A Hopeless Romantic

It had been one week. One week since Massimo had given her autonomy of the restaurant. She found that she enjoyed running such a stylish place. Granted, it needed some work, as the last manager didn't find the need to have the place re-painted, but she was glad to be able to do that. Massimo would stop in during the evening time to walk her back to the villa, but instead of finding that annoying, she reveled in being able to talk with the man. While at the restaurant's back office she would carve out time for Massimo's books to see where the discrepancy lie. She was still on the hunt for where a portion of the money went, but was confident she would find it. She told him so during one of their routine walks back to his home. "I have no doubt you will find what you need to, Laura," he said quietly gazing at her intently. She typically wasn't one to blush, but she felt her cheeks heating from his gaze alone. It was official. Massimo made her feel absolutely gidd

Laura woke up the next day feeling rejuvenated. She never felt this rested-Well she hadn't felt this rested in over two years. Blinking her eyes open she turned around in bed only to find Massimo's side of the bed was cool.  Throwing the covers off of her naked body, she held up her ripped gown blushing from the memory of last night. The way his body moved against hers, the way he took her with abandon, the way he kissed all over her body made her feel alive. She was still wary about the man but she couldn't help how he made her feel. She was torn.  Part of her wanted to believe that he was being genuine. The look in his eyes, the raw want, and the way he spoke about wanting to be with Laura truly moved her. There wasn't any hesitation in his words and she wanted to believe him. But then she thought about how he left and how she had no contact with him and she finds herself wavering. For now, though, she would give it no thought. For now, she would take it day by day. A

Laura had nothing else to say to Massimo. Not for the remainder of the evening. He must've sensed her fear, or inability to speak because he offered her a soft smile and leaned back in his seat. It was then he glanced down at her book. "Is that a journal?" he asked. Laura nodded her head before she ran my hand over it. He pointed to it. "May I?"  "Yes," Laura said. As crazy as it was, She wanted to know his thoughts on what she wrote. He opened the book and began to read the first three pages. "You have such a way with words," he said before closing it gently. "But I like how you describe this place. It can be seen as an oasis of a sort. A temporary home away from home." "It can," she said finally able to answer him. "It's a very idyllic town. I think it has a good mix of the old with the new." "It could be where you live permanently. If you desire it," he hedged. Laura only sighed before focusing h

Massimo was stunned. Of all things for Laura, he hadn't expected that. She was pregnant with his child only to lose it. That in itself tortured him. He felt sick. Massimo leaned on the desk trying to process what Laura just told him. She was pregnant, and lost the baby? What made it worse was the fact that he never returned her calls. He always saw the call but he never answered. Why? Because he was weak. He had to handle the danger that was lurking with his family. It turned out that the man who killed his father wasn't really dead, and they used the divergent to try and finish the job of killing him. As soon as he found out he had to send Laura away. They were already spotted and he didn't want her used as a bargaining chip. Granted he had just gotten on track with her, as their exploration of each other's bodies on the yacht awakened many things in him. But, he knew if he let her go, they would think Laura was only a one-night stand. So no more contact. He heard the

Laura woke up the next day feeling refreshed. She hadn't slept that well in a long time. She wondered what could have made her- Oh crap. Suddenly, everything came back to her. She went upstairs to sleep. Except Massimo came into her room. And promised to love her. And apologized. And ate her out like a man possessed. She wouldn't lie. It felt good. But she also knew that it wouldn't last. She needed to stay focused. She couldn't let herself fall under Massimo's spell again. Throwing the covers off of her body, she hurried over to the shower to clean up and get ready for the day. The first order of business was being honest with her ex.                                                                                   .............. Laura was on her way to her designated office when her phone rang. "Hello?" "I'm sorry," Mark said over the phone. She smiled before taking a deep breath. "I know. And I'm sorry too." When she heard hi