by SJ Molloy
I have worked hard at being able to treat Lexi to these simple things, but I have always considered Grace as well, and I would never do anything to upset her or exclude her from our life at present.
Grace has travelled with us on some business trips, but now she has built a good relationship with my parents and grandparents. Her own parents are also here in Tuscany staying at Villa di Tartufi, Sofia and Franco’s villa. Grace often stays with them, and it pleases Lexi that her mum and grandparents are here together and are safe.
It is reassuring to both Lexi and myself that Grace is comfortable being around her parents, Alexander and Elizabeth, and she is starting to treat Tuscany as her home. It also eases my apprehension regarding her safety because she has her own security agents with her at all times. She is very safe.
Marcario, Marco’s father, has also been a great friend and helped Grace. It has been wonderful to see, actually. Marcario is a great man, extremely talented, and is exceptionally kind and patient. He has been very good for Grace, especially as she has never been too close to or has trusted many men, other than her father, Alexander, Cameron, Jim, her sister Eva’s husband, and myself.
When we first arrived, I got to witness some of Grace’s episodes that Lexi warned me about. It was upsetting to see Grace be so torn while suffering in her own turmoil. Not to mention, it was painfully difficult to see how much it upset and affected Lexi. Christ, it wounded me, like a stab to the heart, when I watched my dolcezza cradle her mum in her arms to calm her down and bring her back to focus. It just made everything seem so real to me. It was a huge eye opener.
Hearing Lexi talk about the reality of their life before, reading her notes in her journal, and supporting Lexi through her anxieties and worst fears still did not prepare me for witnessing her helping Grace through her first episode.
Fuck, I wanted to drink myself senseless in litres of good malt, but I did not. I promised Lexi I would take care of them and be strong and that I would do anything for her. That means refraining from drinking copious amounts of whiskey to numb my pain. I do still drink alcohol and shit, there have been times I have needed it … like last night, but I promised her I would stay away from whiskey. She depends on me and I want to be her everything.
I admit that I saw red witnessing Grace’s first episode. A whole new hatred for Michael Parks singed me, eating away and fucking with my thoughts. An infused fury more intense than any other deep-seated thoughts I already had of him.
It sparked a fire inside me, a flame burning so hot that the only way I can ever extinguish it is to kill the fucker myself. I want revenge, and I want to show that bastard hell. Real hell. I pray that the CID finds the evil fucker before I do because I cannot be responsible for my actions … and that is a promise.
The responsibilities and weighty pressures Lexi has had upon her from a very young age became very apparent during Grace’s first episode. Lexi had become the parent, a role reversal.
Images flashed through my mind, watching Lexi care for Grace. I imagined Lexi as a small, petrified girl cradling her mum and hushing her after she had been tortured. That was like a sucker punch in the gut.
No child should ever have to witness that or experience it. It explains why Lexi tried to appear independent when I first met her. The fire in the pit of my gut rose to reach my chest, scorching my heart, and burning my fucking throat. My heart blistered and bled.
My. Girl. Should. Not. Have. To. Deal. With. This!
It is wrong on so many fucking levels.
I will crucify him if it is the last thing I do. And then I will ask God for forgiveness. But I will finish him. I will ensure the fucker suffers on his last dying breath, and I will take great delight watching him struggle for what he has done to Lexi, Grace, and Cameron. Grace needs closure.
In order for her to get on with her life, she needs to start again. Lexi has already started again; she did so the day she started Glasgow University and made good friends with Hazel and the girls. She just does not realise that yet.
Lexi does not realise how much they saved her and that writing in her journal continues to save her. In order for me to save Grace, I need to close that horrific chapter of Grace’s past. I need to put an end to Michael Parks so I can keep Lexi in my light and give Grace a start at living. Living in the light.
Casey’s therapy, medication, and a lot of love has helped Grace through a challenging few months, and now she is coping much better. I have no doubt in my mind that Marcario is very fond of her and loves her as a dear friend. He will show her nothing but respect and gentle care, and that is the type of friend Grace needs in her life now. I trust Marcario with all of my heart and give him my blessing to be a shoulder for Grace to cry on. He is exceptionally good for her.
Lexi and I both knew that it would take a lot of time and perseverance for Grace to slowly come around and gradually trust Marcario. Admirably, he has shown nothing but patience and understanding and has never judged Grace even when she has been at her uttermost fragile self. Not only is Marcario a good shoulder to cry on, he identified Grace’s talent for painting and appreciates her craft.
Marcario, being in the art industry and owning several galleries, has encouraged and nurtured Grace’s talent by displaying and selling her work for her. Painting is great therapy and a distraction for her, and Marcario is helping her truly fulfil all her dreams and aspirations.
Alexander told me that had Grace not been abducted when she was nineteen years old, she would have been at art school completing her art degree. Grace did not want to publically show her work because like her daughter, she lacks self-confidence and was adamant it was just a past-time.
She was scared. She loves painting but did not believe in herself, and she had no idea how talented she actually was until Marcario saw the paintings she did for Lexi as a birthday present and was awe-inspired and impressed by her work and potential. He has a good eye for talent.
Marcario’s late wife was actually a very skilled and sought-after local oil painter, which was how they met, at an art exhibition in a museum in Firenze. Marco says he has never seen his papa so happy or enthusiastic since his mamma passed away.
He lost a part of himself after her death and seemed to be more interested in the ocean and diving than in his art dealings. As far as we know, he has not had any sort of friendship with another female since losing his wife, and it is nice for him to show interest and kindle a friendship with Grace.
She has given him focus, and has been good company for him. Even though one of Marcario’s hobbies is deep sea diving, he enjoys nothing more than encouraging aspiring artists and showing their masterpieces. Grace has helped him find his passion for art again. He believes talent as good as Grace’s should be appreciated and it would have been sacrilege for her not to paint for his gallery.
I think Grace thought Marcario was giving her preferential treatment and was helping her as a favour to me, but we all assured her it had nothing to do with our connection. He discovered her talent and would not be helping her if he did not think she was gifted. It just so happens that Marcario is also a very good listener and a very charming gentleman. I believe his feelings for Grace are a lot deeper than either of them care to admit.
I see a change in him. Marco does too. Grace flourishes when she is with him, and he idolises her. I can tell. He looks at Grace with so much affection that it is obvious he has fallen for her. Wanting to know his intentions, I asked him how much he cared for Grace after dinner one evening and he admitted he cared for her very much, that she intrigues him, and he feels a sense of protectiveness over her.
The exact same feelings I had for Lexi when I met her, except the lust I felt was so strong, consuming, and powerful, I did not have the willpower to keep my hands to myself. I had to have her. I needed to devour her and take her to unimaginable places, and I fell head over heels in love with her very quickly as a result of being connected to her sexually. I could not stay away or pass up the chance to make us one,
even if I tried harder to resist.
God, I only wish I knew of her inexperience and past before I passionately claimed her against the tiles in the bathroom of my grandparents’ villa that first time. I hated myself for being so impatient and rough; I just could not control myself or wait to have her.
The lust I felt drove me crazy and wild. I have never desired any woman as much as I have her, and I had to know how good she tasted, how she felt, how we felt together … It was mind-blowing. She is simply mind-blowing.
The sensations and feelings I experienced were like nothing else. Time froze and my world began to spin in the best possible way. I thought I knew pleasure … I was wrong. Lexi gave me pleasure and stole my heart in a way I could only dream of. I knew then that I would make her mine, never let go, and indulge in her forever more.
That was the day real lust claimed me. It was wrong of me to not be more patient and try to resist her until the timing was better, but where Lexi is concerned I am a lustful man … in love with her, and I cannot keep my hands off her.
Just thinking about our sexual experiences and her body has me rock-hard and straining in my trousers. I missed out last night, which is probably why I am so tetchy today. Reaching my hand down to adjust my erection, I inhale deeply and close my eyes. I need her. Fuck, do I need her.
Thankful I am on my own in the study, I make a quick call to Suzanne, who has a work area set up in one of the lounges, to tell her to cancel my schedule for the afternoon and take all of my work calls. I also ask her to get a message to Grace, Casey, Marco, and Lloyd to say I do not want Lexi and I to be disturbed for the next few hours.
Part Two: Lucca’s Therapy
Chapter 4
All Of Me
Moving the curser on my desktop, I smile, admiring my screensaver—the most recent ultrasound picture of our little one. Tracing my fingers over the screen, I outline the image of our perfect bambino and feel a settling sense of calm and relief wash over me.
Feeling grateful I have Lexi in my life, and that she is giving me the best gift possible—herself and our baby—my mood has lifted and the stress of work this morning has dissipated. My headache has passed, and now I have an urge to be with my girl and show her some of those sexual pleasures I was just thinking about.
Locking my desktop, I head for the door, holding my suit jacket in front of me to hide my obvious erection, in the event I bump into anyone on the way to our suite. Stopping at the bottom of the stairs, I switch off my phone and then take the steps two at a time. Opening the door, I see my beautiful dolcezza peacefully sleeping with a sheet over her and her hair fanned out all over my pillow.
I love when her bedhead hair is tousled over the pillows. She looks like a goddamn angel. I have noticed her hair has become glossier and seems even healthier at this stage of pregnancy. Her skin is luminous and glowing too.
Now the worst of her acute sickness period has passed, she is sexier than ever. Blooming and looking radiant like I knew she would, pregnancy suits her. She is breathtaking. Always breathtaking to me.
Peach cheeks, soft and natural. Radiant, bronzed skin from a long summer of Tuscan sunshine. Breasts that have considerably grown in size are arousing as hell. They were more than ample before, but fuck they are more enticing than ever. Her nipples have enlarged too and are darker in colour. Thank you, Mother Nature! More skin and feminine sexiness to devour and fondle.
It fascinates me how her body is changing, and I have to say that I crave her just as much as ever, possibly even more. I know she has gone through periods of feeling self-conscious, but she has no idea what she does to me and how appealing she is to me.
Kicking off my shoes and throwing my jacket over the back of the chaise, I look at her eyes for signs of tears. Sometimes her cheeks are raw from crying or her makeup seems smudged, but I do not see any signs that she has been crying after her therapy session this morning. Perhaps she washed her face before falling asleep. Actually, I see a towel lying on the floor and can smell her luscious products she likes to use. She must have had a shower or bath.
Understandably, Lexi has cried a lot and with the addition of pregnancy hormones running wild, she has been extra sensitive. I am so proud of the way she tried to keep perspective and how positive she is trying to be for the sake of our little one.
I remember the mood swings and hormonal episodes from when Fran was pregnant. I had just stayed out her way, but with Lexi things are different. Our life, our love, and our connection is different. Her moods I can live with because I love her that much and it is all part of the experience. I want to always be with her, through thick and thin.
Removing my cufflinks, I sit them on the bedside table and smile seeing a brochure for nursery furniture and equipment sitting face up. A piece of paper sticks out from inside a page, which means she has finally came around and picked something for our little one’s nursery.
I am so glad she has decided to accept that the baby is safe and her pregnancy is going as it should because we need to start getting organised and preparing. The room we intend to use for our baby’s nursery should we still be in Tuscany when it arrives is filled with designer baby clothes, but Lexi would not agree to purchasing any furniture or equipment. She rambled on about superstition and jinxing things.
Truthfully, I know she is apprehensive and overwhelmed at times. She is unsettled about where our little one will be born and feels like we are living in limbo, and she seems to have some idiotic fantasy that something bad will happen to our baby, or it will be taken away from us.
It does not fucking help that her grandmother, Elizabeth, has put the stupid notion in her head that it is unlucky to build a crib before the baby arrives. Old fucking wives’ tale, I keep telling her. What the fuck have people be doing for generations, then? I have never heard of anything so bizarre. Of course I do not get it, but if that is what Lexi wants, then so be it. I will never upset her, and if that is what she believes and wants, then that is what she gets.
Unbuttoning my shirt, I slip it off my shoulders and allow it to fall to the floor then remove my belt. A sweet sigh escapes Lexi’s pretty lips, but she is sound asleep and has not stirred as yet. Christ, she looks dreamlike and asleep in our bed like a fucking angel. I missed admiring her sleeping last night because I was out cold.
Stepping out of my trousers, I waste no time getting rid of my boxer shorts, freeing my eager hard-on just envisioning how good it feels when I plunge deep inside my girl’s tempting pussy. Nectar centre. Gripping my cock in my hand, I stroke it before kneeling on the bed.
Smiling, I admire the beautiful form and shape of Lexi’s baby bump covered by the bedsheet. She sighs again in her sleep and stretches her arm above her, causing her bump to rise underneath and the sheet to move.
Placing my hand over her rounded stomach, I gently caress her bump. I love touching our little one; it fills my heart with warmth and pride. I am obsessed with keeping contact, showing our bambino love from its Papa, and showering Lexi in tender loving care.
I love nothing more than to stroke and kiss her stomach. Right now I want to feel her skin. Lifting the sheet, I move it to the side then take her left foot and kiss her sole, her weak spot that normally has her squirming all cute and girly.
I plant light kisses and then swirl my tongue over her sole towards her ankle. The minute my lips make contact with her luscious skin, my whole body buzzes with sensual overload. The Brazil nut body butter she likes to use coats my lips. I smile against her soft, moisturised skin, the delicious scent of her pleasing me. Stirring, she softly sighs and moves her head to the side with her eyes still closed.
Lexi loves to be woken up this way, and I am extremely lucky that at this stage of her pregnancy my girl is extremely horny and still desires sex. Praise the Good Lord! The girl is insatiable and I am one fucking lucky bastard, apart from last night. It kills me when she bombs me off.
There was a period of time when we first returned to Tuscany when Lexi was not as intere
sted in having sex because she was so sick and tired. It tortured me, I am not going to lie, but I love her and I just wanted her better, so I waited until she was ready and willing to have intercourse again. The longest, most painful period of my life. I have gone long spells without sex before, but I have never craved it as much as I do with her.
Her constant sickness seemed to last for several weeks, but thankfully our sex life only seemed to suffer for a couple of weeks. That was long enough. Any longer to wait before I had her and I would have fucking exploded. I know she felt guilty, as if she was depriving me, but I just wanted her better and her head was not in it when she was not sleeping properly, and my sweet girl comes first … always.
When she was a little more relaxed and sleeping better, her sexual cravings returned. I was patient, but I had the worst case of blue balls ever known to man, and I do not think I let her out the suite for days after that, making up for lost time.
Grazing and nibbling, I kiss her ankle and then trail my tongue in a lazy, sexy dance while feathering lots of kisses up the inside of her smooth leg. She softly moans and wriggles, still with her eyes closed, as I slide between her glorious legs and approach the apex of her thighs.
Lightly, I trail my fingers over the delicate lace of her little sexy boy shorts that sit seductively under her bump and perfectly across her narrow hips. As much as I love her assortment of lingerie, I do not know why she bothers. I rip them off her anyway.
Home. Right here. The best place in the word … the V between her legs. Nectar centre. Pressing my nose to her clit, I inhale the scent of her fresh, sweet sex, exhaling my hot breath against her divine pussy. Teasing her clit with tantalising pressure, I kiss and lick the lace fabric over her perfect little nub.
