“Come, my darling. I need to feel your bliss all over my cock.” He was fighting to hold on to his composure, but his body, locked in a steady rhythm, was impelled to thrust more, deeper, and faster until Gaby fell apart again with a rapturous moan.
“Jack,” she cried out, and he could feel her vagina spasming, clenching him inside of her. Her sweet sounds of pleasure undid him, shattering the last of his control, and he came with such a force that he roared with his release.
He sank into her open arms as they both caught their breaths. Her lips on his neck produced shudders as his shaft continued to empty. In addition to the harmonious rhythm of their breaths and heartbeats, the crackle of wood being turned to ash and rain pattering against the windows and eaves were music to his ears. Such a glorious finale, like Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, known as the “Ode to Joy,” had taken its toll. Without a word, he rolled over and scooped Gaby into his arms, claiming her lips in a soft, lingering kiss. He nuzzled her neck, threading his hands through her glorious mane. Happiness flooded his entire being. As sleep overtook him, his last thought was how much he looked forward to what the morning would bring.
Chapter Twelve
Maremma, Italy
October 18, 1902
Gaby wriggled aroundto face Jack. His even breaths conveyed that he’d fallen into a deep sleep. An unruly lock of golden hair fell across his forehead, and she reached to smooth it off his face. The desire to kiss him and begin everything again was so tempting, but she restrained herself.
In repose with his eyes closed, he was even more attractive than when he was awake, if that were even possible. But the wariness and testiness that frequently crossed his features were smoothed away by his peaceful slumber. She drank him in, wanting to memorize every nuance of his face and what it felt like to lie in his arms.
Their lovemaking had transformed her. She’d seen Jack’s heart, had seen into his very soul.
I love him.
She knew this down deep in her own soul.
She knew he cared about her and desired her, but she realized the truth—loving him meant letting him go.
She had no idea what her future held, and no control over her fate. This was not her world, and Jack deserved better. He needed to reclaim his inheritance, and he would never be able to do it by being with her. She had no right to keep him with her.
No matter how painful—and oh God, it would be so painful—she would have to do it. She had no choice but to accept whatever fate had in store for her, but she would not drag Jack down this unknown journey.
She would forever cherish the memories of being in his arms, but that would have to be enough. Their brief time together would have to be enough. At least she now knew that true love was possible. And even if she never found it again, she knew in her soul that she had loved Jack.
She brushed her lips lightly along the curve of his neck and shoulder, inhaling his one-of-a-kind scent. He snuggled closer, and a contented sigh escaped his oh-so-kissable lips. Reality hit her like a bucket of iced water. She would never experience Jack’s kiss or the blissfulness of lying in his arms again. Her eyes stung with tears, and the pain tore her heart apart.
Before she lost control, she slipped from his arms and dressed. She went to the desk and found paper and a fountain pen.
She wrote Jack a letter explaining that what they’d shared would be a beautiful memory for her, but that was all it could ever be. She told him he owed her nothing and should pursue his courtship with Cynthia. She reiterated, in case he thought she had changed her mind, that she would never be his mistress, and he should banish that idea from his mind. She also wrote that as soon as she could find another position, she would leave Nido dell’ Aquila and begin a new life.
What she didn’t do was tell him the truth about how she came to be there and what she needed to do.
A tear rolled down her cheek and fell on the paper, and she smeared the ink when she wiped it away.Darn!But the letter was still readable, and she wasn’t about to start over. She folded the sheet of paper and, tiptoeing to the bedside table, left it where he was sure to find it when he woke.
With a last look at the man she loved, she whispered, “Forgive me.” She slipped from his room and ran up the stairs leading to the servants’ quarters, her fist muffling her sobs. When she got to her room, she finally broke down. She cried and cried until she had no more tears to shed. Exhausted, she fell into a restless sleep.
The sunlight from the small window streaming in woke her, and she checked the little clock in the room. She’d overslept, but it was still early, just past six. She washed and dressed, still feeling sore from Jack’s loving. She almost burst into tears again.
Get a grip, Gaby!The last of the guests would arrive today, and tonight was the dinner party. Keeping busy would take her mind off Jack, even if only for a few hours.
The kitchen was already bustling with activity when she got there. Maria and Katia were preparing breakfast, and the aroma of pancetta frying reminded Gaby that she hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday afternoon. “Buongiorno, a tutti!”
“Buongiorno,Gabriella,” Maria and Katia answered in chorus. Their greetings were echoed by Angelina, who waved her wooden rolling pin, called amatterelli, and Luigi, who flew through the door with a full basket of vegetables and herbs from the garden.
Gaby grabbed a fresh-baked cornetto and slathered butter and jam on it. She ate while walking around the kitchen, inspecting the workstations.
Antonio came through the swinging butler door. “Everyone is accounted for. The marquess, his wife, and the couple from Paris arrived minutes ago. They will join the others in the dining room as soon as they have freshened up.” He reached for a piece of the crisp pancetta.
“Fermati, Antonio!” Maria slapped his wrist. “If you keep pilfering the bacon, there will not be enough for the paying guests.Basta!”
Antonio held his hands wide in the classic Italian expression of “what do you want from me?”
“I want you to act like a butler, youidiota!”
