Chapter 5
I walked into the kitchen the next morning to find Maddie and Lena finishing up with breakfast. As soon as Maddie saw me, she waved. “Good morning. Where’s Ayla?”
“She’s still sleeping. I’m going to take our breakfast upstairs,” I said, nodding toward the tray.
“Oh.” Maddie raised an eyebrow at me, her eyes glistening mischievously, but I just glared. She shrugged. “I’ll set a tray for you,” she mumbled, tilting her face down as she hid her smile. Leaning against the wall, I waited for her. “There you go,” she said, giving me the tray.
Taking it from her hand, I turned around to leave. “Thank you,” I said before leaving the kitchen and making my way upstairs.
Closing the door behind me, I walked further into the room to find the bed empty. I frowned and placed the tray on the coffee table, looking around the room for Ayla.
“Ayla?” I called out.
When I heard the bathroom door open, I quickly swiveled around and saw Ayla coming out with a towel in her hand. She was dressed in her maid outfit.
“Alessio,” she breathed at the sight of me. “I thought you left.”
“I went to get us breakfast,” I muttered, walking toward her.
“Oh,” she whispered, looking down almost shyly. I found it endearing that she was feeling shy even after last night.
Placing a finger under her chin, I tilted her head up. “Why do you always look away from me?”
She bit down on her lips nervously, and I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her closer. With her soft body plastered against mine, I felt myself harden as I remembered the night before.
Ayla shrugged at my question and placed her hands over my chest. She licked her plump lips, and before I could stop myself, my lips were on hers.
Her lips were soft like velvet, and I licked the seams, demanding entrance. She gave in to my demands, and our tongues moved together in a fiery dance. She met my kiss with the same intensity, pushing her body closer to mine.
Ayla consumed me. Mind, body, and soul. She was right; she was fire, and I was going to burn. We were both going to burn.
Gasping for breath, we broke the kiss. Her fingers tightened around my suit jacket, and she sighed.
“Are you hungry?” I asked, pulling away.
She nodded with a smile and placed a hand over her stomach. “Famished.”
Taking her hand in mine, I walked us toward the sofa. I sat down and grasped her hips, pulling her to my lap. Ayla laughed and snuggled into my embrace.
“Are you going to feed me?” she teased, raising an eyebrow at me.
“Do you want me to feed you?”
“No.” She laughed.
I had to smile. The free and happy expression on her face was something I wanted to savor and never forget. Her laughter did something to my heart.
Her happiness made me happy. She calmed me. In the same way that I brought her peace, she brought me peace too. I haven’t felt peace since my mother’s death. It was now a foreign emotion. But with Ayla, I could forget all the darkness inside of me.
Placing a kiss on her forehead, I leaned forward and picked up a piece of biscuit and held it to her lips.
Ayla looked at me strangely and hesitated for a second before taking a bite. I alternated between feeding her bites of eggs, toast, and some fruit. “Do you want juice?” I asked, brushing away the crumbs that rested on the corner of her lips.
“Hmm…”
I was about to grab the glass when Ayla stopped me with a hand on my arm. “You haven’t eaten anything yet,” she murmured.
I chuckled low under my breath. I didn’t even realize that. Ayla smiled and then leaned forward, taking a piece of toast in her hand and slowly pressing it to my lips.
Surprise filled me, and I opened my mouth, letting her feed me the piece. Encouraged by my response, this time she took her turn to feed me. It was something unusual, but it felt intimate. This moment shared between us was something special.
As she brought the glass of juice to my lips, I stopped her. “What are you doing, Ayla?”
“I’m feeding you,” she replied, cocking her head to the side.
“Why?”
“Because I want to.” Ayla brought her other hand up and placed it over my cheek, rubbing her thumb back and forth. “I don’t know how to repay you for this, Alessio. For everything you’ve done for me. I guess I just want to do the little things I can, to let you know how I feel.”
She lightly caressed over my jawline and then pressed her fingers to my lips. “Sometimes words aren’t enough,” she whispered.
Her words did crazy things to my heart.
Ayla moved the glass closer, and I parted my lips for her. Our gaze never left each other as I drank from the glass. When I was done, she took a sip and then placed the glass on the tray.