Turn Towards the Sun Book Two: After the Rain (48 page)

His eyes shift towards me briefly, before returning to the road.

“Che cazzo, testa dura,” he says, barely loud enough for me to hear.

“Huh?”

“It means you are the most stubborn woman on this planet,” Enzo explains. “Why must you fight me on this? It’s very important to me to have this stable home life. It is how I was raised.”

“I was raised by two parents who worked. It teaches independence. I turned out fine, no?”

“Why don’t we talk about this later?” he suggests.

“There is nothing to talk about. I’m working. Once La Bellissima is complete, we’ll be working on the Italy projects. Me and the baby will be traveling with you anyway, so we’ll just bring the nanny along. It will be fine. I’m not budging on this. It’s important to me.”

He glances at me once more, but stays silent. I consider it a win for me.

Enzo pulls into the hotel parking lot. Franco and Dax are standing in the driveway discussing something. Whatever it is, Franco looks very pleased. We get out of the car and walk towards them. Dax averts his eyes from me. Since the incident a few weeks ago, he won’t even look at me, much less speak.

“Buon giorno,” Enzo says to the two men.

“Ciao, Enzo, Ava,” Franco says. He kisses us on both cheeks.

Dax shakes Enzo’s hand and nods his head politely towards me.

“Dax was just telling me that we are well below budget for the hotel. If we stay on track, we should be able to open in early August and come in thirty percent below our estimated budget.”

“Bravo. Good job.”

“Thanks, Enzo. I’ve had really good luck this time with permits and workers. It’s all been very smooth,” Dax says.

“How are you feeling, Ava?” Franco asks.

“Very well, thank you. Is Checca inside?”

“Yes, she’s in the casino.”

“Thanks. See you later,” I say.

I walk in to find Francesca sitting at one of the card tables with some tiles in front of her.

“Ciao Checca. What are you doing?” I ask.

“Ah, buon giorno, Ava,” she says. “I’m glad you are here. Yes, look at these tiles. I think I want to put them on all of these columns.”

Francesca has mirrored tiles of various sizes in front of her. Throughout the casino are some large, square columns and she has never felt completely satisfied with how they look. Thus she has been looking for a way to jazz them up for some time.

“I like these. They add some bling to the look and the room can handle it.”

“Yes, bling,” she says, smiling. “I like the bling, no?”

“With the chandeliers, I think it will look very nice. Do you want to ask Enzo?”

“Yes, I think we should,” she agrees. “He might think it’s too much.”

“He might, but he is going for Vegas appeal, so he should be okay with it.”

I look up to see Enzo walking through the lobby, and I call out to him. He approaches us with his hands in his pockets, looking relaxed and happy. I love seeing him like this.

“Yes, fratello, what do you think of these tiles for the columns?” Francesca asks.

Enzo picks up several of them and holds them up to the light. Then he takes the smallest one and places it up against one of the columns. “I like this one,” he says.

“Yes, I like that one too. It’s not too much?” Francesca asks.

“Not at all,” he replies. “I think it will look good. Nice job.” He kisses her cheek.

“Yes, so how did your appointment go today?” she asks.

Enzo’s face breaks into a glorious smile. “It was wonderful. Everyone is healthy.”

“That’s very good. I can’t wait to meet my new niece or nephew,” she says.

We spend the next few hours working in the big office in the back area, which Enzo set up for us. No more Girasole. It’s a little bittersweet, but now that we’ll be spending a lot of time at the new hotel for quite a while, it makes sense to have an office on site.

“I like how this handle looks, Checca. What do you think?”

I’ve picked out a vintage-looking crystal handle. I think it looks elegant, adding a touch of class to the rooms. I hold it up for her to see.

“Yes, Ava, it’s very nice; the best one I think. Let’s go have one installed,” she suggests.

We head up to the rooms, where Francesca gives the handle to one of the nearest workers. “Please install this so we can see,” she asks.

The man quickly attaches it and steps back. The doors to each room are dark purple and the long, rectangular crystal handle looks awesome.

Francesca claps her hands. “I love it!”

“Me, too,” I say. “It looks great.”

“Yes, you’ve done so well,” she tells me. “We work so well together, no?”

I laugh softly. “Yes, and I plan to continue to work with you, in spite of your brother’s objections.”

She smiles. “Yes, he told me he wants you to stop working. He said I would need to get a new assistant.”

“He did? Oh, that brat. What did you tell him?”

“I told him it was impossible as no one else would live up to my standards. I said I would just have to wait until you were ready again.” She laughs her throaty laugh.

“I told him that I plan to continue working,” I say. “The baby can come too. I’ll have a nanny.”

“He agreed?” she sounds shocked.

“I didn’t say that. I’m sure he’s still thinking about it.”

“Yes, he can be very old-fashioned. Ah, these men from Europe. I had a similar talk with Eduardo, but I resolved it before the babies come, no?” She laughs again.

“I didn’t have enough time. I thought I would have months, but I got pregnant just like that. Crazy.”

She smiles. “Yes. Crazy wonderful.”

“I do know that I don’t have as much stamina. I get tired easily, like right now. I just want to take a bath and go to sleep.”

“Yes, go home then,” says Francesca. “I’m fine here. We made good progress today. Let’s go find Enzo, no.”

“Okay.”

We head downstairs to the large office. Enzo is talking on the phone and twirling around in his chair when we enter. His face lights up when he sees me and my heart warms with love. I will never get over how incredible looking he is, especially when he smiles that way. Walking over, I lean against his desk and wait for his call to end.

“Okay, thank you. Ciao, ciao,” he says and snaps his phone shut. “How are you, bella?” he asks, reaching up to rub my belly.

“Tired. Can we go soon?” I ask.

“You’re at a stopping point?”

“Yes, Enzo, we are done for today. We have a lot accomplished,” Francesca tells him.

“Okay, I’ll finish a couple of things,” he says.

I hug my sweet sister-in-law. “See you tomorrow, Checca.”

“Ciao,” she replies, leaving the room.

Enzo and I are alone again. I run my hands across the smooth mahogany desk. It’s a striking piece of furniture, an antique he found in a Florence market and had shipped all the way to Arizona.

“This desk is so beautiful, Enzo.”

“Yes it is, like you.” He shuffles some papers and puts them into a folder.

I can’t tear my gaze away from him. My heart is filled with so much love and happiness that I want to say something, but what words can I use that haven’t already been said a hundred times?

He looks up and locks eyes with mine. “What are you thinking, my love?”

“I just can’t think of another unique way to tell you how happy you make me feel.”

“Your words are nice,” he replies, “but I can see it in your face and tell by your actions. I feel it.”

Turning towards me, Enzo wraps his arms around my waist. He then rubs his slightly stubbly face against my thighs, inhaling as he does. I throw my head back and run my fingers through his hair. I crave his touch, more so now than ever before.

“Make love to me” I whisper.

He lightly kisses my thighs. “I will when we get home.”

“No, now, here,” I say. “Please.”

Enzo lifts his head to meet my gaze. “Here, in the office?”

“Yes. I want you now.”

Standing up, he smiles at me. “My pleasure.”

Enzo walks over to the door and locks it, and then walks slowly back. Seating himself in the chair in front of me, he begins kissing my legs. Lifting me, he sets me down on the desk and stands in between my legs. I wrap them around him, drawing him closer. He lowers his mouth onto mine and our tongues entwine in a sensuous dance. I run my hands through his amazing hair while I revel in the feeling of his scratchy face rubbing across my delicate skin.

I stretch to unbuckle his belt and quickly slide his zipper down. As I do, Enzo kisses and sucks my neck. Sliding my dress upwards, he gropes my very swollen breasts. I stroke him in my hands, bringing him to a full erection. Pulling down my panties, he presses his hardness against my opening, and I arch my back to make it easier for him to enter me. He does and I exhale loudly, my breath taken away for a moment by the sudden fullness.

“Ah, Ava, you feel so tight,” he whispers in my ear, his voice taking on that raspy tone I love so much. “I love being inside of you. It’s the best… the best.”

“I love it too… keep going. Fill me up,” I say, wrapping my legs more tightly around him.

Enzo moves against me quietly, with only the sound of our breathing between us. I love the clandestine feeling of this; the rushed release of passion. I feel the telltale signs of his impending climax as his hands grip behind my neck and his body begins to tense, and I brace myself. He says nothing, but inhales and exhales very slowly as his body convulses against mine. Then he lies still on top of me, burying his face in my neck.

“Ti amo, bella, la bellissima, ti amo… tanto.”

I love it when his words just fall out of him like that with pure, unadulterated love.

“Look at me, Enzo.”

He lifts his face to mine.

“Thank you for being who you are, and giving yourself so completely to me,” I tell him. “It’s everything to me, what we have. This love is like feeling the warmth of the sun.”

He responds with a kiss. “You deserve the sun, after all the darkness,” he says before lifting me off the desk.

I smile. “It was never dark. Just a rainy day…”

“A rainy day? Okay. More like the monsoon season in the Arizona summers.”

“You’re too hard on yourself,” I say. “Being with you fills me with joy. Every couple has trials.”

“Shall I recap the various hazards you’ve endured since you met me?” he asks, holding up his fingers as though he is counting.

“Shall I recap the various wonders and pleasures I’ve enjoyed since I met you?” I retort.

He grins. “I guess you like rainy days then?”

“A little rain is good. It helps things grow. Besides, don’t you just love the smell after the rain? Everything is fresh, renewed, and better than it was before.” Smiling, I kiss Enzo’s cheek.

“You’re an amazing person,” he says.

“As are you, my handsome prince.”

He grins. “By the way, I wanted to do that with you for a long time.”

“Do what?”

“Make love to you on my desk. I’ve been close before.”

“Why didn’t you say something?” I ask, smoothing my dress back into place.

“I wanted it to be spontaneous, just like it was.”

“A fantasy of yours then?” I ask, giggling.

“Yes, a fantasy. I have many more that revolve around you.”

“Is that so? We should discuss.”

“We will.”

“Promise?” I tease him.

He laughs. “I do. And you know how I am about promises.”

“Yes. I know.”

He runs his hands over the top of his desk. “Now this is my favorite office.”

“Glad I could help.”

“Andiamo? Let’s get you home.”

“Yes, please. I think Cassie is actually cooking for us tonight. Hope you like Crockpot meals,” I say.

He frowns. “I have no idea what a Crockpot is, but I’ll do my best to encourage her.”

“That’s the best we can hope for you.” I say, as we walk out to the car and head back home.

****

“Checca, how do you think these tiles would look as a backsplash behind the bathroom sink?” I hold up a small square white tile for her to see.

“What happened to the silver tiles we picked out?” she asks.

“There aren’t enough. I thought Dax told you that. If we chose them, we wouldn’t have enough for the entire hotel.”

Francesca shakes her head and pops her bottom lip out in a pout. “I want the silver ones. It would look better, no? More bling,” she adds.

“Well, I could keep looking and calling suppliers. I thought these might be a good substitute because they are metallic. They’re still shiny.”

She takes one in her hand, and moves it back and forth under the light. “Yes, it is shiny, but not like silver.”

“No, not like silver… Wait, I have an idea.” I grab my notebook and start drawing a pattern. “What about mostly white tiles with a few of the silver ones mixed in, to add some visual interest?”