Lucca's Lust: The Luminara Series Book 3 (39 page)

Just as she is coming down from her pleasure, I lift her up and thrust inside her in one deep stroke. Ah fuck, she feels so good. Having my bare cock inside her hot core without the condom on feels fucking sensational. I feel every nerve, fleshy pulse, and rigid tightening of her walls constricting around my swollen dick.

I fuck her deeply with uninhibited desire and passion until we cum apart in a frenzied bodily explosion. She is completely embarrassed afterwards. When will she learn we have no boundaries and she is mine. I will take her anyway I can, anytime of the month.

“What is the big deal? It makes no difference. In fact, it was goddamn amazing feeling you again and not having that fucking condom on. I have told you, I want all of you,” I say with a rasp, lifting her head up to kiss her beautiful lips.

Once we are washed and dried, Lexi tells me her concerns about Anna and Cameron. She suspects they slept together. It is turning into a bigger deal than I thought, and I do not want friction between Lexi and me.

Part one: Lussuria ~ Lucca’s Words

“Lussuria ~ Chapter Twenty Four: ‘If You Were Mine…’”

She Is Mine

While the others prepare breakfast this morning, I catch up on work calls in the study, send a shitload of emails, check over some reports, and call Marco. After eating outside, once we have established Dominic and Cameron are coming with me to my parents’ villa, I have a quiet word with Anna. She does not take it too well. We need to speak more about it, but right now I have to get ready to go.

I pick out a smart designer suit and shirt Violetta has had dry cleaned and pressed. When I am dressed, I decide to wear a bright turquoise coloured tie because after a disturbing sleep, Lexi has given me my spark back and put me in a very good mood.

Kissing Lexi goodbye, I tell her to keep her phone on and I will call her. I give the boys some details about the region on the way to my parents’. I drop them off and introduce Cameron to my parents. Dominic already met them at the hospital. I tell them I will be back shortly but do not mention where I am going. I drive the twenty minutes south to my son’s graveside.

I fetch the items from the car trunk I brought for him. Reaching his grave, I bow my head and sigh, overcome with sadness and raw emotion. Gabriel has an impressive white marble headstone adorned with gilded angels, a huge intricate crucifix with white doves, white pillar candles in glass containers, and a white and blue marble carved teddy bear. It sits next to Fran’s papa’s headstone.

Blue balloons and ribbons are tied to the teddy bear and an arrangement of flowers neatly skirt around the fenced section of his grave. The flowers and balloons have been left by Donita and Fran when they were here last week.

Opening the huge box I carry, I place the solid-silver toy train, boat, and angel under his headstone. I had them professionally coated to make them more durable to withstand the weather. Then I secure a small action figure and little toy car which was mine when I was a boy. I found them in with Nonna’s storage stuff. Lastly, I light a blessed candle from Mamma and Papa’s priest in one of the empty glass containers.

Taking a seat on the bench I had put down in front of his grave, I bow my head in silent prayer. I remind him that Gabriel was an archangel, an angel just like him. I tell him how much I miss him and hope that he is happy and well looked after in heaven. Then I tell him his papa has met a new angel. An angel that God created and sent to this earth to bring me love and happiness.

I say I wish he was here and could meet her, and then I tell him that I would like to have my own children with my new angel if God decides to bless us both.

Silently talking to the spirit and memory of Gabriel, it is as if I am trying to persuade him to accept that I would like children with Lexi. I ask for his forgiveness and blessing to move on. I add that he would then have brothers or sisters to watch over, but he would always be my firstborn and hold a special place in my heart forever.

Beginning to weep, I wipe my eyes and say that I love him eternally and will never forget him and Papa will be back soon to visit with more gifts, love, and stories. Filling my lungs with the fresh smell of the flowers, I watch the birds fly through the cloudless sky before setting my gaze back on the flickering candle.

After an hour of reflection, praying, and respecting Gabriel’s memory, I blow him a kiss towards his headstone and tell him Papa loves him very much. Back in the car, I try switching my phone back on I realise I do not have a good signal here.

By the time I reach Casa sulla Collina, I head straight to the extension to check in with the contractors, sign off some paperwork, phone Andy and Lyle, my mates and Osurac project and contract managers for a briefing and summary.

After checking emails in the study and calling Suzanne, I find Dominic and Cameron in the bar watching an Italia football match, Verona versus Juventus. I have half an hour before I need to leave for Pienza, so I pick up a stool and join them.

I am just about to check in with Lexi to see how she is feeling when my phone vibrates in my hand. It is Donita’s number. She never calls me. I wonder if it was about me being at the graveside earlier.

She is so hysterical on the phone I can barely make her out. I move to the corner of the room to hear her properly, away from the football noise on the flat screen. Fran has tried to kill herself this morning. She is in the hospital and had her stomach pumped but is recovering.

Fuck!

A shiver runs through me and turns my blood cold. I try to calm Donita down the best I can and tell her I will come and get her, that I am on my way. I find my mamma and papa to let them know. Mamma is beside herself with worry and wants to support her friend and wants to come with me.

I mention to the boys an emergency has come up and I need to visit Fran. They are so engrossed in the match I do not think it even registered. I know Fran is going to be okay, but the fact that she tried to do something as obscene as this is screaming help to me. She needs help … proper help.

On the drive I think about the conversation we had in the study on Sunday night. She said she has been to therapy, she is better, that she has moved on, and has learned to accept what has happened. So what the fuck is all this about today?

Is she playing me? Is it a huge cry for attention? Or has she even been to therapy? I do not know what to think, but for her to want to take her own life, she has bigger issues than I could have ever imagined.

Reaching the hospital, I hug Donita sympathetically and let my mamma comfort her while I visit Fran in her room. She is drowsy and looks like death. Cautiously, I sit for a while and hold her hand, telling her we are all here for her and never to try and do that again.

She pensively stares into space. I tell her that her family loves her very much, and her mamma needs her, that she needs to be strong and get better. Without telling her I love her, I mention that I care for her very much and would hate if anything were to happen to her and that she gave me a massive shock.

Tensing, she looks away. I do not know if that is what she wanted to hear. Maybe she wants me to tell her I love her, but I cannot lie to myself or to her. It is not fair. I do not know what happened, what went wrong. We cleared the air and talked more on Sunday than we ever have in the past four years. She seemed to be positive in a good frame of mind, and now this.

“Fran, please do not do this to yourself. I hate to see you like this. Let me help you,” I say, lifting her hand to my mouth placing a gentle kiss on it. A twist of regret or guilt settles in my lower abdomen. What if I am responsible? Maybe seeing me move on with Lexi was too much for her after all.

A faint smile forms on her face and tears begin to fall freely.

“I am sorry. Mi dispiace, mi dispiace. I do not know how it happened,” she sobs, shrugging her narrow shoulders and clasping her hands.

“It is okay. Do not apologise. Just do not be stupid like this again. Your mamma is really upset, Fran. We need to get you better. Will you accept my help?”

She nods then stares blindly at the wall in front of her.

“I went to Gabriel’s graveside today. I loved your flowers and balloons. I left him some special silver toys and a couple of my own childhood toys. I stayed for a while just to speak to him.” I offer her water from the bedside table, but she lifelessly shakes her head.

“Did you go alone?” she asks, her voice wary.

“Yes. I wanted my own time with him. Would it bother you if Lexi went with me?” I question, a frown creasing my brow. If it did bother Fran, then I would respect her wishes. She is Gabriel’s mamma.

“No, I guess not. I do not know why I asked that. Thank you for going.” She forms a half-hearted smile and reaches to cover my hand with hers.

We talk for a while, then Mamma comes into her room to visit, followed by Donita, whose tears have dried up but her eyes are red and raw. She looks exhausted, poor woman. I tell them I am arranging therapy here for Fran, and also back in Milan for when she is in a fit state to go back to work.

Leaving the ladies for a moment, I step outside to the corridor, planning to call Casey to ask her for a recommendation of a good therapist here in Tuscany, but my phone is out of charge.

Shit!

I wanted to call Lexi to check in with her. I remember Cameron telling me she panics when people switch their phones off. She might be worried if she has not heard from me all day. I grab the ladies coffee and snacks from the nearest canteen and take them back to the room. I tell Donita I will cover Fran’s medical expenses, but she refuses and says that Sandro left her financially comfortable; she will be able to do it herself.

Mamma says she needs to get back to check on the evening meals at the villa. After saying goodbye to Donita, I promise her I will at least help her with any therapy Fran needs. I kiss Fran on the forehead before leaving and then take my mammas hand.

I ask to borrow Mamma’s phone so I can call Lexi, but she has left it with her handbag and purse because she was in a panic and rush to leave with me. She places a protective, motherly hand on my knee on the drive back and asks me if I am okay.

“A little shaken up and hurt that Fran is so broken and desperate for help. She has taken extreme measures by trying to commit suicide. I just hope I am not the cause. I would never forgive myself,” I say honestly, my fingers gripping the wheel.

“No, Lucca. Do not blame yourself, please. You have done nothing wrong other than fall in love. Fran is more affected than any of us cared to admit or realised, and I do not think you meeting with her had anything to do with it. If she is this challenged, she would have tried something silly at any point as a cry for help because she is clinically depressed. Yes, it is probably hard for her to see you happy with someone else, but you are not to blame for this,” she says, stroking my arm.

I am glad to have her here with me after this afternoon’s event. The nightmare last night thinking about Lexi being abused, going to my son’s grave today, and now this with Fran is mentally exhausting.

“Thank you. I love you,” I say, smiling.

“And I love you, more than you will ever know. You are such a gentle, loving, considerate, and caring soul. I am so proud of you.” She looks in the mirror and tucks her hair behind her ears. “And how is Lexi? Are you taking good care of her? Did you all have a good day yesterday?” she asks, trying to distract me from my sullen mood.

“Yes, she is doing much better. It was so good to see the sparkle back in her eyes yesterday and her smile again,” I add with my own smile widening my lips at the mere mention of Lexi.

“You are very serious about her. She is an absolute treasure, a delightful girl. Your papa and I, we are very happy you found someone like her. She is good for you. I have not seen you as happy as this ever, not that I can remember. Lexi brings out the best in you.”

Approaching the long, winding hill towards her villa, I turn, smile, and nod my head.

“About what Lexi said on Sunday … her father being dead and her mum being emotionally challenged … it is rather complicated and unconventional. In fact, her past is extremely traumatic and disturbing, more than you or I could ever imagine. Please do not push her to talk about it if she does not want to.”

Mamma can be very forward and that is not what Lexi needs.

Parking the car, I turn around to face her. “I know you have always taught us to be open about our feelings and share things, but that is extremely difficult for Lexi. She suffers with post-traumatic stress disorder and she is … her life as a child … Jesus, it …” I cannot finish.

I shove my hands wildly into my hair and then loosen my tie. I think she gets the idea.

“It is okay, you do not need to tell me, but I want you to know we are here for you both, if you want to talk or need some comfort. As for Lexi, the poor girl could be doing with lots and lots of love, and your papa and I will give her and show her endless amounts of it. If you love her, then we do too.” She reaches over and wraps her hand around my neck pulling me in for a cuddle.