The early morning sun shone brightly through the window as Maine slowly opened her eyes. It took her a minute to get re-accustomed to her unfamiliar surroundings. She was in Italy and she was finally officially married to Richard. With a small smile on her face, she held up her left hand and admired the plain platinum wedding band that graced her finger along with the engagement ring that he gave her. She's now RJ's wife. Her brain has yet to wrap itself around that idea. It seemed so surreal and she felt as if she was living a fairy tale.
It was her wedding night last night although she can hardly call it one considering that she slept alone on the bed. Richard insisted that he sleep on the floor. Maine blushed as she remembered the way RJ gazed at her when she stepped out of the bathroom wearing the nightgown his mother had packed for her. His gaze held so much longing that she actually felt sexy for the first time in her life. For one crazy moment she had contemplated on telling RJ to forget about her request of having a marriage only in papers. She wanted to know how it felt like to be wrapped in his arms and to feel his lips on hers once again.
But it was Richard who requested that they slept separately and she was too embarrassed to insist that it was okay to share the bed with him. There was so much conflict shown on his handsome face that she did not want to further add to his burden. She just realized how difficult her request must be for him. He was a ladies' man for most of his life and he was never left wanting when it came to sexual encounters with women. And then she asked him a marriage only in papers with the full expectation of having his complete loyalty and fidelity only to her. It was like asking him to remain celibate for the rest of his life. Could RJ actually do that? She wondered.
With a sigh, she slowly got out of bed and spotted RJ still asleep on the floor. He must have tossed aside the bed covers during the night as he lay down on the comforter that served as his mattress. Maine tiptoed towards him keeping as quiet as possible so as not to wake him up. She stopped at the edge of the comforter and stooped down in order to watch him sleep. He looked so relaxed and peaceful and he looked even more handsome. She reached out and shook his shoulders a little bit to wake him up.
"It's time to wake up RJ" Maine softly whispered.
Richard did not stir. Maine finally decided to let him sleep a little more but as she started to shift from her position RJ's arm suddenly shot out and pulled her towards him. Maine's heart started to double up in speed as she found herself half on top of him. His arms were enclosed around her holding her close. Maine looked at his face and saw that his eyes were still closed.
"Five more minutes." he murmured softly.
Maine stayed as still as a statue. Her heart was thudding crazily against her chest as she lay there wrapped tightly in RJ's embrace. For the next fifteen minutes Maine stayed exactly where she was. She did not move an inch and contented herself in listening to his even breathing and watching his handsome face that was only a few inches from hers. She has never seen RJ this close before and she tried to memorize every bit of his countenance- his long lashes, his aristocratic nose and the tempting lips that just kissed her last night after the wedding. The kiss that they shared right after the ceremony was a surprise for her. She did not expect the intensity of the kiss and she almost forgot where they were. All that mattered was his lips caressing hers and ever since then she had longed for him to kiss her the same way again. It was totally different from the kiss that they first shared during the engagement party. If their first kiss reminded her of lazy Sunday afternoons, their second kiss was like a flamenco dance - hot, passionate and fiery. It was like he had branded her as his own with that kiss and she had no complaints at all.
With a soft smile on her face, Maine could not stop herself from reaching out and caressing RJ's lips lightly with her fingertips. She froze as she felt him stir and watched wide eyed as he finally opened his eyes. They stared at each other for a moment. Maine held her breath, her fingers still touching his lips. Richard gave Maine a small smile as he softly kissed her fingers.
"Good morning" RJ whispered.
"Good morning" she whispered back.
"Did you sleep well?" Richard asked. They did not budge from their position. It seems as if both of them were perfectly contented to be wrapped in each others' arms.
Maine just nodded as she gazed shyly at him. Now that he was awake she was not as bold as she was earlier.
"Did you sleep well?" Maine asked him as well.
Richard winced a little as he shifted slightly. "My back hurts a bit." He confessed.
Maine frowned when she heard his response. "I told you it was okay to share the bed with me"
Richard stared in amusement at Maine. His sweet and naive best friend has no idea that sleeping in bed beside her would have been more torture than sleeping on the hard ground. If only she knew how just having her in his arms right now was wrecking havoc on his system. Before he could completely lose control, he reluctantly disentangled himself from Maine. If he had his way, he would have wanted to stay in bed with her all day.
"Time to get up, we have a busy day today" Richard said as he pushed himself into a standing position.
Maine looked at him quizzically. "What are we gonna do?"
"It's a surprise." Richard replied mysteriously causing Maine's curiosity to heighten. She gave him a small pout. He smiled at her with amusement.
"That's not going to work Maine" he said with a smirk. "You'll find out soon enough."
After an hour Richard and Maine were finally dressed and ready to go. Richard took Maine's hand and led her down the stairs.
"Where are we going?" Maine asked for the nth time. Richard just looked at her with a smile but did not say anything. He led her to the kitchen where a picnic basket was sitting on top of the counter. Richard spoke to the chef for awhile in fluent Italian before reaching out for the basket along with the picnic blanket that was nestled beside it.
"We're going on a picnic?" Maine asked in surprise. "What about our guests?" She had noted that the villa seemed to be completely deserted.
"Mom had taken all of them to Venice. They will be staying there for two more days before heading back home" he explained.
"Venice!" Maine exclaimed in surprise. "Each and every one of them?" she asked in disbelief.
"Yup" Richard replied as if it was a normal everyday occurrence.
"Let me get this straight." Maine clarified still not believing what she heard. "Your mother treated our thirty guests to Venice?"
Richard just nodded. He couldn't understand why Maine was so surprised about it. Maine's head was still spinning with the news. Madame Faulkerson certainly pulled all the stops for this wedding.
"I don't understand why they have to leave." Maine argued. "Isn't this place beautiful enough for them?"
"I don't think that's the point" Richard whispered with an embarrassed smile.
Maine looked at Richard with a bewildered expression for a moment until comprehension finally dawned on her. His mother had taken every single one of their guests which means that she and RJ were all alone.
"Does that mean..." Maine started to ask.
"The villa is all ours" Richard finished her sentence with a smirk on his face.
Maines's face turned white as a sheet upon hearing the news. Here she is in a romantic villa in Italy all alone with Richard. That doesn't seem to bode well with her and her resolve to make this marriage only in papers.
"Is there something wrong?" Richard asked in concern as he noticed Maine's pale face.
"No, nothing's wrong" Maine assured him. "Let's go!" She exclaimed as she took his hand and led him out of the villa.
Richard brought Maine to a small secluded garden just behind the villa. They were a good distance away from the actual villa so the place appeared to be deserted. Richard set the basket down as he arranged the blanket on the soft grass. Maine on the other hand stood marveling at her surroundings. She couldn't believe such a place could actually exist.
"Are you going to just stand there the whole day" RJ teased her.
Maine glanced at him and found him sitting on the picnic blanket. A wide variety of cheese and wine were arranged artfully beside him. She approached the blanket as she eyed the food hungrily. "Wow, it looks delicious" Maine commented and settled herself on the other side of the blanket. Richard picked up a small cube of cheese and offered it to Maine.
"Hmmm" she sighed as she enjoyed the creaminess and tanginess of the cheese.
"You have to eat it together with this one." Richard said as he offered her a glass of wine. Maine took it willingly and brought it to her lips. The wine was delightful and it complemented the taste of the cheese very well.
Richard and Maine enjoyed their lunch peacefully and after they had finished they lay down side by side on the picnic blanket and watched the sky overhead.
"It's so peaceful here." Maine commented with a smile. Her eyes were closed as she enjoyed the feel of the gentle breeze against her skin.
"This is one of my favorite places." Richard remarked as he watched a flock of birds fly by.
"You've been here before?" Maine asked curiously as she opened her eyes and turned her head to look at Richard.
"My mother used to bring me here all the time when I was a child. Why do you think I learned to speak Italian fluently?" Richard replied as he turned his head to gaze at Maine.
"How many languages do you know?" Maine asked. They have known each other for so long but they never had the chance to discuss this.
"Just four actually" Richard answered. "I also know French quite well. After Italy, France was my mother's favorite city. I'll take you there someday" Richard said with a smile.
Maine blushed at his comment. She had to admit that it felt good discussing the future with him. The fact that he was discussing future plans with her made her feel warm all over.
Richard glanced up at the sky and frowned a bit. Maine looked up as well and found out what made him so concerned. Dark clouds were coming in fast and rain was imminent. "I think we have to go" Richard said as he pushed himself into a standing position. Maine followed suit. They hurriedly fixed their things but unfortunately they were not fast enough. Drops of rain were starting to fall just as Richard was closing the basket. Sheets of rain started to pour down after a while and Richard and Maine were drenched in mere seconds. Richard grabbed Maine's hand and started to run. The villa was still a long way off so Richard led Maine under the shade of a very huge oak tree.
They stayed there for a while, the tree serving as temporary shelter for them, until the rain subsides. Maine held her arms across her body as she shivered from the cold. Richard noticed her shudder and thought of a way to keep her warm. Both of them were drenched to the core and the picnic blanket that he was carrying was too wet to even offer her any warmth. Eventually he decided to do the next best thing. He reached out for Maine and enveloped her in an embrace and the heat emanating from their bodies served as their protection from the cold.
Maine closed her eyes as she savored the feel of Richard's arms around her. She trembled a bit but she was pretty sure that it was not because of the cold at all. Maine rested her head against Richard's shoulder and placed her arms lightly at his back.
Richard on the other hand was summoning every ounce of his control in order to prevent him from crushing Maine's body against his. The heat emanating from her body was like an ice pick slowly chipping away the blocks of his self control. He pulled back a little and glanced at her sweet face. Void of make up, she looked fresh as a daisy. Not even the clumps of hair clinging to the sides of her face could destroy her innocent beauty. Before he knew it, something deep inside him had finally snapped and his head started to descend down towards hers.
A moan was heard as soon as their lips met. Richard was not sure if it came from him or from Maine. All of his thoughts were fuzzy at the moment. All he could focus on was the feel of Maine's lips on his. He felt her arms tighten around him and he finally gave in to the urge of tasting her. He slipped out his tongue and caressed her lips. Maine's mouth parted immediately giving him access. Richard delved into the sweetness of her mouth and their tongues finally met. He slowly cupped Maine's neck with his hand as he tasted her further while she clutched tightly at the lapels of his shirt.
The rain had increased in strength making it impossible to see anything at all but beneath the leafy boughs of the oak tree Richard and Maine clung on to each other, the outside world was lost to them, as they shared their first real kiss.