Counterpoints: Book 2 Page 14

  “I’m sorry about that” Christopher said “I can make it up to you now, if you are still interested”

  “Interested?” Giovanni repeated “Emilia, give me a piece of paper”

  “I don’t have any”

  “Just tear off a piece from the London map, honey”

  “But…” Emilia smiled to the side.

  “We don’t need it anymore, we are going home tomorrow” Giovanni said quickly. “So, which car do you think is as fast as yours? Chiellini? Performance Racing team?”

  It was all about First Category racing at their table.

  Emilia and Isabella kept looking at each other, making faces like they were having their own, private conversation in silence.

  After five minutes of engine failures, team strategies and what it was like to be a race driver, Emilia tilted her head to the side and raised an eyebrow at her sister. It meant one thing and one thing only.

  She wants to talk to me, alone.

  “Guys, excuse us a second. We are going to get another drink. Would you like something?” Isabella said, looking at Christopher who had to still order his.

  “No, I am good. I can’t drink right now” and as he spoke, he placed a hand on Isabella’s hips.

  She glanced at him, as his penetrating eyes took a good look at her.

  Looking hot Bresciani, in those tight jeans, he thought.

  “Don’t bore him, please. Control yourself” Emilia said and grinned at Giovanni.

  They walked away quickly and spoke only once inside the pub, once they were far from ear shot.

  “Are you guys going out?” Emilia looked at her sister, her eyes wide.

  “It’s complicated” Isabella sighed and then asked the barman for drinks.

  “I bet it is” Emilia nodded “You two work together and he isn’t exactly the boy next door”

  “I know that” Isabella said.

  “He’s popular” Emilia added.

  “I know that” and Isabella cringed a little, thinking about popularity and what that implied. What would it be like for her, for someone like her that hates being at the center of the attention, if they were to go public?

  “And I read that he likes women- plural- quite a lot”

  “I know that, too” Isabella sipped her drink, swallowing down the bitterness that was forming in her mouth.

  She had had a dose of what it was like to be around someone like Christopher, but she also had had a dose of what it was like to keep away from him.

  The latter had been far worse.

  “You better watch out” Emilia mumbled and stared attentively at her sister.

  She watched Isabella look down at her hands and then back up again, certain of her next words and standing up to it.

  “It’s too late for that, I think”

  I’m crazy about him, Isabella looked his way, taking a glimpse of Christopher through the window.

  He was deep in conversation with Giovanni and nodding to his words.

  “I think I am falling in love with him” her eyes were still on him, as she mumbled the words. He laughed then and tilted his head back a little, like she had seen him do so many times. The sight of him- his strong arms on the table, one of his tattoos spreading all over his upper arm- laughing and so at ease, made Isabella smile too, like she was part of the conversation at the table.

  “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about him” Emilia shook her head, her mouth slightly open in dismay.

  “Are you serious? You don’t want to go down that road” Isabella said, reminding her sister that she hadn’t told her about Giovanni for a whole year.

  “He’s super-hot” Emilia changed the subject, for her own good.

  There was no way she could have won that argument.

  “Is he the guy I heard over the phone in the hotel?” Emilia’s eyes grew wide, realizing suddenly that Christopher had been around for a while.

  “Can we go back, please? I think Giovanni is scaring him” Isabella giggled a little, as her eyes stopped on Christopher and Giovanni, still deep into conversation.

  Christopher laughed again then and Isabella was sure she felt her heart vibrate to the incredible sound of his voice when it was happy.

  Chapter 11

  They walked in silence down a small road in Notting Hill, side by side, but without touching. There were quite a lot of people out that night, the sky was still blue and it was rather warm for London.

  It’s better not to, Isabella told herself, the moment she had craved his arm around her shoulder. Somebody could notice them.

  Isabella looked down at her black and white flats and secretly wished they were still in China or Australia or on some remote part of the globe, alone, where they could be themselves and not worry about pictures being taken, articles being written.

  And managers getting pissed off, Isabella thought of Mr. Jenkins finding out about them and frowned.

  Isabella turned his way, sensing his eyes on her. Christopher was looking at her amused, a look of mischief on his face.

  “What?” she smiled a little embarrassed, like he had just read her thoughts- her desire to feel his strong arms around her.

  “Nothing” he shook his head and looked away, but then looked back at her immediately after. Same amused look on his face.

  “What?” Isabella asked again.

  “You are happy” he said and it wasn’t a question, it was a fact

  He could feel it, the happiness she was feeling. He loved that about her, how Isabella was capable of transmitting her emotions to the person next to her like, it was the easiest thing in the world. When she smiled, she smiled with every little detail of her face and when she was sad it was impossible not to feel it, too.

  Isabella nodded “I am” she admitted and then, sensing her cheeks go red, she added “Thanks for meeting up with us. They like you, especially Giovanni”

  “I had fun tonight. Emilia and Giovanni seem really nice” he said.

  “They seem really happy, too” Isabella nodded and watched Christopher take something from his pocket.

  A set of keys.

  “I bet your sister warned you about me” he gave her a side look.

  “So far, everyone has warned me against you, even those who don’t actually know we are seeing each other” Isabella smirked.

  Christopher laughed a little and Isabella’s eyes lingered on his lips for a second too long. Christopher intercepted her stare.

  Even if Isabella was quick to look away, Christopher took her arm gently and stopped her stride.

  He didn’t think it through, he didn’t care. He looked into her eyes- which seemed to panic a little, as he reached out for her hand. There were a lot of people walking all around them.

  Who cares, he thought and tried to tell her with his stare.

  “I want to kiss you, now, here in the middle of the street” he said reaching for her cheek, his lips inches away from hers already.

  His hand moved behind her neck and Isabella felt his fingers through her hair. She tilted her head up a little, mesmerized by his deep green eyes.

  One of the helmets Christopher was carrying brushed against Isabella’s shoulder, as his arm moved around her back.

  What if…her mind trailed off.

  What if somebody saw them? What if somebody recognized them?

  I don’t want him to stop, that would have been worse. To lose this, this moment, him.

  “Don’t stop” she whispered, like it was a secret, like he couldn’t feel it already, her desire.

  Like he hadn’t noticed how her body had moved slightly towards him.

  How her slightly parted lips were trying to lure him in.

  As if Christopher couldn’t sense the blood pulsing in her veins, every time he touched her, every time he was near her. Like it was a big secret how excited and happy she was, when with him.

  Christopher smiled and touched her lower lip. His mouth pressed on hers, eager to have her, all of her.

&nb
sp; Isabella’s lips tasted like heaven, a little salty and soft. As the kiss deepened, Isabella’s fingers dug in his arm, in his black jacket.

  “Let’s go” he said taking her hand again.

  Isabella looked around, her legs a little shaky from the hot, steamy kiss they had just shared in public. Nobody had seemed to notice them, really notice them.

  Or really notice him, who he is.

  “This way” he said and they turned the corner, in a side street and stopped soon after, right in front of a black and red motorcycle.

  He handed her a helmet and climbed on it, the usual nonchalant expression on his face.

  “A motorcycle” Isabella said and watched him nod, his eyebrows up.

  “You are good” he mocked and kept staring at her amused, wanting her to carry on with her thought.

  “What makes you think I am getting on that thing with you?” Isabella made her point. “You know I don’t like speed”

  “You like speed. You are just scared of it. Scared of how free it makes you feel” he said and watched Isabella open her mouth to say something, but then closed it again.

  He had caught her off guard.

  “I am scared” she admitted, as she took the second helmet in her hands and studied it up close.

  “I won’t let anything happen to you, Isabella” he reassured her and, despite the small smile on his lips, his eyes were serious and meaningful.

  They were telling Isabella he was being honest about it, about not letting her get hurt.

  I won’t hurt you.

  “I know that” she smirked at him.

  “I am trying to break you, you see” he said, while helping her tie the helmet under her chin.

  With the corner of her eye, Isabella studied his face so focused on the task, and then gave a good look at the red helmet on his head. It had logos and sponsors, some of which Isabella wasn’t even familiar with. The helmet looked a little beaten up, a little old and it was a little scratched on one side.

  On the top left side of it, she noticed two initials in black.

  J and T, James Taylor. It was his father’s.

  “What a coincidence, I am trying to break you, too” her eyes back on him, smug and satisfied with her remark.

  If Christopher had been doing his best to break her all along, Isabella had in fact been putting all her efforts into breaking him, in her own way.

  If Christopher had introduced her to his crazy, thought-free existence – to his constant search of the ultimate thrill, living without regrets- Isabella had shown him what it was like to be on the other side, on the other side of the coin.

  She had given him the comfort, the ease and the depth that only normalcy could give, the one he had struggled all his life to find. With Isabella he was coming to terms with what was real and what wasn’t.

  Christopher smiled content, as she climbed behind him, her hands digging in his sides.

  “Hold on tight, signorina”

  She shut her eyes to the roar the engine made, as it sprung to life. The sound seemed to move through her, inside her, while the motorbike vibrated under her legs.

  Slowly, Christopher reversed out of the parking space.

  “I won’t go too fast, Isabella” he reassured her, his voice muffled by the red helmet.

  “No” she shook her head, her eyes still closed “Drive like I am not here” she shouted over the sound of the engine.

  Isabella opened her eyes and saw that Christopher had turned her way.

  “Are you sure?” he gave her a sly, deadly look, the look Christopher had on his face every time he stepped inside a car during a race.

  It’s a challenge.

  Isabella nodded “I trust you”

  Isabella’s heart was now pounding hard in her chest, but she didn’t know if it was just because of the motorcycle or if it was because she was letting go, because she was putting herself back into his hands, trusting Christopher once more.

  It’s not just that, she thought to herself.

  She wanted to feel it again, Christopher’s energy, that adrenaline rush that was so addictive, that was so Christopher. She wanted to feel alive again, with him.

  “Hold on” he said once more.

  Then, Christopher checked the road for any vehicles approaching from behind and drove off, fast into the night.

  The dream woke her up. It wasn’t exactly a nightmare, Isabella was pretty sure of it.

  It certainly hadn’t left her with a good feeling, but she was sure it wasn’t a bad dream. If only she could recall it.

  She opened her eyes to a dim bedroom, a familiar dim bedroom. The first thing she saw was Christopher, sleeping on his stomach, his head on the pillow beside her, his arm around her waist, his eyes still closed.

  Isabella stared at him, at the beauty of his naked back, the yellow sheets barely covering him. The tattoos spread harmoniously through the lines and shapes of his skin and a strand of hair slightly covered his left eye. Isabella’s stare stopped on the little scar on his lip, the one she was never tired of looking at.

  How can an imperfection make a person look so damn perfect? Isabella had thought about this before.

  It was such a contradiction, such an absurd contradiction that an old bruise could do that, but in an odd way it made sense to her. It made him look tougher, a fighter and that was the beauty of it. The energy and the intensity of how he lived his life reflected his body, his face.

  The temptation to kiss him in that moment was almost impossible to work against, but the light coming through the curtains distracted Isabella and she suddenly felt an urge, an urge to reach for her bag.

  It was on the floor, next to the bed.

  Isabella turned slowly- afraid to wake him up, as she saw his arm move down her back a little- and her hand went searching for her camera.

  She needed to take a picture of him like that, so peacefully asleep, so vulnerable but so strong with his broad shoulders and big arms, with that ‘impossible to resist’ scar on his lip.

  The sound of the camera taking the photo, made him flinch.

  Christopher made a face, like he was going through hell to open his eyes, like he was fighting against it and Isabella covered her mouth to stiffen a giggle.

  Snap, she took another picture.

  “Buongiorno” she said, when his green eyes registered Isabella’s face.

  She was holding on to her camera, her head back on the pillow and Christopher could see a smile, her gorgeous smile disappear behind the device, as she took another snapshot of him, up close.

  He made a sound and quickly reached for her lower back, pushing her body closer to his.

  “Good morning beautiful” he mumbled and closed his eyes again for a second. Then they were back on Isabella “Did I oversleep?”

  “I have no idea what time it is” Isabella turned to put away her camera and moved closer to Christopher.

  He placed his nose in between her neck and her ear and breathed in. Isabella twitched and giggled a little, his nose tickling her skin.

  “You smell great” and placed a kiss on her neck, then on her shoulder blade and then all the way down to her breast “I missed your smell, your skin, your shoulder blade” he mumbled in between kisses.

  Isabella giggled again and arched her back, her hands went around his neck.

  When his lips touched her stomach, Isabella twisted and twirled around, managing to quickly turn her back to Christopher.

  She laughed hard, as she felt his hands slip around her waist and his lips move down her lower back.

  “Stop” she let out a cry “Your beard” was all she said and laughed.

  “My beard what?” Christopher asked, his head popping out from the sheets. He kissed her hip again and felt Isabella’s body quiver under his hands.

  “You are tickling me” she said, looking for an escape route but Christopher’s strong hands wouldn’t let go of her.

  Her laugh filled the room and it hit something inside of him. It wa
s an incredible sound, Isabella’s laugh, sweet and warm.

  Real.

  Isabella bent and turned towards Christopher again, this time her hands took hold of his face and she pressed her body against his under the sheets. His skin was so hot, Isabella shivered at the touch.

  “Are you cold?” he asked, feeling her shiver, and then kissed her.

  Isabella nodded and gently bit his lower lip. She sucked at it a little and then moved in to kiss him again.

  Christopher’s eyes lit up, suddenly they weren’t drowsy as before. “I can warm you” he said against her lips.

  “Uhm” she moaned. Isabella wrapped her arms around his neck. “I could stay like this all day”

  “Let’s stay like this all day” he easily agreed and stroked her back.

  “Don’t you have to train?” she raised her eyebrow at him.

  “I do” he admitted “but…” he grabbed her thighs and pushed against her body.

  “I don’t want to be a distraction…” she said and shook her head, to make a point.

  “You are such a pleasant distraction” he smiled to the side.

  Christopher stared at her, his eyes half closed half open, the desire to hold her tight in his arms was so strong. It was so hard to resist, her smell, her soft skin, the little moans she made whenever he touched her.

  Christopher stroked her cheek and watched how Isabella took pleasure in feeling his hand cup her face.

  It was something she loved so much, his big warm hands on her cheeks. His hand slowly slid down her shoulder, her hip and all the way down to her thigh again, where it tightened around her behind.

  “I like your hair like this” he said and then dug his face in between her neck and her shoulder and kissed her skin.

  Isabella arched her back and held on tight to his shoulders. Her fingers felt his muscles flex, as he moved his hands again, up and down her legs. He gently bit her shoulder all the way up her neck and Isabella’s grip tightened around his torso.

  “Make love to me” she blurted out in between kisses.

  Christopher looked up, straight at her, a sly smile on his face, while his hand slid down to Isabella’s underwear.