WANTED: Love of my Life

41. Meeting in the Shadows

“Well, it seemed the simplest way to me. But, now that you mention it, I could use my hands, too.” And I proceeded to check for the presence of pieces of him that I couldn't reach with my lips. Not yet, anyway.

“Angela!”

“What?”

“You shouldn't... I mean... it isn't proper...”

“What?” Innocently, I grinned up at him, while my hands explored more of him. They were under his jacket now, trying to slip under his shirt. Suddenly, they encountered a barrier. The cold, hard thing he was wearing. My brow furrowed in annoyance.

“Giacomo, what is that thing?”

Suddenly, his hands gripped my wrists.

“That's not important.”

“It is if I want to find out how to get it off.”

He bent down to me, frowning, his jaw set. Somehow, my words had upset him. No, it was more than that. Did I imagine it, or was there a glint of suspicion in his bright eyes?

“And why in the world would you want to do that?”

Blushing, but only slightly, I stood on my tiptoes to give him a peck on the nose.

“Try to guess.”

The suspicion on his face was first replaced by bewilderment, then by disapproval. “Angela... you can't mean that. You can't be serious.”

“I just want to take a peek. I promise,” I whispered, pressing myself closer to him. I could feel his breathing getting uneven. His hands let go of my wrists and slid up my arms, over my shoulder, down my spine. I thought I was gonna die!

“Mia Angela.” It was no more than a rough whisper. But I heard it all right. I heard it.

“Giacomo.”

His hands slowly slid around me, to the front, to the hem of my shirt. My breathing was ragged by now. Then, suddenly, his hands stopped.

“Angela... I can't. I shouldn't.”

I looked up at him from under my lashes. In the shadows, his angelic face bore a tortured expression.

“Are you sure?” I asked innocently. Or at least it sounded innocent.

He put his arms around me and pressed me to him. “I can't take advantage of you like this,” he muttered, his face pressed into my hair. “It wouldn't be right.”

“Even if I want to be taken advantage of? Or is it taken of advantage? Where did you pick up that expression anyway? Sounds silly. Whichever it is, I certainly wouldn't mind.”

“It's still not right,” he growled. “You're too young! I shouldn't be doing this!”

Not this again! Suddenly serious, I took a step back, taking his face in both my hands. My eyes stared directly into his.

“I'm no child anymore, Giacomo.”

Please, please believe me. If you can't believe this, how can we be together? Is this why you've never told me how you feel about me? Is this, why you're holding back? Or is something different? Something darker? Please tell me.

My eyes besieged him. But this once, my tried and tested puppy-dog expression did not seem to work. He just looked down at me sadly.

“You're only fourteen. Young and innocent.”

I let my head sink down on his chest.

“Please, Giacomo. I just want to be with you.”

“I know.” He inclosed me in his arms again. “But we can't. Not that way, Angela, please. I'm feeling guilty enough for what I've done. For what I continue to do.”

“I don't understand what's there to feel guilty about!”

I could feel him nod.

“Yes, I see you don't. And I wish I could explain. But I can't. I guess you would have had to have lived my life before you could understand. You see.... I want you. In every way.”

My head snapped up. I was staggered by his admission.

“What? Then what are we arguing about?”

He shook his head, smiling a melancholy smile I knew well by now. “No, you don't understand. I want you. Which is exactly why I can't have you.”

I frowned. He waited for my answer, but I didn't say anything.

Finally he said: “Angela, what's the matter?”

“Well...” I peered up at him, carefully. “I may never have been great at logic. But either logic works different in Italy, or I'm suddenly smarter than you, because that sounds just plain silly.”

And suddenly, all the tension was gone. He burst out laughing, and seeing that, I couldn’t help but join in. Soon we were both holding our bellies and only managing to stay upright because we clung on to each other – which felt nice.

“You're right,” Giacomo chortled. “Logic does work different in Italy!” He tugged on my hand and suddenly was striding away.

“Where are we going?” I wanted to know, still grinning.

“Don't you remember? I said I was going to show you the secret places of the city.”

“I've lived in this city my whole life, and you think there are places you can show me?”

“Of course I do. Want a bet?”

He grinned at me, obviously remembering how our last bet had gone for me. I pouted.

“No. But I still don't think there's anything here you could show me that I haven't seen before. Nothing I would be interested in, anyway.”

“Really?” His smile was dazzling. “Well then I guess you're in for a surprise.”

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Guessing time! Where is he gonna take her, what are they gonna do?? Any ideas? ;)

Cheers

Rob