They stopped at a restaurant in the ‘piazza’, enjoying a simple meal in its charming, shady courtyard, before Damiano ducked into a boutique and emerged with a silk scarf and a pair of sunglasses.“This is for your hair,” Damiano said, tying the scarf under her chin. “And this is for your eyes,” he added, slipping the sunglasses onto her nose. Touched by his unexpected, thoughtful, loving gesture, Thea rose on her tiptoe and kissed Damiano on his lips.“Grazie, tesoro. (Thank you, sweetheart)” For a long moment, he gazed down at her, a small muscle pulling in his jaw.“My pleasure, piccola,” he replied and opened the car door for her. “Let’s go.” Riding home in the sleek two-seater convertible, Thea felt very chic in her sunglasses and scarf.“I’ve learned so much about your birthplace… So many great things… I really needed this little adventure,” she commented as he slowed to allow a shepherd and his flock of sheep to cross the road. “It was a real
Damiano opened the main door and sunshine flooded the stone entrance. The air felt fresh, the sky was blue with just a few wispy clouds. Thea looked at the sky and smiled. That very instant, she felt happy, free, loved, and protected. “Come with me,” Damiano said and took her hand in his. “I want to show you something.” Near the garage area, Thea saw a cream two-seater convertible sports car.“Wow…” she murmured in complete awe. “That’s a beautiful car…” Thea added, getting closer to the automobile. She examined the car’s flowing lines, from the curving panoramic windshield to the sleek rear end.“This is an Italian model… a design from the 50s, I believe.”“1955…” Damiano said, smiling at her. “And it’s a Lancia Aurelia B24.”“They used to call the model Spider B24… The creator used to say: ‘When you see an Aurelia B24, you don't just look at it, you want to touch it’,” Thea said, touching the windshield again. Damiano laughed softly as he opened
Thea spent a few carefree hours with Lawry until Maria took him to the nursery for his nap. She remained on the terrace, enjoying the weather, thinking of her conversation with Giorgiana, especially the last part of it. Thea could feel how deeply proud Giorgiana was of Damiano and how deeply in love she was with Manfredi. The butler appeared on the terrace.“Signora, the designers are here. They are waiting for you in the drawing room.” ‘The circus has arrived in town…’ She sighed and got up.“Could you, please, show me where the drawing room is?” she asked the man.“I’ll take you there. Follow me, please.” When she entered the appointed room, all three designers, a woman and two men, turned and gave her a long look, making Thea feel like she was a mannequin behind a window. Thea wondered what Damiano had told them.“Thank you for coming here,” Thea said in Italian. “This is my first time, so please, be patient with me.” They all sm
“Damiano, perhaps we should postpone the ceremony a little longer. That might give us more time to plan the ceremony and everything after.”“No need. With everyone pitching in, a week will give us more than enough time to…” Damiano broke off as his mother approached and got to his feet to pull a chair out for her at the table.“Buongiorno, mamma,” he said, dropping a kiss on Giorgiana Chiaramonte’s cheek.“Buongiorno, Dami,” the woman replied, smiling at Lorenzo and giving Thea an almost annoyed look. For Thea, that was a sign that his mother had heard most of the conversation, if not all of it. Giorgiana dropped into a chair at the table and crossed one leg over the other. That morning, her mother-in-law was wearing an ivory pantsuit with gold buttons and delicate chains. Her heels were very high, accenting her fashionably slim figure.“Buongiorno, signora Chiaramonte,” Thea said and took a sip from the coffee cup, not waiting for Giorgiana to reply. Thea g
Thea woke up with sunlight pouring through the large windows. She had no sense of time or space for a disorientating moment, not recognizing the room she was in. Then, she turned and saw the pillow next to hers.“Damiano…” she murmured and touched the empty place next to her. The sheets were cold, but they weren’t like that the entire night. Every image of them together rushed back into her foggy mind. Damiano’s big body thrusting so deep that she’d been unable to hold back a single cry of pleasure... The lengthy, luxurious exploration… His mouth, his hands… His departure… She woke up in the middle of the night and tried, as much as she could, to stay awake and wait for him to return to her, in this bed, in her arms. Damiano hadn’t, though. He’d remained out all night. Or if he had returned, he’d slept elsewhere. The fact that Damiano had stayed away worried Thea a lot. He’d been so upset with her yesterday, after the words
Thea opened her eyes and discovered that she and Damiano were nestled in bed together like spoons. She felt his breath warm on her ear, his body even warmer along her backside. One of her feet was trapped between his legs.“My God… Lawry…” she said in a worried voice, and tried to sit up, but he stopped her.“He’s okay, Thea. He’s sleeping now. I just talked to Maria. She took care of everything,” Damiano calmed her down.“I fell asleep…”“You did. For thirty minutes,” he replied, and placed a kiss on her shoulder. Damiano had one arm wrapped around her waist, the other hand planted firmly on her thigh. Thea allowed herself to relax with her back against his chest, savoring the feel of his warm, hard, lean body, listening to his breath, feeling a sense of… belonging just lying there next to… her husband. Images of their lovemaking made her sigh with pleasure. The way he touched her, the way he loved her… it had been nothing like the other times. She f