Crave (Splendor Book 2) (66 page)

Ian grimaced. “Why is everyone who stops by today trying to feed me?”

But he managed to eat almost half of the salmon teriyaki, rice, and miso soup before pushing the takeout container away. Isobel got a phone call that she excitedly exclaimed was from a gallery owner, and dashed out into the hall to answer it.

Ian raised a weary brow to Andrew. “Pleasant enough girl but frankly doesn’t seem your type.”

Andrew returned his gaze steadily. “Are you referring to the tattoos, the piercings, the purple hair, or the funky clothes?”

Ian smiled. “Ah, I suppose all of those. You’re much more conservative than she is.”

“You think so?” inquired Andrew. “Guess you’ve never noticed these, hmm?”

He pointed to the holes in his right earlobe and above his left eyebrow where some sort of hoop or stud would normally be inserted.

“Obviously I don’t wear any jewelry to the office. And there’s one more piercing in, um, let’s call it a more private spot.”

Ian couldn’t suppress the shudder that went through him at the thought of a piercing -
there.
“Any tattoos?”

“Six of them at last count,” confirmed Andrew. “All of them well hidden under my suits at the office. No purple hair, but during college I did have a ponytail. Down to here.” He pointed to the middle of his back. “And the funky clothes come out on the weekends, though it’s mostly just jeans and T-shirts, nothing too out of the ordinary.”

Ian’s grin grew a bit wider with each revelation. “Will wonders never cease. I do believe you’ve bested me at my own game, Andrew. I would never in a million years have guessed at any of these hidden secrets of yours. So your image as a stick in the mud was all just one big hoax, hmm?”

Andrew dared to glare at him. “With all due respect, sir, it’s vital to the continued operation of the office that this stays strictly between us. If anyone else knew, I’d lose all respect, and then it would be complete and total anarchy in that place.”

Ian laughed, the first time in over twenty four hours he’d come close to doing so. “I agree. So for the sake of maintaining control over the troops, your secrets are safe with me.”

Isobel returned then, beaming with the news that a local gallery owner was very interested in displaying some of her sculptures. She seemed anxious to get back to her latest project, so Ian shook both their hands and thanked them for dinner.

“My treat next time,” he surprised himself by saying. “When Tessa’s fully recovered, we’ll make it a double date - you two pick the place.”

Andrew glanced uncertainly at Isobel. “Sir, I’m not really certain that’s a good idea. We probably shouldn’t be socializing outside of the office.”

“Oh, quit being such a stuffed shirt, Andrew,” scolded Ian. “You’re getting to be ten times worse than I ever was. Besides, I’m a little curious to see some of these tattoos of yours. But not,” he added hastily, “the other piercing you mentioned.”

It was quiet after they left, and still there was no significant change in Tessa’s condition. The doctor making evening rounds assured Ian that she was holding her own, and that they should expect to see some change one way or the other within the next twelve hours or so.

Ian frowned. “What exactly does that mean?”

The youngish doctor seemed to hesitate a bit before replying. “She’s more than twenty four hours post op now, so either her fever will break and the infection will start to clear up. Or, well, the fever will continue to spike and the infection could spread. But we’ll continue to keep a very close eye on her as we’ve been doing and look for any changes. You should really try and get some sleep yourself, sir.”

But Ian knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep, not so long as his beloved Tessa was still so sick and unresponsive. He tried reading, doing a bit of work, but all he could think about was her. After a while, he simply sat down in the chair next to her bedside, holding her hand, and pressing occasional kisses to her forehead or cheek, still alarmed by how hot her skin felt.

“You know, darling, if you don’t wake up soon, we’ll have to delay our trip to Italy next month,” he told her. He knew she couldn’t hear him, but he was desperate for any sort of distraction. “And that would be a great pity, because you’d completely ruin some very carefully laid plans I’ve made.”

Ian brought her hand to his lips. “I’ve never brought a woman to the villa before, so this will be another first for me. And it will be an excellent opportunity for you to practice your Italian, so you really need to wake up now so you can start recovering in time.”

He brushed a damp strand of hair off her forehead. He’d tried to comb the tangled locks earlier in the day, but had given up when she’d kept turning her head to and fro in distress.

“I know you’re a sleepyhead, Tessa, but this is getting ridiculous,” he joked. “Besides, this mattress is a poor substitute for ours. You know how much you love the Hypnos, so please open your eyes now so I can bring you home.”

He touched his forehead to hers. “God, Tessa, you have to wake up, have to get better. I’m lost without you, darling. Didn’t you know I was lost for my entire life until I met you? I used to joke that I was married to my job, that work was the only thing I really needed in my life. My poor mother had given up hope that I would ever meet someone, or give her a grandchild. Speaking of which, I’ve been giving it a lot of thought. I think I’d like a daughter first, one with your blonde hair and blue eyes, and if you like we could name her Gillian, after your mother.”

Carefully, he eased himself onto the bed beside her, being mindful of the IV tube and monitors as he took her in his arms. “You’ve brought so much light, so much happiness into my life, Tessa. I was alone and lonely and didn’t even know it until that day you walked into my office. You were so damned young and innocent -
too
young, I told myself - and then I discovered too damned married as well. My heart broke into a thousand pieces that day. I knew I should have sent you away - I almost did - just so I didn’t have to face the pain of seeing you every day and knowing I couldn’t have you.”

Tears began to trickle unheeded down his cheeks and he buried his face against her neck. “But in the end I couldn’t bear the thought of not seeing you again. So I kept you nearby, where I could still see your beautiful face every time I walked past your desk. Even though I couldn’t have you for myself, I still thought it preferable to not seeing you at all. So you have to wake up now, darling. Because I didn’t waste two and a half years waiting for you only to have you taken away from me now.”

Ian, a man who never cried, at least not since he’d been a boy of three who’d fallen down and skinned his knee, now wept as though he were that same small child. His tears fell unchecked onto Tessa’s hospital gown, the cotton fabric already dampened by her feverish body, and his body shook from the force of his sobs.

The touch was so light, so imperceptible, that at first he wasn’t even aware of it. He thought perhaps he was dreaming, that his exhausted body had finally succumbed to sleep, or that his weary brain was playing tricks on him.

But then, in addition to the whisper soft touch of a hand stroking his hair, he began to hear the barely discernable murmuring as well. He forced his eyes open to find Tessa gazing at him drowsily.

“Ian.”

Her voice was weak, her hand against his cheek limp, but there was clarity in the half-lidded blue eyes that gazed steadily at him.

“Tessa.” His hands cupped her cheeks, his lips finding hers in a soft, careful kiss. Anxiously, he felt her brow, and his tears fell anew as he realized her fever was finally beginning to break. She still felt a little warm and definitely clammy, but not burning up as she’d been for far too many hours.

“What - what happened?” she whispered wearily.

“Hush.” He brushed his lips against her cheek. “Plenty of time for all that.”

“No.” She clutched his hand a little tighter. “Vegas. You’re supposed to be in Las Vegas. Your meeting -”

“Went on very well without me there,” he assured her. “The whole damned world can get on without me for as long as it takes to get you out of this place and have you well again.”

She shook her head. “But your meeting was important.”

“No. No, Tessa.
You
are important. You’re the only important thing in my entire life,” he told her urgently. “Without you, nothing else exists for me. So forget about the meeting, or work, or anything besides the two of us. You are the only thing in my life that matters.”

Tessa touched her fingers to his cheek. “You’ve been crying. Am I - was it that bad?”

He shook his head. “No. No, darling. I was worried, that’s all. And you’re going to be fine now. After all, I’ve got a great many plans for our trip to Tuscany next month, and there is no possible way I’m going to allow you to spoil any of them.”

She linked her fingers with his and nodded. “Well, we can’t have that, can we? And speaking of surprises, weren’t you supposed to be bringing me one back from Las Vegas? But I guess you didn’t have time to go shopping.”

He grinned at her. “Actually, I did. And I’ve got your surprise here in the room. Want to see it?”

“Hmm. Black lace, I suppose?”

“Of course. You know how much I love you in black lace.” Ian didn’t bother to add that he’d also bought her a number of other things from La Perla, in a wide variety of colors.

Tessa thought about it for a moment before giving a little shake of her head. “Maybe later. I’m so tired. Besides, I don’t think black lace would go very well with this hospital gown.”

He laughed and hugged her close. “Darling, don’t you know? Black lace goes with anything. So long as you’re the one wearing it, that is.”

Epilogue

September - Tuscany

Tessa gazed out at the acres and acres of vineyards spread out in the valley below as the sun slowly began to set. It was cooler now, something of a relief after the heat of the day, and she thought about going back inside the house for a wrap. But it felt too good to lay back on the chaise and admire the gold and purple colors of the Tuscan sky. Ever since she and Ian had arrived here at his family’s villa two days ago, they’d done very little besides what he’d jokingly referred to as their “S” activities - swimming, sleeping, sipping wine, and sex.

This was their last night alone here, since Ian’s parents were due to arrive tomorrow, and his brother Colin and his family the day after that. They were to remain here another week at the grand estate, located about an hour’s drive south of Pisa, before flying to London for a few days. There Tessa would meet the rest of Ian’s family, including his brother Hugh and Uncle Richard.

It had taken her some time to fully recover from the uterine perforation and resulting infection. Though she’d been able to leave the hospital two days after her fever had broken, she’d been on strict instructions to rest and take it easy for at least two more weeks. Ian, of course, had taken those directions to the extreme and hired a nurse to look after her while he was busy at the office. It hadn’t been until a follow-up visit with Jordan, where the handsome OB/GYN had proclaimed her fully recovered, that Ian had reluctantly agreed the nurse’s services were no longer required.

Jordan had also prescribed a new brand of birth control pills for her, these with a very low dose of hormones, and so far she hadn’t experienced any type of side effects. The issuance of her new prescription had coincided nicely with the timing of her recovery, along with Jordan’s blessings, given with a huge grin, to resume sexual activity.

Ian had been gentle, tentative even, afraid of hurting her, until she’d rather impatiently taken control of things. He’d been both startled and amused when she had pushed him onto his back, just before straddling his thighs and impaling herself on his cock, and then taking him - as he’d half-joked - for the ride of his life. Since then they had scarcely been able to keep their hands off each other, not only making up for lost time during her recovery, but being conscious of the fact that they wouldn’t be alone after today for well over a week.

“And unfortunately, centuries-old Italian villas are not nearly as well insulated or soundproofed as our home back in San Francisco,” he’d told her. “Plus there’s no walk-in closet to hide inside, either. So while my family is here I’m afraid we’ll be restricted to using the shower for any amorous activities.”

“Or you can just gag me again,” she’d offered teasingly. “That seemed to work out just fine the last time.”

He had laughingly told her he’d give the matter some thought, but he
had
bought her a beautiful silk scarf during their shopping excursion earlier today to the nearby medieval town of Volterra. When she’d protested that she had more scarves than she could possibly use, Ian had whispered that this one wasn’t meant to be tied around her neck.

The live-in groundskeeper and his wife, who resided in a separate cottage on the property, not only tidied up the villa each day but also cooked beautiful, elaborate meals for them. Tessa, who’d lost almost ten pounds during her hospitalization and recovery, was certain she’d gained at least half that amount back after just two days of eating Luciana’s cooking.

Fortunately, she’d recovered enough to have started her online classes right on time. It was proving to be a bit more work than she’d imagined, but Ian was as good as his word and helped her when she had questions or didn’t understand a particular theory or problem. He was exceedingly proud when she got perfect scores on the two algebra quizzes she’d completed thus far.

This morning over breakfast, he’d discussed with her an idea he’d been floating around for some time - that of delegating more responsibility to both his managerial staff and Andrew. Evidently the PA had done an admirable job in delivering part of Ian’s budget talk during July’s manager’s meeting, enough so that Ian was seriously considering the idea of having Andrew take over some of the hotel reviews he did.

“Frankly, I’m getting awfully tired of being on the road so much,” he’d admitted. “And while having you along certainly makes it more bearable, I’d still prefer to be at home with you a lot more often. So, we’ll see. With the right training and some experience, Andrew might be able to take some of that load off my shoulders in the near future.”