Hidden Heart (15 page)

“
Take good care of my
girlfriend, Alessandro,” Isabella said while Alessandro took
Tessa’s hand and walked away.

Carlo winked at them and
said loud enough for everyone around to hear it, “It’s about time
you guys got together.”

Tessa felt her cheeks
redden and mouthed, “Stop” just for Carlo. He totally ignored her
embarrassment and gave her a thumbs up, a grin on his face from one
ear to the other.

Déjà vu all over again;
dancing with Alessandro like they did the very first day they met,
followed by the passionate night in his arms. His close proximity
made her head spin. He took her hand and placed his other on her
lower back. His body radiated warmth, confidence and sex appeal.
She rested her palm on his shoulder and felt his strong muscles.
Her long gown brushed his pants. His embrace on the dance floor
made her forget about everything.

It felt so
natural.

His eyes spoke to hers. A
smoldering fire lit up his pitch-black eyes. There was something in
them Tessa didn’t dare to believe—passion, hope, care.

His tender smile just for
her.

Nothing else around
existed.

Nothing else
mattered.

The song ended. Another one
started.

Alessandro still held her.
He hugged her even closer and her body molded perfectly against
his, her breasts pressing gently against his ribs. Her hip touched
his as her leg nestled between his. His scent enveloped her like
the night surrounding the moon and her mind emptied of all
thoughts, any thoughts.

A clicking sound and
flashing light brought her back. The wedding’s photographer took
pictures of them from all angles. A cameraman recorded their
dance.

Tessa blinked quickly, as
if snapping out of a dream. A beautiful dream. It needed to end,
soon, right that moment. It was wrong.

“
Excuse me,” she said and
walked away.

She needed air, fresh
air.

And space.

Space, where she could
think and clear her head.

She rushed to the wide
terrace outside the restaurant. She sat on a stone bench and looked
up at the sky; a full moon and infinite stars shielded the warm
summer night. A stone banister divided the terrace from the rest of
the yard. Night lanterns projected their shadows across the garden,
a magical and serene view all around. Sturdy trees looked like
soldiers alongside the tall, solid walls. Gardenia bushes and
roundels of red and white roses blended their
fragrances.

Little by little, her
nerves settled. Alessandro’s behavior confused her even more. It
felt like someone switched him and he was this other person she
knew from their one-night stand; kind, tender, considerate. It felt
so good, yet so wrong. Just weeks ago he told her it would’ve been
a mistake, why the change?

It didn’t
matter.

It didn’t matter how she
felt towards him or what could become of them.

She had baggage. She
carried someone else’s baby. It wouldn’t be fair to drag Alessandro
into this mess.

Wrong timing had somehow
become her mantra.

Tessa stood and
straightened her shoulders in an attempt to brush off the panic
that constricted her heart.

I will be all
right
.

Someone cleared his throat
close by.

“
Are you okay?” Alessandro
handed her a glass of champagne.

She thought of refusing it,
then changed her mind and accepted it. She didn’t drink; instead
she toyed with its long stem.

“
Yes, I am okay.” She
sighed then nodded. “Look, Alessandro…I…I am tired. Thanks for the
drink…I better go now.” She left the glass on the banister and
walked away.

“
Please, don’t.” He grabbed
her wrist, then let it go. He looked into his own glass, and pushed
a hand through his hair.

The gesture looked so
familiar. How she’d love to do that, sink her fingers in his thick
hair.

“
I…I have a feeling I scare
you…I just want to make sure you aren’t running off on my
account.”

She weighed her words. “To
be honest, yes you do scare me. I just can’t handle you one minute
warm and fuzzy and next colder than ice; I just don’t do well with
mood swings like this. I like to know what to expect from people
and with you…with you it’s impossible, and quite frankly it’s
exhausting.”

“
I am so sorry…for all the
times I couldn’t be myself around you. I know the past few weeks
have been a nightmare for you because of the accusations, but
things are about to change.”

“
Are they?”

“
Yes. As you know, I don’t
like to mix work with pleasure, but given the circumstances, I have
to make an exception. I will no longer be part of the
investigation.” He sighed then pushed a hand through his hair. He
looked nervous.

Tessa flinched at the heavy
feeling settling in her tummy. Someone else would take over and put
her through hell. Accuse her of something she didn’t do. She’d be
sent to jail, pregnant and all alone.

“
Oh my…” Her knees
buckled.

Alessandro helped her sit
on the nearby bench. They fell silent for a while.

Tessa fought back her
tears, absorbing the news.

She looked up at the sky
and forced a smile. “It’s funny how when I first saw you in the
office, I feared your presence…now, I panic, knowing you aren’t
going to be there anymore…” She looked at him and asked, “May I ask
you why?”

“
Well, there were some
vital facts that I had to take into consideration and I realized I
can’t go any further without jeopardizing something very important
to me.” He placed his glass on the banister, then rested his elbows
on his knees and looked sideways at her.

Tessa understood. He
believed her guilty and their history put him in an awkward
situation. His job was very important to him, yet pointing his
finger at her made it that much harder to finish off the
investigation. She couldn’t blame him for not wanting to have
anything to do with her, with her messy situation. She nodded, then
stood.

“
Tessa…” Alessandro stood
and faced her. “I…I don’t know how to say it, I…” He folded his
hands in prayer, pressed them against his lips and closed his eyes.
He struggled to find his words. He opened his eyes and sighed, “I
have not been in or desired to be in a relationship since my wife
died.” His eyes bore into hers, then he looked at her lips. “I have
not wanted a relationship, until now, Tessa."

She opened and closed her
mouth several times, but no words came out. A feeling of
disorientation overwhelmed her.

“
Oh, here you are. I’ve
been looking everywhere for you. Come on, I have to throw the
bouquet, everyone is waiting!” Isabella dragged her back inside to
the middle of the dance floor.

Bright lights, loud music,
laughter, glasses clinked together. People talked, people danced,
life happened.

Tessa locked eyes with
Alessandro; he joined the other guests curious who’d catch the
bouquet. She didn’t flinch nor did she try to catch the flowers. A
frenzy exploded around her with people congratulating the lucky
girl. She lost sight of him when guests surrounded her and someone
swirled her into a dance.

Later, the happy newlyweds
left for the honeymoon and several guests took their leave as
well.

Tessa stewed over
Alessandro’s words
. What did he mean,
"until now?" Did he mean with me? Why did he say that, and why so
cryptically? 
Her shock and confusion
transformed into anger.
There better be an
explanation for this
, she thought as she
stormed out of the ballroom.

“
You just can’t do this to
me!”

Tessa brushed by after
Alessandro opened the door to his room. She walked to the middle of
the room, hands on her hips and ready for a fight.

He closed the door slowly
and came to face her. He shoved his hands in his pockets and tilted
his head slightly. His shirt half opened revealed tiny curled hair
on his fit chest and Tessa found herself craving to touch
it.

She shrugged and lifted her
gaze to his face.
Stay
focused
!

“
There better be an
explanation, Alessandro, you can’t just drop something like this on
me and not explain yourself. It’s confusing. Why did you
leave?”

Her voice cracked, a
thickness forming in her throat. She fought back those stupid tears
that threatened to flow and ruin her makeup. And show how
vulnerable she felt.

“
I would’ve explained
myself if I had the chance, but Isabella took you away from me…” He
whispered the words in a low, husky voice that made Tessa’s belly
tremble.

Alessandro closed the space
between them and took her head in his warm palms. His heavy-lidded
eyes lingered on her face as he brushed a thumb on her lips, the
other on her cheek.

“
Alessandro…please…don’t do
this to me,” she said and shook her head. “My life…my life it’s a
total mess, I can’t take more drama and I just can’t…can’t fight it
anymore…please?”

Her plea got lost in his
kiss.

Her body responded to it
with such intensity, it made her shiver. He traced the outline of
her lips with his tongue while his hands moved feverishly along her
neck, down her shoulders and back. In return, she ran her tongue
along his lips.

His breathing accelerated.
He sucked on her lower lip a little and released it. A panting
escaped her. Alessandro’s tongue moved inside her mouth in a dance
of total abandon.

Passion.

Hunger.

Raw, carnal
attraction.

“
Finally…you’re back…” he
whispered against her lips and rested his forehead on
hers.

“
Alessandro…it’s wrong…it’s
not the right time…” she tried to sound convincing; yet her voice
sounded more like a whimper.

“
There is never the right
time,
cara mia
.
I’ve tried, I swear I did try to resist you…hard to find you…harder
to get you out of my head…”

His eyes never left her
face. His touch so gentle it gave her goose bumps. Holding her
hand, he walked to the couch in front of the open window. He sat
first, pulled a leg underneath him and made room for her to rest
her back against his chest, one of his arms around her waist the
other around her shoulders. She relaxed against him, her palms
resting on top of his.

With the drapes aside, the
window looked like a living painting; a full moon reigned over the
shadows of the world, a sky filled with tiny diamonds.

Like a miracle, her fear
disappeared. Like a miracle, she felt safe. She felt at home in his
arms. Could she somehow stop the time and stay there
forever?

***

Tessa stirred in bed.
Something woke her. Distant thunder made her open her eyes
instantly. Lightning scattered brightness into the night;
Alessandro stared at her. He lay naked next to her, an arm folded
underneath his head the other tucked under his chin.

“
Can’t sleep?”

“
No.”

“
Aren’t you tired?” Tessa
cuddled closer to him.

“
Oh, sure I am…but I am
afraid I’ll fall asleep and you’ll disappear again.”

“
You, silly…where could I
disappear?”

“
One could never know,”
Alessandro said solemnly, his eyes still fixed on her. “You broke
my heart once. I don’t want to take the same chance.” He placed his
index fingers and thumbs on his upper and lower eyelids and pulled
them open. “I have to be vigilant.”

She laughed and put her
arms around him and kissed him tenderly. Earlier that night, he
made love to her on the couch, then carried her to the bed and took
her again; she lost track of time. She had no idea how long she’d
slept, but she felt restless.

Tessa brushed a finger over
his lips, and then stroked his back, down his buttocks. Her palm
explored his body until it rested on his penis, giving it a slight
squeeze.

“
You are a naughty
girl.”

He cupped her breasts and
caressed her nipples until they hardened. He worked one hand down
her belly and then lowered it between her legs. She cried out when
he made her climax with his fingers and his mouth returned to hers.
He didn’t need more foreplay and entered her in a short, almost
sudden move.

She loved the feel of his
body on top of hers, crushed by his weight. She took him in, arched
her back and neck and gasped for air.

“
Don’t let go of me…” Tessa
whispered.

“
I won’t.”

***

The door opened. She heard
muffled voices, followed by the door closing. A cart rolled in and
a strong coffee aroma tickled her nose. No morning sickness yet.
She yawned and opened her eyes only to see Alessandro pushing the
cart closer to the bed.