Mirage Beyond Flames (Coriola) (7 page)

They remained face to face. S
he – naked, he – still fully dressed, an erotic tableau in the moonlight.

Gerard laid her tenderly on the bed, then got up and began undressing. Each inch of naked, gorgeous body emanated purely masculin
e attraction. Linda had the impression that through her own skin transpired mists of lust. She studied his strong arms, the networks of veins subtly outlined, his magnificent chest covered with soft golden hair, his abdomen – perfectly sculpted and proportioned, like everything that went lower.

She sighed
deeply. For a split second, in the vertigo of emotions tangled in her soul, a trace of insecurity and fear of unknown shadowed her euphoric state.

But when she
felt him close, massive and hard above her, all rational thoughts turned into imaginary smoke and dissipated in the exterior universe, leaving the two solitary figures in the night, entangled in passion’s abyss.

Chapter Seven

His senses were the first to awake. He felt her scent, permanently stamped in his mind, then became aware of the silk sheets surrounding him and of the empty place occupied in the night by his dreams’ nymph. Could it be that he’d only dreamed?

Gerard op
ened his eyes, studying the room he was seeing for the first time in daylight. A feminine room, with light blue walls, like the soft sheets, honey-colored furniture and pastel curtains.

So it hadn’t been a dream, he’d really had her beside him last night, receiving from her the sam
e passion burning in him ever since he’d met her.

A movement
he caught in his peripheral vision made him jerk defensively. Pirata had jumped on the bed with cat-ish nonchalance, coming close to sniff him. Judging by his insistent meows, he was probably asking about breakfast.

Gerard
rubbed his own chin, finding it slightly abrasive, then scratched the cat’s ears.

“You’re on your own, buddy, regarding food. If you tell me where I can find your lovely mistress, I could put in a good word for you.”

As expected, the cat stared at him with steady blue eyes, but the meow he let out didn’t seem to divulge his mistress’ location, only his own feline interests.

“Yeah…”

He recovered his clothes from the floor and, after a short inner debate, decided to take a quick shower in Linda’s bath. As the towels were damp, he suspected she’d done the same.

“
How the hell didn’t I wake up?” he asked himself surprised. Since childhood, he’d had a very light sleep, always being in a semi-alert state. The answer, however, was going to remain a mystery.

Showered
, he pulled on his pants and went off searching Linda. While inspecting all rooms, he accidentally spotted her through one of the living room’s windows. She was in the gazebo that served as her workshop.

As he got closer, he couldn’t take his eyes away from her. Even l
ike this, dressed in rough work-clothes, her hair carelessly knotted on top of her head and wearing thick gloves, she looked lovely. At least, that’s how she appeared to him. He saw she held a sort of chisel, handling it with amazing dexterity on the wooden surface she was sculpting.

“Is that a hand or am I imagining?” he asked.

Linda didn’t even flinch, continuing to adjust, then to polish.

“Yeah. Do you like it?”

She moved aside so he could better see the two hands, their wrists rising from a wooden base.

“It’s great,”
he answered, truly impressed. “You have an extraordinary talent at sculpting, among other things,” he added, taking her in his arms, chisel and all.

They kissed deeply,
the past night’s revelations still hovering between them. Linda smiled dreamily.

“They’re your hands
,” she told him. Reading the astonishment on his face, she elaborated:

“I’m fascinated by your hands. They’re so strong, agile, capable of saving lives and offering
a woman unimaginable sensations.”

A satisfied smile slowly widened on his face.

“So I wasn’t the only one who experienced unimaginable sensations… I thought I’d dreamed.”

Linda shoo
k her head, wrapping her arm around his neck.

“If you dreamed, it means we both had the same dream.
”

When they reached the house, Pirata greeted them with
high meows, alarmingly sounding close to desperation. Linda picked him up.

“I’m so sorry, da
rling, I forgot about your food. I’ll make it up to you right now, promise!”

She put him down, then opened a can of suc
culent cat food and served his meal outside on the veranda.

“What would you like to eat?”
she asked Gerard.

“I’m not especially hungry, but I would
n’t say
no
to some of that caramel cream, if there’s any left.”

“Of course,
I always order extra portions. There’s a small restaurant pretty close from here, it serves delicious food.”

So saying, she got the cream bowl out of the fridge and put the content in two small bowls. She added ano
ther one full with fresh strawberries.

“I co
uld get used to such pampering,” he said, putting his arms around her with an intimacy reserved for steady couples and long-term relationships. She tensed slightly, making him think this gesture had triggered a vague trace of alarm in her mind. He hoped in tie he’d manage to chase away all the doubts dwelling in her soul, using patience and tenderness as his weapons.

“Sit down and let’s eat,”
she urged, gently caressing his bare chest, her gaze locked on it. She was seeing him half-naked for the first time in daylight and, if he wasn’t mistaken, that generated feelings which normally should have been exhausted after a night of love-making. He felt the same. Now he wanted her more than ever, not only from a sexual point of view. The vision of them, together in her house gave him a sensation of good, of fulfillment.

T
hey sat at the counter savoring breakfast and Pirata joined them, full and quiet.

“What are your
plans for today?” she asked.

“Well, after we
finish eating, I’ll go to the clinic. How about you?”

“I wanna finish sculpting what I
began this morning, your hands. It’s a record for me, I’ve never finished anything so quickly. Then I’ll take it to Francesco, at the gallery, for display only, not for sale. I know I’m coming up with this in the last moment, but I’m fairly sure he won’t complain.”

Gerard looked at her fondly
.

“I feel flattered, you know
… I don’t even know what to say.”

“Yo
u don’t have to say anything. I just hope you’ll like the final product.”

“I
already do, you can be sure of that.”

When they finished eating, he
told her:

“First I have to go home and change. Although I’ve used your shower, as far as I can remember, my clothes are un
-wearable in the crumbled state I’ve left them, lying on the floor.”

She smile
d and rose.

“Let’s see if I can remedy them somehow.”

They both entered the sun-bathed bedroom. Clothes were sprawled everywhere. The bed was covered with silk sheets tangled in a sensual mess, which was carrying the vivid memory of the night they’d shared.

She threw a r
apid glance toward the bed. As if embarrassed, she bent awkwardly, picking up clothes.

Gerard took them from her hand and threw them down
again. He drew her to him, lifting her chin until she met his eyes.

“Look at me,”
he said gently. ”Why are you acting like this?”

“Like what?” she asked his clavicle.

“As though we’re two strangers, as though you regret or want to forget everything that’s happened.”

Linda
lifted her eyes to meet his inquiring gaze.

“I
don’t
regret what happened, you can be sure of that. It’s just… I don’t know how to act. It’s the first time this has happened to me. I mean, my ex-husband was the first and only man I have ever… made love to,” she ended shyly, looking down again, without noticing the satisfied and tender expression in his eyes.

Gerard bur
ied his face in her hair and kissed her forehead, trying to find an appropriate way to voice his feelings. Finally, he said:

“You have no idea
how happy I am for being here with you. I’m proud because you offered me the privilege of touching you, of having you and proving to you all the feelings you stir in my soul. This is new for me too. I’ve never felt for any woman what I feel for you, Linda. I’ve never fallen in love with a woman from the first second I met her. Never, until I met you.”

He almost felt her heart contracting in
surprise and pleasure, but a shadow of doubt crossed over her beautiful features. She watched him intensely, as if searching for something. He hoped she found the simple sincerity in the depths of his eyes.

As he’d expected,
she didn’t yet dare to admit that her feelings mirrored his. Instead, she kissed him with all the infinite passion she’d told him only he could inspire in her.

Gerard returned her kiss, trying to i
gnore the painful twinge caused by the lack of any declaration from her. Though he hadn’t expected to break all her barriers so soon, he still experienced the bitter taste of disappointment.

“You’ll have to be very patient, buddy!”
he told himself, then all thoughts left him as he abandoned himself into her arms. He covered her body with hot kisses, while clothes were thrown once more on the floor.

* * *

After Gerard left, Linda got back to work. She dedicated herself to each project with absolute abnegation, but this small sculpture – apparently insignificant – meant to her so much more than just two wooden hands.

While she adjusted and p
olished, using the chisel to trace lines and curves known only by her, recollections of the past night were completely occupying her thoughts. If she hadn’t had the tangible proof of those hands, she would’ve thought everything had been a dream, figment of her imagination. But it was real, each moment spent beside him had been real.

She
smiled, remembering how timid and reserved she’d been at first, not knowing exactly what he expected from her. Then Gerard had chased away her uneasiness using tenderness and sensuality, sensual caresses and kisses more intense than she’d ever imagined could exist.

Of course, she h
adn’t ever been that intimate with anyone. The sexual relationship she’d had with Tony couldn’t even compare with the magical night she and Gerard had shared.

Instead, he was obviously an expert in bed, a maste
r in offering satisfaction and indescribable pleasure to a woman. The thought of all the women who had probably went through his bed provoked her an almost physical pain, like an open heart incision.

Th
en she remembered his words, his astonishing declaration from that morning and doubts seized her again. Had he told those words to all his lovers or were they really true? Was he really in love with her? He seemed a noble, honest man, but one could never be sure…

One
thing was clear: she had indeed fallen for him, irredeemable and so fast even she hadn’t realized it until then.

For a moment she deeply regret
ted she hadn’t confessed her feelings toward him. However, she quickly consoled herself thinking that time wasn’t lost. There will be other occasions. It was still too soon.

Chapter Eight

Gerard reached his office just in time to hear the phone ringing insistently. He grabbed the receiver and answered:

“Hello.”

“How are you, honey? I tried your cell phone, but it’s turned off.”

“Sorry, Mom, I forgot to recharge it. M
y battery ran out last night.”

W
hile my other batteries functioned at full power!
he thought with a satisfied grin.

“How are you?” he asked cheerfully. “How’s aunt Sophie?”

“Fine, we’re both fine, but we miss you terribly, so I called to inform you that you’re coming to visit tomorrow. I bet you haven’t eaten a healthy meal since you’ve been here last.”

He
laughed.

“Oh, so you’re informing, no
t inviting me. Yes, M’am, orders are to be executed, not disputed. Anyway, I planned to come see you. I’ve something to tell you.”

Driven by a momentary impulse, he added:

“Do you mind if I bring a girlfriend?”

Chantalle Leon remained silent for a beat, taken by surpri
se by this unprecedented situation. Then she said: