“Are you ready to order?” asked Anna, handing them their drinks.

Ella got her beer and gave a long and nice gulp on it.

“So good! I needed this!” she muttered to herself, closing her eyes.

Justin observed her, and at that moment he wished he was that bottle just to taste her lips.

“Would you like some pasta dish?” he recommended knowing Claire’s love for Italian cuisine.

Ella smiled at him. “Well, I’d rather have fish, but sure, why not? Once in a while don’t hurt, right? I’ll let you choose,” she grinned and closed the menu blushing a bit. Justin talked to the waitress and ordered for them.

“So, you’re American.”

“Yes, I’m from New York, but I moved to Florence about a four years ago. You?”

“New York also, I’ve been living in Florence for more than nine years already. Did you find it hard to be so far from your family?”

“Yes. I got homesick, so I drowned myself in work, but photography helped me cope.” Ella got a dreamy look on her face.

“I wish I was good enough with pictures.”

“I have a collection from different places in Florence, you know, palazzi, piazzas, but my favorites are the gardens, like The Rose Garden. You may think I’m crazy,” and she narrowed her eyes looking at him from under her lashes.

“Go on…” he encouraged her.

“I feel like I have a connection to the flowers, and they show their beauty to me, so I can register them on the photographs, maybe one day you can see it,” she always got carried away about her photos, instantly Ella felt silent and blushed. “I mean…”

“No, it’s ok, I understand,” that was new to him, probably the flowers would wither under Claire’s care. “That’s a beautiful hobby. Do you work with photos?”

“I’m a software developer and web designer, and yes, sometimes I work with my photos,” she smiled at him enjoying the conversation, at last they were relaxing a bit. “And you? What brought you to Italy?” she was happy to see the waitress again with their order, her stomach was rumbling and making her uncomfortable.

“My father needed help in his office, so he sent me there. We own a textile factory back in US, and we have a few offices abroad,” he narrowed his eyes scrutinizing her face.

“For real? Which one?”

“Sanders & Sanders.”

“Oh…” she took her hand to her mouth. “Those beautiful fancy fabrics? My mom always buys them and takes to her seamstress. She loves it,” her face glowed.

Justin nodded to her. He was trying his best to catch her on a lie, but he couldn’t see how.

“I’m glad she likes them,” he was at ease listening to her melodious voice and fell under her spell when she bunched up her hair in her hands twisting it, then let it fall over her shoulder, breasts and looked at him under her lashes. His body tensed and a shiver went down his back settling at the pit of his stomach.

“You said you are a software developer that means you know a lot about computer programming,” his eyes were once again icy black staring at her.

“Well,” she bit her bottom lip. “Sort of, I know my way around what I do.” Ella swallowed hard noticing again the sudden tension between them.

“Like hacking?”

Ella wasn’t sure, but she had the impression of a low husky growl. Looking at him, she felt her face catch on fire and right away she crossed her legs trying to control the emotions his voice alone was doing to her body.

“Why… Why would you say that?”

“I don’t know. Could you hack a whole company?” he leaned forward breathing in her vanilla-cinnamon scent.

“No, of course not! I would never do such a thing!” blinking, she moved back on her chair. “Not everyone who works with software are hackers.”

“But you know how to do it?”

“No, I don’t...”

Justin was getting confused if she had nothing to hide why was she nervous? Maybe coincidence, he didn’t know what to make of it. A mixture of anger and jealousy hit him. He breathed deeply and looked at her.

“Why are you on this cruise?”

Ella didn’t like where the conversation led, and it made her feel unfamiliar things. She wasn’t sure, but he was trying to pick an argument, and she didn’t know why. It was a scaring situation, although she wanted to be there.

“To have some peace and quiet.” she said matter of fact.

“Are you taking it with someone?” he just couldn’t stop staring at her mouth, the way she chewed on her lip and looked at him. She made him feel things long forgotten. He loved Claire so much, and he tried to give her the world, at least he thought so, but it wasn’t enough for her. She wanted more and more. Anger build up again, but the same time he wanted to take her right there on that very table.

“What do you think?” she paid attention to all the emotions going through his face.

“You tell me…” his face was grim and every muscle tensed.

“If I were with someone else didn’t you think I would have better things to do than to be here having dinner with you?” seeing his grimace she paled, but kept staring at him. A feeling of dread was making its way through her spine and his eyes were a promise of sinful things.

“I don’t know, maybe?” he questioned with a smug face waiting for her reaction. “I was only the one you married to, but pleasure you always found in somebody else’s bed, a lot of somebody else’s…” his voice dripping in sarcasm.

She looked at him, shocked and wide-eyed. He could see the disappointment in her face, the disbelief in her eyes and the sudden anger. Ella got her beer, drank in one big gulp and putting her bottle back with a loud thud, she stood up.

“I think I’m done here, dinner is over.” she glared at him, then turned and left the restaurant.

Ella barely made it outside when Justin grabbed her by the wrist and turned her around. Instinctively she held tight her pendant under her blouse. When she saw Justin staring at her hand, she let go of her necklace.

“What’s the matter with you? Are you freaking nuts?” she asked on edge. “What do you want from me?” he was way too close and Ella could feel the warmth of his body emanating from him.

“I just want some answers,” and Justin directed her to the cabins with a blank face on.

“I don’t have any answers for you,” Ella struggled and tried hard to break her wrist free, but the more she tried the more he tightened his grip on her.

“That’s for me to decide,” he said with a husky voice and giving her a smoldering look. His eyes were black, looking down at Ella.

“Where are you taking me?” she lost herself in his eyes and a mixture of fear and excitement spread all over her.

“To my cabin,” he closed himself off and pulled her by the arm.

Once inside, Justin pinned her to the wall. Ella tipped up her chin and looked at him defiantly. He looked down at her.

“Justin, what are you doing?” Ella asked in a hoarse voice.

Suddenly he lowered his head, and she felt his warm breath close to her neck and that itself made her feel a shudder go up her spine.

“What are you doing?” she asked him again. He was moving his mouth up and down her throat.

“I don’t know. I don’t know what to make of you, I don’t know what to think about you. I just know I need to kiss you right now, ” he answered, deepening his voice with his mind totally in chaos, and then he looked into her eyes and that was enough to set her on fire.

Ella closed the gap between them pulling him down on her and crushing her soft lips onto his. Surprised by her reaction Justin lost it, with one hand he grabbed Ella by the hair and the other rested on her waist pulling her even closer pressing her against his hard body. Ella moaned against him opening her lips and giving him total access to explore her mouth. His lips were gentle at the beginning, but suddenly he deepened the kiss becoming wild and anxious by the second.

'Oh, gosh! How I missed this! I missed us. I hate her so much, and I missed her so badly.' There was a raw hunger for her eating up at Justin, and he couldn’t stop himself. His kisses were full of tension and rage. He wanted to punish her, to torment her, and to make her pay for everything she had done to him.

Ella put one of her hands around his neck and started playing with his hair, and the other cupped his face in a gentle caress sending a jolt of fire to his groin. She intertwined one of her legs in his and his hips moved forward pressing against Ella’s in a hot and delicious way; she could feel the hard bulge pressing against her stomach. His lips were aggressive on her soft ones, but Ella was matching his kisses with the same wild intensity. Justin’s hand slipped from her waist cupping her butt and pulling her up crushing her against his hardness, and she let out a soft groan and slid her hand down his back arousing him even more.

“Justin…” Ella moaned against his mouth.

They were breathless; she peppered little kisses on his chiseled jaw and spent some time on his lobe going down his throat. He tore her blouse open and took her breasts in his hot mouth, his tongue driving her insane swirling over her nipples and sucking them into hard peaks. She held his head close to her and arched back giving him even better access to them. Ella was gasping for air and pressure was building in her core just by having his hot and wicked mouth on her.

Justin took his time taking Ella on a ride of sweet torture, and the exquisite twirls of his tongue on her soft full breasts made her gasp. He took her mouth again, and her kisses were as hungry as his, but sweet and passionate. It puzzled him. She was the same, but altogether different. It was like he was kissing her for the first time and even her smell was different, a change in her perfume. And yes, this new scent was driving him crazy.

“You smell so good, it’s making me go nuts, cinnamon girl” Justin groaned. “I love this perfume on you, even though I want to strangle you. I’ve missed you so much, Claire!” he whispered in her ear.

Ella went stiff in his arms. The moment she heard him, she went cold. She put her hands on his chest and gave him a hard push; he stepped back disoriented and tried to catch his breath. She looked at him trying to breathe and covered herself with what had left of her blouse.

“I’m gonna leave now. Don’t you dare follow me!” she said, shooting daggers at him. In a hurry, she left his cabin and walked numbly until she reached her own.