“Did I tell you?” Luca asks quietly from beside me. I nod. This chapel seems so reverent that we shouldn’t even speak. To speak would mar the serenity that this place holds.
After I soak in the beauty for several minutes more, Luca turns to me.
“Would you like to go beneath the city?”
I nod. “Definitely. I’ve heard about the underside of Naples. It’s supposed to be like stepping into ancient Rome.”
“And it is,” Luca assures me. “Come. You will love it.”
He steers my elbow through the throngs of people waiting to see The Veiled Christ. A short time later, we find ourselves deep under the city of Naples in a place where time seemed to rewind and stand still.
“Oh, my word,” I breathe as we make our way through the sand-stone brick tunnels. We descend into first century B.C., into a Greco-Roman theatre which has the seating capacity of six thousand. Our tour guide tells us that Nero sung through an earthquake here.
I am spellbound by the history surrounding us. It’s amazing and awe-inspiring. Luca reaches over and picks up my hand, holding it within his as we wind our way deeper and deeper through the catacombs.
My favorite part is the section beneath the San Lorenzo Maggiore church. In other parts of the tunnels, we had to use our imaginations to picture what life must have been like. But here in this part, we are surrounded by ancient Roman storefronts; by a Roman laundry and bakery. By the street that ran below. It is absolutely incredible. So I turn and tell Luca that.
He smiles at me graciously, looking pleased by my joy.
“You’re incredible,” he tells me. He lifts my hand to his lips and kisses it and my stomach flutters. Even in the dim lights of the tunnel, he is strikingly handsome. He bends and presses a kiss to my forehead, then holds my hand for the rest of the tour.
It’s a magical day.
We fly back to Valletta in the evening, quietly enjoying each other’s company. I lay in his lap on the leather sofa on the plane, staring up at him. He absently twirls a piece of my hair as we chat.
“Did you always want to be a doctor?” he asks, making conversation. I nod, my neck scraping against his zipper.
“Yes. Ever since my brother died. I became fascinated with how people handle different situations and why everyone does so differently. Have you always wanted to work in the family business?”
He thinks on that for a second.
“It was never really a choice. I never considered what I wanted to do, because my brothers and I always knew this was our path in life.”
“That makes me a little sad,” I tell him. “People should always have a choice.”
He stirs a little, then rests his arm over my hip.
“I had a choice, Eva. This is what I chose. To be complacent and take my place within the family. I’m not as excited about it as my brother Damien…he always wanted to run the company. But I’m fine with it. I would probably choose it again, if I needed to.”
“Well, that’s the important thing,” I answer. I find myself sleepy, so I tell him that. He smiles.
“Go ahead and sleep then. We have a while until we get home.”
Home.
Oddly enough, it feels good to think of Chessarae as home. I close my eyes. I wake some time later to feel Luca’s lips on my forehead, then my neck.
I open my eyes and look into his. I see a delicious storm brewing there.
“Did I ever tell you thank you for lunch?” I ask. He smiles, his grin full of something delightfully wicked.
“Nope. But I know a way you can show me.”
I smile back. “Is that so?”
He nods seriously. “Absolutely.”
“And how is that?”
He grins wickedly now. “Well, first you put your hand here.” And he lifts my hand, settling in onto his crotch, which grows instantly hard beneath my fingers. I quirk an eyebrow, then grin.
“And then what?”
“Use your imagination,” he whispers into my ear as he nips at my earlobe.
“I’m a doctor,” I remind him. “I don’t have much imagination. I’m left-brained.” But the entire time I am speaking, my hands are moving. Before he even knows it, his pants are unfastened and my tongue is circling the tip of his penis, while my fingers are sliding up and down the shaft.
“You’re doing fine,” he growls, his hands cupping my behind and pulling me closer as his breath comes in pants. “You seem to have the mechanics down.”
I smile, my lips curving against his erection, before I close my mouth and begin to suck, all the while still moving my hands.
I can hear the breath catching in his chest as I move faster and faster. Finally, he speaks, although it sounds almost pained.
“Eva, if you don’t stop, I’m going to come in your mouth.”
I don’t stop.
* * *
I’m weary by the time we reach Chessarae. The sun has already set and it is late as we glide into the driveway.
“Are you hungry?” Luca asks me. “I can have the staff prepare dinner.”
I shake my head.
“No. I’m fine.”
He nods, then comes around to open my door and we enter the quiet house. The servants have all retired for the evening. It’s empty and dark. I find that I’m not ready for the day to be over, and apparently, Luca isn’t either. We are both reluctant to part ways and return to our separate rooms.
“Let’s have wine on the terrace,” Luca suggests. And I agree.
“That sounds lovely,” I tell him.
I take a seat in the gardens while Luca brings the wine.
I am amazed at how serene and happy I feel right now, after the angst I felt last night on Luca’s behalf. I start to bring it up, but Luca shakes his head.
“Let’s have a day where we don’t discuss ugliness, shall we?” he suggests. “This has been a good day. I’d like to keep enjoying it.”
I nod. “Okay. I understand that.” He smiles in appreciation and sips his wine.
“You know what I’m in the mood for?” he asks me. I shake my head.
“No, what? I know what you were in the mood for earlier, but I think you’ve been indulged on every level…” my voice trails off and he laughs.