The Perfect Someday (A standalone novel ~ Book three in The Mathews Family) Page 4

  Before she could utter an excuse, he responded by hooking a loose lock of hair behind her ear, carefully tracing the shell of her ear. All words and good sense drained from her brain. Giovanni lazily traced the underside of her jaw to the curve of her neck. Every place he touched made her skin catch fire. “Di niente.”

  There was a vulnerability in being so close to Giovanni, a man so full of intrigue he sent tremors of lust straight to her core. She tried to process her feelings and unfamiliar reactions to him. Unable to turn away, Tracy simply stood there allowing his fingers to sweep over her face. She permitted her mind to settle, rejoicing in the moment of wanting him to touch her.

  His prolonged stare sent another rush of desire coiling through her. The scent of wine on his breath tangled with the ocean air drawing her closer. He cupped her jaw in the palm of one hand and she nuzzled into the warmth. Nothing had ever felt so good in her life.

  The pad of his thumb etched over the edge of her mask. The mask. It’s the damn mask. The ever so miniscule façade added such an intense feeling of liberation and mystery, she let go, stepping outside the perimeters of boundary lines she lived by. Tracy didn’t feel like her reserved self at all. She felt sexy.

  Mimicking his movements, she brought her hand to his chest. Allowing her fingers to roam at freewill, she caressed a long feathery stroke up his neck to the side of his face. He dragged a long searching look over her features.

  Luscious anticipation swept through her. Yes, kiss me. Rising to the tip of her toes, she lifted her chin hoping he would greet her.

  He did.

  Giovanni lowered his mouth gently to hers. His lips, full and firm, reserved a hint of tightly harnessed control. The taste of his mouth was silky and warm, indulging her with the burn of a slow supple kiss.

  Tracy released the soft hum of pleasure rising in her throat. Giovanni’s supporting arm curled behind the small of her back, forcing a slight arch. Tucking his fingers through the hair at her nape, he parted her lips, gliding his tongue over her bottom lip, gently drawing it into the heat of his mouth. Her chest lifted higher, and she exerted a more provocative pressure to his mouth, reveling in the spicy bold flavor that danced on his tongue.

  Tracy paused, pulling in a ragged breath.

  Longing rolled through her and she gripped his shirt front. Nothing could’ve prepared her for the intensity she felt from one small measured kiss. A feeling nearly impossible for her to define, a sort of pleasurable desire, licking deep into the confines of her heart and awakening her soul.

  His face remaining over hers. Their breath mixed together in heavy exhales. Giovanni held her firmly to the hard muscled framework of his body. His breathing was no better than hers. Disarmed by the unhurried tenderness of his kiss, she sagged against him.

  “The sun is setting.” His mouth trailed to her ear. “I don’t want you to miss what you’ve been waiting for.”

  Her dazed expression fell to his chest. Trembling, she released her grip, smoothing the wrinkles near his open collar. “Right,” she agreed, unable to move an inch.

  His hand came to her elbow, encouraging her to take the shot. Tracy’s mind went blank, but she lifted her camera taking aim at the mesmerizing sunset. The instant her brain began to process what she’d just done, her thoughts spun out of control. She cringed inwardly. You just kissed a complete stranger! What the hell are you doing? She couldn’t even bring herself to look at him.

  Giovanni remained respectfully quiet, graciously waiting for her to work up the nerve to say something. When she found the courage to peel her gaze away from the view and glance his direction, he shot her a dazzling perceptive grin. Oh, he knows, all right. He knows I’m mortified. Her lips curled into a broad smile. She flushed hard, releasing an edgy chuckle.

  The volume of the reception in the distance grew louder, but the continuing silence between them was driving her crazy. Her heart pounded uncontrollably and she rolled her eyes in admission. Reaching for his glass of wine she blurted, “This is a real date, right?”

  “Si`.” He showered her with another gorgeous smile. “I don’t usually let strange women kiss me…unless we’re on a real date.”

  She drowned her grin behind the rim, nursing a long draw of wine.

  “You like the wine?”

  “It’s growing on me,” she acknowledged in surprise, savoring the earthy bouquet. Tracy attempted to distinguish if she truly enjoyed the actual wine or the taste of him lingering on her tongue. “It has an oaky flavor. I kind of like it.”

  “Kind of?”

  Crap. I’ve insulted the wine again. It’s not like he paid for it, he lifted it from behind the bar.

  “This is one of the best wines made in Tuscany.” His brows creased, creating a deep notch in his forehead. He reclaimed the glass. Holding it toward the fading sun, he gave it a tilt, so the wine rolled toward the edges. “You see?”

  She couldn’t see any further than the pulse throbbing at the side of his neck. “What am I looking for?” Their arms brushed as she snuggled closer to his side.

  “This allows you to see the wine’s true color, not simply the dark center. If the color is murky or pale at the edge…no good. It should be clear and brilliant.” He brought his fingertips together gesturing perfection.

  “Aren’t you supposed to swirl it or sniff it?”

  He swirled the glass, pointing to the streaks forming on the inside. “You see the tears?”

  She nodded questioning inquisitively, “Do the streaks distinguish the quality of the wine?”

  “It tells how strong the wine is, the alcohol content.” He reached into his jacket pocket and retrieved his invitation, tossing the white envelope to the ground. Giovanni smiled and wriggled his brows, squatting to his haunches. “Watch.”

  Genuinely intrigued, she rested her palm on his shoulder, observing closely as he gave the glass a good swirl.

  “Now you can see the tears clearly.” Giovanni stated matter-of-factly pointing to the shadow cast upon the white paper by the dissolving rays of sunlight. Tear-shaped droplets streaked down the clear glass. Tears that were nearly undistinguishable to the naked eye became visible in the shadow against the paper.

  “Whoa! That’s amazing!”

  Passion filled his voice as he continued, explaining the interplay between adhesion, evaporation and surface tension of water and alcohol. The lure of his rich voice drew her like a magnet and left her listening intently as the sun disappeared from the horizon. In Tracy’s opinion, there was nothing sexier than an intelligent man. His rugged good looks were merely the canvas beneath the masterpiece. Giovanni was intellectual, but spoke in terms of logic and common sense. He was the sexiest man she’d laid eyes on. Judging by the way he almost brought her to her knees with a slight kiss, she guessed he would be gifted in more ways than one.

  Neither Tracy nor Giovanni spoke the other’s language at one hundred percent fluency, but they understood enough to fill in the small communication gaps. He continuously spoke with his hands. Each gesture punctuating an expression, giving deeper meaning to his colorful words and phrases. Her gaze drifted over him, keenly watching the strain of each defined muscle, reveling in his body language. By the time he got to higher vapor tension, lower surface tension and cohesive water molecules she couldn’t even think rationally.

  Over the years, she found it difficult to be herself on dates. Men who looked like Giovanni didn’t bother taking the time to relate to her passions or the subjects she found interesting. She’d dated a few men from her classes, who were complete nerds like herself and appreciated her IQ, but they did nothing for the chemistry of her libido. She constantly found herself more attracted to her professors than men her own age. Tracy decided over a year ago to give up on dating and focus on her studies until after graduation, teasing that she could date vicariously through her little sister.

  Giovanni opened his mouth to continue, but his breath caught and he stopped himself. “Mi scuso. I’m probably boring you.”
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  “Don’t apologize. I’m definitely not bored.” She shook her head, murmuring the second half of the statement while chewing on her cheek apprehensively. “I understood every word.”

  He gave her a questioning smile. “Really?”

  “Actually—“ Color swept over her cheeks and she let out a self-conscious giggle. “—I find hydrogen bonds fascinating. I did an entire paper on it college. The water molecules bond together to form a sphere. Then the droplets become heavy enough to fall back down the glass in the shape of tears.”

  Giovanni stared wide-eyed and impressed for a full three seconds before nodding. “Si`”

  Completely mesmerized by the way his grey eyes stared straight into her, Tracy swallowed hard. “My sister refers to me as the smarty pants of the family.”

  “Speaking of your sister, May is looking for you.” He pointed toward the terrace in the distance.

  The name May didn’t register at first. He pointed again. She stretched onto her toes and could see JC waving, giving her a thumbs up through the darkening shadows of the evening sky. Tracy waved back, giving her sister two thumbs up.

  Folding her arms across her chest, she strummed her fingers against the crook of her arm, contemplating if she should explain the name switch.

  “I get two thumbs up?”

  A mocking whisper tickled her ear. She jumped letting out a squeal. His arms eased around her from behind and he rested his chin on her shoulder.

  “She’s just checking to make sure I’m okay. You definitely get two thumbs up,” she acknowledged through dry lips.

  His breath fell over her bare shoulder, setting off a tightening in her lower stomach. “Does she need to check on you often?”

  Tracy knew what he implied. Giovanni questioned if this was their routine. As much as Italian men were notorious for preying on foreign women, American women were known for living it up in Italy.

  She shook her head. “It’s always the other way around. I’m always the one who has to check on her.”

  His arms constricted a little tighter, swaying to music playing in the distance. Closing his hand around the heavy mass of her hair, he moved it aside, placing a kiss on the spot on her neck where her pulse ripped through her veins.

  “Are you comfortable here? With me?” He added kissing her neck as he spoke. His mouth took forever to move up the side of her neck to the tender spot behind her ear. “Or would you like to head back to the reception?”

  She twisted her neck trying to get closer. Her chin fell to her shoulder, laying her forehead against the mask at his temple. “No, I don’t want to go back.”

  “Fantastico.” He said exuberantly, releasing her from his arms and shrugging out of his jacket.

  She half-heartedly hoped he was going to remove his shirt next, but merely watched as he spread his suit coat on top of a sandy area. He reached for her fingers, assisting her to the ground. The jacket made for a small makeshift sitting area, so she stretched out her legs, extending her feet to the sand. Tracy arranged her dress, smoothing the cotton fabric over her mid-thigh while Giovanni filled their glasses. He sat beside her, relaxing back on one elbow and crossing his bare feet at the ankles.

  “I would’ve brought a blanket,” he stated apologetically.

  The cool evening air wafted over her heat-flushed skin and she shuddered. “I take it you come here often?”

  “No.” He smiled gazing toward the city lights that began to illuminate the hillside, cascading a diversity of colors upon the whitewashed houses.

  Tracy shot him a playful look of absolute doubt, nursing another drink. The wine slipped down her throat warming her chest.

  “My family used to come here to visit when I was a boy. We used to sneak up over the rocks,” he scrunched his shoulders in a skulking manner, tipping his glass back and forth as if he were tip-toeing, “and steal glances at the lovers who came here at sunset.”

  Her eyes shifted above the outline of boulders beyond his shoulders, in search of mischievous boys waiting to catch an eyeful. The feel of his fingers looping through the waves in her hair brought her attention back to Giovanni.

  Somewhere hidden beneath the billowy grey clouds gathering in his eyes, laid an invitation, an offer she wanted to accept.

  Her pulse hammered hard, drowning out the background music, voices of laughter, and waves crashing below. His masculine features deepened under the night sky. The narrow black mask accentuated the white of his eyes and smile.

  She heard him say, “Tell me what else you find fascinating,” as she leaned in, silencing his words with a kiss.

  Without relinquishing her lips, Giovanni raised from his elbow sitting upright, deepening the kiss. She held her position, tugging gently on the silky fullness of his lower lip. His fingers thread through her hair, tenderly clasping the base of her skull. He parted her lips and Tracy opened, savoring the oaky flavor of his heat filled kiss. The smooth warm demand of his tongue took her breath away. She clutched so tightly to the stem of her wine glass, she feared shattering it.

  Taking his time, Giovanni laid out an unhurried execution of deliberate nips and kisses to her neck. The stubble of his beard raked across the tender skin of her throat. The pleasure of it so maddening, Tracy’s mouth dropped open releasing a low moan. With a murmur, he took the glass from her clenched fingers, setting it in the sand beside them.

  Rising to her knees, Tracy leaned forward, molding herself to the contours of his body. Disarmed by the magnitude of desire growing inside, her fists balled at her sides as she trembled all over.

  Giovanni stroked down the length of her arms gathering her wrists in his hands and guiding them over his shoulders. Cradling the underneath of her jaw, he took her mouth again. Their tongues mingled in an all-consuming kiss, silky and wet. Firmly grasping the nape of his neck, she extended the kiss, searching with urgency to get closer. He responded with slow penetrating licks of his tongue, so masterfully implemented they stole the air from her lungs.

  Tracy tore her mouth from his, panting shamefully. A cool breeze swept between them bringing needed relief. Giovanni brought a hand to the small of her back, fingers widespread locking her hips to his abdomen. She arched, lifting her chin to the star-filled sky. Her chest lifted with each labored breath. “Holy shit.”

  “Sei cosi bella, Amore Mio.” He showered her with compliments of her beauty, passing his thumb over the damp hallow of her throat.

  She opened her mouth to say something, to say anything, but all she could muster was, “Oh my God, you’re such a good kisser.”

  A smug surprised grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.

  Unable to keep her wits about her, she rambled on deliriously. “I mean seriously? I’ve never been kissed like that. Do you always kiss this way? Is it just me or was that ama—“

  Giovanni’s laughter echoed up the side of the cliff. He yanked her into his lap, nuzzling the crook of her neck. He trailed silken kisses over her shoulder before gently sinking his teeth into her shoulder with a low groan.

  A sweet ache deepened between her thighs and she squirmed in his lap. Every hair on her body stood at attention as a blistering rush of arousal trampled through her core. Tracy strained, pointing her toes and clamping her knees together.

  Releasing her flesh from his teeth, Giovanni replaced it with sweet kisses to her collarbone. “Please tell me you are just beginning your vacation?”

  Swathed in somberness, Tracy’s heartbeat stilled. “I leave tomorrow.” Melancholy riddled her tone.

  A dark frown shadowed his eyes. His face averted and she could see his throat jump when he swallowed hard.

  “I visit every summer,” she continued anxiously, incapable of hiding the hint of distress in her voice. Tracy had never experienced a man like Giovanni and the thought of never seeing him again devastated her. She’d received more passion from one kiss than she’d ever enjoyed during sex. Her lids fluttered at the mere notion of how incredible sex would be with Giovanni. No, no, no. You c
an’t have sex with him on the first date. “But, I could come back sooner.”

  She felt the moist heat of his breath fan across her face. Intense vibrations of desire rippled through his hand as he caressed the side of her neck.

  “I mean, if you want to see me again. I would…if you’d like. I start school next week, but I could fly back to see you in a few—“

  His mouth sought hers. The restrained slowness that permeated his first kisses, now changed to hunger. His tongue sank deeper, the firm articulation greedy and deliberate. The pace grinding, feasting off her mouth in such a sensual rhythm it shot pleasure to the tender area in the pit of her stomach.

  He drew back and she whimpered in complaint. Tracy turned her face, embarrassed of the sounds she made, but she couldn’t help it. She rested her cheek on his shoulder in a daze.

  “Si`. I want to see you again.” Cradling her face, Giovanni forced her to look at him. “I would travel half way around the world to see you again.”

  The tenderness in his voice gave truth to his words, making his seduction believable. Rash thinking kicked in. Is he really going to fly halfway around the world to see me? Skepticism tugged between her brows at the bridge of her nose, but only briefly. Acknowledging that she would do just about anything in order to see Giovanni again, she surrendered to her own reservations, giving herself the green light.

  A shooting star burned across the night sky capturing their attention. Their eyes followed the streak of illumination in its path. Giovanni held her in his lap, caressing her back with one hand and the outside of her thigh with the other. He gave a nod to the heavens above, pointing to the Milky Way.

  “You see that constellation? That is Perseus the son of Zeus.” He outlined a figure in the cluster of stars, holding his aim to the brightest of stars. “He holds the creature Medusa’s head in his hand.”

  Tracy straightened, sitting taller in his lap. She blinked repeatedly, gaping at him in disbelief. Every pore in her body pinged with exhilaration, producing a film of sweat on her palms. She had a deep fascination with Greek Mythology and took a semester of it in college. “Giovanni, if you tell me you have a thing for Greek Mythology, I might not be able to contain myself.”