Chapter 34 #2
She snorts, taking a small sip of her wine. “Esme and Peyton would love this interaction, by the way. They’re always pushing me to send food back when the kitchen gets my order wrong.”
I look up, confused. “What do you do with the food if you don’t send it back?”
Tessa shrugs. “Usually, I just pretend to eat it or switch with one of them so I don’t have to bother the staff.”
Slowly setting down my fork, I ask, “What do you mean by pretend?”
“I kind of just, like, pour the dressing on the salad and move the leaves around a little so they won’t be offended.”
I roll my eyes at this frustrating woman. “For fuck’s sake. Enough with the pretending.”
“That’s kind of rich, coming from the King of Pretending… the Czar of Pretend Land… the Mayor of Pretendington, the—”
“I’m done pretending. And I’ve been done pretending. For a while now.”
She leans back. “What do you mean by a while?”
I place my hand on hers. “The ‘pretend’ part of our relationship left the house a long time ago.” My voice comes out thick with emotion I can’t contain.
“The phrase is left the building,” she whispers.
“I don’t care whatever-the-fuck it is, Tessa,” I reply quietly.
She shifts in her seat. “You can’t really blame me when you’ve never actually said the words. That this isn’t pretend. That this is real.”
“This hasn’t been pretend since I heard you tell my mother you loved her home in an objectively terrible Italian accent.” The words fall out between heavy breaths.
She inhales sharply and brings her hand to her mouth. Suddenly, I’m wishing we were anywhere but here. Someplace else, more private, where I could capture her gasps with my tongue.
“I wanted it to be real in Brescia, Gio.” Her eyes are wide, sincere. “I wanted us to be real so badly.”
“It was real in Italy. And it’s real now. Maybe it’s been real for longer than either of us wants to admit.”
Tessa inches closer to me, drawing me in.
And suddenly, I don’t care that we’re in public.
The world has narrowed to only the woman in front of me.
I gaze at her for a moment in this light, soaking in the view.
The blue of her dress against the deep tan of her skin.
The moonbeams kissing her hair. The feel of her hand in mine.
Taking a mental picture, I hope that years from now I’ll still see it.
Her bright eyes search mine. “What?”
“Nothing…” I trail off. “I just don’t want to forget this.”
Tessa glances at the doors of the restaurant. “How soon can we get out of here without being rude?”
I set down double the amount of the bill in cash on the table. “Sometimes the situation calls for it.” Lowering my voice, I hold up the room key. “For example, I plan on being very rude to you tonight.”
* * *
Although it’s just a few minutes, the walk from the restaurant to the main lobby feels like an hour. I fiddle with the room key in my pocket. I wasn’t sure if we’d need the room tonight, but I couldn’t be happier with my foresight to get one just in case.
“I’ve never wanted anything as much as I want to get my hands on you.
” With a hand on the small of her back, I swiftly usher Tessa inside the lobby, and there’s no resistance from her end.
I’m pretty sure she’d let me carry her to the room if it’d be faster.
Would it? Maybe I should… no. We have to climb three flights of stairs, and I don’t think she’d be comfortable with the spectacle.
I walk at break-neck speed on a mission to get her naked as soon as possible.
Glancing at Tessa’s sensible and stylish flats, I send a silent prayer of thanks to the Hills of Brescia, which have blessed me in several different ways—most recently by her footwear of choice, which allows her to move much faster than her heels.
“You missed the elevator.” Her voice comes out small, not like my Tessa.
“We’re going to the stairwell. Why would we take the elevator? Did you honestly think that I would abandon you, so I could… what? Conserve some energy?”
She doesn’t confirm or deny. By her silence, I know it wouldn’t be the first time.
We reach the stairwell door, and I pause to look at her. “Nothing could surpass your safety and wellbeing. Not my comfort, not what’s ‘easy,’ not sending back incorrect orders, and not elevators. I will go out of my way for you every single time. Do you hear me?”
“Yeah, Gio.” She pulls the door open. “I hear you.”
Buzzing with anticipation, we rush up the first flight of stairs, probably a little too fast. We take the second flight a little slower. By the start of the third flight, a bead of sweat drips from my brow.
“These little steps have you tired, but not the Cursed Hills of Brescia?” she teases, turning backward to look at me.
“You’re gonna pay for that.” I race up the remaining steps to spank her ass, and she squeals.
Tessa throws me a wink. “I hope I do.”
Her body brushes mine, and she lifts something out of my pocket.
I’m too preoccupied with the touch of her hands to notice what she took.
I place my hand on the small of Tessa’s back and guide her out of the stairwell and down the hallway.
When we arrive at our number, I reach in my pocket for the key but come up empty.
Tessa flashes me the room key she took with a sparkle in her eye. Then she swipes it in the card reader and flings open the door.