The realization of that fact made my heart clench with pain. I was not a great catch-I was just normal. Even he admitted it.
"Yes, but when you're constantly surrounded by people tripping over themselves to impress you, you start looking for something different. Someone like you. You treat me like you would anyone else. I've never met a girl who made me feel-normal."
Normal? Was that a good thing to be? I always raged against being normal, hating my perfect background because it made my whole life seem so inadequate. To only reach so far with so much help and education seemed mediocre. And yet, William liked me because of it. I wasn't the type to bend to his every demand. I didn't take advantage of his wealth. Was it that hard to find someone who was like me?
"Well-thanks."
His hand tightened around my waist and he kissed my forehead. I hugged him, inhaling his scent and wanting more. He lifted my chin with his index finger and gave me a kiss that made me want to collapse in his arms. It was hard and biting, filled with all his pent-up sexual tension. He backed me against the fence separating the path from the vineyards and his hands groped my ass, squeezing hard. His tongue shoved into my mouth and mingled with mine, and then he retreated, giving my lips a small bite before he finally pulled back to breathe.
That fiery blaze was back in his eyes that said: I'm going to fuck your brains out when we get back. My palm slid down from his waist and anchored over the hard bump bulging in his shorts. He gasped as I squeezed him and I felt a little shock of excitement of my own. I kissed him hard and let go because there were people walking up the path.
William managed to straighten himself before they caught up to us. He turned towards the fence as if he was tired as I stood beside him and laughed.
"Groping me in public," he muttered indistinctly, shooting me a hot glare.
When we finally reached the wind-swept Corniglia after a winding series of stairs that led down, we took the small train back to our bed and breakfast. Will kept his arm draped around me during the trip and I nestled in his embrace. It was almost as if we were a real couple. By the time we reached Monterosso, the sun burned like orange glitter over the darkening water.
We held hands and walked along the beach, William's flyaway hair flattened against his head. We kissed again, and the knowledge that we were so close to our hotel room made my heart throb with anxiety. Would he be good? I didn't have a lot of experience to compare him to. I was with Ben for the last six years, and our sex life was, well, lacking.
"We should eat somewhere."
"Eat?" I said, as if I had never heard something so ridiculous.
"Yes," he smirked, laying his hot lips over me again and again. "We've been hiking all day, I'm hungry."
A series of camera flashes from the corner of my eyes distracted me. Tourists, probably. No, it couldn't be. William curled his arm around me and roared at man clicking away, screaming something in Italian.
"Vaffanculo!"
The man scuttled away like a roach.
"Fucking paparazzi," he roared.
I shuddered at the thought that our pictures would be blasted over social media websites. "Aren't you used to it by now?"
"Never."
While Will steamed about the run-in with the pap, I looked around for restaurants. Having no idea what was good, I suggested things at random. Will said he knew a great place so I took his hand and followed his lead. We entered a dingy looking restaurant with a very humble interior and a surly waiter, however, Will assured me that the food was great.
I watched him in fascination as he conversed with the waiter in rapid-fire Italian, picking out only a few words from my mediocre Spanish. "Si prego" was a phrase that I heard repeated often, but I wasn't sure what it meant.
"Where did you learn it?" I asked when the waiter left.
"Italian school on Saturdays until I was about sixteen." He rolled his eyes. "Never used it except with my parents and grandparents, when they were still alive."
The waiter returned with a small carafe of wine. He poured me a glass but Will waved him off when he tried to fill his glass. I knew that Will didn't drink, but I didn't exactly know why.
"I thought you might like their house wine," Will explained.
I took a sip and found it to be wonderfully dry, like Chianti. "It's great. Do you want to try it?"
He licked his lips as if he really wanted it, but he shook his head. "I can't."
I raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Clearly, this fell under the category of things Will didn't like to talk about.
"So much for getting any work done today," I sighed as I took another sip of wine. Its warmth washed over me like a sleeping spell. My eyelids were heavy.
"Tell me about your family. Your life. You know a lot about me but I know almost nothing about you."
My face burned under Will's flattering interest. "Not much to tell, really. No siblings. My parents are both dentists. They wanted me to become one, but I never had any interest."
"I just don't see you cleaning people's teeth."
"Neither did I. Parents were pretty disappointed that I became a graphic designer."
"They'll get over it," he paused for a moment and actually thought about it. "Actually, they might not."
"Yeah," I agreed, feeling suddenly heavy. "I don't think they will-even if everything else in my life was perfect."
The menu items blurred as I blinked away a sudden rush of tears. Do not cry. It felt shitty to realize that the people who raised me would never be happy with who I became. I hid my face behind the menu and squeezed my eyes shut. Why was it so painful?
"Hey," he said in a soft voice I never heard before. "Don't be upset. I'm the only person whose opinion matters in your life." He winked.
He was trying to cheer me up. I set the menu down and smiled weakly.
We ended up ordering seafood dishes with hand-made pasta and ate slowly, talking little. It was enough to sit comfortably in each other's presence. When we left the restaurant, night had fallen and the streets were empty. Laughter echoed from the few bars in the tiny village, but we held hands and walked towards our hotel. It was a balmy night, with the smells of lemon trees and the mixed aromas of the restaurants surrounding us.
Occasionally, he'd glance at me and smile and I felt the beginning of something stirring in my chest. I knew that it would be hell when we were separated. What then?
I opened my mouth several times to ask him, but I couldn't summon up the courage. "Will, thanks for bringing me here. I really appreciate everything you've done for me."
We stopped in front of the hotel room and Will used the keycard to let me in. I kept wiping my hands on my jeans.
"How grateful are you?"
The door closed and Will's commanding presence overfilled the small room; the air was thinner and his laser-like eyes rooted me to the spot, frightening and exciting me at the same time. The hint of something suggestive in his voice made me shudder all over. I clawed at my necklace and twisted the pendant in my fingers.
"I-I'm really-" I broke off with a nervous chuckle as Will stood in front of me, smiling with so much confidence that it ought to have been fined. "I'm nervous."
"Yes, I can see that. You're a scared little bird. I'm afraid that if I move too quickly you'll fly away."
But I wanted him, so I took a small step and leaned into his chest, sighing with relief when he wrapped his arms around me. I felt the reassuring thump of his heart against mine and relaxed.
His hands moved to the back of my head. "Natalie, kiss me."
I launched myself upwards and felt the roughness of his cheek, the bump of his hips, his hands suddenly possessing me. His lips roughly claimed mine and he pushed me backwards, towards the small bed. I fell onto the mattress and Will's heavy weight followed me, his lips and tongue refusing to let go of my mouth.
I moaned into his mouth as his fingers slid my tank top and bra down so that my breasts bulged.
"Fuck."
I gasped when he bit my lip hard and sent a trail of heat blazing down my neck, kissing and sucking my flesh. I knew where his lips were headed and I wrapped my hands around his head, so impatient that I wanted to jerk him by his hair. He stopped to give a wet kiss on the crest and then teased his tongue around the very center of my breast, my whole body shuddering when he accidentally touched my nipple.
I cried out when he finally went in for the kill, his mouth opening to devour my breast and sucking hard on my firm nipple, groping the other breast with his hand. I pressed down hard on his head, flattening my breast against his face, but I didn't care.
My breast popped out of his mouth, red and shining.
He smiled at me wickedly. "You liked that, didn't you?"
"Yes," I gasped. "Don't stop."