Chapter 20 #2
‘She was showing us a wall rug depicting religion as a game of chess, that Bono crocheted out of yak wool. He lives up the road. It was all perfectly innocent. Now, how can I help?’ he says, his voice smooth like honey and utterly reassuring.
God, he’s like a ray of sunshine breaking through a bleak cloud.
I feel immediately in safe hands. And like the slow, steady beat of a drum pulling haphazard musical notes into a beautiful harmony, a warm fuzzy feeling sweeps through me.
‘Coffee. We need coffee,’ croaks Liam, rubbing his eyes.
He shifts his weight to rest against the headboard, instinctively raising Louis to cradle him against the crook of his neck.
The two girls follow Louis like magnets, kneeling up on the bed to stroke him fully awake.
In response Louis pokes his tiny tongue out and his sleepy eyes flicker open.
He’s so cute. We all stop to enjoy an ‘ah’ moment.
‘How much time have we got before we need to be ready?’ Liam asks Matteo, dragging his loved-up gaze from the puppy.
Matteo pauses. His dark eyes blink slowly. His mouth opens and closes as though he’s not sure how to frame the answer so that Liam will not scream the place down.
At that moment, Big Sue bustles through the door behind him, a trolley laden with coffee pots, cups and breakfast platters. ‘Come on, you lot. Chop-chop. The guests have started to arrive.’
Oh shit.
Within minutes, everyone has scattered and Matteo and I are alone. The room looks as though it’s been caught up in a category-five hurricane.
‘Threesome?’ He laughs. ‘Seriously?’
I climb from the bed and join him as he crosses the room towards me, stepping over discarded pillows, sofa cushions, empty cocktail glasses, rogue squashed cakes and several Greggs bags with half-eaten sausage rolls spilling out.
‘I did say you would have your work cut out with me,’ I remind him.
‘I did warn you that living with me will be no picnic, remember?’
Ironic because the bedroom floor looks exactly like a picnic.
A grin spreads across his face as he puts his arm around me, pulling me close.
The sunlight catches his eyes as his thumb lightly grazes my cheek.
I shiver as his gaze wanders to my lips, to my chest that is doing a sterling job of heaving tantalisingly up and down in the flimsy vest that I’m wearing.
He leans in and presses his soft, warm lips to mine.
My heart flutters as I breathe in his fresh, musky scent.
His kiss is slow and sensual. As it grows deeper, I feel his energy change.
He pulls me even closer as I snake my arms around his neck.
I will never tire of kissing him. Never.
I break free, breathless. We both know that we don’t have time to see this through.
Only an insane, recently hitched nymphomaniac with a death wish would risk being late for the wedding of the century.
But he is gazing at me with an intensity that stirs a primeval longing deep within.
His knuckles graze the outline of my breast. His thumb rolls over the tip.
Through the thin cotton it leaps to attention, causing a low guttural sound to escape from him.
Without breaking eye contact, he slips the strap easily from my shoulder, tugging it softly downward.
His warm palm instinctively cups my breast as our lips collide in a heated frenzy.
His other hand slips from the back of my head to trail seductively down my spine.
‘We… don’t… have… time,’ I whisper without conviction, panting between each word as his hand slips between my legs. ‘Oh God. Yes. That’s the spot. Right there.’
‘I know we don’t have time,’ he says, kissing my neck and sending me into a total spin. ‘Stop kissing me before things go too far.’
One of us must be the sensible grown-up here.
Unfortunately, it’s not going to be me.
‘You stop first.’ My hand has wandered to his nether regions, and I am massaging him in time to the rhythm of our frenzied kiss and him bringing me to an almighty climax. I shudder against him.
He picks me up and all but throws me on the messy bed. He stands over me, his shirt hanging open.
My lustful gaze travels the length of his bare torso and back again.
‘They’ll understand,’ I say, tearing down the zipper on his jeans.
I slip my hand inside to connect with the warm flesh, already hard to my touch.
I yank his boxers down so that he springs free.
I peer sexily up at him through my lashes before pulling him towards my mouth and the last thing I hear is him gasp with pleasure.
Matteo is wearing a shell-shocked expression as he tries to dry himself off after the hurried shower we both just took.
I’m dragging my dress from the wardrobe and ramming my legs into it while he zips up the back.
I quickly pin up my hair and pull a few tendrils down before applying some make-up.
Every time we catch each other’s eyes in the mirror, I giggle. And it starts him off.
‘Fuck me,’ he says, splashing aftershave over his neck and patting it along his stubbled jawline. His hair is still wet, his skin damp. ‘Is this what married life will always be like?’
I eye the towel wrapped at his waist, flapping casually open each time he moves. He literally takes my breath away. I would kill to have even just one uninterrupted week alone with him. Everything is always such a rush.
He catches me ogling him. ‘It’s like I’m under your spell. Are you sure you’re not some kind of wicked sorceress?’
‘Obviously you’re the last person I’d tell,’ I say, slicking copious amounts of mascara onto my lashes. ‘Although I do use a love potion on you while you are sleeping and I do have a lock of your hair pinned to a voodoo doll. Does that count?’
He chuckles, making my skin tingle with delight. ‘Have you had any thoughts as to where you’d like to go on honeymoon?’ he asks as though reading my mind. ‘Tokyo is really fascinating. We could go for cherry blossom season.’
The capital of Japan and one of the most populated megacities on the planet? No thanks.
‘I’ll go anywhere that’s far, far away from people.’
My legs wobble ever so slightly as we hurry along the corridor towards the bar area downstairs which is acting as the holding pen for the guests.
Thankfully, the caterers, the new waiters and the chateau staff have everything under control.
The bar area is full of family and friends. I scan the room to pick out my father.