"No, of course not." I shake my head.
It's a lie. I left London partially because of what Amanda told me, but I don't want to confess. "Were you talking with Amanda about me?"
"No, of course not. I haven't even talked to Paul; we were too busy." He exhales as if it was a tough time and then adds after a pause, "We finally got to the stock market."
"Seriously?" I round my eyes. "Babe, that's amazing! That's all you've ever wanted!"
I jump on him, spreading my legs and throwing myself over his body as I give him a quick kiss and then smile widely.
He doesn't smile back, and it's apparent that he's upset. Is it because I left? Or is there something bothering him?
"I'm sorry I wasn't there to support you…" I give him a guilty look, just like that cat from Shrek, "but I'm here now and we can celebrate together." I try to cheer him up.
He doesn't say anything. He doesn't look happy either. He just lies under me, stroking my legs with his fingers and looking into the distance. It's like he's still here, but also somewhere else.
"I thought that all I wanted was to get to the stock market," he begins, still not looking at me though I've been looking into his eyes all this time. "But when I finally got what I wanted, I was just…" He shrugs and shakes his head. "I don't know…I didn't feel anything…it was just another day at work, another achievement."
He finally looks at me. I freeze, swallowing. My heart starts to beat faster.
"I was so mad at you," he says after a long pause. "I was mad that you left. Again, even after I told you that I love you. I know it was hard for you to hear that, you got scared, but it was even harder for me to say it because…I’ve never said those words to anyone else but you."
He takes a deep breath and I think I’ve stopped breathing.
I didn't think about it that way, nor do I appreciate what he said and the way he said it—the way I should've said it. He told me how he feels, and I didn't give him a chance, I just left.
I force myself to start breathing again, while my heart beats so loudly that I can almost hear it in this silence.
"But then I realized that I was mad not because you left," he finally continues, looking into the distance again. "I was mad at myself because I let you go. And that's when I realized that my biggest desire in life wasn't success in the stock market."
Our eyes meet, and I hold my breath again.
"It was you," he whispers. "All I’ve ever wanted is you."
I continue staring at him, unable to believe what he just said.
I feel my eyes getting wet, my cheeks are burning, and my heart is going to jump out of my chest.
I want to cry and to laugh. I want to smile widely and hide my face under the blanket at the same time.
He loves me. He truly loves me. And everything happening now is for real.
I bury my face in his neck because I'm so embarrassed, though I don't understand why exactly.
"Don't cry," he says gently, brushing his fingers all over my body. "I didn't want that."
"I'm so truly sorry that I ran away," I say with a trembling voice, my face still buried in his chest. I'm not crying, but I'm still ashamed.
"Don't be, not anymore." He gently strokes my curls, digging his fingers into my hair, massaging my head. "If you didn't run, I wouldn't realize what I really wanted most in life."
I smile. He always says things that cheer me up. He never, through all my life, even once said something to disappoint me.
I raise my head and look at him.
"I love you more," I whisper with a smile.
"Impossible." He smiles back.
For a couple of seconds, we just stare at each other, smiling widely.
He didn't tell me how long he's staying in Tuscany; I didn't tell him the real reason I ran away from London.
But he loves me. He truly loves me. And I'm madly, deeply in love with him. That's all I need to know. That's all I need to care about right now.
"Does it mean we have to make some rules?" I ask with a smile, lowering my hand to touch those abs.
I still can't believe that I can touch this man whenever I want.
And wherever I want.
I smile slyly, and my heart rejoices at the thought.
Ricardo raises an eyebrow and gives me a what are you talking about? look.
"Well, the rules," I mumble, as if he’s supposed to understand what I mean without any other explanation, "I mean, we'll make a list of compliance rules to make our relationship work."
For a second, he just stares at me and then starts laughing out loud.
He quickly flips me onto my back and gets on top of me, placing himself between my legs, his chest against mine.
"Okay, I'll make a list of rules you should follow," he jokes, trying to sound serious but can't hide a smile.
I push his shoulder slightly and try to move him off me, but he doesn’t give in.
"Don't laugh at me!" I say resentfully.
"Don't say nonsense then."
I look at him, insulted, trying to push him off again, but he's so strong he doesn't even move. He grabs my hands and places them in his, pressing me harder to the bed with his chest.
"There are no rules, signorina Angelica Sorreno." His low voice and that gaze full of passion make me shiver. "There are no rules to being happy. So just be."
He moves higher, still holding my hands in his, like I'm his hostage, pressing me so hard that it could be painful if it wasn't so pleasurable, until I feel his hard dick reach my mound.
I'm ready for another round.
Chapter Thirteen
Ricardo
We were finally able to get out of bed after a whole day of hugging, kissing, having sex, and eating in there. Then we spilled half the bottle of Chianti red wine on the snow-white sheets and Angie insisted we eat dinner at the kitchen table.
I ordered a new mattress, but watching how Angie tried to remove red spots from the bed while she was still naked and on her knees was unforgettable.
Right now, she's sitting in the chair wearing nothing but my plain gray T-shirt, exposing her long gorgeous legs to me while they're lying on the next chair. She eats the grilled seabass with asparagus we ordered and answers messages from her employees, staring at her phone while I watch her, silently enjoying the view.
"Those presents you gave the girls yesterday." Angie breaks the silence, putting the phone away and smiling at me. "That was very sweet of you."
She noticed.
I knew that. I'd spent half the day thinking about the twins and what I was going to give them, and then I spent the other half searching for those exact gifts. I didn't ask my secretary or my driver to buy the presents. I did it myself for the first time in my life since I was a kid.
"I wanted them to understand how important they are to me," I say honestly.
It's true: I was thinking about what Angie said to me before she left: that I'm the one who has it all, but I want her to sacrifice everything she has for me. Those words stayed in my brain like one of those intrusive songs you don't want to hear, but you remember the lyrics anyway because you hear it everywhere you go.