daydreams of wearing my new outfit for Stefan, and I feel a smile creeping across my face.
Bianca links her arm with mine. “Are you in love, Carina?”
All the feelings that have been rushing through me—feelings I’ve been afraid to name—stop their turbulent swirling, and I quietly admit the truth to Bianca and myself. “I think I am.”
“Love is not something you think. It is something you feel . The way Mr. Savano makes you feel, have you ever felt that way before?”
“No. He’s just . . . ever since I saw him, I’m just . . .”
“Everything is beautiful? Love makes us see beauty everywhere. In the world, in ourselves, in others,” she says in her musical Italian accent.
“Everything is beautiful here in Italy.”
“Yes, but Mr. Savano makes everything shine brighter for you. I can tell. You look different since he’s been gone. It is like something is missing for you.”
She’s right, but when I look at her, I don’t see the expression she speaks of. In Rocco’s absence, nothing is missing for her.
“It’s crazy—that I feel this much for him. It’s exciting, but I’m a little afraid.”
“What are you afraid of?”
I look down at my feet and the patterns of the cobblestones. “That he doesn’t feel the same way.”
“That is something you will find out, Carina, but I can tell you this: All the honey a bee gathers during its lifetime does not sweeten its sting. What is sweet for you today may burn tomorrow. This is the way life is.”
Bianca speaks to me the way a sister would, and I can see the beginning of a true friendship growing. Only time will tell if Stefan feels for me the way I do for him.
After a beautiful dinner, Bianca and I drive back to the vineyard in darkness. I fall into peaceful sleep as we travel, completely at ease in Bianca’s care.
***
I wake, alone in Stefan’s bed, and the longing I feel for him grows until my heart is overflowing.
I take a walk in the vineyard just after the sun has risen, and the dew still lingers on the plants. The air is fragrant, and the only sounds are the waking birds singing to one another.
I’ve had free reign of the entire estate and exploring it has brought me much enjoyment. I find peace here and am growing to feel at home.
After my walk, I head to Stefan’s library. It’s enormous, and I could lose myself for hours in the musty-scented first editions. It has become one of my most treasured places, even though none of the books belong to me.
The door creaks open, and I look toward the sound expecting to see Bianca, but find Stefan standing in the shadows. His bag is still in his hand, his tie undone and hanging loose, and his black and gray hair mussed from his journey.
I want to run to him and wrap my arms around his neck. I want to kiss him and touch him. Instead, I stand still, wrapped in shock as the book slips from my fingers and drops to the floor with a thud.
I am frozen, but Stefan isn’t.
He drops his bag, shutting the door behind him as he walks toward me.
His sexy scent rushes through me before I feel his touch, and I close my eyes as I feel his hands circle my waist and his lips press against mine. My body tingles with a wave of emotion.
He’s ferocious, not tender. The restrained gentleman is gone. He’s hungry for this, and so am I.
He presses me into the shelf and slides his hands up my thighs and under my skirt. He slips his fingers under my panties and runs them along my wet lips.
My breath catches when I feel him glide them inside me, and he deepens our kiss.
A beautiful sound, his belt coming undone, and his pants drop to the floor. He breaks our kiss just long enough to tug my shirt over my head.
I gasp for air.
He pulls my bra cups down so that my breasts are exposed, and his gaze roams over my flesh. Then, and only then, does he speak. “I have thought about nothing but you, nothing but this, since I left. I couldn’t wait to touch you. I want you, Carina.”
Bianca was
Bianca links her arm with mine. “Are you in love, Carina?”
All the feelings that have been rushing through me—feelings I’ve been afraid to name—stop their turbulent swirling, and I quietly admit the truth to Bianca and myself. “I think I am.”
“Love is not something you think. It is something you feel . The way Mr. Savano makes you feel, have you ever felt that way before?”
“No. He’s just . . . ever since I saw him, I’m just . . .”
“Everything is beautiful? Love makes us see beauty everywhere. In the world, in ourselves, in others,” she says in her musical Italian accent.
“Everything is beautiful here in Italy.”
“Yes, but Mr. Savano makes everything shine brighter for you. I can tell. You look different since he’s been gone. It is like something is missing for you.”
She’s right, but when I look at her, I don’t see the expression she speaks of. In Rocco’s absence, nothing is missing for her.
“It’s crazy—that I feel this much for him. It’s exciting, but I’m a little afraid.”
“What are you afraid of?”
I look down at my feet and the patterns of the cobblestones. “That he doesn’t feel the same way.”
“That is something you will find out, Carina, but I can tell you this: All the honey a bee gathers during its lifetime does not sweeten its sting. What is sweet for you today may burn tomorrow. This is the way life is.”
Bianca speaks to me the way a sister would, and I can see the beginning of a true friendship growing. Only time will tell if Stefan feels for me the way I do for him.
After a beautiful dinner, Bianca and I drive back to the vineyard in darkness. I fall into peaceful sleep as we travel, completely at ease in Bianca’s care.
***
I wake, alone in Stefan’s bed, and the longing I feel for him grows until my heart is overflowing.
I take a walk in the vineyard just after the sun has risen, and the dew still lingers on the plants. The air is fragrant, and the only sounds are the waking birds singing to one another.
I’ve had free reign of the entire estate and exploring it has brought me much enjoyment. I find peace here and am growing to feel at home.
After my walk, I head to Stefan’s library. It’s enormous, and I could lose myself for hours in the musty-scented first editions. It has become one of my most treasured places, even though none of the books belong to me.
The door creaks open, and I look toward the sound expecting to see Bianca, but find Stefan standing in the shadows. His bag is still in his hand, his tie undone and hanging loose, and his black and gray hair mussed from his journey.
I want to run to him and wrap my arms around his neck. I want to kiss him and touch him. Instead, I stand still, wrapped in shock as the book slips from my fingers and drops to the floor with a thud.
I am frozen, but Stefan isn’t.
He drops his bag, shutting the door behind him as he walks toward me.
His sexy scent rushes through me before I feel his touch, and I close my eyes as I feel his hands circle my waist and his lips press against mine. My body tingles with a wave of emotion.
He’s ferocious, not tender. The restrained gentleman is gone. He’s hungry for this, and so am I.
He presses me into the shelf and slides his hands up my thighs and under my skirt. He slips his fingers under my panties and runs them along my wet lips.
My breath catches when I feel him glide them inside me, and he deepens our kiss.
A beautiful sound, his belt coming undone, and his pants drop to the floor. He breaks our kiss just long enough to tug my shirt over my head.
I gasp for air.
He pulls my bra cups down so that my breasts are exposed, and his gaze roams over my flesh. Then, and only then, does he speak. “I have thought about nothing but you, nothing but this, since I left. I couldn’t wait to touch you. I want you, Carina.”
Bianca was
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