Chapter 34
It’s a cool December day in the courtyard just off the back porch.
A gentle breeze tugs at the soft fabric of my long-sleeve, army-green maxi dress.
It took a while for the seasons to change here in Louisiana.
Just two weeks ago, I was sweating for Thanksgiving.
Today, the rays of sunlight peeking through the clouds are welcome.
After all this time, Delilah and I were finally granted a perfect day to fill the raised beds with flowers, herbs, and a few of our favorite vegetables.
In Montana, everything would be covered in snow this time of year.
But I’ve learned nothing in Louisiana is predictable, especially the weather. Now, admiring our handiwork, I smile.
The herbs and vegetables are closest to the porch for easy picking while the flowers are in perfect view of Gio’s terrace and office.
I spot him there now. Gio’s office is directly underneath the terrace off his bedroom and is surrounded with walls of windows.
It even has its own separate entrance, which I assume is how the men with him entered.
I remember asking him why he has so many windows.
He said it made him feel less lonely, and he likes sunshine.
Of course, now he has the two of us, walking rays of light and love—his words, not mine.
That memory, same as all my others with Gio, makes my heart feel warm and has me turning to find Delilah.
He calls her sunshine, and it couldn’t be a more fitting nickname as she runs through the garden giggling with Ru chasing her.
She is the light in both of our lives. And, while I’ve never really struggled with loneliness—I’ve always had Delilah—the feeling of fullness that Gio’s presence provides me is like what we provide him.
He was right to say we’re healing each other.
The past three months… I don’t know how to describe them.
But, somehow, I feel lighter, calmer. My mind isn’t racing.
My body isn’t fearful and trembling. I sleep through the night and smile more throughout the day.
Even Delilah has noticed a change in me.
And that has made me the happiest of all.
I want her to see me happy. I want her to see me healthy and healed.
Perhaps I even want her to see me in love.
As another breeze nips at my skin, I wrap my arms around myself and turn toward the lemon tree planted at the edge of the garden closest to Gio’s office.
I admire the small plant and touch its leaves.
I wonder how it will grow. I wonder about the fruit it will bear just as I dream of the possibilities for Gio and I.
Gio loves me. He’s told me so and his actions prove it every day.
Maybe it took me a while to believe it. Maybe it took me a while to feel comfortable with it.
But now, there’s no more avoiding it. Gio Moretti loves me.
And the way he touches me, looks at me, speaks to me when we’re alone…
It makes me feel more than loved. It makes me feel wanted, desired, craved.
The memory of our first kiss has replayed repeatedly in my head since it happened.
The way he wrapped his hand around the back of my neck and pulled me to him, possessive, and yet perfectly balanced with tenderness.
And then, there’s the memory of us in the pool.
His words electrified every part of my being while also making me feel so safe.
For the first time, I felt his lust and his love, and it made me feel desired in a way I never have before.
And I’ve wanted to feel all those things again for weeks now.
But I’ve been scared. Gio, on the other hand, has been patient.
And every day that he’s waited for me, I’ve fallen for him.
He said beautiful doesn’t begin to describe me.
It’s not so easy to describe him either.
He’s kind, gentle, respectful, caring, thoughtful, protective, strong, intelligent.
He’s everything. But one thing I love most is how he loves Delilah.
Perhaps seeing his love for her is what truly allowed me to let go of my fear.
A week ago, when the three of us decorated the house for Christmas, I’d gone up to the third floor in search of ornaments.
It’s a single room, almost like a make-shift attic.
When we’d first moved in, it was nothing but storage.
But this time, I found the space empty and prepped for construction.
I don’t know how Gio cleared it out without my noticing.
But, in the center of the empty room, I found blueprints, and he later confirmed it.
He’s turning the third floor into a playroom for Delilah.
He plans to fill it with toys and costumes for her to play dress up.
It’ll be ready just in time for Christmas morning.
That was it. That was the moment I truly knew—I not only feel Gio’s love, but I love him too.
As I turn back to Delilah and watch as she runs through the garden with Ru, I know my patience with myself has run out. And it’s time I tell him how I feel. It seems more than the season has changed. It’s time to write my next chapter. Or, should I say, our chapter—Delilah’s, mine, and Gio’s.
With Delilah taking a nap in our bedroom, I decide to take advantage of the good weather and accomplish a task that won’t disturb her.
With my headphones in, Gracie Abrams playing, a big outdoor brush and a bucket full of cleaning supplies in hand, I head to Gio’s terrace to give it a little spruce.
Though, the job quickly proves not so little.
There’s a lot more mildew on the stones than I remember, and the dirt and bird excrement on the bistro set is practically cemented to the iron.
With sweat beading on my forehead and my paper towels ripped to shreds, I decide I need some gloves to finish the job and a potty break while I’m at it.
With my music still playing, I head inside.
Not wanting to wake Delilah or walk all the way to the downstairs bathroom, I go to Gio’s.
I make it to the vanity before I notice the steam on the mirrors and the spicy cinnamon scent filling the room.
As movement in my peripheral draws my attention, I turn.
My eyes widen in shock and my mouth falls open as Gio comes into view.
He stands, naked and completely visible, behind the glass shower door. One hand pressed against the tiled wall, the other… My eyes drift lower and I gulp. He strokes himself. He…his, his very large self.
There’s pressure in my lower back as I remember what it felt like the night he had me atop his lap.
His dick pressed into me from behind and I remember it feeling impressive.
But my mind was on so many things that night, and the conversation we were having was way more important.
And then, there was that time out by the pool when I forced myself not to look, knowing what the sight of it would do to me.
Even when he showed me the scar on his upper thigh, I avoided eye contact with his center.
Now, there’s nothing to distract me from his length, his girth, or the thick veins in his hands, or the way his bicep flexes as he touches himself.
I press my thighs together as the need to pee and cum collide.
I don’t know which of the two bodily functions is the cause of the wetness in my panties.
Though, as I lift my eyes, dragging them up Gio’s body, admiring the muscles in his legs, ass, and abdomen, it is a new bodily function that has my mind occupied.
And that is, my heart racing, as Gio’s dark gaze takes hold of me and has my feet frozen in place.
“Oh, so…sorry,” I stutter. I rip the earbuds out of my ears. “I’m…I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you and I…” Gio opens the shower door, stealing the words right off my tongue. His eyes don’t leave mine as he steps toward me, still touching himself. What is he doing? What am I doing? What’s happening?
His eyes dip lower and lower until they reach my breasts.
This dress isn’t the most attractive thing I own.
It hardly gives me any cleavage. But Gio doesn’t seem to care.
His eyes trace the curves of my body. As he admires me, he tugs his bottom lip between his teeth and the speed of his strokes increases.
As he does, I remember all the things he said about my body, about how he wants me.
I’m now no longer afraid to admit I want him to.
Still, this is unexpected. This is… “I should… Should I go?” I ask.
A muscle in his face twitches. “No.” It’s a single word answer, barely audible given his low tone and the water still spraying in his shower. But his message is clear. And so, I stay, and I watch him as he watches me.
He once said my body is a work of art, but his is like a statue made of marble.
In every way that I am soft, he is hard.
The more I stand in his presence, the more amazed I am, the more aware of his strength I become, the more vulnerable I feel, and yet, the more aroused.
This man…this man could do wicked things to me.
And yet he treats me with such gentleness.
Though, that look in his eyes and the things it does to my insides makes me wonder what it would feel like if he were a little less gentle.
Gio takes another step and reaches toward me.
Brushing my sleeve off my shoulder, he pulls the strap of my black bra between two fingers.
He tugs and the subtle movement allows my feet to break free from the imaginary ice.
I move toward him. As I do, Gio’s grip on my bra intensifies as he takes it by the fist full.
The fabric tears at my nipple as Gio’s lips crash into mine.
I moan as we collide and struggle to keep up as Gio kisses me with a speed, a hunger that I’ve never experienced before.