Chapter 31

Aware of each breath Luca took, Daisy timed her heart to beat with his. She slowly turned around and pulled the covers up to her nose as she peered up at him in the dim light.

Luca was fast asleep, leaving Daisy alone to stare at him to her heart's content. She let her eyes roam around his face once then twice. Before long, she lost count of how many times her gaze swept over his lips or the light stubble on his jaw. When she couldn't resist the urge to reach out and touch him any longer, Daisy threw back the covers and jumped out of bed.

Her heart leaped into her throat as her breathing labored. She stood by the bed, unable to look away from Luca as he reached out in his sleep towards her side of the empty bed.

Daisy knew if she stayed in the room any longer, she would end up waking him. She didn't want to be responsible for whatever happened afterwards. Gathering up the silk robe she had on the chair, Daisy quickly slipped out of the room and closed the door. She stood against it with her hand over her heart as if Luca could hear every beat. Maybe he could, Daisy thought. It was so damn loud.

When they had made it upstairs to get ready for the night, Daisy didn't think it would be so hard to sleep next to him. She tried to be cool about it. But every time she turned and caught sight of him in the bathroom, the nursery, or sitting on the bed, her stomach clenched and her heart did strange things. At first she tried to tell herself it was the wine. But she was a master at drinking like a sailor. How could one glass of wine throw her world off its axis?

As Daisy stood by the entrance of Luca's room, her gaze slowly landed on Luca's other bedroom. She stared at the door for a while, not really seeing it as her thoughts jumbled and created storms in her mind. But as they began to settle, Daisy found herself smiling at the sight of the small sign.

Walking over to it, she held it up to the light before turning the doorknob and pushing the door open. The room was pitch black. The curtains were drawn and no light was one. Feeling her way around, Daisy made it to the writing desk and turned on the small lamp.

The first thing Daisy noticed were the paint stains on the desk. She could clearly make out where Luca taped his papers as he painted with oil based colors and beautiful shades of watery blue. His brushes, old and worn, were all stacked neatly in a mug. Some of his work depicting the sunrise or the beach were hung on the wall above the desk with white tape. Daisy leaned closer to peer at them, mesmerized by how beautiful each and every one of them were.

Not wanting to dwell too much time on the painting, Daisy made herself move away from the desk and look around the room. She smiled at the band posters on the wall and the albums in the bookshelf. A few of the books looked dearly beloved by how their pages were marked and flagged. Daisy ran her finger over them as she read the titles.

"I thought I told you you weren't allowed in here."

Frightened by his voice, Daisy gasped and whirled around to find Luca standing at the door.

"You have a bad habit of snooping around my stuff," he said, pushing his hands into the pockets of his black sweats.

Daisy tried not to notice how the action pushed the waistbands down a bit more on his hips. She also tried not to pay too much attention to the fact that he was completely shirtless or that his hair looked like it always did when he woke up and didn't bother touching it.

"Just curious...." Daisy's eyes lingered on Luca's smooth and hard stomach.

"Find anything interesting?" Luca asked, leaning against the door.

"Not yet," Daisy cleared her throat and pulled the ribbon of her robe tightly around herself.

"Why are you here?" Luca arched his brow.

"I couldn't sleep," Daisy tore her gaze away from him and turned away. She moved on from the bookshelf and began to examine the content of the boxes on the floor. "What about you?"

"I turned around and you weren't there."

"Are you scared of being alone in the dark?" Daisy teased. She kneeled in front of the wooden box and picked up the black motorcycle helmet buried under more sketches and paintings. "What's this?"

"A helmet," Luca said.

"Yes, I know that," Daisy stood up. "Who's is it?"

"Mine," Luca laughed, watching her put it on.

"You had a motorcycle?" Daisy asked.

"Yeah."

"I don't believe you," Daisy said. "No way! You? Luca Silvano?"

"Why is it so hard to believe?"

"I can't see it," Daisy shook her head and took off the helmet.

Luca couldn't look away as she turned the thing around in her hands and examined every little bit and piece on it with great interest. He found himself slowly moving towards her and raising his hand to smooth down her messy hair.

"Downside to wearing a helmet," he said as Daisy looked up at him with her big round eyes.

"I bet you impressed all the girls in town with your motorcycle," Daisy smiled.

"I wasn't really interested in that stuff," Luca shrugged.

"No?" Daisy laughed. "You mean you never brought a girl up here?"

"No," Luca said.

"What about..." Daisy hesitated to say the same, not wanting the moment between her and Luca to spoil.

"She thought it was improper to come to my room," Luca said, taking the helmet from Daisy and turning it in his hands.

"Oh," Daisy said. "Well.....she sounds.....fun?"

"You're the first girl to come in here beside Gia or Carla or Maria."

Daisy gasped dramatically, "Oh what an honor!"

Seeing her excitement, Luca laughed as he finally ran a hand through his hair and placed the helmet on the edge of the twin bed.

"I must look at everything then," Daisy said, stepping around Luca to examine the room further. "What is this?"

"Yearbooks," Luca said, taking a seat beside the helmet.

"And this?"

"Shell I collected with my mom," Luca smiled. "We used to paint the insides."

"They're beautiful," Daisy complemented. "Did she like to paint?"

"She loved it."

"Is that why you paint?"

"I guess so," Luca shrugged.

"You haven't painted in a while," Daisy noted.

"No, not really."

"Why not?"

"I've been busy," Luca said. "What about you?"

"Busy," Daisy sighed. "Growing a child and then raising a child."

Luca slowly nodded. He fell quiet as Daisy turned back around and gazed up at the map on the wall.

"Have you been to all these places?" She asked, touching the small red pins.

"Yeah," Luca rose from the bed and walked over to his writing desk.

"You need to put a pin on California," Daisy pointed.

"They should be in a box somewhere on the shelf," Luca said as he pulled out two sketch pads and some pencils and paint.

"I'll pin it," Daisy reached into the small box and picked up a small red round pin. She carefully placed it over California and pushed it into the chrome backboard. "There."

"Thanks," Luca said, walking up to stand beside her.

"What's all this?" Daisy asked as she looked down at the materials in his hands.

"Let's paint," Luca said.

"What?" Daisy laughed.

"Yeah," Luca chuckled. "When was the last time either one of us did this?"

"I really can't remember," Daisy shook her head.

"Come on," Luca placed the papers and paints on the bed and he took a seat on the floor. Daisy couldn't bring her mind to picture a younger version of Luca doing the same thing in the same room. She slowly walked over and sat down beside him as he handed her the sketch pad.

"What should I draw?" Daisy asked.

"Whatever you want," Luca said.

Daisy scratched her head with the black pencil for a bit before sighing and turning to face Luca.

"Don't move," she pushed his jaw with the pencil to get him to face the light from the lamp.

"I'll try," Luca said, his eyes lowered as his own pencil moved over his paper.

Daisy's eyes moved over the sharp lines of Luca's face. She began to move her pencil, imitating each curve of his wavy hair, every sharp edge of his cheek bones, and any shadows that fell over his face. She sketched and sketched, letting her hand and eyes do all the work as she began to relax beside him and catch her breath.

Luca looked up at her several times. But Daisy always pushed his face back towards the light. He really didn't need to look at her to paint her. She was imprinted on his mind. He just liked it when her fingers would brush his face and turn him away.

"What was your favorite thing to do when growing up?" Daisy asked.

"See the town from high up on the cliffs," Luca said. "It's behind the church. My mom used to take me there when I was little. The lights from the homes and the shops looked like stars on the ground."

"I still can't believe I'm here," Daisy said, setting down her sketch pad to stare at Luca.

"It's hard to believe," Luca smiled. "I have a lot of memories of this town. I want to show you so many places."

"Where are we going first?" Daisy asked eagerly.

"Gelato," Luca grinned. "Tomorrow. As soon as they open."

"I want to try the honey bread," Daisy said. "Gia told me about it."

"Oh it's the best!" Luca laughed. "With a nice cup of coffee? Best thing in the world."

"I want to see the market and go to the dances," Daisy's eyes beamed. "I want to buy the flowers an-"

"I'll buy you the flowers," Luca said.

"No, you don't have to."

"I want to," Luca laughed, his eyes focused on his painting.

"Not white ones," Daisy's nose scrunched up. "I like the colorful ones."

"Okay," Luca nodded.

"Maria said we're going to church on Sunday."

"Yes."

"How's that going to be?" Daisy asked. "Gia paled as soon as she heard."

"It'll be....interesting," Luca said. "It'll be our first official appearance as husband and wife."

"Oh I bet we'll be the talk of the town," Daisy laughed. "Del Mare's golden boy returns with a wife and a baby! The shock!"

"Stay still," Luca shook his head at how dramatic Daisy was. He was trying to capture the light on her face but she kept moving away from the lamp.

"What are you working on?" Daisy asked, leaning forward and moving into the shadows.

Luca, having lost the perfect angel, clicked his tongue and grabbed Daisy's face, "Stop moving."

"Show me what you're working on," Daisy said.

"It's not done," Luca complained.

"I want to see it."

Daisy pushed Luca's hand away, causing the paint brush tucked between his fingers to graze over Daisy's cheek. She immediately flinched from how cold the paint was. Her lips parted as her shoulders tensed.

Luca's gaze dropped to the blue paint of Daisy's face. He was suddenly transported back to the first night he had seen her sneaking around his sketch pad. The streak of indigo paint on her still made his hands itch to pain her whole body.

Daisy couldn't tell what Luca was thinking. His eyes bored into hers as he slowly pulled her forward. One inch at a time until she was on his lap. Her knees rested on either side of him as their breathing labored and small black dots in Luca's eyes grew wider.

Sliding his hand down her throat, Luca left a trail of paint as he moved aside her robe and let his hand explore down the front of her chest. Daisy slowly undid the bow on her robe and let the material slip off her shoulders. She watched Luca's hand as he touched the tip of the paint brush against her skin and created very precise and delicate lines.

"I've wanted to paint you since the first time I saw you," he said. "And not on paper."

Daisy felt the sides of her stomach clench. Her hands moved up to Luca's shoulder as he dipped his fingers in the paint pallet and traced it up her arms.

"Indigo is your color," Luca whispered, setting Daisy's body on fire.

"You're blue," Daisy leaned her forehead against his, unable to catch her breath as she shivered from how tenderly Luca was touching her.

Lowering her hands, Daisy dipped her fingers in the blue paint. Unlike Luca who only carried the colors on the tips of his finger, Daisy smeared it all over her palm. Once every inch of her hand was blue, she placed it over Luca's chest, right above his heart.

"You fit so perfectly," Luca said, pushing her hips forward.

Feeling how hard he was between her legs, Daisy's free hand gripped Luca's shoulder as she bit down on her bottom lip and closed her eyes. Luca moved his hands up her back before wrapping one around her waist and placing the other on the back of her neck. He pushed off the bed, raising his mouth to Daisy's.

The way Daisy's lips surrendered to his hungry mouth made Luca shudder. He gripped the back of her neck, pulling her closer as she moved forward on his lap and dug her hands into his hair. Her skin was smooth to the touch, burning with desire.

Daisy couldn't focus on anything other than the way Luca kissed her. She feared he would devour her from how his tongue moved into her mouth and stole her breath away. One of his hands made its way to her ass as he began to rock her back and forth. When she whimpered from the pleasure igniting between her legs, Luca bit down on her bottom lip and sucked it into his mouth.

"Don't," Daisy said breathlessly. "Don't kiss me like that unless...."

"Unless what?" Luca asked, speaking against her mouth.

"Unless you're going to fuck me on this bed right here," Daisy gripped the bedsheets to give her leverage as she moved her hips in circles over Luca's hard cock.

"This really is a teenage dream, huh?" Luca laughed, kissing Daisy's neck as her head rolled back. "I would have killed to have you like this when we were teenagers."

"I can only imagine what teenage you did with girls in this town," Daisy kissed Luca's ear before pulling his hair to tilt his head back.

"Nothing," Luca said, looking up into her eyes as Daisy loomed over him.

"Nothing?" Daisy teased. "So if I speak to these lucky lucky lucky Del Mare girls, they-"

"There wasn't anyone," Luca said, holding her hand to stop her and get her to hear what he was saying.

"What?" Daisy tilted her head to one side.

"I was dating someone who wanted to wait until we were married," Luca said slowly.

Daisy, who had stopped moving her hips, blinked several times as she listened to what Luca was telling her. He waited for her to react as his hand moved to hold her face. His thumb began to smear the indigo paint on her cheeks as she sat back down slowly on his lap and stared.

"So you never...?" Daisy asked, her cheek flushed.

"No," Luca said, admiring the way she was blushing as if she was the one who never slept with anyone.

"What about after?" Daisy asked, shaking her head like it didn't make sense to her. "After she passed away."

"I didn't see anyone after her," Luca said.

"Nobody?" Daisy asked, not believing what Luca was telling her.

"Nobody," Luca said.

Daisy opened her mouth and then closed it, not knowing what to say as she processed the news.

"Nobody?" She asked again. "Like nobody?"

"Well..." Luca shrugged casually. "There was this one girl.."

"Who?" Daisy asked.

"You wouldn't know her," Luca said. "She was seeing this other guy and I was crazy over her. I drove to her house in the middle of the night after I made a stupid stupid mistake and begged her to come with me but....she..."

"She wanted you to try harder," Daisy said. "She wanted you to tell her you couldn't breathe without her."

Luca leaned his head back against the bed and stared up into Daisy's eyes, "I can't breathe without you."

"You should have told her you think about her day and night."

"I think about you day and night," Luca repeated.

"You should have told her your world starts and ends with her."

"My world," Luca sat up slowly, holding Daisy tightly in his arms. "Stars and ends with you."

Daisy couldn't slow down her heart. She felt her chest fill with emotions she couldn't bottle up. If she pushed any harder, they would rise to her eyes in the form of tears.

"I love you," Daisy breathed out.

Luca stilled.

His face drained of all colors as his hands slowly began to retreat.

"You don't have to say it back," Daisy rushed to get her words out. "I...I just want you to know how I feel about you."

Luca sat still. Not saying a word. His eyes grew somber as his face twisted in pain. Daisy's chest began to tighten with worry as she pulled herself closer to him.

"Touch me," she said, her eyes watering. "Don't pull away-"

"Daisy..." Luca opened his mouth. "I...."

"Don't say anything," Daisy shook her head, her tears rolling down her face. "Just touch me. Hold me."

Luca didn't know how to move his limbs. He sat in shock as Daisy wiped the tears on her face and used the back of her hand to wipe her nose.

"You're the first," she said, dropping her gaze to her hand. "I've never loved another m-"

Snapping out of his head, Luca pulled Daisy closer and captured her lips. She didn't hesitate to kiss him back with the same level of emotion and desire as he poured into her.

Luca hooked his arm around her waist and flipped them around. He pressed her against the floor as he moved between her legs and grabbed one of her thighs. Their bodies knew exactly what to do as if they had been doing the same dance for thousands of years. Luca rolled his hips forward and kissed her harder as Daisy's back arched up from the floor.

"Wait, wait..." Daisy placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed back gently.

"What's wrong?" Luca asked breathlessly.

"So you really have never been with anyone else?" Daisy asked.

"No," Luca shook his head before dipping down to kiss Daisy again.

"Stop, stop," Daisy laughed. "We can't."

"Why?"

"Not like this," Daisy said. "I want your first time to be special."

"I'm not a teenage girl, my love."

"No," Daisy wiggled out from under him.

"Come back," Luca reached for her.

"There should be candles and roses and chocolate," Daisy said, her eyes lit up with excitement. "We should go on a date and then go to some nice hotel with a round bathtub full of bubbles."

"Is that how your first time was?" Luca asked, shaking his head as he grinned from ear to ear.

"No," Daisy frowned. "My first time was at some high school party at a bowling alley."

"A bowling alley?" Luca looked insulted.

"His car was small so we did what we had to do in the women's bathroom."

"Daisy!"

"Can we do flowers and chocolates?" Daisy asked, climbing onto his lap once more. "Please!"

"Is that what you want?" Luca placed his hands on her hips.

"Yes," Daisy nodded.

"Okay," Luca said. "Whatever you want, amore."  

Hehehehe :D