RAVENS #1: THE DARKNESS

Chapter 34 - Long

Alyssa Takada

I laughed so hard when Liam got into the water after I pushed him. I thought he had the balance to prevent getting into the water, but he didn't. He went into the water, fully clothed.

"Come here!" He got back up and started to chase me. I screamed and ran away, but he's faster. He picked me up on his shoulder, and he threw himself into the water. The water was freaking cold.

"Liam!" I squealed, and he opened his arms. I swam to him, and he brought me to the stairs.

"It's so cold!" He pushed me up first, and he followed me after.

"Why would you push me like that?" He asked, shaking his head in disbelief.

"My hand was itchy." He chuckled and shook his head.

"Let's go inside." He grabbed my hand and led me inside. He brought me to the bathroom and took off his clothes.

"What are you doing?" I asked, confused. He turned on the hot water for the bathtub. The bathtub is big, but I know it'll feel smaller when we're both there.

"Take everything off."

"We're not taking a bath together."

"Why not?" I'm trying to give myself distance with Liam. We're two weeks away from the divorce, and he's making it more difficult for me.

"Take everything off, Alyssa. You'll get sick, and the water was fucking cold earlier." He walked toward me, and I stepped back, gesturing for him to stop invading my personal space.

I took off my cream cardigan and white dress. I was uncomfortable having Liam staring at me. I took my panties off and walked past him. I tested the water, and it was too hot, so I turned on the cold water.

Liam wrapped his arm around my waist from the back, giving me a little warmth even though his skin was cold. He rested his head on my shoulder. His hands slowly trailing up, cupping my breast.

I rechecked the water, and it was the perfect temperature. I pushed him away and got into the bathtub. He joined me, and we both faced each other.

"How did you know about what happened to me in Paris?" I asked curiously.

"My business requires a lot of background checking, so I did a background check on you."

"I thought my dad successfully covered everything up. That's why I was wondering how did you know about it." I hugged my legs to my chest.

"Not from me."

"I thought you'd never care enough to dig into my past."

"If I never asked you about it, you'll never tell me, right?" I nodded to his question, and he shook his head. He grabbed my hand and pulled me to him. He made me sit on his lap and slipped his hand on my cheek.

He leaned his head closer to me and kissed me slowly. I put my hands on his shoulders, and he pulled me closer, closing the gap between us. He trailed kisses down to my neck, my ear, and back to my lips. Then he pulled away.

We both looked at each other for a couple of seconds before he grabbed a soap bar and started to wash me. He helped me pass my hair, too. He touched me everywhere, didn't even leave each one untouched. My body froze, letting him gently touch me. He then washed himself.

He forced me to get out of the bathtub and dried me. When I told him that I could dry myself, he ignored me. He then dried himself. He grabbed my hand and brought me to the bedroom, where he claimed my lips again.

"As much as I want to fuck you right now, I can't. We're going out."

"Where?"

"I made a dinner reservation for us." I smiled and nodded.

"Go get ready. We're leaving in an hour." He gave me one last kiss before leaving to change. I opened my suitcases and grabbed my beautiful long cream satin dress. I put it on and put off some makeup before curling my hair.

I got ready in an hour and walked out of the bedroom. Liam was calling someone, and when he saw me, he ended it. He walked over to me and kissed me.

"You look beautiful." My stomach was going wild. He's doing the absolute most today. He's wearing the same cream-tone shirt and black pants.

"Thank you." He grabbed my hand and let me out. He opened the car door for me and entered his driver's seat. We drove out from the villa, and he brought me to the center of Lake Como, a beautiful small restaurant.

And again, he opened the door for me.

"We met again." Our heads turned to where the voice was. A beautiful couple is standing a few feet away from us.

"Hi." I greeted them.

"Are you guys going to grab dinner?" The woman asked, and I turned to Liam.

"We met a few days ago in a coffee shop," Liam explained.

"I'm Tony, and this is my wife, Sally." They introduced themselves, and the man turned to Liam, "I didn't get your name last time."

"Liam, and this is my wife, Alyssa." I put my hands out and shook theirs. "Alyssa, nice meeting you guys."

"Are you two grabbing dinner at Evelyn's?" Sally asked. "They have delicious missoltitt."

"We're going to Sottovoce," Liam said, and the couple looked at him in horror.

"No." They said in unison.

"You two should go to Evelyn's, and they serve local food. We're heading there. Do you want to join us? There'll be queues, but it'll be worth it." Sally said excitedly.

"We'll—"

"We would love to!" I cut Liam and grabbed his hand.

"Alyssa, I book—"

"I want to try their local food." I smiled, and Liam gave in. Tony led us the way to Evelyn's. It's a ten-minute walk from where we parked our car, and there's a long queue.

"A long fucking queue." Liam hissed.

"It'll be worth it. I promise." Sally said, and I nodded.

"I know." I smiled at her. "I trust your taste, Sally."