With one final thrust, he brought her to climax, screaming his name, her body convulsing around his. Her muscles stroked him, owned him, pushed him over the edge until her name on his lips echoed off the cliffs surrounding their paradise.
She collapsed against him, her body trembling, curling into him. He pressed a kiss to her shoulder and wrapped his arms tighter about her, then carried her out of the water to the waiting bed suspended on the porch. They dropped onto it, their movement setting the bed swinging. Constance giggled, a sweet, lighthearted sound that she didn’t make nearly often enough. He sat up long enough to pull the mosquito netting closed. He grabbed one of the soft, furry throws that draped the bed and pulled it up over them.
He kissed her softly, murmuring words in Greek that she probably didn’t understand and he didn’t want to dwell on. Between their escapades and the gentle swaying of the bed, she was asleep in moments, but Luca remained awake, cradling the woman he loved.
He loved her.
The words seemed alien to him. Impossible. Inevitable.
He’d known the moment he’d walked into his backyard and seen her standing in that storm of childish chaos that she was unlike anyone he’d ever met, and the first time he’d kissed her, he’d known she would change his life. But not even he could have predicted just how much. The fading sunlight glinted off the sapphire ring on her finger and Luca found himself wondering how she’d feel about making their little arrangement permanent, for real.
She’d probably laugh, tell him he was crazy, that it made no sense. They were too different. It was only supposed to be a sham, temporary, that anything more was insane.
The children…that thought still filled him with terror. He wasn’t even remotely father material, but maybe with Constance there to help make sure he didn’t do any permanent damage, maybe they could make it work. It hadn’t been so bad with the kids there these past few weeks. They’d seemed happy. And he…he’d been happy, too.
He brushed her hair from her face and a faint smile crossed her lips, even in sleep. He wrapped himself around her, breathed in her cherry blossom scent.
Yes, it was crazy. But if he was very lucky, she might just say she loved him, too. There was only one way to find out.
But it could wait. For that moment, he was content to hold her. For the rest, he’d suck it up and do what terrified him the most. He’d bare his soul and hope she didn’t reject it.
Tomorrow.
…
Constance woke early, the morning sun gently stealing across the beach to reach them in their swinging nest. She sighed happily, reaching out for Luca only to find he was no longer beside her. Her movements set the bed swinging when she sat up, so she took care when she climbed down. She wrapped a blanket around her, following the sound of Luca’s voice.
He stood outside the front door, already dressed, speaking on the phone. She couldn’t hear his words but by his tone he was obviously displeased about something. He must have heard her step because he turned to glance at her. He frowned, not aiming it at her but at something he must be hearing, then he turned back around.
A deep unease settled in her gut. This was not the way she expected the morning to go. After the night before…he’d been so loving. That hadn’t just been lust and sex; it had meant something. To her at least. And to him, she’d been sure of it.
He put his phone back in his pocket and came inside.
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
Luca frowned again. “Nothing that can’t be handled.”
He gave her a strained smile that did little to ease the ache settling in her heart. “We’re going to have to cut our morning short. There are a few things I need to take care of. I’d like to leave in a few minutes if possible.”
She nodded, her throat suddenly tight. “Probably best,” she managed to say. “I’m sure Mrs. Ballas could use a break by now.”
He caught her hand before she could turn around and pulled her to him.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured, leaning down to press a sweet kiss to her lips. “This isn’t how I wanted our morning to go.”
“Me, either,” she said with a small smile.
He wrapped her in his arms, hugging her close for a few moments. Then he kissed the top of her head and sent her toward the bathroom with a playful slap to her rear. He was trying. Too hard, maybe. Something was definitely wrong.
She dressed as quickly as she could, the mood of their idyllic getaway tarnished with whatever he was keeping from her. When she came out, he was pacing the room, running his hands through his hair.
“Hey,” he said, grabbing her hands and drawing her in for a kiss. “What do you say to a trip?”