“Let’s. They won’t have our amazing food all summer.” We were leaving for Italy in a few days. “Maurice, you’re up.”
Amelia handed Raphael to Maurice.
“Hey, no, my turn.” Gigi rushed out the door and took Raphael.
“Unfair, but I won’t argue.” Maurice chuckled.
“Thank you, dear.” Gigi bubbled away, going back into the house with Raphael.
“Happy wife, happy life.” Maurice nodded. The two had been married for a year now.
Amelia took my hand and pulled me away from the guys just as Sinclaire laid out his deck of cards.
When we got inside the kitchen, she grabbed a pack of fresh pasta, and I took it from her.
“I’m cooking. You’re watching.”
“We said we.” She giggled.
“Yes, so I could have you all to myself.”
“So, I’m just going to watch you cook?”
I nodded. “Here’s the plan for the evening that I never told you. We cook dinner, Maurice and Gigi are staying over to babysit, and I’m taking you to the ballet later, then to the presidential suite of the Machionette.”
“What? Luc, we’re leaving for Italy in days. We can’t have a break like that and the baby needs us.”
“The baby will be fine. Come here.” I pulled her closer, and she slipped her arms around me. “Mrs. Morientz, I’ve only told you once today that I love you.”
“Mr. Morientz, you’re forgiven, but you have to make up for your severe mistake.” She stood on the tips of her toes and kissed me.
“Dinner and dessert.”
We both laughed.
“How about dessert first?” She gave me a saucy look.
I loved the sound of that. I loved my life with her. I loved that she gave me a chance to be me.
Most of all, I loved that she loved me.
That was priceless.
Amelia
I walked out into the sea of gardenias covering the front garden of the vineyard. Against the moonlight, they were a stark bright white, like stars kissing the earth.
That was the first thought I’d had on my first visit here last year. I understood what he’d meant every time he used to mention the villa.
The breathtaking image of it was always so striking it gave me goose bumps, and here I was again. Here in the garden in Italy, and the effect was the same.
Maybe a little more because of my deep appreciation for it. I longed to be here when I wasn’t, and it was a welcomed break. Most of all, it sparked my creativity.
All I had to do was take a look at the beauty before me, and it channeled the dancer in me, and I’d start seeing dances moves, choreography.
It was amazing how different my life was now. It was so different, sometimes I had a hard time believing everything else that had happened.
It was like I’d always been married to Luc. Like we’d met in high school or something and planned to have the gorgeous wedding we had two years ago, promising our love to each other for all eternity.
It was like we’d always had Raphael. Our precious baby who was a continuous symbol of our love. It was like we’d always planned to name him after my father.
And it was like I’d never left dancing, never left Chicago to become Amelia Taylor, never became someone else.
A month after Raphael was born, I thought I’d take a walk to my old dance school. I’d just wanted to see the place for memory’s sake. I was so shocked to find Madame Bouglaise still ran the place and more shocked that she instantly remembered me. That one visit changed everything. Then sixty-five years old, she’d been looking to sell the school but still have some involvement with the dance examinations and contact with Julliard.
She was the woman who’d practically pruned me and molded me into the dancer I was, so she didn’t think twice when I offered to buy the place. Then she made the deal even sweeter with her recommendation to Julliard that I train under her to take on the role of exam liaison officer both at Julliard and the school.
I was accepted under her internship, but on the condition that I did three years training at the undergraduate level and a further year to get the teaching qualification. At Julliard.
Of course, I’d completely agreed to it. My time to dance and travel the world with all the amazing companies I’d hoped to work for might have passed, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t still live my dream in some way. Teaching was what I’d always planned to do. So it was still me living the dream.
I taught at the school, owned it, and worked closely with one of the best dance academies in the world. It was onwards and upwards from here.
Luc had made it possible. He’d never allowed me to lose sight of my dream.
“You always look the same.”
I turned on hearing Luc’s voice. He’d been at his office in town working late on the accounts.
When I looked at him sometimes, I couldn’t believe he was mine.
In the moonlight, that lit up the vibrant Verona sky, his features looked more chiseled. The angles and planes in his face more pronounced. The bright blue of his eyes became more of a twilight hue in the mingle of light and dark.
He rolled the sleeves up his thick forearms and joined me. That sexy smile of his turning up a notch the more he looked at me.
“The same how?” I ran my fingers across the hard wall of his chest.
“Like the dream I always had of you. Sometimes it’s hard to believe this is real, that you’re actually here.”
“I know the feeling.”
His smile widened. He cupped my face and brushed his lips against mine.
“Goddess,” he breathed, voice deep and husky. “I want you.”
“Take me.” I giggled against his lips.
Pressing his lips to mine again, he kissed me until my knees weakened and my whole being felt light, like I might float away.
In a skillful move, he swept me up as if I were weightless and carried me inside the villa and into our bedroom.
He set me down on the cool wooden floor, and one by one our clothes came off until we were both naked. I giggled when Luc picked me up again and carried me to the massive king-sized bed that filled the space in the center of the room.
I took a moment to admire his gorgeous body. Sleek muscle and untamed pride beamed in the masterpiece he was. Chiseled to perfection, Luc had the body of a warrior. I would never be able to get enough of the rigid contours and planes on his chest and those tattoos.
I loved the power that came from him, but also the beauty.
When he joined me on the bed, his lips recaptured mine, and in a flash, I got sucked into the magic of us. It was divine ecstasy.
Placing me on my back against the cool silk sheets, he traced a sensuous path to ecstasy with his lips right from my mouth, down my neck, the valley between my breasts, down the planes of my stomach, and on to where I craved him most between my thighs.
Passion then fueled the blood through my heart as his expert touching and tasting sent me to higher planes of pleasure. He gave me a wickedly sinful, seductive smile as he slid into me and my body welcomed his. Our bodies in exquisite harmony with each other.
Waves of pleasure and pure delight cascaded over me when he started to move, and my body melted in sweet agony. This was us, always us, existing in this bubble of love where what we did could only be felt by us together riding this magical wave that bound us.
Ours was shared pleasure and like always when we came, it was on a shuddering wave of overwhelming passion that made me dizzy with desire.
Luc lowered his body next to me and pulled me into his arms.
I rested against the corded muscles of his chest, basking in the afterglow of this moment and us.
“Goddess, I can’t get enough of you. I don’t think I ever will.” He whispered against my head. “I want you again.”
I smiled and looked up at him. “It’s a good thing I want you too, and we have all night.”
“All night? No, it’s not enou
gh. I think we’re going to need a babysitter for the rest of the week.” He nodded. The hungry look that lurked in his eyes turned me on even more.
“Yeah, me too.”
He reclaimed my lips, giving me a kiss that made my soul shiver and my blood sing through my veins.
I couldn’t get enough of this man either.
Thank goodness he was my forever.
That was priceless.
Thank you so much for reading. I won’t say it’s the end because it’s not. Look out for the Gangsters and Dolls series coming soon featuring the stories of Claudius the new Mafia Boss and his men, The Four.
Also coming soon is Hot Pursuit with Sinclaire’s story.
Also by Khardine Gray
Other Books by Khardine Gray
Series
The Accidental Mafia Queen
The Vandervilles
Standalones Novels
His Girl Next Door
Blossoms of The Heart
Mr. Delicious
Mailroom Delight
The Rules of Attraction
Falling For Him
Never and Always
I Love You again
One Wild Night
Shape of My Heart
Hearts Entwined
Complete Me
I Only Have Eyes For You
The Objection to Affection
Box Sets
Play of Love
Contains Shape of my Heart, The Road Trip Formerly called One Wild Night and Hearts Entwined.
To check out these titles please visit
https://www.amazon.com/author/khardinegraynovels
Acknowledgments
To my readers.
Where would I be without you….
This one’s for all of you.
I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your support, and for reading my stories.
Hugs and LOVE xx
About the Author
Khardine Gray is a USA Today Bestselling author who loves writing sizzling hot contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and paranormal romance.
Her books have sexy, drool-worthy heroes who will make you melt, and sassy, fun loving, ambitious heroines.
She simply adores her readers and loves spoiling them.
Keep up with all her new releases by signing up to her mailing list at http://www.subscribepage.com/f4u3v9
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