Lucca's Lust: The Luminara Series Book 3 (20 page)

Lexi goes on about being ugly, which fucks with my head. She is ashamed. I convince her she is anything but ugly. How can she even think that? It is skin, only skin, and the fact that she is completely perfect and stunning only adds to her perfection. It makes me want to worship her even more. I am hurt for her, but it does not deter me from lusting for her. Not by a long shot.

After experiencing cancer, and seeing what it does to people and their health, I have always been grateful for my health. I never take anything for granted since my radiotherapy and surgery. Lexi is healthy and perfect in every way; a few scars on her skin is nothing. Completely insignificant because she has her health, her beauty, and a kind soul.

Turning her around, I lift her face so I can see her eyes.

“You are anything but ugly. You are fucking stunning, absolutely beautiful. The most unique breathtaking woman I have ever met. When I said your first time should have been special, I did not mean this time was not. This was spontaneous, that is all. I did not mean to say irrational. That was wrong of me. I will remember our experience for the rest of my life. I just felt as though you deserved better. Candles, flowers, slow and tender, gentleness.”

Carefully, I do not mention the scarring because it makes her self-conscious. She is upset and insecure, and it makes no difference to me. She can talk about if she wants to, but I do not want to make a big deal of it. I am more concerned about her thinking I did not enjoy having sex with her. I need to right that wrong before anything else.

“Lexi, there is so much loving I want to be able to give you, so many pleasurable experiences to share with you. Please do not shut me out. I can make this right,” I practically beg.

“Lucca, I need to be cautious. You understand that, right? I’ve never been in a relationship before. I’ve never—” I hush her because I do not want her think she is not worthy. Not ever. Instead, I ask how she feels and pull back the covers for her. I am pleased she decides to stay and sleep with me.

Locking the door, I get out of my towel and climb in beside her, naked. I pull her into me and caress her with as much loving conviction as I can because she needs it right now. I cannot stress to her enough how much I want her and need her.

Thinking of her lying here last night with her dress on and a blanket over her, I kept some boundaries, but now with her here against my body under the sheets, I am eternally grateful to share this experience with her.

The fucking was sensational, but cuddling and holding her is amazing too. A frown creases my brow. How could anyone neglect, harm, hurt, or abuse this precious girl? It makes me anxious to think a man did all this to her. Left her wounded mentally and physically, from what I can tell.

She wants me to be patient, and she is not ready to speak about it. I promise I will wait because if it means I get her in my bed, in my arms, and in my heart, then I will do anything. Which reminds me, she promised me a date. One date … is in no way enough. I need a relationship with her, especially after having the best sex of my life.

By agreeing and allowing me inside her, she literally just agreed to own me forever, because I am not letting her go. She has me now and is stuck with me.

I would kill to have more sex with her, but she is tired and will be painfully sore. I need to make a conscious effort not to take advantage of her so compulsively, but hell, if it is not hard keeping any sort of composure around her, especially when I have a hold of her body.

“Will you let me date you? I mean, properly date you? Not just one date. I want to be with you. We can go as slow as you like. I meant what I said. I want you.” I stroke her damp hair.

Yes. It is a yes. Thank fuck.

She chews the inside of her cheek, which are radiant with the soft colour of rose. Smiling, I adorn her with gentle kisses.

“Lexi, thank you. You are breathtakingly lovely; you haunt me with your beauty. I promise to make you feel us, make you happy and take good care of you,” I whisper against her skin.

“You are mine now, Doc. I have you and I am not letting you go.” My last words make her smile before she closes her eyes, nuzzling against my chest, giving me everything I hoped to ever have.

Her
.

I have the most exhilarating dream and Lexi is in it. Knocking and ranting at the door wakes us both up. Opening the door, Hazel comes barging in, swearing and asking shit loads of questions. The five foot skinny blonde cursers like a sailor. I like her. She is ballsy and very protective of my new girl.

Hazel interrogates Lexi, so I leave them to it, not before making a joke about her drunken Body Combat moves last night. I smirk, walking into the bathroom. I actually think this chick is going to be easy to wind up.

When I return, they are laughing and it is lovely to see after the distress Lexi has gone through over the past few days. From a completely selfish point of view, I am relieved when Lexi tells Hazel she is staying to eat with me.

I do feel bad Lexi is not spending time with her friend, but I am still racking my brains on a solution to that one. I know it is not fair to either of them, but since Lexi is my girl now, I am not letting her out of my sight. Hazel is going to have to lend her out to me, because I am not sharing her, not after what I experienced earlier.

Lexi decides to give the pool a miss, so I have her all to myself. Since she decided to date me, I want to get her a gift, something special just for her. Thinking what would be important and special, something to keep. She already told me in her clinic that day she does not have a watch; this will be her first gift.

Leaving her in bed, I head downstairs to the main section of the villa. I meet Nonno who immediately asks how Lexi is feeling. I tell him Lexi agreed to date me. He is delighted, of course, and pats me on the back enthusiastically.

Nonno tells me Annalisa, my cousin, is on kitchen duty this afternoon. I ask him to ask her to make something special for lunch for Lexi and me. He smiles and nods, but I get the chance to ask her myself when she comes over and gives me a huge kiss and cuddle.

Using the study for privacy, I search online for elegant and special watches. I call Cristofano, a family friend and owner of an upmarket boutique jewellery store in Florence. He inherited the designer jewellery store that holds some rare and exquisite pieces from his great-grandfather.

Nonno and Papa have always been fortunate enough to purchase jewellery for Nonna and Mamma there. I have a pleasant conversation in Italian with Cristofano, asking after his family, before telling him what I am looking for.

It just so happens he has only one Cartier ballon bleu pave diamond watch in stock, I ask him to have it gift wrapped for me. It is not enough. I want to give her something when we go on our first official
proper date
.

While speaking to him, I search through the pages of the world’s finest diamonds. Just by chance and out of curiosity, I notice a pair of beautiful diamond stud earrings. Feeling buzzed and excited about my future dating Lexi, I ask him to secure these for me as well.

Next I call Marco. “Hey, I need a favour,” I say.

“Does it involve the brunette you are hiding out with at Franco and Sofia’s?” he asks dubiously.

“Wait, how do you know that? I mean how do you know I am with her …
with her
?” I ask, squinting one eye, studying the specifications of the impeccable diamonds on screen.

“You are such an idiot. You are at home, here in Toscana, testa di cazzo. You know secrets cannot be kept here. Let me just say you never wasted any fucking time did you? So how did you do it, enlighten me.” Amusement is in his tone.

Where does he get off calling me a
dickhead?
Just as well I love the bones of this man like a brother.

“Who did you speak to?” I ask.

“Never you mind.”

Franco?

No way, he would not.

Nonna?

Absobloodylutely.

Of course she did. This is where my mamma gets it from. Women in my family are fucking murder with all the gossiping shit they do. Orianna is the exact same. Marco is too loyal and a gentleman, so he will not out her.

“So is she worth it?”

I inhale, filling my lungs, annoyed that he has asked me this. Things have changed since yesterday. Lexi was a mission before, which seems lame and inappropriate to say that now. She is my girl, someone I plan on spending a hell of a lot of time with. Someone I am captivated by in the best possible way.

“I told you last night. Yes and some. Do not ask me to divulge, Marco … but I have never felt … never been with anyone who intrigues me like she does. She is very special, exceptionally treasurable and precious to me. That is all you need to know,” I say, leaning back in the chair.

“Shit, you have it worse than I thought. Is she an angel sent from God with a nectar fucking centre?” I inwardly hiss because I hate that he uses those words. They are saved for me to say about Lexi. Nobody else. I also hate that he refers to her as a fantasy, implying she is something unobtainable or unreachable, and I will not tolerate it. He has not even met her.

He got it.

She is the only woman to be this for me.

Angel. God. Nectar. Centre. Blessed.

Lexi.

Man … the prick is good.

When we were teenagers after mass at chapel on a Sunday we would often sneak away and go on double dates with Francesca and Adela. We would joke about
making
them our girlfriends and our papas drilled it into us we would cherish a girl once we had her.

They would say that our mammas were their angels. And they obviously had sex, which is what we wanted and needed. Our own angel … to have sex with. We promised to cherished Fran and Adela because we were desperate for sex, being the horny boys we were.

And like the good Catholic boys, we believed that the love of our lives would have to be angels sent from God. I am not convinced to this day that Francesca was that for me, but as impressionable as teenage boys are, I rolled with it, told her she was an angel, and got my rocks off.

The horny teenager in us decided that our angels would have a centre of nectar like the gods themselves enjoyed. Later, when we matured, it took on a whole other meaning. A meaning with more depth. A phrase that held a euphemism of eroticism between mates.

A woman’s core
.

Angelo.
Angel
.

Nettare.
Nectar
.

Centro.
Centre
.

Heart centre. Soul centre. Core centre.

All of the above.

“She is. All of those things. I finally found her, Marco. I found my angel. It is still early days, but I am more than positive about Lexi being the one for me!” I say, checking a couple of emails while I talk to him.

“Well then, I am happy for you. You deserve it more than anybody. I am serious. I want you to be happy, Lucca. If this woman makes you happy, then you have my full blessing. I am looking forward to meeting her.” Holding back his impishness, he now says it with more sincerity because if I admit to her being my angel, he knows. He just gets it, gets just how meaningful she is to me.

“Thanks, buddy. Look, I need you to do something else for me. I want to take her out sightseeing and would like to take her to the farmhouse so we can have some privacy. I need you to contact Violetta and arrange for a full clean, food supplies to be delivered, and ensure the pool has been cleaned. Also get Paulo to pick up my car and drop it off here. I will need it.”

Violetta is my main housekeeper for my Tuscan farmhouse. She looks after it when I am not here and works at the cleaning agency and uses their employees for house duties.

“Sure. I am coming over later anyway. I will pick up your items and drop the car off. How long are you intending on staying at the farmhouse?” he asks with piqued interest. He is worried I will not be focused on my business.

“I am not sure. I have not mentioned it to Lexi yet. I want to see how things go today. I will leave a card on Nonno’s desk, attach it with the watch Cristofano gives you, and have it delivered to Lexi’s suite. Keep the other items until I ask for them. I do not want to overwhelm her.” I close down the desktop I keep here for business use.

“Actually, I need something else. Ask Annalisa what those gadgets are called that chicks use to straighten their hair and where to get them. I need a set of those as well, good ones,” I add, tapping a pen on my chin.

I remember Hazel moaning about having forgotten hers when she was inebriated, and since there are no shops in the close vicinity of the villa, I will get her some to sweeten her up as I stole her best friend and am not planning on returning her anytime soon.

“Pussy. You planning on a new look? What, you fed up with your curls?” He laughs with amusement.

“Fuck off. Not for me … clearly,” I scoff.

Saying goodbye to Marco, I go and find Nonna. She is around the back of the villa potting plants and trimming flowers. This woman loves her flowers.

“Those are very pretty,” I say, approaching her. She is snipping the ends of some vivid striking blue orchids.

“They are. These are beautiful at this time of year. The purple ones too.” She points to a basket filled with them.

“They are pretty too. I like these ones better. You and Mamma used to have these in all colours all around the house,” I say, picking one up. Nonna takes her gloves off, and I help her to stand and lift her basket for her.

“I remember. Do you remember what they symbolise … the blue ones?” she asks. I think I remember. God, I should. Nonna and Mamma spent hours with us in the gardens when we were growing up. They talked about all the flowers and plants and kept notebooks full of facts.

“Yes, virility and fertility and um …” I scratch my neck. I actually forget what else, but there is something. I just cannot seem to think.

“Sexuality, Lucca. You remember? Yin and yang, beauty and strength, dark blue testosterone and charming fertile calmness.” She smiles sweetly and cups my face in one hand and hooks the basket over her other arm.