Chapter Twenty-Nine
Pia
Pia stood at the back of the crowd, gripping Marco’s hand so hard she was sure it must hurt. Even so, she couldn’t make herself relax enough to let go. What the people around her were saying was impossible. How could Faith be pregnant?
‘What is going on?’ Marco asked beside her, making no attempt to escape her boa constrictor hold. Instead, he started massaging her back with long, soothing strokes with his free hand.
‘They are saying that Faith is pregnant. That is Luke’s wife. Did you meet her that first day we got here? Pretty woman with big, grey eyes and light brown hair. She’s one of the nicest people you could ever meet. She was the one who came up with the plan to rescue the children from the Death Train. It was so unlike her to do that. I remember how uncharacteristically she behaved at the time. She was like a dog with a bone. Even when people told her that the train was no more than an unsubstantiated rumour or that to undertake a mass Retrieval of that size was beyond them, she just kept pushing.’ She knew she was rambling, but it was better than thinking about what people around her were saying.
‘So, she is pregnant. They are married, are they not?’ Marco said in confusion.
‘Not married like this, but they are Bonded. They had to be to adopt Bart. But she cannot be with child, Marco. I told you. We are all sterile here. Except for the women who come to us pregnant, there are no other fertile women or men in our world. I warned you of that.’
‘We cannot have children? Yes, I remember you saying something, but I did not believe any of this back then. Especially not the fact you were a very old lady. I still do not quite believe that.’
‘Well, believe it, because it is true. And none of us can have children. Or that has been the case for over two hundred years. Not since before the LGP. If this has happened… if she is pregnant… my God, that will mean everything changes.’
The guests started to move back into the living room and the wedding party began, although it was now edged with excitement and dread. Pia didn’t care. If it were true, if Faith were pregnant, it meant that there was a possibility she might someday have a child of her own. As it was, she had plans to ask Marco about adopting Tiggy. That little tot still pulled at her heart-strings and she’d spent a great deal of her time since returning, playing with the child in the Centre and fielding her innocent questions.
Marco and Paulo had stayed at the Interim Centre with the others for the last two nights while she had gone back to her unit. Both men were adjusting to their new life with enthusiasm. She had wanted to postpone the wedding until Marco really understood what he had been given. There were opportunities that would take time to filter. Not the least of them being the many attractive and exceptional women he could choose from. He was limiting himself by jumping into commitment too soon.
However, Marco had been adamant that he wanted to have the wedding immediately. And, even though she was still worried that her lack of enthusiasm in bed might bore him after a while, she reluctantly agreed.
So here they stood, with all her friends around her, married in a way that she had never expected, to a man she still couldn't believe wanted her. And she was happy – disconcertingly, unbelievably happy.
It was while they were cutting their wedding cake that the Tablets all over the room went off. Knife still held in Marco's hand, Pia reached for her Tablet and allowed the message to flow into her mind. It was from Karl. The message was as simple as it was sublime: 'Faith is pregnant and doing well.'
A hush fell over the room as everyone digested the news.
‘What?’ Marco asked, getting annoyed by the further intrusion into his wedding day. He'd heard the bleeps and seen the way everyone reached for their Tablets, but he hadn’t heard the message. And of course, he just didn't get the importance of this news. How could he? Children were a given in his world. Taken for granted. Regretted. Terminated. Neglected. How could he possibly understand?
‘It is confirmed. Faith is pregnant,’ she told him with a stunned smile.
‘Good. I am happy for her and Luke. Can we get back to your cake? This is your day and I wanted it to be perfect. And we need to leave soon.’
His indignation and impatience were endearing and she leaned up to drop a kiss on his beautiful lips.
‘One day you will understand what is happening here. This makes our day even more special; I assure you.’
Marco grunted and looked at the stunned faces around him. Every face was transformed, lit from within by a flame of hope.
Maggie Tasmania, the artist, was jumping up and down and hugging her dark-skinned mate.
‘Luke will be over the moon!’ she crowed to him.
Pia smiled at her delight, even though she didn’t know Luke well enough to understand why this would be all that special to someone from 1942. However, maybe he “got” better than most Newcomers what infertility had meant to women like Faith.
And her.
What would it be like to carry a child in her belly like the women she brought back from the Titanic? Her last pregnancy had been so short she had barely acknowledged its reality. Then it was gone and so was her marriage to the teenage boy she thought she loved. Strangely, the pain of that time didn’t consume her as it once had. Finding Marco seemed to have healed that wound.
Two hundred plus years later and new life had become even more precious to their world than it had ever been. And now there was a possibility that, if one of their number could do this amazing thing, maybe others of them could too.
Eventually, Jac drew the celebration back to order and told them to finish cutting their cake. With much laughing and tears, the gathering took up where they had left off and, for Pia, the rest of the festivities passed in a pleasurable blur.
Later, after the well-wishers had seen them off and they had walked hand-in-hand down the cliff path to the small cluster of villas situated a few hundred metres inland, Pia felt her nerves begin to surface again.
Because of Marco’s insistence on marriage, she'd applied for and been allocated, one of these homes. The plan was for Paulo to live with them until he settled into his new life. However, for the next few days at least, he would remain at the Interim Centre while she and Marco had the place to themselves for their honeymoon.
Staring at their new home, a Roman style villa so much larger and lovelier than anywhere she’d ever lived before, it suddenly all seemed too much, too soon. And by the time Marco had carried her across the threshold, she was shaking uncontrollably, tears stinging her eyes.
‘What is it, Cara Mia?' Marco's dark eyes became troubled.
‘Nothing. I am just nervous about… you know.’ She lied, feeling herself blush.
How could he possibly understand how overwhelmed she felt by all the wonderful things that had happened to her in the last week? It was as if she was crashing under the weight of her joy. Panicking, as the tears poured from her eyes, she wondered if somehow she was losing touch with reality. She clutched Marco tighter, burying her head against his shoulder as she whimpered. Could one go mad from too much happiness?
Silently, he strode through the small house with Pia in his arms and when he reached the master bedroom, he slowly lowered her feet to the tiled floor. She loved the silky texture of their clothing as it brushed against their warm bodies. It fired her blood and some of her overwhelm began to recede.
‘You have told me that you have experience. Was that a lie, after all?’ He was teasing her in an attempt to help her past her worries. His warm brown eyes outlined by impossibly thick, black lashes searched her own, looking for something.
‘No. But I have never been… sex is not very… I am sure it will be very nice with you…’ She sputtered to a stop and cast her gaze away from his all-too-knowing expression.
He laughed joyously. ‘“Nice” is not a word I would use. But let us see what else it might be, huh, my sweet, sweet Pia!’
Then he was releasing the catches on her gown as he claimed
her mouth and she shivered as the white fabric slid down her body to pool at her feet. She was then naked, except for the stretch shorts they all wore as underwear and the crown of flowers on her head. His confident, gentle hands began to stroke her skin everywhere, as his lips urged hers to open and give him access to her mouth. She did his bidding, feeling a tingle of pleasure spreading out from somewhere deep inside her. That feeling intensified as he continued to touch her and kiss his way down her neck.
She reached shyly up and released the catches at the shoulder of his tunic. It fell to his waist where the belt held it in place. Marco left off his stroking to release the belt so the fabric could drop to the floor beside hers. His mouth never left her body.
‘I like these clothes. So easy to wear, so easy to remove,’ he mumbled against her neck.
She chuckled deep in her throat as he drew her closer. The feel of his naked flesh pressed against her bare breasts was electric. Without knowing what she did, she rubbed her skin against his, luxuriating in the feel. The little groan he let out told her he was feeling the pleasure too.
His strong hands wove into the long hair at the back of her head and drew her even closer. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she allowed herself the pleasure of running her hands across his back, feeling the muscles flex beneath her hands.
‘Nice,’ he said with a smile, as he left her neck to scatter kisses along her shoulder and back before gently biting into the flesh at the crux of her neck. The bite electrified her and she arched her body as the flow of pleasure nearly swamped her senses.
‘Uhhh…’ Was all she managed in response. He chuckled again.
‘I have never seen my experience with women as having value.’ His words were mere breaths against her neck. ‘But finally, I think I have found its value if I can please you. Give yourself up to me, Cara Mia. Let go of your fears and reserve, let down your walls and trust me… can you do that, my sweet one?’ His words were like an aphrodisiac, and she let them loosen her tight control and soothe her concerns.
As she relaxed, he nodded against the skin of her shoulder. ‘Sí, Cara Mia, that’s it. Trust the feeling. Ride it.’
His confident, strong hands were moving down her body now, slipping under the edge of her shorts and drawing them down and off her so his fingers could bury themselves in the curls between her legs. Moaning softly, she let her head fall back, riding the sensation as he instructed.
The first intrusion of his fingers into her secret centre was shocking and she clenched her thighs together. ‘Shhh… sí, let me… let me touch you…’ His voice was a harsh whisper against her ear now and obediently she let go.
Her mind went back to the first time she lost her virginity. It had been a painful and embarrassing experience at the boathouse by the pier. It had been cold that night, and the clumsy, drunken fingers that thrust themselves into her warm centre had hurt her. But she had made no move to stop them. She had decided that she was long overdue to lose her virginity. Now was as good a time as any. And if the boy… what was his name? She couldn’t remember. If he was drunker than she wanted and if he smelled of the drugs he had been smoking, it didn’t matter. She just needed to get it over.
And with that thought came the same urge. Get it over. It would hurt, but then when Marco was satisfied he would lay with her in his arms and it would be nice. And Marco was neither drunk nor clumsy. It would be okay if she could just get it over.
She began to pull Marco’s shorts down his body so he, too, would be naked. His arousal was a pleasant shock, long and thick, the head bulging like an arrowhead at its tip. It jerked in her hands as she held it, as if it had a life of its own. Marco moaned and bit down on her shoulder again, this time a little harder. How could pain like that be pleasurable? Her touch became harder as she moved over his thickness.
‘No… sweet Pia that is too much…’ he said with another groan. He drew her hands away and rested against her neck for several seconds. Then he was kissing her mouth again, thrusting his tongue deep and coaxing her own into an intimate dance. That pleasurable, scary feeling was building in her centre again and this time she fought to control it, fearing it would overwhelm her already ragged senses.
But Marco must have sensed what she was doing, because he drew back and looked into her eyes. His were burning orbs of melted chocolate, their lids half closed.
‘Trust me, if there is anything I am good at in this world it is this. Let me love you... it is all I have to offer in return for all you have given me.’ His words were gravelled and low, sensual in the extreme. But something in them troubled her.
She fought to clear her sluggish brain. What did he mean – given him? What did he need to repay her for? Horror started to form in the back of her mind. Had he married her to repay her for saving his life? For giving him this luxurious lifestyle?
‘You do not owe me anything,’ she said slowly, drawing away from him with caution.
His own mind seemed to be slow on the uptake, too, because he frowned in confusion. ‘Of course I do. I owe you everything.’
Her pulse was racing and she felt suddenly very sick. ‘Is that why you married me? To pay me back?’
His eyes flew open in shock as he realised what she meant. He started to shake his head. Then, very slowly he reached over and took her shoulders in his hands. He pushed her down so she was sitting on the edge of the bed. Then he dropped to his knees at her side and took her cold hands in his warm ones.
‘Where I come from – when a man feels he has gathered enough wealth or become someone of worth – he chooses a wife to love and bear his children. It is what he offers her in return for her love. I have no wealth and I am not someone of value. I am a waiter whose only selfless act nearly cost the life of the most precious being in the world to him.
‘No Pia, do not say anything. Let me finish,’ Marco said as she started to speak.
Then he let go of her hands so he could run his fingers through the unruly curls on his head. He looked nothing like a waiter anymore. A young Roman god naked in all his glory was a more fitting description of him, her bemused brain told her.
‘I spent my life as a wanderer, restlessly searching for something, anything, to make me feel whole; until I met you that morning in Southampton. As soon as I met you I knew I had found what I had been searching for. But having found it, what did I have to offer you? Nothing. I have no special talents, no admirable qualities, nothing but a pretty face and a great deal of sexual experience.
‘But despite my shortcomings, you loved me. More than I thought it was possible for someone to love me. When your people told me how rare it is for someone like you to love, it made even less sense to me that I should be the object of your affections. When you refused to go without me, risked your life for me... I felt overwhelmed. I am still overwhelmed. And so unworthy.
‘You could have been a guttersnipe with less than nothing and I would still feel you gave me more than I could repay by loving me. But you aren't a guttersnipe. You are a beautiful, capable woman of this amazing world, who gave me my life and the life of my friend. And you have opened doors for me I never knew existed.
‘And it is too much. You, your love, all this... it is too much. I am terrified I will wake up tomorrow and you will have moved on as I moved on from so many lovers in my past. If you leave me, I do not think I could…’ He stopped speaking as his emotions threatened to overwhelm him.
When she made to reach for him he stayed her hands. ‘No,’ he croaked. ‘There is more. I do not know if I will ever have the courage to say these things to you again. So I will say them now. I will finish them now.’
He lifted his head so his dark, intense eyes could meet her gaze. ‘That was why I wanted to marry you so quickly. So I could bind you to me so you would never leave. And that was selfish of me. But I did it because I love you. I love you with every breath in my body, with all of my heart and mind and soul. I have nothing but that love and my skills in the bedroom to offer you in return for lo
ving me. It is so little. So very little...
‘So now that you know it all. I will understand if you...’ His voice faltered and he looked away out the window at the sunny, green hillside.
Pia felt awash with conflicting emotion. That she had so misunderstood what drove him because of her own insecurities was heartbreaking. How could she have known? No one had ever loved her like this before, and that he felt as unworthy as she did to be loved was unbearable. She felt the tears burning a track down each of her cheeks, threatening to overwhelm her. She choked them back.
With shaky hands she reached out and touched his glossy curls, letting her fingers comb through the strands until she was ready to face him. Then she used them to draw his face back to hers.
‘Marco, I have never felt like this. It is as if I have been numb my whole life, not just since the LGP; long before that. You have made me feel again, and it is terrifying and wonderful all at once. I love you for the man you are, and I do not think that I have reached the depths of love you inspire in me yet. The more I know you, the more I feel for you. And as for what you do not have – well, even if you had been as rich as Croesus back there in 1912, when you came here you would have lost it all. Wealth means nothing to us here.
‘What does matter is what you have given me. Love is the greatest gift a woman could ever want or need and you have given me yourself and your love. And you have given me back my soul.
‘Make love with me now, Marco. Teach me… I will trust you with my heart, and my body and my newly recovered soul if you will trust me with yours. And I will love you forever, marriage or no marriage. And for us, that is a very long time.’ She smiled through her tears at her last little joke.
Then, he was sweeping her up and raining little, desperate, choking kisses all over her face and neck. And Pia was wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulling him in close, revelling in the sweetness, revelling in the fire burning at her core, revelling in her own overloaded senses as he took her higher and higher.
And none of what they did to each other was about skills. It was all about worshipping the other with their bodies. Giving pleasure, as they took it; wholeheartedly, blissfully and completely.
When his lips found one of her sensitised nipples and his mouth closed over it, sucked it deep, she cried out with the shock and pleasure of it.
‘Nice?’ he growled at her when he let her go, remembering her assurance that what they did together would be “nice.” But it was more than nice and he knew she knew it.
‘Ohhhhh…’ was all she could manage. Her hands were shaking as they pulled him closer, but this time it was not with fear, it was with frenzy. And when his fingers found their way into her soft, moist petals, she felt her control give way. She let go; trusting him, loving him and aching for him as he took her over the edge into that first mindless moment of ecstasy.
Then, while she was floating back to earth he was opening her body and pressing into her tight sheath. And she barely felt the twinge of pain as he broke through her maidenhead and sank home.
‘Oh, Pia...’ he breathed, his voice choked with emotion. ‘I love you so...’
And then he was moving, slowly and gently at first, as he stretched her body to accommodate his size. Then, as the fit became perfect and slick, he began to thrust into her desperately.
‘Cazzo!’ Marco cried as she began to move under him, unconsciously matching his thrusts so that their joining was deep and rhythmic.
‘Gesù Cristo!’ The low, guttural exclamation was uttered as he arched up, burying himself still deeper inside her.
His thrusts became more frenzied, pounding into her flesh in deep, hard stabs that had her gasping with heightened sensation, caught between pleasure and pain. But she didn’t want him to stop. The last thing she wanted was for him to stop. She tipped her hips up to meet his next thrust so that she felt it right to her womb. And then the reverb started, spreading out from the deepest place within her until her whole body shook with it and she spasmed, screaming, as she flew off into the abyss.
Somewhere a long way away, she heard him cry out her name and felt him convulse inside her. But that was too far away. And all she could do was feel with every cell in her body. Feel with such intensity that it left her raw and shaken as she wept in deep, gulping sobs as their bodies shuddered together and became still.
‘Dear god,’ she whispered in shock through her tears when the last of the little explosions had finished. ‘I did not know.’
‘Hmm?’ He lay against her, his skin sweaty and so hot. She loved the weight of him pressing her down into the bed, pressing into the cradle of her pelvis.
When she didn’t explain, he lifted his head. ‘Did not know what?’
She buried her head against his chest to hide from his knowing eyes.
‘Pia?’
‘That I could do that. During sex. I have never even had an orgasm before. I did not think I could.’
He grunted and then chuckled, nuzzling her neck. ‘Of course you could. Your other lover was not much good, I think.’
‘Lovers. And no, I think you are right. I never thought… well it was amazing.’
‘Yes,’ he said fiercely. ‘It was. I have never known it to be like that before, either. My skills were sadly lacking, but loving you must have made the difference. I do not know.’
She looked up and grinned with delight. ‘It was good for you too?’
With an exasperated grunt he nipped at her shoulder. ‘Not good, better than good. Better than great. You, my darling girl, were amazing, sí?’
‘Sí.’ A little bud of pride began to open inside her. She was amazing. The man who had known so many other lovers thought she was amazing. And it felt like the truth because she felt amazing. She felt beautiful and sexy and special. And it was all because of this incredible man she had found on a sinking ship.
‘I do love you, my husband. More than you can possibly know.’
‘Oh, I do know, now. I still feel… like an idiota for thinking you would simply take Paulo in my place, or worse, that you might have died waiting for me to return.’ He shuddered and buried his head in the crook of her shoulder kissing her there over and over as if to make up for his mistake.
‘No one has ever loved you enough, I think.’ She smiled and snuggled in closer, even though his hot, sweaty body was now sticky and too heavy for proper breathing.
‘I never thought I deserved to be loved. Not like this. Not for who I am. It has always been about sex; about being wanted for my looks and charm and because I could please a woman in bed. It was never about me. I still do not know what is special about me, that you would choose to risk your precious life for me.’
She smiled again, thinking that he sounded a lot like her. Maybe being special was all about what another person saw. Maybe no one ever saw themselves as special.
‘We have come a long way, you and I,’ she said softly. ‘And I expect we have a long way still to go. But as long as we are together it is worth the journey.’
‘What would you like to do with your new life now that you have it?’ she asked, after a comfortable silence had fallen between them and Marco had slid to the side of her so she could breathe again.
‘I do not know,’ he said as he stroked damp hair back from her face. ‘I have never had the opportunity to choose. I would like to see more of the world. Places in history. I would like to travel through time. Is that possible?’
She shrugged and nodded. ‘It is possible. You will need to do a lot of study first, if you want to be a Researcher. Retrievers – people like me – do not require that level of knowledge but Researchers are experts in their fields. They have to know how to gather and evaluate information from their source. You cannot take a holiday in the past. We visit it for work only.’
Marco frowned. ‘Then I probably will not be able to do this. I am not a scholar. I am an ignorant waiter.’
‘How many languages do you speak fluently?’ she asked.
‘
Four. And two more I can get by in. Why?’
‘You have to have a good mind to be able to understand and remember languages. It might take a bit of time for you to become a scholar but you now have all the time in the world. And while you are studying you can take virtual tours of places other Jumpers have been. It is almost as good as being there. When Giarn debriefs you can actually experience the Titanic sinking if you want.’
‘How is that possible?’ he demanded in amazement.
‘My beloved, so much is possible here. You have no idea. And you have as many years as you need or want to explore what is possible.’
‘Thank you.’
She didn't ask for what. She already knew how long that list was for him, and her list was almost as long. But the gratitude they both felt was only partly due to the other. Ultimately, it was meant for whatever hand guided their fate and had brought them together in this perfect world. As the joyful tears welled up and threatened to overtake her once more, she answered for that guiding hand.
‘You are very welcome...’
Their lips met again in a long, languid kiss as the midday sun beyond the open window bathed their bodies in light.
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AUTHOR’S NOTE
It was a difficult decision to make permafree this ebook that took so much time and energy to write. On one hand, I don’t want my work devalued, on the other, having new readers discover and enjoy my wonderful world of New Atlantis is important to me.
If you have enjoyed this book and meeting the gang from New Atlantis, why not read their individual love stories in the rest of the New Atlantis series. You can find out more about these titles by visiting my website www.nhysglover.com
Book 1 NINE LIVES: Jac and Cara’s story
Book 2 THE DREAMER’S PRINCE: Jane and Julio’s story
Book 3 SAVAGE: Luke and Faith’s story
Book 7 THE KEY: Bart and Kat’s story
And you can also follow their lives after their HEAs in the other books in the series.
Thanks
x Nhys
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