21

##Chapter 21

Diana Markovic



"Princess, wake up." — I stretched feeling the aftermath of my intense night of sex.

It took me a few seconds before I finally managed to open my eyes and face the wonderful male figure of Hugh sitting there calling me in a husky voice.

- What there was? I asked.

- Anything. But you slept for thirteen hours straight, I thought you were in a coma. — made me laugh.

- I am broken. But rested, at least. I said getting up. He smirked.

The middle of my legs was hurting like hell, and warm memories started to fill my mind as soon as I looked at Hugh's lips. It was like I could feel him still in me.

His big body joined mine on the bed, I just closed my eyes and enjoyed Hugh having me again in the wee hours of the morning. It was our third round and it was very different from the previous ones. The desperation to be together had subsided and slowly we showed our emotions in every movement as we made love.

When we climaxed together, he held me, gripping my body like a lifeline for a full minute. I preferred to close my eyes and enjoy the warm feeling of his body hugging me, it was inevitable not to feel that pain in my chest either, a deep fear, a bad feeling in my stomach.

- You're perfect. he said in my ear.

- Why are you saying this? I asked confused.

- Just because. Let's eat something. — changed the subject.

— Yes, I just need to go to the bathroom to wash my face and take a shower. I said and so I did.

In the hours that followed, we ate a special meal he prepared, meatballs and pasta with white sauce as he told me about his family and childhood, and I shared with him various details of my breakup with Jeremy. After that I seemed to know him completely, however all he avoided talking about was the story involving his father.

I felt that this was his biggest discomfort, his father and everything involving that debt they had and again when I questioned him about wanting to sell the house, I was subtly cut off.

And, to make me even more worried, he got a phone call during our conversation that sent him away. Something that surprised me, since I didn't even know he had a cell phone. I just knew that whoever it was had something to do with his dad because when he came back he was totally different, more serious and he looked pissed off.

My heart was racing, I controlled myself several times before finally asking.

- Some problem? He threw me a death stare.

- No. I just nodded and didn't insist.

Instead I changed the subject. And to my surprise, I managed to make him smile very quickly after the tense moment. In the middle of the conversation he had the idea of opening a bottle of wine and even though he knew I was no good drunk, I started drinking with him and then one, two, three bottles of wine went away.

Without realizing it, the time had passed, the day was already getting dark again. We were lying on the living room floor, the carpet was fluffy and clean, there were two pillows on our heads and laughing for nothing, we stopped to look into each other's eyes.

I was speechless, I could only feel a flame rising inside me, it wasn't something erotic like last night, it was sentimentality. Unable to help it, thoughts of not having a future with him made me want to be sad, something he quickly noticed.

- What it was? Hugh whispered to me. His eyes look sad all of a sudden.

— Your impression. — lied .

I would never confess my fear of losing him. Of my day coming to leave and never seeing him again, my fear of never again feeling his touch, his caresses, of never making love to him again. I was in love, dammit! So fast, but it was.

Who can control the things of the heart? Nobody.

Hugh then smiled and cupped my face in his big, warm hands. More than quickly I felt his lips devouring mine, my heart was beating out of control as he pressed his body against mine.

He opened my mouth with his tongue as he went in search of mine to suck. Unable to get enough of the sweet taste of his kiss, I opened my mouth wider, letting him in. Hugh moaned when I lifted my hands to cup his silky hair and only stopped kissing me to lightly nip my bottom lip and my neck.

Then the kiss got hungrier as he returned his attention to my lips. I had no idea how long it lasted because the notion of time no longer existed for me. Being in those arms was simply the best place in the world.

We were forced out of our moment when my cell phone started ringing loudly. I got scared and then irritated I went to answer it, but who it was I couldn't treat rudely, it was my father.

"Daughter! I miss you, love." My dad said and I smiled.

"Papi! How are you?"

"Fine, fine. And are you all right, my dear?"

"Yes, I am. Where's Mom?"

"She's working. I have good news daughter, tell me where you are, I'll send the jet."

"Did Diego come back?"

"Yes. Talk quickly, before the call hangs up like usual." My chest tightened strangely.

"Dad, I'll try to call you again later, I don't know the exact location. I'll ask someone who's lived here longer and I'll get in touch. Is that okay?"

"I'll wait. A big kiss, my flower."

"Kiss, dad. I love you."

"I love you too."

I ended the call, put the phone to my chest and swallowed a lump in my throat with all my might. I looked at Hugh, he had heard everything and looked at me differently.

— My father will send a jet to pick me up, I... I just need the correct location from here. I said with a strange difficulty in breathing. Hugh looked at me in surprise again and then I swear I saw a glint of disappointment in his eyes.

Deep in my being I wanted Hugh to ask me to stay, ask me not to leave so soon, that he wanted me for longer, but he didn't.

— I'll write it down on paper. he just said.

I swallowed hard at his reaction as I watched him write in a notebook, then tear the paper off to hand it to me. I felt stupid for falling in love so quickly, when for him I could very well have been just a fling.

- Is it OK for you? I asked, immediately regretting it.

“I won't be here for long either. As soon as I sell the house, I will go to California to settle some matters, after which my fate is uncertain.

I was speechless. He was definitely decreeing that what happened between us would not go forward . I felt my chest hurt, but I had to pretend to be strong.

I typed a message to my father with the location that was on the paper, after five failed attempts, it was successfully sent. I had to turn my back to not stare at Hugh's face and want to cry for his reaction, I expected more emotion, more feeling from him towards me.

— You said that I would repay the favor you did me when you went to California… That you would stay at my house… — I was embarrassed when he laughed.

“I was teasing you. I have somewhere to stay there and I won't be long. I raised my eyebrows.

My tongue was itching to speak, so I finally worked up the courage to bring it up.

- It is us? His eyes turned sad and dark.

But again a call disturbed us, this time on his cell phone, but as I didn't answer in front of me, he left leaving me in conflict with myself. It wasn't long before he returned, and what he did left me even more confused.

"Princess, we need to talk." He took my hands and caressed them.

- I'm listening. - my voice hesitant.

Hugh closed his eyes, seeming to be working up the courage to say something terrible, and then he began:

“When I avoided touching you at all costs, kissing you, making love to you, having you to myself, I had a reason. That reason is much stronger than anything we can do and I need to address this. You are amazing, wonderful and as I said before, I don't deserve you. You deserve to be happy and I can't do that for you right now. So princess, my princess, what we had, it ends right here. The problem is not you, I want you to understand, it's me. Forgive me for being a cretin, an asshole, an idiot many times in that time, I was just trying to prevent any feelings from arising between us that would hurt us, hurt us and make us suffer later. You've already suffered so much and the only thing I didn't want was to see that there, tears in your eyes because of me.

Every word hurt like I never thought it would. Shit, not even for Jeremy had I felt that way and in just a week I was in love with a man to the point where I wanted to cry my eyes out.

— From the beginning you had already made it clear that there could be nothing between us. I just thought that with last night, something had changed. My eyes were full of tears .

“And it has, of course it has. You made me feel things that no one has ever awakened in me in my life. I had already had sex, but love? Love is what we made this morning. You were so special that even without knowing it, you let me be your first real man. Diana, I…” Fearing he would say something else that would end up breaking my heart, I cut him off.

"It's okay, you have no obligation to me. Everything that happened between us, stays here. I sobbed frantically wiping away my tears.

It was hurting, tearing me apart. We were saying goodbye.