Chapter 8
SANDRO
I knew that taking her virginity had been a mistake the moment it was over.
Not that it wasn’t the best, most exhilarating mistake I’ve ever made.
After holding myself back for so long it had been a blessed relief finally to be inside her.
But that, of course, now came with its own problems – namely the emotional connection I’ve been trying to avoid since we got here, not to mention the guilt of having given in to my needs when I’d instructed myself to let her keep her virginity for someone she was in love with.
But after seeing her reaction to Adam’s call, and then hearing her tell me she thought I was smart, sensitive and talented, something snapped inside me.
Something primal took over me and I pushed aside all my perfectly logical arguments.
In that moment I decided he didn’t deserve the honour of being her first if he hadn’t recognised what an amazing woman she is.
I wanted it to be a great experience for her, one she’ll be able to hold on to forever and remember with warmth and happiness. And I wanted to be the one to give that to her.
I’m certainly going to remember it, no matter what happens next, because it was truly amazing for me too.
This whole week with her has been amazing.
Spending time with Juno has helped me find a calmness I’ve never experienced before. I think it’s because of the way she listens to me – like she really understands and is interested in what I’m saying – and she treats me with such respect and compassion.
I don’t want her to leave. Not yet.
Now we’ve finally fucked, I feel it’s my duty to introduce her to all the different positions available. I wouldn’t be doing her any favours if she left thinking the missionary position is the be all and fucking end all.
‘Hey,’ I whisper as she begins to stir in bed next to me. I’ve been lying here with my mind racing for the past half hour, wondering how to handle things this morning, but as soon as she opens her eyes and looks at me, I simply say, ‘Stay here for another week with me.’
‘What?’ she asks blearily, blinking the sleep out of her eyes and struggling to sit up.
‘I can’t let you go back to London when you still have so much to learn,’ I say, pushing her rumpled hair away from her face.
‘A whole new world of sex has just opened up now you’ve handed in your v-card, and I don’t want you going off half-cocked thinking you know it all.
I feel it’s my duty to complete your education. ’
I wait with bated breath as she stares at me for a few moments, as if she’s having trouble understanding what I’m saying. ‘You really want me to stay for another week?’
I shrug, trying to look as if it’s not a big deal to me whether or not she does. ‘Sure. That ought to be enough time to get you straight.’ I raise a teasing eyebrow.
There’s another heavy pause while she appears to think about it. ‘Well, I guess I could keep working from Florence. It seems to have been okay doing that so far,’ she says slowly, still sounding a little unsure. ‘And it’s done me the world of good being away from London for a while.’
‘Great, that’s settled, then,’ I say, sliding my hand around her waist and pulling her warm, naked body against me, already rock-hard at the thought of all the new scenarios I’m going to introduce her to.
She giggles as I push my cock against her belly, signalling my intent.
‘And then I really should get back. I’ve got so much going on back at home, so many responsibilities,’ she murmurs without much conviction. I get the impression she’s trying to sound offhand about staying on but that really, she’s just as taken with the idea of a whole week of fucking as I am.
‘Then I guess we shouldn’t waste any time,’ I whisper against the crook of her neck as I begin to kiss my way down her body, my blood already rushing with the thrill of all the pleasure to come.
* * *
We spend the next few days happily twisting ourselves into ridiculous contortions, in between bouts of laughter and shouts of pleasure, as we find new ways to make each other lose our minds.
By the time the middle of the week comes around, I think we’ve done the entire Kama Sutra and have made up a few of our own positions too.
I’ve never had so much fun with a woman, and I wake up each morning feeling the dread of time slipping away from me.
I watch her with hooded eyes as she gets dressed on Friday morning, gracefully slipping on her underwear and brushing out her beautiful long hair.
It’s less than two weeks since we first arrived here, but she seems like a totally different person now.
She’s lost the timidity I saw when we first met at that party in Chelsea.
She’s standing taller now, as if she’s proud of her body and pleased with the pleasure it can give her – and other people, though I don’t want to think too hard about that.
‘Let’s take a trip out to Montaione for lunch today,’ I suggest, wanting to capture her interest before she sits down to do more work.
I want to spend the whole day with her. It feels important that we do that, now we only have a couple of days left together.
‘It’s only thirty-five kilometres away and it has some amazing views of the Tuscan countryside. ’
‘I should really work…’ she begins, predictably, but then to my surprise she checks herself. ‘But I’m not going to today. I can catch up another day. Lunch sounds wonderful.’
I smile, deciding to make sure the experience is as memorable as possible.
The taverna I’ve chosen for lunch is perfect. It’s up high in the hilly town and has sweeping views over the vineyards and olive groves from its terrace.
From the simple menu we select large bowls of fresh, green salad dotted with succulent chopped tomatoes and juicy slices of chicken breast and wash it down with ice-cold white wine produced in the region.
A white canopy flaps in the gentle breeze above us as the sun beats down heavily on the terracotta tiles.
‘Ah, this is heaven!’ Juno exclaims after our empty plates have been taken away.
‘Would you like anything else to eat?’ I ask, nodding towards the dessert menu the waiter has left for us.
She pats her stomach. ‘I couldn’t eat another thing. In fact, I could probably do with walking my lunch off.’ She gives me a mock-piteous look, which I can’t help but smile at.
‘Yes, poor you. Let’s take a stroll through the trees to the south of here,’ I suggest.
Once outside the town’s border, we stroll along the quiet country lane and through a thick forest of trees until we come out into fields of long grass dotted with vibrant red poppies, their magnificent heads bobbing gently in the breeze.
I watch her stride through the field, her arms flung wide and her fingertips brushing the tops of the plants.
She turns to look at me with an expression of such ecstasy, my whole body rushes with joy.
She looks so perfect there in her white sundress, her normally pale skin now toasted a light honey from a week and a half in the Italian sunshine.
Her hair gleams like burnished copper in the sunlight and I take a mental picture of the scene, wanting to remember it forever.
A little further along, there’s a lone tree standing in the middle of the field, its branches casting a long shadow over the ground.
‘Let’s sit under that tree and take a break,’ I suggest.
She nods, flapping a hand in front of her face. ‘Good idea – a bit of shade would be really welcome right now.’
Once we’re under the tree, she lies down on the cool earth with a satisfied sigh and I go to join her, immediately rolling on top of her and caging her with my body. I have an urgent need to be close to her, to soak in every molecule of her being.
‘How do you feel about al fresco sex?’ I murmur into her ear as I bend to kiss her throat, which gleams with perspiration.
‘I feel good about it,’ she murmurs back, her fingertips lightly brushing over my back, sending desire rushing up and down my spine. ‘But won’t someone see us?’
‘Not with the grass so high,’ I reassure her, sliding my hands down her body to find the hem of her dress and kissing her deeply, her mouth hot and wet under mine.
It only takes moments for me to shrug off my shorts and T-shirt, suit up and be inside her. I feel the fresh air on my back and breathe in the heady mixture of Juno’s unique scent – sex and the organic smell of the earth around us – and in that moment I know there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.
Afterwards, when we’re both sated and damp with sweat, we slowly get dressed again, then stroll back through the poppies, enjoying the sensation of their caress on our bare legs. I really don’t want to leave this place, but I know we have to. That this is going to end soon.
We’re both quiet on the journey home, lost in our own worlds, sun-kissed and sexually satisfied.
I push away a niggle of despondency as we drive back into the bustle of the city, the magic of the afternoon already slipping away.
We’ve not talked much today, but it’s been a comfortable quiet between us. A wordless understanding of just being. It strikes me again how much calmer I feel when I’m around her, like the usual whirlpool of thoughts and over-abundance of adrenaline lessens to a more manageable level.
But then that could be down to all the sex we’ve been having. That would take the liveliness out of anyone.
Juno excuses herself to take a shower as soon as we get back and I’m fixing myself a cold drink in the kitchen when my mobile begins to ring.