by Linda Verji
She’d thought that meeting her biological father, Denis Robinson, would alleviate the sadness and loneliness she felt, but it hadn’t. A year ago, she’d asked her parents to give her Denis’s contacts. That was a mistake. As soon as she met the man, she’d realized why her mother wanted nothing to do with him.
First, Denis was a serial deadbeat. Apparently, she had three other siblings all from different mothers. He visited them occasionally, he claimed, but the way he said it left her with the impression that ‘occasionally’ meant once every few years.
Second, he loved himself a little too much. The meeting was about getting to know each other, but all he did was talk about himself. His childhood, his teenage years, his goals, the places he’d traveled to, the celebrities he’d met, the women he’d slept with… oh, and let’s not forget about his music career that was going to blow up this year… for sure.
When Eve steered the conversation to herself and tried to entertain him with stories about her childhood, his eyes had glazed over with boredom. That boredom had only lifted when she’d mentioned her job. He was all ears then. Was she really a CEO? It was a big company, right? She must get paid well, right? Then inevitably, he’d topped it off by asking her for a loan… a big loan to finance his dream of becoming an international country singer.
It was at that moment that she’d realized that the two of them just weren’t meant to be. Mark was her only father, and he was going to stay that way. She and Denis had gone back to being strangers.
“Now that we’re done with the deal, we can relax, right?” Mona cut into Eve’s thoughts. The two of them were now back at their hotel after the successful meeting with Liliana.
“Yeah.” Eve nodded. “Our flight is slated for tomorrow evening so we’ve got a whole to ourselves.”
“Great.” Mona pumped her fist in excitement. As they walked to the front-desk, she asked, “So what do want to do today? Visit the Milan Cathedral or maybe the Pinacoteca di Brera? Or if you prefer something more entertaining, we could go to the Scala Opera. I’m sure there’s a show-”
“You can do all that,” Eve cut her off with a laugh. “I think I’ll just hang out by the pool.”
“Blasphemy!” her assistant gasped in horror. “You’re in one of the greatest cities in the world and you want to swim?”
“Yes, I want to…” Eve’s words faded into silence as they neared the front-desk. Her eyes were on the man who was talking to the clerk.
The man’s broad shoulders and tapered waist were incredibly familiar as was the dark hair that curled at the collar of his light blue shirt. When he turned slightly, giving her a view of his side-profile, she inhaled sharply. Carter?
She was imagining him, right? She’d missed him so much that she was now hallucinating him, right?
Eve didn’t even realize that she’d stopped walking until Mona touched her arm. “Eve! What’s wrong?”
Still staring at his broad back, Eve murmured, “Am I the only one seeing him?”
“Seeing who?” Mona looked away from Eve to follow her gaze. Immediately, she gasped, “Is that Mr. Welling?”
The confirmation that she wasn’t seeing things was enough to make Eve push out a shaky breath. He was here. Carter was really here.
It was almost as if he felt her staring at him because right at that moment he turned. As soon as he saw her, his eyes widened, his mouth fell open and the rest of his body froze. Despite the distance between them, she felt his shock and the immediate tension that crackled in the air between them. Everything around them disappeared; the people, the noises, the furniture… until it was just the two of them in an impenetrable void, staring at each other.
Eve had no idea who moved first. Maybe she moved. Maybe he did. Maybe they both did. Either way, they ended up right across each other with barely a foot separating them. Still gaping at him like he was a meal she craved with every fiber of her being, she opened her mouth to say something but no sound emerged from her lips.
Carter had better luck. “Hi.”
“Hi.” She wasn’t sure whether she said the word or breathed it.
His blue eyes glued to her, he asked, “What are you doing in Milan?”
“I-” She swallowed then licked her suddenly dry lips. “I’m here for business. You?”
“Same,” he answered.
Silence descended again but neither of them noticed. They just stared at each other, reliving their past together and these two years without each other. Eve wasn’t sure how to describe the emotions whirling inside her. Exhilaration because he was the last person she’d expected to meet today yet the one person she wanted to see most. Relief that he’d completely recovered and looked healthy. Fear because any moment now he’d walk away from her. Longing because she knew that she’d miss him even more now that she’d seen him.
Eve was so focused on her ex-husband that she hadn’t even noticed that Mona was still there until the other woman leaned closer to whisper, “I’ll leave you two alone.”
Mona left.
Her leaving was like a cue. Carter asked, “Do you want to have lunch together?”
It was an unexpected invitation. One; because they’d agreed never to hang out with each other again. Two; because it only eleven a.m., and too early for lunch.
Yet Eve found herself nodding. “Yes.”
“Good.” He smiled in that way that always made her heart pitter-patter as if she was still sixteen. When he reached forward and took her hand, she could’ve sworn that she felt electricity ride straight up her arm to light up the rest of her body. Leading her towards the front-desk, he said, “I’ll just leave my suitcase at the front-desk then we can go.”
Heck! Eve hadn’t even noticed that he was dragging his suitcase with his other hand. That’s how gone she was.
Her daze persisted as he left his luggage with the hotel’s staff then led her to the hotel’s restaurant. When asked later, Eve couldn’t even recall what she ordered. All she remembered was how good Carter looked.
He hadn’t changed at all, she marveled as she absentmindedly stuck a forkful of salad into her mouth. He was still the handsomest man she knew, still rawly masculine yet soft at the same time. His smile still had the power to make her breathing stutter. Two years apart should’ve dulled his effect on her, but the opposite had happened. Now every time they locked eyes she wanted to lean over the table and kiss him.
“You’re still wearing it,” he cut into her befuddled thoughts.
“Huh?” She shook her head to bring her thoughts back to the present moment.
“You’re still wearing it.” He pointed to her left hand. “Your wedding ring.”
“Oh!” She glanced at the diamond-studded gold band. “Yeah, I am.” Automatically, her gaze swept to his hand. His ring-finger was achingly empty. Her heart already sinking, she mumbled, “You’re not wearing yours.”
His taking off his band was the right thing. That’s what divorced people did. So Eve wasn’t sure why his lack of a ring sent pain straight to her heart, but it did. Obviously, she’d been the only one pining and hurting.
“Not on my hand.” Carter flicked the top button of his shirt. A gold chain immediately came into sight. He dipped his hand beneath his shirt to pull out the gold chain. Hanging at the end of his chain was his wedding band. He smiled. “Mine’s on my neck.”
Eve didn’t know what to say so all she said was, “Oh!”
However, on the inside she was dancing like a samba dancer at a Brazilian Carnival. He was still wearing his ring. He still remembered her too. He still missed her too. She was so pleased that she didn’t even realize that they were both done eating until he turned his wrist to check his watch.
Frowning, he said, “I’m supposed to meet my crew members in thirty minutes. Can we-”
Eve had no idea what possessed her. Before he could finish the sentence, she blurted out, “Can I come with you?”
His eyebrows arched upwards as surprise filled his eyes. “You want to
come with me?”
She nodded. To be clear, she wasn’t interested in his meeting. She just didn’t want to be apart from him. It had been two years… two years without him. How could she let him walk away so easily?
Thankfully, he nodded and smiled. “Okay.”
* * * * *
CARTER WAS AWARE that he was being unprofessional. What kind of man brought his significant other to a business meeting? And yet, he didn’t give a damn. His crew members were lucky he’d even bothered to attend this meeting because the moment he’d seen Eve, all thoughts of his upcoming project had disappeared. All he wanted to do was drag her to a private place where they could be alone.
“How are the permits coming along?” Carter asked.
“We got them all except for Verona,” Andrea Piccio, their legal advisor said. “The authorities there are dragging their feet, but they say we should have our answer by tomorrow.”
“Okay, great.” Carter suggested, “But just in case they keep dragging their feet, start feeling out Trieste.”
“Okay.”
Carter turned to their Lead Camerawoman, Olivia Di Norsia. “Did you manage to replace the cameras that were stolen or are we still short?”
“The cameras won’t be a problem,” Olivia reassured. She went on to describe just how she’d taken care of the problem.
Though Carter listened to her, he was keenly aware of Eve’s eyes on him. While he and his crew were seated around a large conference table, she was seated alone at the back of the room next to the windows. Since he was at the head of the table, he had a clear view of her and noticed every time she snuck a glance at him. He didn’t hate how much she was staring at him. Actually, he understood it. If he didn’t have so many people watching his every move, he’d be staring at her too.
The last two years had been torturous. Losing Eve was like having a limb sawed off. He felt achingly incomplete… and seeing her today had intensified that feeling. She was still everything he remembered; beautiful, lush and intense.
God! He’d missed her.
Maybe the last two years would’ve been easier if she was with him. He’d stuck by his mother through her date with the law and her sentencing. Through it all, he’d seen his mother’s true colors.
A normal person would feel guilty for their crimes. They’d pity everyone who’d gotten hurt because of their actions. Not Sharon! Not only was she remorseless about what she’d done, every time she spoke of her charges she shifted the blame to someone else. She’d even blamed the car-crash on Eve, and never apologized for it. Her whole spiel was that people forced her to hurt them. If they just did as she asked, they wouldn’t get hurt.
Worse, she couldn’t even see his pain. She’d celebrated his divorce with so much pomp that they’d gotten into an argument. How could she be happy when he was hurting so much? At the very least she should’ve apologized for making him lose the woman he loved. But all Sharon could think about was herself, and how she didn’t want Eve as part of their family.
His mother’s lack of empathy was appalling, frustrating and tiring. However, what had really tested his loyalty to her was the rumors that she was somehow involved in his father’s death. According to Benisio’s testimony, there was a chance that Carter’s father’s death wasn’t a suicide. However, Benisio had no evidence because when he’d tried to investigate it Sharon had come after him.
Sharon had denied having anything to do with her husband’s death. But Carter had learnt too much about her to take her for her word. Then there was the fact that she’d come after Benisio for investigating it. Why would an innocent person obstruct an investigation?
Those doubts had made Carter unable to look his mother in the eye. They were the reason why when he got a job offer from a company in England, he’d immediately accepted it. He needed to take some time away from Sharon.
As it turns out, England was exactly what he and Jackson needed. A new country with people who didn’t know about their relationship with Sharon and even if they found out, they didn’t care. The distance didn’t ease his loneliness, but being countries away from Eve was actually easier than being close to her yet not being able to call or see her.
However, now that Eve was here, right in front of him, all the emotions that he’d been suppressing for the last two years had rushed to the surface and were now threatening to boil over.
“Everyone knows what they need to do,” Carter said as he wrapped up the meeting. “Finish it up and let’s meet the day after tomorrow so we can start shooting.”
“Okay.” The room echoed with the squealing of chairs as everyone stood up. After enthusiastic rounds of goodbye, everyone filed out of the room. Everyone but Carter and Eve.
Once they were alone, Eve stood from her seat and crossed the room. Carter, who was still seated, tapped the edge of the table, urging her to sit down. She didn’t quite sit on the table but she stood against it, facing him.
Circling her wrist with his fingers, he looked up to meet her eyes. “So what do you want to do next?”
“It’s almost dinner time.” She suggested, “Do you want to have dinner together?”
Of course he wanted to have dinner together. He nodded.
“Mona and I ate at a nice restaurant yesterday.” Eve suggested. “Do you want to try it out?”
“I don’t want to go to a restaurant,” he murmured. While she was still confused by his response, he pulled her closer then dragged her into his lap. He leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. When he pulled back, it was to find Eve staring at him with wide eyes and her lips parted in shock.
“I want to go back to the hotel,” he murmured. The suggestion might’ve seemed innocent but he could tell that she understood what he meant.
It was a bold suggestion, one he shouldn’t have made considering how they parted. But his strained emotions gave him courage. He’d missed her too much to waste time beating around the bush.
His eyes locked with hers, he asked, “Is that okay with you?”
Eve didn’t even hesitate. “That’s okay with me.”
Carter smiled then moved forward again and let his mouth cover hers. This kiss was longer, it was deeper. It reached into him and soothed the ache that had settled in his heart from the moment she’d walked out of his life.
It had been two years since he’d last kissed her yet it felt like their last kiss had just happened yesterday. She tasted just how he remembered; sweet, warm and ripe. He slid his hand behind her nape and hardened his lips over hers so he could get more of her. His lips drifted, lingered and melded with hers, making her shiver.
He could’ve made the kiss longer, drawn it out. But he needed to get her somewhere where no one could interrupt them. With a groan, he tore his lips from hers. Her eyes were hooded and shadowed with the same wild desire that was now racing through his blood.
His voice hoarse with desire, he said, “Let’s get out of here.”
On the cab-ride back to the hotel, they didn’t talk. They just held hands. Carter didn’t speak because he was afraid that with just one word he might end up destroying the moment. With just one word, he might remind her that they were not supposed to be together. So he kept silent.
Any lingering thoughts of dinner were erased when they got to the hotel. The moment the door to his room closed behind them, they pounced on each other. Yes! Pounced was the most accurate word to describe the frantic kissing and desperate tearing off of clothes. They were like two mad people who were high on an aphrodisiac. They clawed at each other as they stumbled towards the bed.
She was his drug. With one touch, he was intoxicated. Having her in his arms again sent him into a heady trance, one that intensified with each moan, each kiss and each touch from her. He held her naked body tightly as he pushed into her and groaned when her body snuggled around his.
Their bodies still fit together perfectly. Their rhythm was still in sync. And when they exploded it was with twin moans that echoed in the room. As he slowly
came back to earth, Carter groaned in pleasure and satisfaction. No matter what the courts said, her body said that she was still his just as he was still hers.
Later, after it was all over, he lay on his back with her half over him and playing with his chest hairs. Though he was wiped out, Carter was too scared to go to sleep for fear that he’d wake up to find his bed empty again.
“Carter?” Eve murmured as her fingers drew circles over his torso.
“Yeah?” He stroked her upper arm.
“I’m sorry.”
Her apology was enough to make him look down at her. Her gaze was still on his chest. Confused he asked, “What are you sorry for?”
“I’m sorry but I’m not letting you go again.” She lifted up slightly to prop her upper body on her elbow so that she could see him better. Nervousness gleamed in the depths of her pretty eyes as she said, “I know we said that being apart was the best thing, but it doesn’t feel like it. It hurts too much. I can’t let you walk out of my life again.”
Carter didn’t say anything because it felt like she’d just reached into his brain, pulled his thoughts out then said them back to him. It was startling to realize that even though they had spent two years apart, they were still on the same wavelength.
“Could we please get back together?” Eve pleaded with him. “I know that it’s going to be hard with your mom and everything but-”
He lifted his head to cut her words off with a firm press of his lips to hers. When their lips parted, he murmured, “Yes.”
“Huh?” She looked confused.
“You don’t have to beg.” He explained, “I want to be with you too.”
Relief flashed in her eyes and she exhaled sharply. “You do?”
“I do.” He nodded. “These last two years have been terrible without you. You have no idea how hard it was to keep from looking for you.”
