroom Quintin had found his suitcase in when he’d arrived earlier that afternoon.

  “So will I,” said Quintin, without hesitation.

  Luca beamed. He looked giddy with excitement, anticipation.

  “Would you like to join me for a shower?” Luca asked.

  Having been modest for his entire life, Quintin felt his cheeks blush just from the mere thought of undressing in front of Luca, of his thin body being exposed and on display, flaws and all. He knew he shouldn’t be feeling so inhibited, but it was something he could not help.

  Luca must have sensed Quintin’s unspoken concerns because he put his arm around Quintin’s shoulders and asked, “Why are you shy, tesoro?”

  Quintin looked away. “I’m not beautiful like you,” he said. “You’re perfect.”

  “There is no such thing in this world,” he said. “You do not believe how much I desire you, my crazy American?”

  Quintin cracked a smile. “Maybe I am crazy, Luca.”

  “I know,” he said. “This is why I like you.” Luca put a hand up, indicating Quintin should stay where he was. “You wait here for one minute. Then come join me.”

  Quintin nodded in agreement. “Okay.”

  Luca slipped into the living room before going into the bathroom and closing the door.

  For what felt like an eternity, Quintin waited until he was absolutely sure a minute had passed. He moved to the bathroom door, took a deep breath, and opened it.

  Inside, the room flickered with the shadows of candlelight. Luca had turned the overhead lights off and illuminated the room with a half a dozen sweet-smelling votive candles he’d placed around the perimeter of the sink’s counter and basin.

  Luca stood in front of the sailboat-covered shower curtain. Behind him, the shower was on and waiting for them. A thin cloud of steam was forming above the shower.

  Quintin felt his breath catch in his throat. Luca was wearing nothing more than a pair of white bikini briefs that hugged his hips and provided a detailed outline of the shape of his cock. He looked like a dark-haired, bare-chested warrior from some mythical tale—part Hercules, part gladiator. He was like something Michelangelo had created with his bare hands—beautiful and timeless.

  “Wow,” Quintin heard himself say.

  While he appreciated Luca had been kind enough to dim the room and provide some soft candlelight glow, Quintin was more nervous than ever.

  He felt his hands tremble slightly as he lifted the black polo over his head. He dropped the shirt on the cool bathroom floor, next to Luca’s walking shorts and tank top. Instinctively Quintin covered his chest with his arms, trying to hide his pale, smooth skin and his erect pink nipples. He knew his body wasn’t much to look at it. Like the rest of him, it was plain and dull.

  He could feel Luca’s eyes on him.

  “Let me see you,” Luca urged gently.

  Quintin obeyed the command. He lowered his arms to his sides, revealing the top half of his body.

  “You should not be shy,” Luca said. “You are very handsome.”

  “Are you sure you don’t like me better in the dark?” Quintin asked.

  Luca’s eyes narrowed in on Quintin. “You are even more beautiful than I imagined, bello.”

  Quintin just stared in response, taking in the vision of an almost-nude Luca standing in front of him. He knew with just one quick downward glance Luca’s cock was hardening.

  Clearly, he likes what he sees.

  “Take off your shorts now,” Luca instructed.

  Quintin reached to the front of his olive-green shorts and unbuttoned them. They fell to the floor, landing around his ankles. He stepped out of them and kicked them aside with one quick swipe of his foot.

  All that remained were his boxers, which were doing very little to conceal the hard-on growing beneath them. He placed both hands in front of his crotch.

  “No,” Luca said, shaking his head. “Do not hide yourself from me.”

  Again, Quintin did as he was told. He pulled back his hands, hoping the head of his cock didn’t pop out of the open slit in his boxers. He shivered from the apprehension, knowing that Luca was about to consume him.

  “Come here,” Luca said. Quintin took a few steps forward until they were eye to eye. “Kneel down,” he continued. Quintin lowered himself to his knees. His mouth was just inches away from Luca’s cock, which was now straining against the white fabric, begging to be released. Quintin couldn’t take his eyes off the bulge. He wanted it so badly.

  “Touch your cock,” Luca told him. “Play with it.”

  “What?” Quintin stammered.

  “I want to watch you.”

  Quintin slid his fingers through the slit in his boxers and squeezed his own cock.

  “Take it out,” said Luca. “Pleasure yourself.”

  “Okay,” Quintin agreed. Still nervous, he pulled his dick out of his boxers, revealing his hard pink cock to Luca. Immediately, he began to stroke it. Already, there was pre-cum on the tip of it. The head of it seemed unusually large and swollen.

  “That’s it,” Luca said, sounding pleased.

  Quintin watched Luca rub his hard-on over the top of his tight bikini briefs. On impulse, Quintin reached up and tugged Luca’s underwear down to his knees, revealing Luca’s thick, uncut cock in all its beautiful glory.

  Without asking permission, he took Luca’s cock into his mouth, swirling his tongue over the head and shaft. He suddenly felt Luca’s palm beneath his chin, lifting his face just a little, forcing him to look up and into Luca’s eyes.

  “Look at me while you suck my cock,” Luca said. “Let me see those beautiful green eyes.”

  Quintin continued to look up, falling deep into the pools of lust he saw in Luca’s dark eyes.

  Luca began to moan. It was low and almost animalistic. He thrust his hips toward Quintin’s face. The rhythm started to increase the more Quintin sucked.

  Quintin stopped, freeing Luca’s cock from his mouth. He gulped in air, breathless. Luca offered a hand, which Quintin accepted, and rose to his feet.

  Luca placed his hands on Quintin’s waist and slid his boxers down. At once, Luca reached
for Quintin’s cock and balls. Quintin was overwhelmed by Luca’s touch. He steadied himself by bracing a hand against the bathroom wall.

  Within seconds, they were standing beneath the warm blast of shower water, soaping each other’s bodies, exploring, pleasing. They kissed passionately until they needed air. They whispered words of lust and longing to each other. They embraced, afraid to let go, aware of the intense, sweet pressure created by their bodies melding together.

  Luca turned Quintin around, kissing his neck, his ears, and the space between his shoulder blades where tension no longer lived. He bent Quintin forward just a little bit farther and positioned himself. Quintin could feel the tip of Luca’s cock pressing against his ass, ready and eager.

  Quintin relaxed his body and closed his eyes. The shower water felt like summer rain against his skin. Luca’s palms were on his hips, guiding.

  As Luca slid slowly inside him, the world seemed to ripple for Quintin. He’d never felt such a rush of euphoric pleasure before. The sensation made his heart race. Luca moved back and forth, sliding deeper inside Quintin with each gentle thrust.

  Overwhelmed by the intensity of the moment, Quintin closed his eyes. He focused on the many sensations his body was experiencing simultaneously.

  He and Luca were now one.

  *

  They made love all night long, taking turns pleasuring one another. Each time Quintin felt Luca’s hips buck, his body tense, and a slow moan slip from his lips, he knew he was bringing his lover to the brink of ecstasy. Similarly, Luca knew just what to do where Quintin was concerned, how and where to use his tongue, his hands, his cock. Never before had Quintin experienced such a connection with a man, such a feeling of perfection. It was as if their bodies had been made for each other.

  As night faded into dawn and they drifted off to sleep with their limbs entwined, melancholy started to smother Quintin’s state of rapture. Already he knew no other man would come close to Luca. Never again in his lifetime would he meet someone who seemed to possess every quality he had been searching for. Sadness weakened his euphoria, leaving behind a slow-growing sorrow that blanketed Quintin, shrouding him in a fast-shooting round of concerns and regrets.