Chapter 32
Chapter Thirty-Two
L iam
"Liam, you shouldn't be in here," Elisabetta whispers as I sneak into her room. "My dad…”
“He's not going to know," I say as I close the door gently behind me and lock it. I walk over to the bed and sit on the side. She sits up and leans back against the headboard, her long hair in a bun on top of her head. I lean over and pull out the hair tie and watch as it falls down her back.
“You should be in your own bedroom, Liam.”
“But I just got engaged to the most beautiful woman in the world,” I say, grinning at her. "How can I resist you?"
“Well, if you want to stay engaged to me, and you don't want my father to cut off your hands…”
“Oh, boy, would he really do such a thing?” I say as I slide up the bed and lie down. I turn on my side and look over at her. I mean, he couldn't possibly fault me, could he? Knowing that my feelings for her are complicated. Elisabetta lies on her side to face me, and I can’t believe that we're now betrothed, I run my fingers down her silky shoulder and then bring my hand up to cut the side of her face.
“I just want you to know that whatever happens, I will not be broke.”
“What?” she says, gazing at me, her eyes widening.
“I know you might be nervous because I've lost a lot of money…”
“But I don't care about that. I never did.”
“I mean, I think you did care about money because you agreed to marry me, because your father?—.”
“Not for me though, for the rest of my family. You don't really think I care that much about money, do you?”
“No,” I admit. I lean forward and kiss her on the lips. “I don't think you care that much about money.”
“Stop stressing,” she says, rubbing my arms. “Can I take your T-shirt off?” she asks as she leans forward.
“Of course.” I lift my arms, and she pulls the shirt off of me and throws it to the ground. She leans forward and kisses my neck and then my chest. Her tongue trails down to my nipple, and she lightly flicks it. I grab her and pull her closer to me. I push the blanket down and run my fingers down the side of her waist.
“I love sleeping with you,” I say, staring into her eyes. “It’s so intimate, yet it makes me feel so many other things.”
“What do you mean?” she asks as she kisses my stomach.
“I mean that even though just sleeping with someone is not as intimate as sex, it feels even more so, you know?”
“In what way?” she asks, kissing back up my chest and just looking at me.
I grab her hands and touch each one of her fingers lightly. “I guess there's a trust that you have in someone when you sleep with them, because when you're off in dream world, you're trusting your very being to them, and there's no one I trust more than you.”
She grins at me. “I mean, aside from maybe Skye and Lila and Juniper, but aside from them.”
“Aside from them, of course,” I say, chuckling. “Thank you for trusting me.”
“I trust you because I believe that you are honest and compassionate, a kind man, and the best lover I've ever had in my life.” She giggles.
“That's what I like to hear.” I stare at her and keep the smile plastered on my face, but my brain is screaming at me because I'm not being completely honest about everything, and I'm conflicted. Really, really conflicted.
“I want to make love to you,” I say as I pull off her top. I'm delighted that she has no bra on. My right hand grazes the side of her breast and slips down between her legs and under her panties. She murmurs out loud as I touch her wetness. I grin, then pull her panties and shorts down and flip her over onto her stomach.
“What are you doing?” she says.
“You'll see.” I pull my own boxers down and lie on top of her.
“Are we doing doggy-style?”
“No, stay flat,” I say as my arms reach over hers and grasp her hands. “Let me know if I'm too heavy for you.”
“You're fine,” she whispers into the sheets. I spread her legs and then position my cock between them.
“Oh,” she says, and she feels me nudging into her softly. “Are you teasing me?”
“Do you like this?” I say before I thrust into her in one fell swoop. Her pussy lips tighten against my cock, and I moan against her neck as I kiss her. I squeeze her hands as I slide in and out and increase my momentum. She’s moaning and shaking, and this feeling should be bottled. If it were, it would sell for a billion dollars.
“Oh my gosh,” she murmurs as I increase my pace. Fucking Elisabetta is priceless. It’s more than just sex. It’s more than just making love. It’s like I am in another world, on a different plane. I'm floating in the clouds. There is nothing better than this feeling, nothing better than hearing her low moans and whimpers. The sound is a delight to my ear.
“Oh my gosh, I may come,” she says. I pull out, and she groans.
“What?”
“I want to see your face when you come,” I say as I turn her over. She looks up at me and smiles the prettiest, most trusting smile, and I know then that I can never let this woman go. I have fallen truly, deeply, madly in love with her. I grab her ankles, pull them up over my shoulder, reposition myself between her legs, and slide in hard and fast.
She cries out, and I put my hand over her mouth. “Shh!” I say in a low voice. “We don’t want your father to hear, but fuck it, this feels so good. How do you feel about that?” My thumb goes to her clit, and I start rubbing fast.
“Oh, my gosh!” she cries out, and I feel myself growing harder and harder. I'm close to erupting myself. I can't think anymore. My brain is a blur of emotions and feelings, and I thrust into her harder and faster, holding her ankles. It's like slamming into her body. Her breasts bounce back and forth until finally, she cries out, and I can feel her pussy lips trembling on me as she comes. I explode inside of her and then still, collapsing onto her and kissing her. She reaches up and grabs my head and kisses me back hard.
“Fuck, that was good,” she says. “Why does it always feel like the first time?”
“I don't know,” I say, kissing her back and caressing the side of her face. “Maybe because it's magical.”
“Maybe,” she says. “This almost feels too good to be true.” Her eyes are alight with fire.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean us dating, you helping out my dad, me feeling like I've never felt before, you trusting me and loving me and just being here with me. I feel like I won the lottery, you know?” She stares at me blissfully. “I want you to fuck me one more time, hard and fast, like it's our last time.”
“You're going to have to give me a couple of seconds,” I say as I play with her nipples. She murmurs her response, and as I stare at her, I know that I have a hard decision to make. If I love her, I will tell her the truth. If I love her, I will let her make a decision based on all the facts. There's a saying that says if you love someone, let them go, and if they come back to you, it's meant to be, but I'm scared that the secret I'm holding is too powerful, too delicate, too heartbreaking, too raw, and I'm not sure what to do. If I tell her, it will ruin everything. Her father will back out of the deal, I will be broke, the venture will be done, and she will likely hate me, not because I am the person who has withheld the information from her for her entire life, but because I've known for far longer than I should have, and I haven't said anything.
Maybe it's okay , a little voice whispers inside me. Maybe the best thing is for her not to know . But as I lie here and stare into her beguiling eyes and the small smile on her face, I know it's not my secret to keep from her. If I love her, I will tell her. If she loves me, if this is truly meant to be, we'll be able to work our way back together.
“I'm going to fuck you one last time,” I say, whispering in her ear.
“You mean one last time for tonight?” She grins, and I nod slowly, not even wanting to let her know that I hope that it's just for tonight.
I run my fingers down the valley between her breasts. I want to remember every part of her. I lean over and delicately kiss her shoulder and then her neck and her lips. I stare into her eyes and study her irises. The way that her eyebrows curve up just a little bit, the way that her hair flows, the silky touch of her eyelashes against my skin when we kiss, all of these memories will be burned into my brain.
“I love you, Elisabetta,” I say.
“I love you, too.”
I roll her onto her side and spoon her, my fingers playing with her nipples as we lie there. She pushes her ass back against me and rubs gently.
“I do believe you're trying to get me hard.”
“I do believe you're already halfway there.” She giggles, and I groan as I feel her hand grabbing my hand and placing it between her legs.
“Touch me,” she whispers. “Touch me like it's the first time.” Her hand guides me down, and my index fingers graze her clit. She's wet. I can feel myself on her still.
“Would you ever stop taking the pill?” I whisper in her ear.
She looks back over her shoulder in surprise. “What? Why? You want to wear a condom?”
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “I just –”
“You just what?” She turns to face me, and I bring her close so that our legs are intertwined. She runs her fingers down my arms and then across my back. I thread my fingers through her hair.
“I'm just wondering if you'd ever consider having a child with me.”
“What do you mean?” She looks absolutely shocked. Almost as shocked as I am, but I know the words to be true. If I want children, I want her to be the mother.
“I don't know. I mean, this isn't a real thought, but maybe one day, if things work out, you will be the mother of my children.”
“Are you telling me that you are thinking about kids, Liam Gallagher? I never would've thought it.”
“I never would've thought it, either. Daisy and Harriet will be shocked.” I grin happily.
“I can't wait to meet them,” she says with a smile. “They sound absolutely lovely.”
“And I know they can't wait to meet you, as well.” I smile, but my heart doesn't feel the same happiness because I don't know if she will feel the same in a few days. I've decided the truth will have to come out before I can go any further. Elisabetta deserves better from me. She deserves the world, and if I really and truly love her, then I have to think about her more than myself, no matter the cost.
“I think I've fallen so deep in love with you that I am sinking,” I murmur as I run my fingers across her ass. “I think that you're perfect for me.”
“And I think that you're perfect for me. I guess we're both perfectly imperfect,” she says, nestling against me. She rests her head against to my chest. “This is the most comfortable and happiest I think I've ever been in my life.”
Her eyes flutter closed. “I don't think I've ever felt this warm and safe before, so loved and happy.”
“I'm glad I make you feel that way.” I kiss her forehead. “I have something to tell you, Elisabetta.”
“Mm-hmm?” she says sleepily.
I don't want to ruin this moment. I want to pretend that I know nothing. I want to just continue in the moment. I want to touch her and feel her and cement this moment in my brain forever, but I know I can't.
“You know what I was thinking?” she says suddenly.
“What's that?” I asked.
“I was thinking, wouldn't it be cool if I took opera lessons?”
“Opera?” My voice is loud, and her eyes fly open. She's laughing.
“Why do you say it like that?”
“I just don't understand why you would want to take opera classes.”
“Maybe because it would make me feel closer to my mom, you know?” She smiles at me sweetly. “I mean, I never knew her, but I didn't know she liked opera, and maybe if I take classes, I'll feel like there's a connection there. It's like it's a sign from the gods above telling me to do the right thing.”
“You really wish that you had a connection with your mom, right?” She nods slowly. “What exactly happened to her again?”
“I'm not sure of the details, but I think she died in a car crash.” She shrugs.
“I'm sorry.”
“The story has changed several times, and I don't really know why. I don't know if my dad is trying to shield me from the truth, like if her death was just absolutely horrific, you know?” She makes a face. “And up until tonight, he never really spoke about her. I guess it hurts so much, and I don't want to make him feel more pain. Maybe he felt guilty about hooking me up with you, so he wanted to give me something special about my mom.
“Perhaps,” I say, and take a deep breath. “Elisabetta, there's something you should know.”
“Yes?” she says, grinning.
I can tell by the look on her face that she thinks I'm going to tell her that I love her again, or that I want to make love to her, that I want to impregnate her right now, but that's not what I have to say. I pull back slightly and take a deep breath. “Elisabetta, this might be extremely difficult to hear, and I didn't know if I should tell you, but –”
“But what? You are not married, are you?”
“No, I'm not married, but your mom… your mom is not dead.”