Page 17 of Condemned to You

In that moment, as the smoke spiraled into the air, and I was transported back to that night on the beach, where the salty breeze had mingled with the scent of her shampoo.

Under the cloak of night, the moon cast a silvery glow upon the tranquil waves, creating a shimmering path that led directly to the secluded stretch of beach where I found Bethany looking out toward the ocean. Taking one more look behind me toward the hotel making sure no one had followed me, I let out a sigh of relief. Bethany turned around to face me, her long blond hair blown to the side as she smiled, standing there in a thin white short night gown. She looked like an angel, and I the devil she so eagerly was waiting for.

“You sure no one saw you leave the room?” I question as I approach her.

“Everyone is asleep. I snuck out of the room from my terrace.” Bethany smirks at her choice of booking a ground floor room.

Holding her face with my hand, I pulled her in for a kiss. My other hand placed on the small of her back, I felt every part of her body against mine. The cool, damp sand, and the air was thick with the scent of salt water, the soft sound of the ocean lapping against the shore wrapped us in a world neither one of us wanted to escape. As our lips parted, we both leaned our foreheads forward as they rested on one another.

“Please tell me you have something up your sleeve for tomorrow.”

“Not this time sweetheart.”

“How am I supposed to lay in bed with him every night?” Bethany’s voice is soft as she spoke.

“I’m sorry,” is all I could say.

Staring into each other’s eyes, we found solace in each other, creating a memory that would linger long after the tides washed away our footprints in the sand.

“He’ll want kids.”

The lump in my throat makes it hard to speak, “So you will give that to him.”

“I want them to be yours.”

I place a kiss on her forehead. “You have to play the role Bethany. He can’t suspect a thing.”

Her emerald eyes hold back tears. “If this is the only way I can still have you – then I will do it.”

“I love you.”

I’d never said those words to a woman before and it was the first time confessing it to Bethany. It was the night before her marriage to Pio, so I was shitty on timing but I had to say it. She had to know how much of a struggle this was for me just as it was for her. Bethany’s eyes sparkled like the stars above, reflecting the emotions that danced between us—desire, excitement, and a hint of trepidation as our breaths mingled in the warm night air.

I led her onto the ledge of rocks that piled out into the water where waves crashed into them. Sitting on the edge, Bethany swung her leg over straddling me. The heat coming off her body warmed my skin. She felt like home. Our lips touched and we fell into a deep passionate kiss. My hands wondered up her thin night gown and it was no surprise she was wearing nothing underneath. Bethany slowly rocked her hips as our tongues massaged one another. My dick hardened from the heat and feel of her rubbing against it. Reaching into my sweatpants, I pulled it out guiding it to her entrance. Bethany raised herself and then gently lowered herself onto the tip until I was fully inside of her. She paused a moment allowing the walls of her pussy to tighten around my cock as she placed her mouth back onto mine. Slowly, she rocked her hips forward and back, from time to time she pulled out of our kiss to catch her breath. Neither one of us ready for this to end. When I felt her walls tighten, I knew she was approaching her climax. Holding out from my own orgasm, I waited for her to finish first – just like I always have. Her breathing got heavier, her hands gripped my shoulders for support, her muscles began to stiffen as her body prepared for its release while I watched this beautiful women give herself to me. The waves aggressively crashed into the rocks adding intensity to the sensual intimate moment.

“I’m going to cum,” she moans.

She looked to me for permission and I nod my head. We both climax. Thankfully we were far enough not to be heard.

I let out a grunt, semen spilling into the toilet. Reality crept back in and I was back in the sterile confines of the airplane bathroom with my dick in hand and a cigarette in my mouth. Cleaning myself up I had to laugh at the current situation. Each drag of the cigarette was bittersweet, a fleeting tribute to a love that felt both achingly present and impossibly distant.

I, Emilio Pugliese, am in love with a woman I cannot have.

Chapter Ten

Bethany POV

The water from my new showerhead poured down heavy so that it felt as though you were standing under a waterfall. As I submerged my entire body under the water with shut eyes, I reached out to my cherry blossom body wash and pumped some into my hand to lather onto my body. Sounds of water splattering on the floor while lost in thought, I rinsed off all the body wash from my skin. Luca must know Emilio is alive. It would make sense why there was no funeral and no word about Emilio being removed from his position. I thought it was just so no one would know there was such betrayal in the family. Since I wasn’t allowed to speak Emilio’s name, there was no way for me to know for sure.

I turned the knob cutting off the flow of water. Squeezing the excess water from my hair before stepping out of the shower, I didn’t even bother wrapping a towel around me. My phone conversation with Emilio put me in a good mood and I couldn’t stop smiling. It was all going well until I was interrupted by Alfie who came to let me know the house would be under tight surveillance the next few weeks.

While brushing my hair, I made my way toward the phone placed on the dresser charging.

“Now that’s a sight,” a man’s voice said behind me, causing me to scream in fear.

I turned around to see a figure standing in my room, the light from the master bathroom wasn’t enough to show me his face. Naked, I stood there trembling. As he stepped forward, a beam of light hit his face, and when I saw the scar over his left brow, I gasped. Is this real? Am I dreaming? I stood there in shock.

“I just couldn’t –“