Dreaming of Love (12 page)

“I can’t…think.”

He kissed her, hard and deep, and she melted against him. “Then don’t.”

He lifted her into his arms and kissed her on the way to the bed. Their hair tangled together, curtaining their kiss from the moonlight. With one hand, he stripped the blanket from the bed and laid her down. Her hair spread across his pillow, and the sight of her in his bed stole his thoughts.

She reached for him, her eyes dark and her voice husky. “Make love to me.”

He sealed his mouth over hers. Christ, he loved her mouth. He reached into the nightstand for a condom.

“I’m on the pill,” she said.

“Ninety-nine percent effective. When you’re one hundred percent sure that I’m the man you want to spend your life with, then we’ll take the one percent chance.” He kissed her as he rolled on the latex sheath. “I never want to do wrong by you.”

Their lips met as their bodies came together, and he drew away to take a moment. She felt so good he had to stop, to revel in the feel of her thighs against his, her tight, wet center swallowing every inch of him, and her chest meeting his. Their foreheads touched as he began to move. Fuck, she felt good. Their bodies moved in sync as their lips met again in a deep, passionate kiss. He quickened his thrusts and felt her heartbeat quickening, her muscles tightening. Her head fell back, lips slightly parted. Her fingernails dug into his lower back as he pushed faster, deeper. He felt the rise of an orgasm and tried to hold back, but as her inner muscles tightened around him, a rush of heat swamped him and he couldn’t. They spiraled over the edge together in a heated, sweaty, intense release as he ground out her name through gritted teeth. His head bowed as he tried to remember how to breathe, and when she whispered, “Again,” he thought he’d died and gone to heaven.

And there was no one he’d rather be there with than his sweet Emily.

He wasn’t sure he could recover that quickly, but her delectable mouth slid to his neck, sucking and licking, teasing him into submission, and within seconds, he was ready to give sweet Emily the loving she deserved again.

EMILY FELT THE softness of Dae’s lips on her cheek and smiled as the memory of last night returned, kiss by sumptuous kiss. Her eyes fluttered open as she remembered the way he’d wrapped her in his arms after they’d made love the second time and whispered, “Stay with me.”

He was fully dressed now and smiling down at her with wet hair and a worried look in his dark eyes. She reached up and stroked his unshaven cheek. Her body responded to the feel of his scruff. She probably had whisker burn between her legs, but she didn’t care. She’d do it all over again right now if he didn’t have to leave. She’d never felt so loved, so much like she was in the right place, with the right person, as she had last night.

“Morning,” she said.

He kissed her lips. “I don’t want to leave you.”

She gathered the sheet over her chest and sat up against the headboard. “Then don’t.” She knew she shouldn’t ask him to forgo his work for her, but the words slipped out before she could check them. Where had the request even come from? It felt wrong coming from her, a woman who lived to succeed. Or at least she had, until meeting Dae. Now she was questioning her drive to work harder than everyone else. To be better. To excel no matter what the cost.

His lips curved into a smile. “I wish I could. Tonight, though. Let’s meet here. What are your plans for today?”

“Let’s see…” She peeked beneath the sheets. “I think I’ll get dressed and go to my own room so I can shower.”

He lowered his body onto hers and kissed the tip of her nose. “Now I have the image of you naked in the shower in my mind. How am I supposed to work?”

She laughed. “It’s not that great—trust me.”

“Oh, now I know how untrustworthy you are, too, Miss Braden, because you have the most incredible body I’ve ever seen.” He pressed his hard length to her hips and kissed her.

“Oh.”
Maybe I can convince him to blow off work. Or maybe I should just blow him.
I have got to stop. It’s so unfair. Work comes first, and of all people, I should know that.

He lowered his forehead to her chest. “You kill me.”

She laughed again, remembering his comment about what her big
O
s looked like. “Sorry. Sort of.”

“Yeah, I bet you are.” He kissed her again and brushed her hair from her face.

“I’m going sightseeing, but I’m not sure it’s going to be much fun alone.”

“Yes, it will. You’ll have a great time. Why don’t we meet back here for dinner? And if you’re having too good of a time, just text me and I’ll meet you wherever you are.”

“Really?” Wow. She’d never been with a guy who had been so amenable to her.

“Absolutely. I only have another few days before I have to fly out, and I want to spend as much time as possible with you.”

Her stomach sank. “When do you leave?”

“Well, let’s see…Today’s Monday, and I leave Thursday. So if we include today, I leave four days from now.”

Only
four days.
Only
three more nights. Why did that seem so tragic? She swallowed against the desire to beg him to stay longer. She had so many questions. He’d never even told her where he lived. She glanced away, taking in the tidy room. His clothing from last night was folded neatly and set on the chair in the corner. A hairbrush sat on the dresser, his leather wallet beside it. She realized that she didn’t know that much about him, and she desperately wanted to know more. Everything. She wanted to know everything about him.

“Four days,” she said softly. “Where will you go when you leave Italy?”

“Denver. I have a business meeting about a property I own out that way.” He glanced at his watch. “I have to run. I’ve got a meeting in an hour. Text me throughout the day? Send me pictures of all the great places you go?”

She smiled. “Sure.” She suddenly felt a little funny. He was trusting her to be alone in his room. “Don’t worry. I’ll get out of here in a minute and lock up when I leave.”

“Em, I wouldn’t care if you stayed all day. Make yourself at home.” He kissed her, then rose from the bed. “Adelina said to tell you good morning.”

Emily cringed. “You saw her already? And she knows we were together?”

“With only two rooms rented in the villa, I’d imagine not much gets past her. I’ve been up for hours. She and Serafina had just come back from wherever it is they go to pray for the safe return of Serafina’s husband when I got downstairs. We had coffee together this morning.”

“Hours?”
Oh my gosh
. “You should have woken me up.”

He touched her cheek. “You’re adorable when you blush.”

She felt her cheeks flame even more.

“You looked so peaceful. Besides, after last night, I assumed you needed the rest.”

She fluttered her lashes. “I would have totally been up for getting up early to mess around before you left.”

“I…You…” His jaw clenched, and he closed his eyes for a beat, clearly struggling with having missed out on an opportunity—or maybe debating it for another day.

“You’re cute when you’re befuddled,” she teased.

“Jesus, I adore you.” He pressed his lips to hers. “Actually, it was partly selfish. I love seeing you in my bed. Naked.”

“You’re impossible. You’re just trying to make me blush again.”

“I think you know by now that I’m not impossible where you’re concerned. I’m a sure thing. And you’re right. I love to see you blush, but I really love to see you in my bed.” He grabbed his wallet, blew her a kiss, and reached for the door.
“Ciao, bella.”

Emily stared after him, feeling lonely already. She dressed and then wrote a note on the back of one of her business cards from her purse.

Dear Sure Thing,

Miss you already and you’ve only been gone a minute.

Xo,

E.

She made the bed and placed the card on his pillow, and then went to her room and showered and dressed for the day. Downstairs she found Adelina on the porch, carrying Luca on her hip.

“Good morning, Adelina. Good morning, Luca.” She tickled his feet, and he giggled.

“Ah, Emily. Good morning.” She held Emily’s gaze a beat too long, reminding her that she knew she and Dae had spent the night together. Emily felt her cheeks heat up again.

“Your handsome man has left you a gift.” She pointed to a small package wrapped with a red ribbon beside the plate on the table.

“Thank you.” Surprised, she picked it up and glanced back up at Adelina. Her embarrassment was swept away, replaced with excitement over the thoughtful man who was leaving her gifts and opening up her heart in ways she’d only dreamed of.

“He has love in his eyes when he speaks of you.” Adelina pulled out the chair for Emily and poured fresh coffee into her cup while murmuring something in Italian to Luca.

“Casa Dei Desideri,” Adelina sang as she poured fresh coffee into Emily’s cup.

House of Wishes
. Emily smiled. “I want to see the Casa Dei Desideri, Adelina, but today my schedule is very tight.”

Adelina kissed Luca’s cheek three times. “Casa Dei Desideri brought us Luca. Write your wish and then visit. You’ll see. Your wish will come true.” She looked off into the distance and sighed.
“Albero di amore.”

Emily settled into her chair, once again wishing she had taken a refresher course in Italian.

Beneath the wrapping she found a small memo pad. Inside, handwritten in a way that reminded her of Dae—easy, curved letters that glided over the page, the way he’d glided into her life.

Sweet Emily, when we’re together, nothing is impossible. I thought you might enjoy seeing this villa if you can fit it in your schedule. Until tonight, Dae.

He’d drawn a map, including sketched landmarks along the way. The final destination was marked with a big heart instead of an
X
.

Dae’s directions were perfect. Emily drove past the olive grove that he had sketched, and a mile or so later, she pulled into the driveway of the only house in sight, the front of which Dae had also sketched perfectly. In true Tuscan style, the house boasted shallow roof tiles, many of which were missing or broken, arches above the doors and windows, and beautiful, ornately designed columns. She stepped from the car and crossed the lawn, noticing that the columns were cracked and chipped, and some of the windows were broken. The house was covered in ivy, obviously abandoned. She wondered how Dae knew of this place, and what, if any, significance it had to the area.

Emily followed a cobblestone walkway to the top of the driveway, where it forked toward either side of the house, and walked to the far side of the property. As she rounded the corner of the house, a beautiful pergola capped by lattice and crawling with vines, similar to the one she and Dae had sat beneath the first night they were together, came into view. She stepped inside and enjoyed the view, overlooking miles of rolling hills and giving her a perfect view of the olive grove she’d passed on the way there. She turned, taking in the expansive yard, and smiled when she noticed an old hand pump off to her left. She loved the antiquity of metal hand pumps. The gentle curves of the handle, the spouts, which were often quite simple and rustic, like this one was, even the pole that held it in place, all added to its charm. Well pumps conjured up images of families coming together, sharing chores, and cooking together like Adelina and Serafina did. She felt a little nostalgic and wondered if it was too late for her mother to teach her how to cook. Catherine Braden was a talented cook and had always enjoyed preparing their family’s meals. As a girl, she’d striven hard to keep up with her brothers. Whether with grades or outside horsing around, Emily had never wanted to be left behind, and it seemed she’d never slowed down enough to do girlie things. With five active brothers, there was always someone to keep up with. Then she’d gone away to college and was busy with grades and a social life. She wondered now how much she’d missed out on by not taking the time to learn to cook with her mother.

She tucked away the thought to revisit another time and looked across the yard at the house. She spotted an alcove toward the rear of the house and stepped beneath the arched entranceway into the cozy enclosure. Old planters hung on the wall to her left, their contents dead and brittle. A broken wooden chair lay on its side, and the cement floor was littered with leaves and dirt. A waist-high wall faced the yard, with three arched openings spanning the length. Emily imagined how beautiful the area would look with colorful blooms and green plants decorating the unique iron and clay planters. There were two wooden doors at the far end. She tried the handle of each and was bummed to find them both locked, of course. She went back outside the way she’d come and scanned the backyard.

“Holy cow.” The largest olive tree she’d ever seen was growing in the wall of the house. She’d never seen anything like this. Her eyes trailed the left side of the wall to where it disappeared into the bark of the tree, engulfed by years of growth. And then, as if the wall had been built straight through the massive trunk, it continued on the other side of the trunk. As an architect, she could see the unique value in building a house
around
a tree, as in inside a particular room, but why would anyone want to build the wall of a house
into
a tree? What stymied her even more was the fact that the wall had not cracked or shifted as the tree grew. This house was built so many years earlier that the tree must have been at least half its size at that time.
Walls don’t adapt to the increasing girth of trees. This is not possible
.

No wonder Dae wanted her to see it. Mr. Make the Impossible Possible. How had he even found this house? She wished he were with her. She pulled her phone from her pocket and stood far back so she could capture the entire tree, then clicked a picture and texted it to him.
This is impossible and nothing short of amazing!

She gazed up at the leafy branches snaking out from the middle of the tree and arching out, thick and tangled, far above the roof.