“Good.” He moved in front of me and started to kiss me again. “I only want you, Sienna, only you.”
I pulled back from the kiss and inched my way up on the makeshift bed. I unclipped my bra and watched as his face became transfixed. My breasts sprang free as I tossed the bra aside, and then I pulled my bottoms down all the way, kicking them off impatiently as they stuck to my wet toes.
“You can have all of me, Elio.”
He slowly knelt between my legs and ran his hands down my thighs then between my legs, brushing over my slick, wet opening. He moved tentatively, as though worried I would change my mind. I wiggled, mad with the need for him to touch me.
“Please take me.”
“Oh,” he moaned, closing his eyes, “it’s just as I dreamed it would be. You are so beautiful.” He placed his hand on my stomach for a moment then let his fingers slide down to circle my bud, and I nearly went wild.
He pulled his hand away and began to kiss me all over my stomach, neck, and chest. I shook and pressed against him in desperation.
He moved away for a moment, and I nearly cried out at the loss of contact, but he soon returned and hovered over me. His dark, intense eyes looked into mine.
“Open your eyes, bella. Are you ready?” he asked like the gentleman he was, and I nodded, unable to form real words. “If it becomes too much, you must tell me.” I leaned up and kissed his lips to tell him I heard him.
Slowly, he nudged my opening, and ever so carefully, he slid inside. I had heard it would be painful, and it was for one sharp moment, and when my eyes flew open to find his, he stopped briefly. Then he began to move very slowly and gently, and the combination of that with how wet and ready I was made me lose all power of thought. It was like nothing I had ever experienced. I felt full and stretched, but when he pulled out and slid back in, every nerve in my body was heightened and I felt pure, hot pleasure.
“Ohh,” I moaned.
“Paradiso.” He squeezed his eyes shut and cursed. “Just like a dream.”
In and out he went, and with each little thrust, I wound tighter and tighter until I didn’t think I could handle another moment of it.
He suddenly reached down and rubbed my bud, changing the sensation, and I found release in a billion bright lights mixed with his sweet cries of joy from his own climax.
He flopped down next to me and pulled me onto his chest.
“That was incredible,” he whispered and brushed my wet hair off my face. “How do you feel? Are you okay?”
I smiled at him. “It was wonderful, Elio.”
We lay there holding each other. Neither of us wanted to break apart.
“What’s this?” I held up his hand to study the ring on his wedding finger.
“Family ring,” he answered as he drew my hand to his mouth to kiss my fingers, then he turned it over and kissed the palm.
“When did you get it?”
“A little while ago.” His kisses traveled down my arm as he rolled me over onto my back.
“It’s pretty.” I smiled up into his dark eyes and felt a rush of heat pool in my belly. “Did your parents have it made?”
“Mmhm.” His lips were on my neck, and I fought to think, then realization suddenly dawned and I sat up as real life swept into my thoughts in an instant. I pushed him back, jumped up, and began to pull on my wet clothes.
“I’m so sorry, Elio. Cara said she couldn’t cover for me this afternoon. I completely lost track of time.”
“Here.” He quickly handed me my flip flops.
We both raced through the woods and stopped where we always said our goodbyes.
“I wish so much we could have spent the day together. I didn’t want to end things like that.” He was frazzled with the sudden rush.
“Me too.”
“I hate that you are going back there, too.”
“I know.”
“See you tomorrow?” He tugged me in for a kiss then pulled away as my lips under his stretched with a big grin. He grinned back.
“Bye, Elio.”
“Goodbye, my Sienna.”
We spent the next six months exploring all the many ways two people could make love to one another, and how many times. I would return to the house each night. I would go to the dockyard and work every day. I was treated with disdain and rudeness, but no one hit me, and although Renzo glared at me and made every effort to make my days as horrible as he could, I could handle it because I knew Elio was a just a breath away.
That was, until one day when everything changed, and my life would forever be taken down a different path.
“Where are you going?” Renzo, who clearly had had multiple beers, staggered into the bathroom one evening while I was doing my hair. He leaned his bulk across the doorway, blocking my exit.
“I’m going out. Now, move, Renzo.” I put down the hairbrush and glared at him.
“Out where?”
“None of your business.” I tried to move past him, but he wouldn’t budge.
“Are you going to see your pretty boy? Don’t think I don’t know about your fancy man in the big, fancy house.”
I wasn’t ready for that. I thought I had kept my visits a secret. I hesitated to answer, and I knew he saw the truth.
“Does he look at you the way I do?”
“What?” I had to resist the urge to gag.
“Has he seen you naked?”
“Seriously, Renzo? You really need to grow up already.”
He shifted his weight off the wall and stood square on both feet as he tossed his empty beer bottle into the sink. The noise was so loud it made me jump, and he took that opportunity to push me backward against the sink and shut the door behind him. His hands were on me, and I fought and scratched at him to make him stop. He put a hand to his now bloody cheek and stood straight.
“You’ve been tempting me for years, flaunting yourself around, teasing me, and I’ll be dammed if he takes the one thing that is mine.”
“Enough,” I hissed when he came at me again. “I said enough!” I screamed at the top of my lungs then flew at him and with all my force and drove the palm of my hand into his nose. He shot backward and hit the wall and fell into the tub with a howl.
“What the hell, Sienna!” Cara looked terrified as she rushed into the room. “Andrew is going to kill you.”
She was right. No matter what I did, I was in the wrong, but assaulting his beloved firstborn just sealed my fate.
I raced past her, grabbed my book bag, and filled it with as much as I could that was mine. This was it. I knew if I didn’t leave now, I would never be able to.
“Here.” Cara handed me her jar of cash. “Please take it.”
“No.” I hugged my friend, the only person who always had my back in this awful place. “Come with me.”
“I can’t, you know I can’t.” She was just as panicked as I was. It had been beaten into us at every turn that we could never leave. They constantly undermined us and chipped away at our self-esteem. We were kept off balance, never knowing when we would be beaten, never knowing when or if we would eat. I had hit my wall, and if my mother had not come looking for me yet, well, chances were she never would. “Where will you go? Elio’s?”