We sit like that for a moment, listening to the still rush of the waves against the ship, the distant sound of the engines churning. And I take a deep breath, closing my eyes, relishing the feeling of ceding him control – of letting him handle it all. After a few moments of peace, Kent speaks. “
But he lets me continue. “This is mine, Kent,” I say softly, dropping my hand. “If I let you take the blame…you also take from me my conviction that all of these were my choices, that these were things that I did. From the beginning, you told me I was a pawn in this game – and I know my father fel
Finally – He claims my mouth with his own, kissing me breathless. Things move quickly now, as they should have before – but I realize that I was holding back because I didn’t understand, didn’t trust that he would see me for who I am and love me anyway. But now that I realize that he’s seen it
The noise that tears from me as Kent presses inch by inch into me… Well. In any other situation, I think I’d be embarrassed. But tonight? I don’t care. Instead, I turn my head to the side, my stomach contracting with the deep groan that stumbles from my lips at the feel of Kent’s hard cock fil
When he catches his breath Kent raises his head to look at me. I just stare at him, blinking, before he laughs and turns over, falling onto his back and pulling me tight against him on my side. I smile, biting my lip and placing my head right on that place it has longed to be for months now – in the
I start awake at the knocking that comes at my door, sitting up straight in bed. For a moment, I’m completely confused and a little scared – where the hell am I? But then I feel Kent’s arm tighten around my waist. Immediatelt I smile, looking down at where he lays belly-down on the bed. “Who
“And the first two?” he asks, turning to smirk at me. But I just narrow my eyes at him, smacking him with my free hand even though I know that he’s joking. “Well someone was feeding me coffee every morning. In bed and then at breakfast. And then…maybe some in the early afternoon.” He laughs,
“Come on,” Kent says, finishing his cup of coffee and moving as if he wants to stand up. “We need to get some food into you – you’ve got to be starving –“ “Nooo,” I groan, leaning hard against him and making his job difficult. “What,” he laughs, pausing for a second. “You’re not hungry?”
My dad greets him with such genuine joy and excitement that it makes my heart swell with joy. They talk for a few minutes about Dominic’s day before dad gives him a little nudge back towards the gate where Kent and I are waiting. Dominic gives dad a kiss before running ahead again. My dad waves to
“Papa!” Dominic shouts, startling me out of my reverie as he drops my hand and darts down the road. I look up, a huge smile breaking out on my face again as I see Kent on the sidewalk just ahead. His back is to us as he speaks companionably with the butcher, a heavy bag of his purchases already hung
As I walk down the street towards the little Italian kindergarten, the whispers start around me, as they always do. I listen to all of them, a big German Shepherd padding quietly at my heels. “Is that her?” “Yes, that’s the one – I heard she was her husband’s mistress before he married her – tha
Both Kent and I laugh, but Don Bianci – across the baptismal font from us – snaps his eyes up, perhaps not liking the joke as much as we do. But I just ignore it, because dad’s right, frankly – and it’s too happy a day to care. After the final blessing everyone applauds Dominic – he likes that, bl
“Well, it didn’t seem to affect your first very badly,” Ivan says with a shrug, peering around Kent to where Daniel is laughing with an arm around Jerome’s shoulders. “So…maybe keep it up.” I smirk, squeezing Ivan’s hand once more before standing and moving to Kent’s side, tucking myself against h
“Hey, gorgeous,” Ivan says, his mouth turned up in a smirk as I cross the churchyard, beaming at him. “Look who’s talking,” I say, laughing and reaching for him when I come close enough. Ivan wraps me in a hug, dropping a kiss to my cheek as I hold Dominic a bit to the side so he doesn’t get squis
He laughs, smiling at me genuinely. “Do I make you nervous?” he asks, blunt. I laugh, unable to help it. “Has no one bothered to tell you, in all these years, that you’re a little terrifying, Don Bianci?” He grins and shakes his head at me. “Well, considering what you accomplished, young lady, I
Two months later, we’re all gathered together again. And it is only with frustration that I see Gio and Janeen standing so close together that their arms nearly brush, even though they’re still not together. I roll my eyes, dismissing the problem for a moment as I move my eyes down to Dominic and
It's an incredible night. Kent didn’t lie, not at all, about the food either. I’m shocked by the mountains of dishes that continue to follow each other, one after another, long into the night. After a few hours of it I just mournfully watch the waiters go by because I couldn’t eat another bite if I