Page 15 of Isle of Beauty

His movements are precise and though it's nothing fancy, I can tell he’s familiar with the space and probably spends time in it, which is more than I can say for myself.

After he makes us a delicious breakfast of pancakes with tons of syrup, we walk back from his place to mine, stopping along the way in a quaint cafe for takeout.

“What’s your poison, mo cara?”

“Double espresso, no milk, no sugar.”

He smiles at me like we share a secret.

“What?”

“I’m not surprised, that’s all.”

“I look forward to surprising you in other ways” I add, biting my lip suggestively.

He throws his head back in laughter, bearing his biteable throat. It’s insane the amount of times I catch myself wanting to bite and taste this man.

“I’m sure you will.”

“Let me guess. You’re a quadruple shot type of man.”

“Not at all, baby. I’m a double shot cappuccino man. With whole fat milk. Nothing else will do before twelve pm and you won’t ever catch me drinking it after that.”

I store the small detail in my file of “everything Pierce” with a chuckle.

What I thought would take a few minutes takes us close to two hours. We pass a lovely park and sit down while enjoying our hot drinks, then continue on, a lot slower than needed.

At some point, Pierce takes my hand and directs me to a small wooden door in between two larger grey buildings. “Come. I want to show you something.”

Through the door, we enter a hidden church. It’s just a few streets away from my flat and I had no idea it was here. I marvel at his knowledge of the city and listen intently when he tells me about its architecture and the history behind its hidden spot.

It’s yet another piece of who he is that I can lock up deep in my soul.

Reluctantly, I let him guide me to the front porch of my building. It’s not like knowing where I live is going to matter since I’ll leave this city by morning tomorrow.

I intend on enjoying my last night with him.

“I’ll pick you up at eight. Wear something ravishing. Maybe forgo the underwear again.”

He smirks then grabs my ass playfully. It’s the most he’s touched me this morning and I’m chasing his lips for a kiss, desperate for more.

The look he gives me tells me I won’t wear whatever I choose longer than necessary. Pierce was the perfect gentleman last night, putting me to bed after I fell asleep in his arms, but I want to peel his good manners until I get to the rawest part of him.

Sleep would be a waste and Mammona always said “you don’t waste a good meal”.

I get upstairs to my flat, ready to relax until the evening. I start to unbutton Pierce’s shirt when my phone vibrates on the counter, Giulia’s face showing up on screen. I pick up and can’t even say hi before she screams on the other side of the line.

“Where have you been, bitch? I’ve been blowing up your phone, I was so fucking close to calling your dad and starting a search party.”

“Calm down G, I’m fine. I just got home and didn’t get your texts until just now. Besides, if you were so worried, you could have called Igor. He has my location on his phone at all times just in case.”

“What do you mean you just got home?”

Of course, she picked up on that piece of information. She’s like a dog with a bone.

“Oh my God, you little slut, you totally fucked the owner of the bar last night!” she shrieks, going from concerned and overbearing to puppy-level excited and overbearing.“Tell me everything, leave no details aside.”

I laugh and start to spill all the hot details of how Pierce ate me like a starved man, leaving the ugly crying out of it, for now, before she recounts her own exploits with Louis.

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