by S. E. Rose
“Thank you,” I say, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.
She escorts us out and I give her my number on a small piece of paper from my bag. “In case you remember anything, please call me,” I say with pleading eyes, hoping she’ll cave but she doesn’t.
“Of course, my dear, of course,” is all she says as she turns and walks back into the church.
When we are nearly back to the car, I turn to Lance. “They are all hiding something,” I say.
“Perhaps,” he says.
I grab his arm and turn him toward me. “No, I know it. I can’t explain it, but I just know it,” I say to him.
“Well, then all the more reason to go see Father James,” he says.
“I want to try and find Lorena while I’m still here,” I say. “Maybe she still lives in Ibague.”
“OK, I can work on that for you this week,” Lance says as he puts his hand on my back and guides me toward the car.
“I feel bad,” I say. “You’re supposed to be working and I have you running errands for me.”
“I’m still working,” he says and to prove it he looks down at his phone and presses a few buttons. “See I just forwarded an email.”
I laugh. “OK, that makes me feel so much better,” I say as I roll my eyes. “Where are we going?” I ask as he pulls out into traffic but not toward his home.
“I’m taking you to dinner,” he states.
We drive for about thirty minutes, heading further out of town until we get to a restaurant along the side of the road. I can tell by the façade that it is Italian. The owner, a legit Italian named, no joke, Luigi, comes and greets us.
“So nice of you to come by,” Luigi says. He winks at me. “Mr. Cunningham, your table awaits.”
I raise my eyebrows as we are escorted to a lovely courtyard area with a table sitting all by itself. It is all brick and ivy and a pergola with wisteria hangs overhead of the table. Soft candlelight emanates from wall sconces and from the candelabra on the table.
“It’s beautiful,” I whisper to Lance. The sun is starting to set and the light from the candles seems to grow stronger as the sun’s rays begin to disappear beyond the horizon. He pulls out my chair for me and I sit. He takes the seat across from me, his long legs brush mine under the table.
Luigi asks if we’d like the house wine and Lance nods. “You’ll love it,” he adds with a wink.
I order a manicotti and he orders chicken parmesan. We sip our wine and sit quietly.
“So what are you thinking?” Lance finally breaks the silence.
“I don’t know. My head is literally spinning,” I admit. “I just can’t believe I finally have a photo of her.” This makes me smile.
“Well, cheers to that then,” Lance says and we clink our glasses.
“How’d you find this place?” I ask him, looking around again at the courtyard.
“Oh, Luigi is a friend of someone Cody is working with. We came here our first night in town,” he says. “It’s great food and Luigi is a good guy.”
Luigi brings out our food and we eat.
I moan at how good it tastes. “This is amazing! I mean really, it’s amazing! I haven’t had Italian food this good, since, well, since I was in Italy,” I laugh in between mouthfuls.
“You’ve been to Italy?” he asks.
“Sure,” I say. I chuckle. “My mother has a bit of a travel issue. We’ve been to a lot of places.”
“Really?” he prods.
“Try me,” I say, smirking.
“Croatia.”
“Two thousand nine, sailing on a boat for three days.”
“Uh, Guatemala.”
“Two thousand three, we hiked the ruins.”
“Japan.”
“Two thousand eight, my grandmother actually took us on a trip to visit where her dad was stationed during WWII.”
“Kenya.”
“You got me. We planned a trip there, but there was a bombing and we decided not to go. But I have been to South Africa and Namibia.”
“OK, I’m officially impressed.”
“Well, I like to travel too, I guess,” I say.
“What else do you like to do?” Lance asks, raising an eyebrow. I blush, not sure if that is a sexual innuendo.
“I play the violin and, as you know, I enjoy photography and horror movies.” I smile.
“I play the piano,” he says. “Ten years of forced lessons.”
I giggle and take a final bite of manicotti. “I can’t eat another bite,” I say, patting my stomach.
Luigi brings us cappuccino and we sit and sip it. Then Luigi brings out a chocolate tart. He hands us each a fork.
“On the house,” he says. We thank him, and Lance takes a piece on his fork and holds it out for me. I lean in and slowly take it off his fork, my mouth closing around the fork to grab every bit of it. He slowly pulls the fork from my lips and I see a muscle in his neck twitch as he watches me.
“Delicious,” I whisper, licking my lips. I see him swallow.
Lance pays and then drives us back to his villa. He seats me in the living room and excuses himself for a moment. I sit and stare at the photo of my mom. I smile. I may not have gotten to the truth of the matter today, but I got more leads and now I can actually see her. Also, meeting Maria Anna was like filling in my first three years. I’d seen a few photos, but beyond that, it was a mystery until now. I send a few texts to my family while I wait for Lance and then spend some more time staring at my birth mother. I don’t hear Lance enter behind me, but I feel his energy in the room.
“You shouldn’t sneak up on unsuspecting ladies,” I whisper as I feel his large hands grip my shoulders. I stand and walk around the sofa, so we are standing in front of each other.
He rubs the back of his hand across my cheek. “You are gorgeous,” he says. “Follow me.” And he grabs my hand.
I follow him upstairs. He leads me to his room this time and when he opens the double doors, I suck in a breath. He has candles laid out on every available surface. They fill the room with soft, ambient light. The bed has red satin sheets on it and they are already turned down. Rose petals are scattered around the bed.
“I told you,” he says as he cups my face and turns me to him. “It had to be special.”
I blush. No one has ever done anything like this for me. I feel overwhelmed and treasured and I want to cry and laugh and smile all at the same time.
“I love it when you blush,” he whispers against my ear.
He takes a moment to look at me, studying my eyes. I give the slightest of nods. He grins and steps closer to me. He gently pulls my top off and unhooks my bra. And then he slides my skirt and panties down. He kisses his way back up my legs and plants a kiss at the apex of my thighs. I shudder under his touch.
Suddenly the desire to touch him becomes too great and I reach out for him. He stills and lets my hands explore. I feel the wall of muscle beneath his shirt. I slowly unbutton his white, linen shirt as he runs a hand over my breast. He lets his shirt fall off his shoulders as I unbuckle his belt and unzip his pants. I can see his erection against his underwear. More with curiosity than anything, I reach out and run my fingers over it. He groans.
“Lily, I don’t think you know how sexy you are,” he murmurs against my hair as he pulls me against him. He guides me to the bed and lays me down on the soft, satin sheets. They feel cool against the warm night air. He removes his underwear and my eyes widen at his size. I hadn’t really thought about the physical logistics until this very moment.
He crawls onto the bed hovering over me. “Don’t worry, it’ll fit. And we are going to go very slow tonight,” he says softly as he trails kisses down my throat and across my breasts.
He runs his tongue around my left nipple and then suckles it. I moan at the sensation. He does the same with my right nipple as his fingers continue working my left nipple. He moves to my stomach, pressing soft, feathery kisses across my delicate skin. I shiver against his touch and goose b
umps travel up and down my extremities. Then his large hands are on my thighs again. They spread me open and he runs his tongue up my slit. I cry out as he finds my clit and gently rolls it between his lips as his tongue flicks it rapidly. He takes his time repeating this over and over as I begin to squirm beneath him. Then I feel his fingers enter me, first one and then a second one. They pump in time to the sucking motion he makes on my clit and I feel myself losing control.
“Come for me, Lily,” he murmurs against my sex and then he curves his fingers further inside of me. I let myself feel the sensations for a few seconds, and then I cry out as I clench my eyes closed and feel my muscles spasm. The feelings are so intense, almost too intense.
I feel him moving up me slowly as my haze begins to clear. His eyes glance at the bedside table. I realize he’s looking for a condom. I know I should let him get one. We hardly know each other, but I also know I want to feel him, all of him. I don’t want anything between us.
“I’m on the pill,” I whisper to him before he reaches for a condom. I know it sounds silly since I’m a virgin, but I’ve been on them for years to alleviate cramps.
“Are you sure? I’m clean,” he says, looking at me cautiously. “I also haven’t been with anyone for a while.”
I nod. “I’m sure,” I murmur. “I want to feel you, Lance. I want to remember how you feel tonight.”
He moans softly into my mouth as he kisses me. I feel his fingers in me again, two and then three. I feel stretched and I’m afraid of what is to come, but I also want it. For the first time in my life, I want to be with a man, this man. I can see the trepidation in his eyes.
“I want to be yours,” I whisper against his cheek and I feel his fingers leave me as he gradually nudges the head of his erection into me. He slowly, cautiously even, moves it in shallow strokes, his head just barely inside of me. After a minute or two, I can no longer take it.
“Please,” I beg him as I arch my hips against him.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he admits through clenched teeth. “Stop me if it hurts too much.”
I nod and when he pulls back this time, he thrusts all the way into me and I let out a sharp cry. I feel him fully inside of me, and it burns and hurts for a moment. He stills and looks down at me, checking that I am OK. After a second, I look up at him and move my hips against his. He carefully pulls back and then begins to thrust. The burning sensation gives way to a new sensation. Something I can’t explain, I feel him, and I feel full of him. He touches me so deeply and when he does I feel on fire.
I get lost in the feeling of his weight on me, of his erection buried deep inside me, of the way his arms feel against mine. For this one moment, I am his and there is no other place I’d want to be. I focus on the friction created between us and my body starts to quake under his touch. I shake violently as I clench every muscle in my body and cry out his name.
He catches my cry in his mouth and a second later I feel him enlarge and then I feel heat flood me. He slows his movements with one final thrust and rolls us over, so I am on top of him. I look over and see a trace of blood on his sheets.
“Sorry,” I whisper as I look back into his eyes.
“Why are you sorry, baby?” he asks as he follows my eyes to the stain on his sheets.
“I ruined your sheets,” I say.
He laughs, and I feel it reverberate inside me where he still lies.
“Here I am worried that I hurt you and you’re worried about sheets,” he says, smiling at me. “You are an amazing woman, Lily.” He pulls my head down and kisses me.
I feel him harden again inside of me.
He gazes up at me and I begin to move. He stops me. “I don’t want to make you sore.”
“I’m OK,” I murmur and continue my movements. The remnants of his orgasm make me even wetter and he moves easily in and out of me as I grind my hips against him. He feels amazing. His hands come up to my hips and guide me up and down on him. Our eyes lock as I feel myself begin to clench him again. This time I can feel him enlarge just as I go over the edge and he slams me down onto him as I cry out, grabbing his upper arms.
I fall down onto his chest and lie there a moment listening to his heart beat slowing.
“Let’s get a bath,” he suggests. “It’ll help.”
He slides out of me and then turns and picks me up and carries me into his bathroom. It is also candlelit and the bathtub has flower petals in it. He fills the tub and adds lavender-scented Epsom salts. He holds my hand as I get in and then he gets in behind me. I lean back against him and he kisses my head.
“Better?” he asks.
“Yes, perfect,” I say as I relax against his chest. We lie there for a while and then he cleans me gently. After drying me, he carries me into bed and lies beside me, pulling me against him.
“Thank you,” he says softly.
“For what?” I ask.
“For letting me be the one,” he says.
I smile against his chest. “I feel calm when I’m with you. The only other person I ever felt calm around was my dad. It just feels nice to feel like this again.”
He pulls me tighter to him. “You make me feel alive, Lily.”
My eyelids become heavy as I listen to his slow breathing and soon I drift off into a deep peaceful sleep.
Chapter 10
Lily’s Playlist: “Empire” by Shakira
When I open my eyes, I can tell it’s early. The sun is just coming up, so it must be about 6:00 a.m. I can feel Lance’s slow and steady breathing beneath my head. Our arms and legs are intertwined, and the sheets are jumbled around us. I move my head to look up at him. He’s sexy and handsome even in his sleep. As I look at him, I realize he knows so much about me and I know so little about him. I decide to rectify that situation as soon as he wakes up.
I grab my camera that’s sitting on the nightstand and snap a few photos of Lance sleeping. I can’t help myself. Something about him lying here, his muscles relaxed, and his hair messy is just so damn sensual. I capture him in color and then in black and white. He stirs in his sleep, and I snap a few more photos.
When I finish, I place the camera back down, and I lie there for a long time watching him sleep. I really have to pee, but I’m afraid I’ll wake him. I slowly, painfully slowly peel myself from him and then sprint to the bathroom.
As I’m washing my hands, I suddenly feel his strong arms wrap around me. I smile and lean my head back against his chest.
“Good morning,” he whispers as he grazes my earlobe with his teeth.
“Morning,” I sigh as my eyelids close in pure contentment.
“Breakfast?” he asks.
I nod enthusiastically, suddenly realizing that I am extremely hungry.
I go to put on a t-shirt, and I feel his hand pull it away. I look at him questioningly.
“No clothes,” he says.
“But…,” I start.
“No clothes,” he says more forcefully.
I sigh with exasperation as he grips me around my waist and pulls me against him.
“I like you just like this,” he murmurs against my lips. I blush. He takes my hand, and I follow him downstairs. He motions to a chair at the kitchen bar and I sit and watch him make pancakes and bacon.
“You know what I realized this morning?” I ask him as I watch his naked form move around the kitchen with dexterity that seems well-practiced.
“Huh?” he replies as he pours the batter into a pan.
“You know, well gosh, you know more about me than even my twin knows.” I blush deeply as I realize that didn’t come out quite right considering what we did last night. He turns with a raised eyebrow. “I mean you know how much I weighed when I was born and what my mother looked like. And I only know that you make apps, you like horror movies, you grew up in Phili, you live in New York now, and you are also a twin.”
He leans over the counter and kisses me. “I love it when you blush, Lily,” he says and then turns and continues cooking. “What
do you want to know?”
“Whatever you want to tell me,” I answer truthfully.
“Well, I have a younger sister, Chelsea. My parents are both still living. My mom was a high school science teacher until she retired last year, and my dad is a chemist with a pharmaceutical company. I spent summers at my grandparents’ house at the shore. My mom was originally from Sweden. I don’t see my family over there often, but we always have fun when we do see them. I speak four languages, English, Swedish, Spanish, and French. Cody speaks the same, plus Chinese. I like to travel, and I love photography. I went to Columbia University and got a masters online from Harvard a few years ago. I love animals. I always have at least one. Right now, I have a cat because he’s low maintenance; his name is Brooklyn because that’s where I found him. I always had dogs and cats growing up. I used to spend spring break at my uncle’s ranch in Wyoming. I only kept going as a teenager because I got to ride horses all day. And, well, that’s all I can think of right now,” he finishes and turns to me with a plate of pancakes.
I smile at him. “You like animals?”
“Yep,” he says as he pours syrup on my pancakes. “Do you?”
“Yes,” I say.
“My turn,” he says, sitting down on the stool next to mine. I turn to him with my “give me your best shot” look. He laughs. “How have you not had more boyfriends, lovers, or friends with benefits?”
I shrug. “I’m difficult or as my therapist puts it, complicated.”
He runs a finger down my arm causing my skin to prick with goose bumps as he leans over and whispers in my ear, “I don’t think you’re that complicated, just complicated enough to be interesting.”
I smile shyly at him. “Do you have a piece a paper and a pen?” My brain works like that, one minute I’m in left field and the next I’m in right field. Lance gives a questioning look. “I’ve heard so many new names the past few days. I need to make a list. You know a ‘who’s who.’”
