A Place in the Sun(53)

I thought he wanted it to be just the four of us.

Why was he enjoying himself so much?

Then he caught me staring and before I could turn away, he unleashed a seductive smile and tilted his head to the living room where people had started to dance playfully.

He edged around the group and I followed after him, not yet sure if I was ready to let go of my anger, but too curious to turn him down. He reached for my glass and set it down on a side table, taking my hand in his and pulling me close.

There were enough people there that we didn’t stand out, but the dancing was different from what we did back in England. There, men sort of flopped around and tried desperately to look like they knew what they were doing. This was different. Gianluca radiated an effortless rhythm. He was so confident that when he pulled me into him, I melted.

“Are you still upset with me?” he asked, ensuring that my hips were aligned with his.

I was burning up, on the edge of giving in when he bent his head and whispered against my ear.

“Don’t be, bella…tesoro…luce dei miei occhi…”

He was coaxing me out of my sour mood, gently teasing me with Italian pet names. Lovely, darling… Before I could ask what the last phrase meant, he pulled back and met my gaze.

“Light of my eyes.”

I groaned and rolled my eyes, feigning annoyance. Still, every single ounce of anger I’d held was gone.

“I was never really upset,” I started.

He took my hand and spun me around, then pulled me back close, rocking his hips with mine. “No? You’ve been punishing me for the last hour.”

“Maybe you deserved it a little bit.”

He laughed and then his gaze dropped to my lips, his smile faded, and I could tell he wanted to kiss me. God, we were on the verge of making a real show of it in front of everyone, but then a clap of thunder sounded again, directly over the villa, and all at once we were plunged into darkness.

“Merda.”





GIANLUCA ROOTED AROUND the haphazardly organized drawers in his kitchen for candles and we helped spread them around the first floor, but it was hardly enough to illuminate the living room. The rain wasn’t supposed to let up until morning and Gianluca refused to send anyone home in the storm. The path down to the square would be muddy and dangerous even for sober people, and most were far from it. It was decided that no one would leave until the morning.

There were a dozen of us sharing four candles that were quickly burning low. Gianluca promised the guest bedroom to Massimo and Katerina, and then Paolo claimed the couch in an office upstairs. Everyone else was relegated to the first floor. Gianluca took a flickering candle and ran around upstairs, collecting pillows and blankets for everyone. I helped him, holding my arms out for him so he could load me down with supplies.

“Should I sleep—”

“You’ll stay in my room,” he answered before I could even get the question out.

Right. Okay.

In the light of day, everyone in the party would have noticed if I went off with Gianluca, but in this hectic setting, it was all too confusing to keep track of anyone in particular. Most everyone was drunk and getting drunker by the minute. The lights were out and the music was dead, but they were happy to sit in a circle in the dark, chatting and drinking. There were pallets set up on the floor as if meant for a massive orgy, but really it was more of an adult slumber party. Katerina and Massimo quietly stole off to their room upstairs, and Paolo followed suit as the candles dwindled even more, millimeters from going out.

I collected the few dishes I could find and cleaned up the kitchen so we wouldn’t wake up to a massive mess. Gianluca was helping me when he suddenly cursed.

Apparently, he’d been showing everyone pictures of the B&B on his cell phone earlier and had left it somewhere outside during the retreat from the storm. The raindrops were still coming down in droves.

“Oh god, it will have been drenched by now.”

He told me to stay put, but I could see that he was having trouble finding it in the darkness, so I followed him out. I was completely soaked within seconds. The rain was relentless, pelting my skin like pellets. My shoes stuck in the mud and another clap of thunder forced the hair on the back of my neck to stand.

“Georgie, go back inside!”

I didn’t listen; I tilted my head to the sky and let the rain pour down on me. There was no sense in rushing now. My dress was fully saturated and sticking to me like a second skin. I could see the heart of the storm roiling over the ocean, riling the waves and sparking the air with a palpable charge. I shivered and moved toward the door just as Gianluca found the phone under the grill’s crumpled canvas cover.

By the time we stepped back inside, two of the four candles had gone out and I had to squint in the darkness to see the kitchen. I slipped out of my shoes, wary of tracking mud through his house. The party in the living room was still going strong despite the circumstances. Matteo was trying to convince the others to play a round of strip poker.

“We won’t be able to see anything anyway! I could be naked right now!” he insisted with a laugh.

“Here.” Gianluca unloaded my arms of the dishes I’d just gathered from the table. He tossed everything in the sink. I watched him in the dim light, aware that his clothes were just as drenched as mine. His wet shirt clung to his strong shoulders and lean torso. His dark hair stuck to his forehead as he spun from the sink and took my hand.