Sicilian Dreams (33 page)

‘The language is easy,’ said Marco. ‘I can teach you, especially the naughty words.’ He grinned and kissed her. ‘Don’t worry, we can work through any challenges together.’

‘You make it all sound so easy Marco,’ said Cassie. She felt her remaining defenses crumbling to dust and finally allowed a small bloom of trust begin to grow in its place. She felt wonderful warmth of belonging burgeoning inside of her. She wanted to hug the feeling to her and never let it go.

‘It is easy Cassandra. You know you love me, and I love you, and that’s all there is to it. We will make our future together. Trust me.’

‘Famous last words.’ said Cassie. ‘ The last time you told me that, you sent me flying off a cliff face on the back of a horse.’

‘Si, and our lives will always be that exciting.’ he replied happily.

‘Just one thing that’s bothering me’ said Cassie. ‘The day when you gave us the wine tasting, I asked if I could have a case to take home with me and you suddenly became very distant and cool towards me after that.’ She looked at him carefully.

‘Oh, si, I remember.’ said Marco, pushing back his unruly hair. ‘I was shocked when I realized that you would be going back to your home. I was under your spell already and just hadn’t admitted it to myself. I didn’t want to think of you leaving.’ He said earnestly.

‘That’s okay then,’ said Cassie. ‘Can I still have the case of wine?’ she grinned at him.

‘You can take as many as you like.’ he replied. ‘As long as you come back quickly.’

Wrapped up in their bubble of happiness, they rode back down the hill on Diavolo’s broad back, and Villa Tramonte came into view. They paused for a moment contemplating the setting sun, which was disappearing rapidly over the horizon. It would be dark soon.

‘Vai.’ shouted Marco at Diavolo, and dug his heels into the horse’s side. Diavolo needed no other encouragement and took off at full speed and Cassie screamed and clung onto Marco for dear life. They raced past the villa just as Kat walked out onto the terrace carrying two glasses of wine for she and Liz. She prodded Liz to sit up on her lounger and they both watched in awe as Diavolo galloped madly across in front of house beyond the pool, a mere one hundred meters from where they stood. He had two passengers on his back, and together they were silhouetted against the dying sun as if man and beast had become one.

‘I’d say it went well, wouldn’t you?’ said Kat, with a smirk, passing Liz her wine.

Cassie had stopped screaming by the time they reached the stable block, but she still had enough air in her lungs to give Marco an earful for his reckless behavior. She finished with, ‘If you think I’m ever coming riding with you again, you’ve got another think coming.’ Fuming she slipped off Diavolo’s rump and stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at him. Marco, who had started washing down Diavolo’s legs, dropped the hose and came over to her, picking her up and carrying her into an empty stall. It had hay bales piled in one corner and he put her down onto them before slipping his hands into the waistband of her leggings and pulling them down and off her feet.

‘Marco, stop it, what are you doing?’ said Cassie, still spitting mad with him. He looked at her, his green eyes hooded with desire and undid the top button his jeans and lay on top of her.

‘You make me so horny when you are mad’ he said, his voice low and throaty. ‘I just want to fuck you.’ He pushed up her tank top and bent his head to suckle her nipples, earning himself a half suppressed moan of desire from Cassie. She was still mad at him despite being turned on, so she wriggled to get away from him.

‘Not a good idea Cassandra.’ he whispered, and she felt his massive erection pressing through the cloth of his jeans.

She nipped him with her teeth on the shoulder and he laughed, taking her hands and holding them above her head and bending his head to kiss her passionately. Cassie wriggled again, but this time it was with rampant desire. She felt like she was on fire and she struggled to free her hands but Marco only chuckled and, with his other hand, slid his jeans down past his knees, his throbbing cock pushing against her sex as he parted her legs and pushed inside of her. Wrapping her legs around his back, she pushed up to meet his thrust. She felt so wanton and sexy and he responded to her ardor with increased thrusts, his own breath short as he fought to contain his excitement. Marco groaned with desire as Cassie felt her insides contracting with excitement. ‘You are so tight.’ he whispered, and kissed her neck and her breasts as Cassie came on a wave of exquisite sensation. He felt her spasm and close tight on him and he came with a shout.

When she got her breath back and saw Marco lying with his head on her breasts, his eyes still closed, Cassie chuckled to herself.

‘Don’t move Cassandra, I want to sleep here between your breasts.’ murmured Marco with a deep sigh of contentment.

‘I think you left the hose running,’ whispered Cassie to the top of his head.

‘Merda.’ said Marco, jumping up and nearly falling over as his jeans caught around his ankles. Now Cassie did laugh outright and earned herself a fierce look as he struggled out of the stall and into the yard. She sat up and looked around for her leggings, sure that she had hay in places where it shouldn’t be. Moments later she was in the yard, which was flooded with water. Diavolo was happily pawing at the large pool of water and threatening to roll.

‘No, no, Diavolo, in piedi, on your feet.’ shouted Marco, frantically pulling on his bridle, trying to haul him back up and convince him not to take a bath. Where’s my camera, thought Cassie?

They were in high spirits as they pulled into the courtyard at Villa Tramonte. Marco leapt out of the Spider and came around to open Cassie’s door for her, taking her hand as they walked inside the house together.

The evening that followed was one of promise and fun as Kat and Liz, and Davide; who had joined them for dinner; first of all absorbed Cassie and Marco’s exciting news, and then questioned them extensively about how it had all come about and what their plans were for the immediate future. Kat asked Davide to pop open the chilled champagne and toasts were given to Cassie and Marco, and to the wonderful holiday they had all enjoyed so much. When Marco saw that Liz had bought tiny, fresh clams for dinner and was preparing to make Spaghetti alle Vongole, he begged her to allow him to cook the dish, as it was one of his favorites and a dish that Marta had taught him to make many years ago. He cooked in the same excitable manner that he spoke, his hands gesticulating to make a point, making them taste the dish several times as he cooked, putting loads of salt into the boiling water, which Liz protested about in vain.

‘The water must be as salty as the sea.’ responded Marco, unapologetically, and then liberally added more white wine to the clams, which were steaming open in their shells in the delicious smelling broth.

The wine flowed as they ate dinner on the terrace, and Davide had everyone roaring with laughter as he described some of the guests he had had on his boat charters in the past.

‘We had a man who claimed he was a sailor who literally turned green on a flat calm day and hung off the end of the boat throwing up for most of the trip. Fortunately we did manage to get some fluid down his throat otherwise he would have passed out from dehydration. There was another woman once, a large lady, who could not swim, but wanted to jump off the boat into the water every time we stopped anywhere. Even at the wharf on Lipari. We had to tie a life belt around her waist for the whole day. I was so worried she would jump off when I was not looking.’

Kat changed the music and dragged Davide up to dance. Marco followed suit by asking Liz for a dance and then finally Cassie. He held her in his arms tenderly and looked at her with eyes full of love and laughter.

‘You make me so happy Cassandra,’ he whispered into her ear, turning her in a slow waltz.

Liz had found some sparklers in town and decorated the top of the cassata with them. It was a showy dessert, and there were cheers as she carried it carefully to the table. Cassie had faithfully recorded the most important moments on her camera and now checked her memory card and saw that it was nearly full.

‘What are you going to do with all those photos?’ asked Kat. ‘Can I get some copies off you please?’

‘Yes, but first of all, I’m going to sort through them all and delete the rubbish ones. That’s the beauty of digital. We only want gorgeous photos of us on our holiday. Then I’ll put them on Dropbox and you can access them from there and choose the ones you want.’ she explained.

‘Same for me.’ said Liz. ‘I’ve taken heaps of photos but I don’t think many of them will make the grade.’

It was after midnight when Davide announced that he had to go because he had an early start the next morning. He kissed Liz and Cassie on both cheeks and said he looked forward to seeing them again soon. Kat walked out with him to his car and they stayed there for some time, while Marco and Cassie and Liz continued chatting. Cassie and Liz looked at each other surreptitiously and smirked when Kat finally rejoined them on the terrace looking very happy, her face glowing. She looks like the cat that has got the cream, thought Cassie.

Finally Liz and Kat drifted off to bed and left Cassie and Marco alone at the table. It was a beautiful evening, the sky heavy with stars, the moon casting it’s pale golden glow over the heavens as Marco took Cassie’s hand in his and lightly kissed her palm.

‘Come to bed with me Cassandra.’ he said, standing and taking her with him, his arm around her shoulders as they tip toed quietly down to her bedroom. They made love with great tenderness and a hint of sadness, both of them already feeling the loss of each other that would come tomorrow. Afterwards, they slept deeply, wrapped in each other’s arms, the moonlight filtering in through the half closed shutters.

Marco left her early in the morning, before the birds began to sing and the sun had started to rise in the sky. He kissed Cassie and whispered that he would return later to drive her to the airport. He crept out of the house as quietly as a mouse and Cassie heard the purr of the car engine as he drove slowly away from the house.

The next morning was a flurry of activity as the girls packed their bags, found their passports and tickets, and managed, between non-stop talking, to fit in breakfast and a swim before they left for the airport. Liz and Kat were on an earlier flight to London, where Liz would catch a connecting flight to San Francisco. Cassie’s afternoon flight to Rome would connect with an evening flight to Dubai and then home. She was not looking forward to the long flight, and took her time packing her bags. It was a good thing Cassie wasn’t going to the airport with Liz and Kat because Kat’s luggage consisted of four large cases instead of the two she had arrived with. Liz had also acquired one more case along the way, and the little mini was jammed so full there was hardly any room for the two girls to squeeze into the front seats.

‘Let me know when you are coming back to Sicily,’ said Kat, wrapping her long arms around Cassie and giving her a huge bear hug. ‘I will try and come down for a week and see you,’ she added.

‘And Davide of course.’ quipped Liz.

‘Of course.’ said Kat, grinning. ‘I can’t keep him on ice for too long.’ She was dressed in a stunning black and white silk jersey maxi, high white wedges, lots of silver bangles, and bright red lipstick.

‘You’ll set off all the alarms going through customs’ said Cassie, gazing at all the jewelry Kat had managed to drape herself in.

‘She likes the attention,’ said Liz, laughing. Cassie and Liz clung to each other.

‘Remember Cass, I want to know all the details, everything that happens between now and when you get on that plane to come back here. And then I want to know everything that happens after that, you promise?’ Her eyes misted over with tears and Cassie couldn’t help the tears that started to fall from her own eyes. She was going to miss her two friends so much, and they’d had the best time together.

‘I promise.’ she said, wiping the tears away with one hand, and starting to giggle with Liz as they realized how silly they must look. ‘Give my love to Doug and the girls won’t you?’ she added. Liz nodded with a watery smile and Kat decided it was time for a group hug before they climbed into the mini and, tooting madly, raced off down the road in a cloud of dust. Cassie watched until the car was out of sight, and then slowly walked back into the house to finish her packing, which was hard work because her heart wasn’t in it.

Steeling herself, she finished the task and put her two suitcases and a large cabin bag by the front door. Wandering out to the terrace she leaned against the large marble table and tried to freeze frame the glorious view in her mind. She had the photos, but no photo could do justice to the light breeze that just now was rustling through the trees and causing dapples of light across the pool, lifting for a brief moment, the bright, hot, heat of the sun, which seared the landscape.

‘There you are.’ said Marco, coming up behind her and putting his arms around her waist. ‘Ready to go?’ he asked.

‘Yes, and no.’ replied Cassie. ‘I could look at this view forever.’

‘You will be able to when you return.’ he whispered in her ear, kissing her neck and tickling her with his tongue. ‘How much time do we have?’ he asked, his mouth sliding to her ear lobe and gently nibbling on her earring.

‘We are already late,’ she said.