AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘Buon Natale, duci.’
Giada kept her eyes closed, but the smile that took hold of her face lit through her heart and soul. She was well burrowed into the rich cotton sheets they’d eventually pulled over themselves somewhere in the early hours, after the thrilling Christmas Eve that had included another sumptuous dinner, champagne, and an attempt to watch a Sicilian movie that had been interrupted far too frequently with seeking hands and lips, thick, sexy demands and throaty moans.
The best part of it all had been making love with Alessio against the window of his bedroom while the snow fell outside, knowing this memory was seared in her heart for ever.
Now, with the smell of coffee teasing her nostrils and the promise of a stunning, masculine vision when she rolled over...?
Best. Christmas. Ever.
She lingered in that incredible feeling for a moment longer. Then yelped when a cascade of light objects bounced off her body. Turning over, Giada inhaled sharply as the glittering baubles rolled over the sheets.
Beside the bed, Alessio stood holding the giant white crystal-studded bag he’d evidently just emptied over her. And the contents he’d just emptied? Her eyes widened as the countless sea of ornaments danced around her. The same dark gold globes she’d seen hanging on the tree. Filled with priceless gifts.
‘W-what...what’s this for?’ she blurted.
One eyebrow arched in wicked teasing as he tossed the empty bag aside. ‘It’s Christmas Day. Take a wild guess.’
‘But...we can’t. I mean, this isn’t a normal...we’re just stuck here under...certain circumstances—’
‘Which we’ve agreed we’re going to make the best of,’ he said with an edge to his tone as he prowled onto the bed, sending a few of the baubles scattering. He settled over her, elbows on either side of her head as he brushed his nose with hers, then let loose a smile that stole what was left of her breath away. ‘So once again,Buon Natale,Dr Parker,’ he breathed against her lips.
Giada tried to stop the shameless melting. To stop her heart and soul from relabelling her thoughts from moments ago to Best Christmas For Ever. But she couldn’t. Something fundamentally important and essential shifted inside her as she exhaled and responded, ‘Merry Christmas, Alessio.’
They kissed as if they each searched for something essential in the other. As if this moment, while verbally unacknowledged, was significant. And when they parted, he stared down at her with heavy contemplation, his eyes boring into hers for answers she dared not give.
Even as he moved away towards the tray bearing coffee and breakfast things, the heaviness lingered. Two cups poured, he handed her one, then sprawled himself on the side of the bed, reaching out with his free hand to run a thumb over her lower lip for an age before he sat back.
‘Open your presents,’ he rasped, tossing her one orb before he lifted his cup to take a healthy sip.
Giada’s fist closed around it, her insides twisting with feelings she didn’t want to name. ‘I don’t have anything for you.’
His gaze remained long and steady on her, its focus far too probing for her liking. ‘On the contrary, you’ve given me an alternative view of what this day could be. And I’m not altogether...unappreciative.’
‘What do you mean?’
He looked a touch impatient, a touch chagrined, as if he hadn’t meant to reveal that. Then he said abruptly, ‘My Christmas Day is spent mostly visiting my parents’ graves. It was my mother’s favourite time of year. Massimo and I spend a significant portion of the day with her. It’s a duty I’m honoured to perform, but it’s not without its challenges.’
She couldn’t pretend not to care, not to stop the swell of emotion for this man whose heart had been so devastatingly ripped from him by those who should’ve treasured him. The idea of him spending all Christmas Day at a cemetery or crypt with his mother felt too harrowing to conceive.
Tossing the present aside, she set the coffee down, rose and went to the edge of the bed, slid her arms around his waist. ‘If you don’t mind that you’re stuck here with me, then I’m glad your day has been a little different.’
He exhaled sharply, then stilled, his eyes fixed on her upturned face. ‘Tell me something, Dr Parker.’
She excused the madness that made her insides thrill to hear him using her doctorate. If anyone had mentioned a charismatic Sicilian man would make her feel so ‘seen’ she would’ve rolled her eyes and flaunted her feminist card. ‘Yes?’ she invited throatily instead.
‘You’ve mentioned your mother a few times but not your father.’
Tension shaved off a layer of recklessness. When she tried to pull away, he held her still. Sighing, because, hell, she was in far too deep already. What was another revelation? What was opening her innermost heart and letting him see the real her, anguish, warts and all? ‘That’s because he’s never been in the picture.’
‘Meaning?’
‘Meaning my mother decided when she was pregnant that she would be better off as a single parent. And my father obviously concurred because he moved to New Zealand and spurned any attempts I made to contact him when I was old enough. Call me naïve but I thought the man who insisted his children be given his name would be interested but...’ She ignored the twinge of pain and shrugged, ‘I stopped trying when I turned twenty-one.’
Alessio shook his head, sliding away from yet another strong impulse to ease her pain. But he couldn’t stop the words that came. ‘In my experience, it’s a decision he will regret before too long.’
The eyes that met his glittered in the festive lights but he still caught the despondency within the alluring grey. ‘You have a crystal ball, do you?’
‘No, but I turn down more requests to fix family reunions than I care to count. It’s often misunderstood that I’m a fixer, not a priest or mediator.’
