Lucia smiled gratefully. ‘Maybe someday.’
In that moment, buoyed by the possibility of some kind of future trust, of sharing and bonding, and mutual support, the distance between them began to shrink.
And not just metaphorically.
Alex turned and pulled Lucia to his chest. There she nestled without reluctance, without restraint. She just melted into the safe space Alex made for her. Resting his chin on the top of her crown he turned them both so that he could lean back against the desk, then reached to stroke her cheek. ‘We have survived thus far, you know. We can get through the rest.’
His hand felt rough and dry, and the expectation of this sensation brought Lucia a tremendous sense of comfort. Sheknewhow he would feel. And now she knew why.
Over his shoulder she noticed a vast array of tools and machines, all set out in meticulous order by his workstation. She could just picture him sitting at the desk by night, sleeves rolled to his elbows, locking out the world and the noise, losing himself to the faces he created. The masks used to divide and separate, to conceal, to embolden, to free.
Alex cupped her cheeks in his hands and tilted his head, sending a very clear invitation for Lucia to join him. And she did. Her lips met his and the warmth and taste of Alex set her core alight. It was the same chemical rush of adrenaline and oxytocin that the kiss in the piazzetta had inspired, and now as then, it flooded her bloodstream, stockpiling between her legs.
Her hands grabbed at his shirt, and she couldn’t pull him close enough. It made Alex break from their kiss and stifle a laugh. ‘Go easy! There’s skin under there,’ he joked, and Lucia laughed into his shoulder from embarrassment.
‘Sorry,’ she mumbled into the cotton.
‘Don’t be,’ he said, turning her around and propping her on the edge of the worktable. She shimmied back a few inches and within seconds Alex was there, his kisses frantic, passionate. Lucia matched him, and without a thought she pulled off her top and threw it to the floor. She sat a little straighter, her shoulders pinned back, drawing attention to her near-naked torso, watching Alex take her in.
Alex moved closer to the edge of the table, and Lucia wrapped her legs around his middle. Her hands fumbled to make sense of the tiny buttons of his shirt, but after a few moments it was off.
In the seductive low light of his studio, Alex’s skin glowed. Each line of intricately toned sinew and muscle in his arms and shoulders rippled, falling away into delicious valleys. Lucia ran her fingers slowly across his chest, wanting to see how he would react. Pressing himself harder against the table, she could read what he wanted.
What theybothwanted.
‘How’s this?’ she asked, her fingers now trickling down his torso.
He gave a low growl. ‘Youknowit’s good.’
She smiled and her green eyes darkened as she undid his pants, allowing them to collect at his feet. ‘Allora. . . let’s see what else these hands can do . . .’
As she leaned back and Alex climbed onto the table, the matching leather masks were accidentally kicked to the floor.
Neither Lucia nor Alex heard them fall. All that mattered was that now, their invisible armour had also joined the pile, and the night was still young.
‘Shouldn’t you be working?’ Lucia felt they had shifted to a place where she could use this playfully against him. She leaned back against his kitchen bench and smiled.
Checking the time on the oven, he said, ‘Technically, yes. But I think I would rather spend the time with you. If that’s ok.’
Lucia’s cheeks warmed a little, despite her half-dressed state. ‘It’s ok with me.’
‘Can I get you anything?’ he asked. ‘Some water, at least?’
She nodded. ‘Yes.Grazie.’
He poured them each a glass and Lucia studied him over the rim of hers while he drank. He was so classically and ruggedly handsome. His mid-length hair, which he usually hid under his flat cap, framed his face so perfectly. And only tonight had she noticed his most endearing feature: buried under that sexy layer of well-manicured stubble, when smiling, Alex’s cheeks featured the gentlest dimples. Right by the corners of his mouth. This revelation upset Lucia. They had shared many interactions over the past few months, and yet not one of them had warranted a dimple-drawing joyous smile.
As Alex guzzled a second glass of water, Lucia padded to the window by Alex’s bed and looked across to her own apartment. She wondered if Foscari was pining for her. She pressed her ear to the glass but couldn’t hear any yapping.
‘If you’re worried about your little man, you can go. If you need to.’
‘He’d be at the window if he needed me.’ She looked and checked again. No Foscari.
Alex came up close behind her, and wrapped his arms around her. Lucia wondered how things had shifted so quickly. They had now slept together twice, yet this tender move, his gentle, reassuring yet unassuming embrace, seemed to be more intimate than what they had already shared. Was it because it wasn’t leading to anything? It was just a gesture from the heart? Or was it because it unlocked something new? A space neither had allowed themselves to venture into before? She turned her head and his lips found a warm nook between a lock of her long dark hair and her cheek. Lucia felt him inhale and hold his breath, as if trying to imprint her scent on his memory.
She pivoted in his hold and leaned back a little so their eyes could lock. ‘Can I stay here tonight?’ Her gaze must have held some of her fatigue, because the pad of his thumb brushed just underneath her right eye, acknowledging where it was darker than usual.
‘Of course.’
