by Marie Meyer
I waited and waited for him to speak again, but he remained silent. After twenty minutes or so, my eyes grew heavy and I drifted off to sleep, excited for tomorrow, Lucas’s birthday.
* * *
“Morning, Linebacker,” Lucas whispered, crouched at my side of the bed.
“Uhh,” I groaned, rolling onto my back. “What time is it?”
“Just after six. We need to get going if you want to go to Capri today.” He brushed his fingers along my forehead, sweeping my rat’s nest hair onto the pillow.
“Yeah”—I pushed up on my elbows—“I’m up.” I yawned. “What are you doing up so early?”
“Dean’s pitching a game concept tomorrow, and I had to go over some details with him, help him with slides and screen shots.”
“You’ve been working?”
“Yeah.”
Geez, why was he still here? He had so much going on at home, I had no business monopolizing his time. “I’m sorry, Lucas. I hate that I’m keeping you from your responsibilities at home.”
“Hey, you’re not keeping me from anything. I’m here by choice. And like I’ve said before, I can work anywhere. Hell, I could do the damn presentation myself over Skype if Dean wasn’t able. You leave in two weeks; that’s when I leave.”
“You’re sure?” I pouted, wretchedness weighing me down. I tried to ignore the voice in my head, the one that reminded me I was screwing with Lucas’s life.
“For once, I’ve never been more sure.” He winked. “Now get up, we’ve got a boat to catch.”
“Hey,” I said, brightening up. “Happy birthday!”
“Thanks, Linebacker. I have to say, this is already the best birthday I’ve ever had.”
“Yeah, right. You’re full of it.” I tossed the blanket aside, revealing my bare legs. Lucas smoothed a hand up my thigh.
A fire caught in his eyes. “The best goddamn birthday.” He grabbed my hips and yanked me down on the bed, kicking his leg over me. Getting right in my face, he said, “And don’t you forget it.” Then he planted a kiss on my lips that left the butterflies in my stomach dizzy.
* * *
The sea breeze I’d come to adore on shore was a whipping wind in the middle of the bay. Standing on the deck of the jet boat, my hair blew around wildly, thrashing over my face, no matter how often I tucked it behind my ears. Lucas even tried holding it back. Nothing helped.
Opening my purse, I searched for a hair tie but came up empty. However, I did have an ink pen. Gathering my hair in a ponytail, I looped it around, making a bun at the top of my head. With the ink pen in hand, I weaved it from one side of the bun to the other, holding my hair in place.
Ingenuity at its best.
“I like it,” Lucas said, patting the top of my head and tugging on the pen.
“It’s the newest fashion trend.” I pouted my lips, forming what was probably the most ridiculous duck face in the history of duck faces.
“Hold that pose. Don’t move.” Lucas pulled out his phone and snapped my picture. The only picture I’d seen him take since we’d met. I, on the other hand, had to set up a second Dropbox account to accommodate my picture-taking fetish. I was determined not to forget a moment of this trip. And I made a mental note to thank my mother for dragging me to the airport…and possibly my dad for arranging the trip. It was the least I could do.
As the boat sped through the bay, we took in the breathtaking view. Behind us, the rainbow-colored buildings of Sorrento lined the rocky hill rising from the water, and off to the right, Vesuvius loomed in the distance like a sleeping, fire-breathing dragon.
Drawing closer to the island, the ferry approached two massive stones rising out of the water. One of the stones had an archway, which the boat was angling to pass through.
Close to my ear, Lucas said, “That’s Lover’s Arch. Legend says you have to kiss your lover as you pass beneath or you’ll be cursed with seven years of bad sex.”
I turned around and did my best impersonation of Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone, slapping my hands to my cheeks and dropping my jaw. “Nooooo,” I drawled. “I don’t think I can endure another bad sexual encounter.”
“Then we’ll have to make sure it’s a good kiss, then. Wouldn’t want to take any chances.” He winked.
Even though Lucas and I had yet to do the deed, I had no doubt sex with him would be mind-blowing…on the same level as a Plinian eruption, like Vesuvius.
Pulling beneath Lover’s Arch, Lucas bent down and placed a chaste kiss on my lips, but I wanted more. As I opened my mouth under his, he took advantage and kissed me deeper.
With all the talk of sex, I had a one-track mind, and the more he demanded, the more I wanted to give. His hands splayed across my cheeks, holding me against his greedy mouth. Lucas saw to it that we would not be cursed for seven years, but blessed beyond all measure.
Pulling away, it took a moment for me to catch my breath. “Wow,” I sighed, thoroughly intoxicated. Who needed alcohol when Lucas’s mouth had the same effect?
“No curse here.” He pressed his palm to my chest, right over my heart.
“I think not.” My eyes lingered on his as I trailed a finger down the golden scruff of his cheek. I liked the way it prickled beneath the pad of my finger. He blew out a breath and closed his eyes, soaking in the moment, and that was when I held up my other hand, snapping a picture. I wanted to remember this moment forever.
Eventually, the boat slowed as it reached the legendary Blue Grotto. Several dinghies bobbed in the water and people waited their turn to transfer from the boat that had brought them to the island into a smaller boat that would take them into the cave.
“This is it.” I giggled, feeling like a kid on Christmas morning. The day Lucas and I had spent at the beach ranked number one on my list of best days of my life. I wasn’t sure, but this had potential of ranking in the top five as well. Visiting the Blue Grotto had been on my “tourist” list since I’d arrived in Italy, and to share this moment with Lucas, it couldn’t have been any better.
A dinghy rowed up to the side of our boat, and I, Lucas, and the rest of the passengers got in line to climb aboard.
The dinghies were small, capable of holding no more than four passengers, at most.
I waited in line, with Lucas at my back, while those in front of us climbed in two by two, as new dinghies pulled up to the side.
“You ready for this?” Lucas asked, his breath tickling across the shell of my ear.
“Oh my gosh, yes!” I nodded excitedly.
“Next!” shouted the man at the front of the line.
“That’s us,” Lucas said, putting his hands at my waist.
I shuffled forward.
Carefully, I hitched my leg over the side of the boat. Lucas kept a strong hand on me as I lowered my body into the rowboat. Next it was Lucas’s turn. Lowering his leg over the side, he dropped gracefully beside me.
Getting situated, Lucas sat at the rear, and I climbed between his legs, my back pressed to his front. He took advantage of our seating arrangements, circling me in a tight hug.
The man rowing the boat didn’t speak a lick of English and wailed Italian phrases in a pitchy voice. I wished I knew what he was saying, but with his thick accent, even what little Italian I’d picked up didn’t help me in deciphering his song.
“Best birthday ever,” Lucas whispered, tugging me backward. I knew he wouldn’t have been able to hear over the noise, so I nodded in agreement, a giddy smile blooming across my face.
Lying flat, the captain guided us to the mouth of the cave, chanted some unintelligible Italian, and grabbed the rope that protruded from the cave’s opening.
We bobbed up and down in the boat, waiting for just the right moment to be squeezed through the tiny opening. The second the tiny swell retreated, the man grabbed the line, and in one swoop, yanked us through the hole.
“Ahh!” I cried, my stomach dropping from the rush.
Wind bellowed in my ears as the rowboat captain croo
ned in Italian, and we were plunged into darkness. I shuddered, overcome with excitement and the cool, damp mustiness of the cave. This place literally took my breath away.
Staying on the right, as other boats exited on the left, our guide sang his heart out, rowing us toward the back of the cave. A dozen echoes bounced off the cave walls as other boats found their ideal spot at the back of the grotto.
This place overloaded my senses in the most glorious way.
“Turn around,” Lucas said.
I turned, understanding why it was called the Blue Grotto. The entire cave was doused in a magnificent electric blue, shining up from the bottom of the ocean floor.
I gasped, speechless. “Oh. My. God.”
“Amazing,” Lucas said, the same wonder in his voice.
Actually, the cave was so blue, and so beautiful, calling it “the Blue Grotto” seemed like sacrilege. It should have been called “heaven on earth,” or something far more romantic.
The rowboat operator gave up on his song and started speaking, in English, no less. As he described the workings of the cave—how sunlight reflected off the limestone seafloor, giving way to the deep blue color—Lucas put his hand at my cheek. As I strained to see him over my shoulder, he lowered his head to mine and kissed me.
“Thank you for knocking me over,” he said against my mouth.
It scared me how quickly Lucas had become a part of me. My heart raced. “Any time,” I replied.
The grotto, Lucas’s kiss, and all the other memories I’d made in Italy did nothing but remind me that I wasn’t allowed to fall for this man. But it was too late.
I already had.
Chapter Twenty-One
Last bite. Sure you don’t want it?” I teased, circling the fork in front of his face.
Reclined comfortably in the desk chair, Lucas shook his head, smiling. “Nah, you eat it.”
“Oh, thank God,” I moaned, sticking the forkful of chocolate cake into my mouth. “I was hoping you’d say that.” I savored the rich, dark chocolate frosting as it melted in my mouth. “That,” I said, pointing to the empty box, “is the best damn cake I’ve ever eaten.”
“I told you, today’s been the best birthday ever.”
“You know, I have to agree, and it wasn’t even my birthday.” I dropped the empty fork into the crumb-filled takeout box with a pang of sadness. The cake was gone.
“When is your birthday?” Lucas asked.
I tossed the box onto the floor and lay back on the mattress, staring up at the ceiling. “December twenty-fifth.”
“You were born on Christmas Day?” he asked. Everyone always followed up my birthday with the same question, like I’d lie about the day I was born. Was it that improbable that other people could share the same birthday as Jesus?
“Yep.”
“Our birthdays are almost exactly six months apart,” Lucas stated almost prayerfully.
I lifted my top half off the bed, propped on my elbows. “Yeah. Something to celebrate every half of the year.”
Except, I didn’t know how many birthdays I’d get. And was it fair to involve Lucas in that kind of uncertainty?
No. I was being selfish.
My heart sank. I flopped back on the bed, wondering what the hell I was doing.
“What is it, Soph?” The bed dipped, and then I felt Lucas climbing over me, until his body covered mine.
Staring up into his face, I took in his features, brushing my hand across his scratchy cheek. “Your eyes are the same color as the Blue Grotto.” I rubbed my thumb at the corner of his eye.
“Now you’re talking nonsense. What was in that cake?”
In my mind, I could list an infinite number of reasons Lucas and I shouldn’t be together, how it would never work between us. The possibility of my declining health, the fact that we lived half a country apart, and the undeniable truth that Lucas deserved so much better than me. But with him stretched out over me, I only wanted one thing, the worst thing I could possibly want…him.
My desire to make love to him was all consuming, and so, so wrong.
“I got you a present,” I said, pushing him away.
His brows pulled tight. “Really?”
“Well, yeah, silly. It is your birthday.”
Lucas rolled off me, and I stood, walking to my suitcase. One day, while we were out strolling, Lucas ducked into the restroom, and I seized the opportunity to buy him a small gift. When he’d finished, he was none the wiser.
“You didn’t need to get me anything. Meeting you and getting to spend time with you has been the best gift I could have asked for.”
“Oh, shush! Those cheesy lines only work in romance novels.” I waved off his comment. “Everybody loves presents on their birthday.”
Plopping back onto the bed, I held out a small black box. Picking it up, he pulled his lips together and shook his head.
Lifting the lid, he peered inside, then withdrew the golden keychain I’d gotten him.
“I wasn’t sure if you used a keychain, but I liked the charm.” While he cradled it in his palm, I smoothed my index finger over the cold metal. “It’s an Italian horn, said to ward off bad luck. It offers protection.”
“Sophia,” he breathed, his voice gravelly and pinched. “I love it. Thank you. This is the most thoughtful gift anyone has ever given me.” Closing the distance, he put his mouth on mine, his tongue insistent, pushing past my lips. He tasted me hungrily, our kiss growing more urgent.
Pressing me back onto the bed, he dragged his lips across my cheek and down my neck. My whole body came alive at his touch.
He licked over the pulse point in my neck, and I sucked in a breath, arching my back. “I love the reaction I get when I touch you here.” He licked again, followed by the dizzying press of teeth. “The way your pulse beats against my mouth is maddening.”
“God, Lucas,” I panted, tilting my neck so he could work his magic again.
His unshaven jaw scratched against my skin, while his mouth did wonderful things to my neck. Caressing a hand up my thigh, his fingers disappeared beneath my dress.
He danced over my most sensitive parts, and even through the fabric of my panties, my body throbbed, needing more. I lifted my hips, pleading…begging. “Lucas,” I sighed, his fingers teasing at my center.
“God, I love it when you’re wet.” A grunt of lust rumbled in his chest.
He slicked a finger…oh, God…two fingers beneath the lacy edge of my panties and started circling them over me.
My hips moved of their own accord, absorbing every ounce of pleasure from his dexterous touch.
“That’s it, baby, take what you want,” he coached, sliding his tongue into my mouth.
I kissed him feverishly; the friction his hand provided drove my need through the roof. “Lucas, I need more,” I clamored. “Please…” My back arched and my hips jerked upward.
Lucas slid a finger inside me, thrusting a rhythm that matched his mouth.
I saw stars. I was sure my skin glowed from their radiance as he drew constellations across my field of vision.
Two fingers inside me.
I was done for. Like a supernova, light burst from my center, burning up everything in its path. Every star in my little heaven exploded at once.
My toes curled, my body shook, and I cried his name. “Lucas!”
He kissed my mouth, drinking his name from my lips.
“Holy. Shit.” I blinked a few times, letting his face come back into focus. “Wow. The voodoo magic those fingers possess is scary. Whose birthday is it again?”
Cupping my face, he smiled. “It’s mine. Definitely mine.”
“So I should be the one giving to you.” I tweaked his nose.
“Watching you come undone like that was everything.”
“Yeah, but…” My heart sank a little. I wanted to give myself to him in every way, make our connection real. With everything we’ve done, he hadn’t even hinted at taking our relationship to the next level. “Don
’t you want more?”
“You mean sex?” he asked.
“Well, yeah. What we do is amazing, but…” I trailed off, not knowing what else to say.
“Listen, Sophia.” He brushed his hands over my cheeks. “When I got to Italy, I was a dick. Not the nice guy you think I am. I’d have a woman in my bed, have my way with her, and send her packing the minute we finished.
“But with you, I wanted to be the nice guy you saw. There have been so many times when I wanted to lose control with you. If you could see into my head, you’d find out just how badly I want you. But I also want you to know that it isn’t just about getting into your pants for me. I want to know you here”—he smoothed his hand over the crown of my head—“and here.” He placed his hand over my heart. “I’ve said it before—I want all of you, Sophia.”
I wanted all of him, too. Every little thing he did solidified his place in my heart. The way he held doors open for old ladies when we were out, the reverent look in his eye when he talked about his dad, how he sang off-key in the shower.
But how was I supposed to give him all of me, when I knew it only meant giving him endless years of heartbreak?
Chapter Twenty-Two
My trip to Italy was coming to end. In four days I’d be home. Since Lucas’s birthday a week and a half ago, we’d visited Salerno and spent a few days touring the Amalfi Coast.
Six weeks. Who knew it was possible to fall for someone in just six weeks.
Lucas mentioned visiting me in St. Louis, and I could visit him in California when my school schedule allowed. He was pretty adamant about making things work between us, despite the distance. And that was all well and wonderful, but something huge plagued me. The one big thing he didn’t know about me. The one thing that would be a deal breaker…as it should be.
I already knew what my test results would say.
If you cared about him, you’d let him go, the voice inside me cautioned.
Yes, Sophia Italia had had her fun, but it was time to ditch her in the Italian countryside. After my visit with my grandfather today, I’d tell Lucas the truth and set him free.
