“Anna’s in the steam room,” I say, and he smirks at me with his boyish grin. I perish that thought and shake my head.
After I make a quick call to Mr. Carlin to check on him, I put on a ruched, deep-purple bikini with a gold brooch to the centre of the bust and at both hips, then slip a sheer, purple and gold trimmed kaftan over the top. I roll a towel under my arms and head towards the pool, opting to leave my hair down so it covers my back.
Lucca watches me from across the pool as I slip my kaftan off. I slide into the pool and notice a dark shadow under the water swim towards me. Lucca takes hold of my hips then emerges from the water, sliding up my body and pressing his taught body against me.
“Nice bikini. Can I rip it off you later with my teeth?” he asks as he discreetly slides his thumb under the elastic waistband at my hips.
My skin convulses with his small touch. We don’t usually swim together clothed, we’re normally naked, but this just adds to the suspense and excitement. I drag my bottom lip under my top teeth.
“I need to speak to you about something, when you were upstairs … we …um …” He frowns and pinches his eyes closed, as if he is in turmoil about telling me something bad or something I won’t like. Now he has me panicked.
Ready to ask what’s wrong, I’m shaken straight out of that thought when the kids giggle and splash towards us. Roberta paddles towards me in her cute, red bikini, armbands on, and jumps up on me. I swirl her around the water while she holds her head back, her blonde hair floats in the water around her.
“You look like a mermaid, Roberta,” I say, leaving Lucca to lean on the poolside edge rubbing his thumb over his eyebrow.
“Lexi, we need to …” he reaches for my waist under the water to protectively pull me closer to him while I try and entertain Roberta.
Pausing with my water play, I notice Anna is not alone as she exits the steam room—Kimberley is with her in a shimmery-gold, slinky bikini that barely covers her ass, strutting like a catwalk model.
Bitch!
Fuck!
File S for stop. Stop stalking our family time. Why is she even here?
Lucca lifts Roberta off me and swooshes her through the water towards Kate’s arms. He frowns as he turns to face me looking cautiously with a flicker of pain in his eyes.
“Why is your assistant, the one you used to sleep with, at your family weekend in a bikini, strutting around your pool?” My tone is cold and sharp, body rigid.
He sighs. “I was trying to tell you. Anna invited her. She is her best friend, and they normally spend weekends together, and we are at a pool so she is in a swimsuit. I am so sorry. She just turned up when you were upstairs. Anna arranged it with her and thought nothing of it because she does not know how you feel about her.” He sighs, knowing how I will react and he would be right.
“So she hangs around here a lot, then?” I snap with sarcasm, turning my back; he swirls me back around as quick as I turned.
“Baby, please, do not get upset. I know you must be angry right now, and I understand why. She is Anna’s guest, not mine, and given how you feel about Kimberley, she is the last person I would invite to something like this. I cannot very well tell my sister to un-invite her best friend when she was already standing here with her swim stuff, but I will make sure that Anna knows I am not happy about it and ensure this never happens again. It is your home and if you do not want Kimberley here, then I promise she will never be invited again,” he says sincerely.
“I thought the talk we had the other night would make me feel better about this, to a certain extent, but now … seeing her here like this has made me feel worse, adding more salt to my wounds,” I complain quietly.
I lean on the side of the pool and pull myself up then reach for my towel. I wrap it around me and walk through the spa area towards the family room. I storm upstairs into the suite and slide my wet bikini off, patting dry my skin. Wrapping my robe around me, I twist a towel over my head then pull back the covers and climb into bed in a stupor. I’m infuriated and enraged with jealously. I don’t want her here because she’s rude and vindictive.
Moments later, Lucca is standing at the bottom of the bed with a towel around him. “Are you ready to talk about this?” he asks. I fidget with my robe and don’t answer. “Baby, I know you are angry. I am so sorry you feel like this. What can I do other than ask her to leave? But Anna is going to wonder why, so we will need to tell her. I know it is awkward and unpleasant. Fuck … this is such a mess.” He groans and shakes his head.
Standing at the bottom of the bed, he cocks his head, silently pleading with me to calm down. Turning up for lunch fully clothed would be one thing, but to see her flaunt around in sexy swimwear like that fucking infuriates me. She is deliberating trying to make me jealous. It’s not fucking okay. I wonder if Hazel has seen her yet. Maybe I should just brush it off because I know by the time Hazel finishes clawing at her, she’ll be left feeling raw and wishing she never showed up here.
Lucca looks down at my wet swimwear on the towel. “Are you annoyed she is in the pool? Spending time with the family or here in general? Help me understand what you are thinking. I want to make this right. I promised you I would do what I need to, to consider your feelings and talking about it the other night helped us.” He wipes at some droplets of water on his face that drips from his hair.
“Are you seriously asking me that question? You’re just about as intuitive as Cameron. All of it, the pool, the family and the fact she is in your home when she is supposed to be a fucking employee. It’s wrong … and a swimsuit? A slutty, fucking gold swimsuit? She wants you to notice her parading about like that. I’m so goddamn furious.” I raise my voice, tsk, sigh, and look away.
“Is that worrying you? Jesus, Doc. I have told you a million times that I can never look at another woman when I have you. I do not need to. My eyes are for you and only you, and if I need to remind you how goddamn sexy, beautiful, and attractive you are to me, then I will do it every minute of every day by telling you and showing you.” He softens his voice, still husky but much more considerate.
“Your lovey-dovey words, Lucca, can’t make my insecurities go away or change how I feel.” I moan and slap my hands on the mattress in a mini tantrum.
“That is just it. I need to make you feel, feel us. I need to remind you how we feel together and how much I want you. That fiery shit is turning me on. Keep talking, baby,” he says, untying his board shorts and letting them drop to the floor, his massive arousal springing free. I can’t help but stare directly at him.
“Oh no, you don’t. You’re not distracting me. I’m serious, Lucca. I’m pissed off, and we need to talk about this,” I protest.
Blatantly ignoring me, he pulls the covers back, climbs on top, and unties my robe.
Sexy bully.
My breasts are still cold from being wet, and my nipples pucker as soon as the air brushes against them. Groaning, he lifts my feet.
“Would you be more relaxed if I do this?” He kneads the soles of my feet, and it feels like heaven. I begin to relax. Then he kisses the bottom of them, and I squirm and giggle. He continues his magical touch along the inside of my legs, stroking, pressing, and kissing. I’m done for.
Folded.
Crumbled.
Melted.
“We need to talk,” I stifle, infuriated my body is betraying me.
“You talk, I will play, then we will talk together afterwards,” he says before his tongue caresses my pulsing sex. The only talking I can manage now is the letter O in the form of deep, sensual groaning.
Completely sated and thoroughly exhausted, I stretch on top of Lucca at the bottom of the bed with my forehead against his, my sensitive breasts pressed against his quickened heartbeat and my legs languidly straddling him.
He’s managed to do it again—relax me, bringing me back to rational focus. He runs his thumb and fingers down my back and over my ass, softly stroking my skin with his fingertips.
“Are we in love again?” he asks, nibbling on my bottom lip.
“Yes, I’m always in love with you, but I need to tell you how I feel, and you keep distracting me. I know how you feel about me, but I also know how she feels about you and I don’t think she can be trusted.” I’d welcome this distraction anytime because he makes me
feel
, but talking is a must or else I’m going to explode today.
He rolls me over onto my back then leans on one arm at my side, placing his other hand on my navel. I take a huge breath. I need to be honest about my feelings or they will fester away at me.
“I’m jealous. There I said it. I’m jealous of her.” I focus on something on the ceiling because I’m embarrassed by saying this and don’t want to look him right in the eyes.
He studies my expression with genuine concern. Moving a tousled wave from my eyes, he skims over my cheek with his thumb then over my lips. “The last thing I want is you being uncomfortable or jealous. You have no reason to be. You are mine and I am yours. You are all I will ever want or need. You need to trust me but I am glad you are being honest with me. It is killing me, Lexi. I do not want my fiancée ever to feel jealous. Promise me you will listen to me when I tell you how much you mean to me. I cannot handle the thought that you feel envious and especially of someone like Kimberley.” He leans over to kiss me all over with nothing but sweet, tender, loving care.
My stomach churns and I feel an awful weight tugging inside my core. It’s the dreaded guilt pulling me towards that black cave.
Darkness.
“You have nothing and no one to feel envious of. If anything, Kimberley most likely feels more awkward than you do. She has never seen me in a relationship other than with Francesca, and if she has feelings towards me like you say, then she will be hurting because of the love I have for you and only you. She is making a fool of herself if she thinks for one moment I am going to pay her any attention. If anything it makes me lose respect in her even more.” He nibbles on the shell of my ear.
I twirl his wavy, wet hair with my fingers from one hand and stroke his chest with my other. “I spoke to Suzanne yesterday about moving Kimberley’s position. Suzanne is fine with it as long as I find someone to fill Kimberley’s post to help Suzanne with her work load.”
“Oh … I know you talked about it, I didn’t think you would actually move her job.” I am so relieved he is taking this seriously.
“Yes, of course I am. I said I would and I made you a promise. I actually was thinking she could work in the admin office in Edinburgh Club di Energia. That would get her far enough away. If she moans about the travelling, then she has a choice to make: stay or go. I love you, dolcezza, and will do anything it takes to make you happy.”
I tilt my head to the side, nuzzling into his chest, and he protectively pulls his arm around me, enfolding me in his grip. “I know you do. Please, don’t mention anything to Anna until later. I don’t want to be seen as the insecure new girlfriend while Kimberley is still here or give her the satisfaction that she is getting to me.” I sigh.
“
Fiancée
,” he corrects then adds, “Whatever you want. I will make sure she leaves after lunch. She has wasted enough of our family time today.”
“Are you mad at me for storming away?” I gingerly ask.
“No, how could I ever be mad at you? You are too fucking adorable.” He leans over and places soft kisses on my swollen lips.
I find dry swimwear to put on. This time I choose my emerald green bikini. It will be obvious that we’ve been preoccupied with each other, but the other swimwear is wet and cold and would be too uncomfortable against my skin. After the baby monitor incident last night, nothing could be as mortifying, but I actually would love to make a point to Kimberley.
Lucca fastens the bikini strap at my back. “Hmmm, this makes me think of the day I stripped this off you at the farmhouse,” he rasps in my ear then places gentle kisses on my shoulders. He grasps both my breasts, rubbing his thumb across the edge of the bikini, and adds, “We also need to discuss next week. I have to work away, but I want you with me if you are going to continue to have nightmares.” We touched on this but never came to a conclusion about it.
I turn around, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Thank you for looking after me, but honestly, I’ll be fine. I’ll have Hazel, Cameron, Lucy, or Jess come and stay with me. I have an appointment at the family planning clinic, and I’ve made arrangements with Mark to go into the clinic for a day. I don’t want to leave Doris again after just getting back, and I’ve promised Jane I would meet her for lunch.”
Choices.
I’ve made my decision. As much as it pains me to be separated from him, I have obligations and I need to stay here.
He tenses and clutches at my shoulders, piercing me with despondent eyes. “Firstly, I am not having you go back to work yet, and definitely not while you are still recovering. Secondly, you never told me you had an appointment at the family planning clinic.” He’s not enthused. I knew he would react like this. That’s why I never told him.
“I told you that I wanted a more permanent form of contraception in Tuscany. You don’t want to wear condoms, and there is always a chance you might have to if I miss a pill.”
“What do you mean permanent? You are not considering some crazy shit like getting sterilised, are you?” He’s panicking now.
“No, just something like an injection. I can get one every twelve weeks, and then I don’t have to worry about taking the pill. It’s completely safe, and fertility normally resumes afterwards. It’s just a consultation,” I explain.
“Lexi, I think we need to talk about this further. I want to have a family with you, and don’t want to wait years to do so. This sounds like an extreme option.” He pinches his forehead with his middle finger and thumb in agitation.
“Lucca, stop pressuring me. It’s my body,” I protest. I wasn’t able to have control over things that happened to my body as a child, so I most definitely will make sure I do as an adult.
He looks anguished, dropping his hands from my shoulders and slumping his own shoulders, completely deflated. He looks down and is momentarily silent.