Touched by the Music Read online

  As my mom fixed me a to-go bag, Livi excused herself, leaving my mom and me alone in the kitchen.

  “You’re different around her, Lucio,” she said, keeping her voice low so Livi wouldn’t overhear.

  “What?”

  She looked up at me and smiled. “You’re different around her; relaxed, softer around the edges, happier. I think she’s good for you.”

  I didn’t get a chance to respond, Livi walked back into the room. Then shortly after, we were pulling away in my car.

  “I HAD A NICE TIME. Thanks for inviting me.”

  “You’re welcome, and I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. Do you need to get home right now?” I asked. I was enjoying being around her, and I wasn’t ready for it to end. I wanted to talk with her, learn more about her, kiss her.

  “No.”

  “Where do you want to go? Park, movies...”

  “Would you mind if we went to your place? I’d love to see where you live,” she said and placed her hand on my thigh.

  If it’d had been another woman who placed her hand on my thigh, I would have taken the gesture as an invitation for more. But from the little time I’d been around Livi, I got the sense she was naïve to a point. And there laid the problem. It was all on me to hold back and not push. I didn’t want to pressure her and rush either one of us into something we’d regret. But I wanted her.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Olivia

  LUCIO’S APARTMENT WAS small but surprisingly clean for a young guy who lived alone.

  “That’s all of it,” he said as we walked back into the living room.

  “I like it. I can’t wait to get a place of my own. I’ll have to wait until after I graduate and get a job. Preferably an orchestra job, but I’m minoring in Education in case that falls through.”

  “Is it hard to get into an orchestra?”

  “Oh, yes. Positions don’t open very often, and they’re broken down into sections: violin, like I play, viola, cello, and those are only string instruments. The hours put in rehearsing can get annoying. But the musicians and the different types of instruments playing in harmony, it’s beautiful. There’s no sound like in the world.”

  “You’re passionate about it?”

  “Yes, it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. I’ve dedicated a lot of time to playing the violin. I guess you could call it my gym.”

  Lucio stepped closer to me. “Minus the smell of sweat,” he said, and I laughed.

  “Not sure if that’s accurate. Playing demanding musical pieces during a ballet or opera. The orchestra pit gets a tad smelly. Especially after a few hours.”

  “I’m trying to be patient and attentive, but I’ve wanted to kiss you since I picked you up today. It’s clouding my mind.”

  I took a deep breath and closed the gap between us. “That doesn’t sound good. You should do everything to keep your mind clear,” I said boldly and was feeling everything but.

  “I pray you mean it,” he said and grabbed my arms, pulling me against him, then leaned down to take possession of my mouth.

  If I’d never kissed him after the first time, I might have over time talked myself into believing it hadn’t been remarkable. Not anymore. He controlled the kiss, exploring my mouth with his tongue. When he sucked on my tongue, a shiver ran through my body.

  The longer the kiss went on, the more I melted into him. I hoped his mind cleared because mine filled. He broke from my lips only to kiss across until he reached my ear.

  “I had every intention not to rush or pressure you. And I’ll stick with it if you tell me it’s too soon or you’re not ready. But, please say yes. Please say you want me as much as I want you.”

  My whole life it seemed ran on a schedule. It probably always would. I never acted on a whim or made a decision without thinking it through. Just once I wanted to throw caution away and live only in the moment.

  “Yes.” The single most delightful word.

  I barely got it out of my mouth when suddenly I was swept up in his arms, and we were moving the short distance to his bedroom. Once in his room, he set me on my feet beside his bed.

  He leaned in and gave me a quick kiss, then I watched as he whipped his shirt over his head. I might have giggled when the little flashlight bounced if his body hadn’t distracted me. It was absolutely the most perfect thing I’d seen. I’d thought I’d gotten a good look at him pulling on his shirt when I opened the door the other day. But staring at him now, I wondered if something was wrong with my eyes. Surely not, because fate wouldn’t be that cruel.

  Lucio stepped forward, and I looked up at him. There was a sparkle in his eyes that hadn’t been there before. He reached for my blouse and slowly unbuttoned it, sliding it over my shoulders and tossing it to the floor. Next came my bra, and he took the same care with the front hook until my breasts were freed, and the bra floated to the ground.

  He made quick work of my shoes and pants, and when he removed his, I briefly wondered if he would fit inside me.

  “It will fit. I promise,” Lucio said, and I hadn’t even realized I’d spoken out loud.

  Pushing me gently down onto the bed, he followed, covering me with his body. Resting on one arm, he slid the other hand up my chest. He curved his hand under my breast as his thumb moved over my hardened nipple. I arched my back when Lucio leaned forward and sucked my nipple into his mouth. His tongue left a trail of dampness as it made circles around the nipple, and when he moved to the other, the air hit where his warm mouth had been, causing my nipple to harden more.

  I moved my hands and touched his back, running up and over his broad shoulders, then down his back again. His skin was smooth and soft, but underneath I felt the hardness of his toned muscles.

  My back arched as he bit down none too gently on my other nipple, then licked the sting away with his tongue. He kissed up until he reached my mouth, then kissed my lips softly. When he lifted his head, and his eyes met mine, I got lost in the familiarity of their darkness.

  “Livi, you are perfect.”

  “So are you,” I answered and reached up and ran my fingers through his hair and pulled him down until our lips touched. I started the kiss, but he took over and devoured me. The kiss was more demanding, leaving me breathless. While our tongues dueled, he ran a hand over my ribs and my belly until he reached my center. I felt his finger as he slid through my folds.

  When he pushed the digit into me, he released my mouth, and I gasped for air. He ravaged my breast as he pumped his finger in and out. As he added another finger, a tingling began, but as quickly as it was there, it was gone with the removal of his fingers.

  There was a popping sound as he released my breast. “I can’t wait to taste you,” he whispered, then flicked my nipple with his tongue. “I hope you’re ready to amp it up a notch.”

  I didn’t even get a chance to respond. Lucio pushed his two fingers back into my overheated center. If not for his weight on top of me, I would have risen from the bed.

  As he fingered me, he used his thumb to work my clit. My hips moved as I tried to get him to move where I needed him. With the pressure on my clit and the pumping of his fingers, the tingling returned. It took no time to feel as if I was going to explode. When I felt my core clench, its action was felt through my whole body.

  “Come on, Livi, give it to me,” he said.

  And I did as he asked. My body quaked as he continued to use his fingers. “Lucio,” I said when my center was left with nothing but ending flutters of the best release of my life.

  Lucio lifted his head again and looked at me. I saw a mixture of desire and satisfaction in his eyes. To know he felt the same as I did was a heady sense of power. He removed his fingers and reached over the bed to the table. He opened a drawer and reached inside, pulling a condom out.

  When he sat back on his legs, I was able to watch as he tore the square open and rolled the content down his erection.

  I reached out and wrapped a hand around him to see if it felt as hard as it looke
d. His intake of air had me shifting my eyes to his face. His face was hard, and his eyes dark.

  “I’m at the last of my patience. I need inside you,” he said through gritted teeth.

  My response was to spread my legs wider. And it was all Lucio needed. I may have let out a tiny yelp, surprised by the speed of his actions.

  He grabbed my left leg and brought it to his shoulder, where he held it as he leaned forward. He pushed against my entrance, and with the help of my previous release, he worked his way in. Thrusting in and pulling out until he was fully seated inside me.

  The pressure his size caused was only felt until he started moving. I lifted my hips to meet his downward thrust. The rhythm he set was fast and hard and wonderful.

  I didn’t think he could get any deeper, but he proved me wrong when he pulled out, flipped me to my stomach, and lifted my hips. My face was pressed into the mattress by the force of his reentry. He leaned over my back and held himself up with one arm while he placed the other arm around me, flattening his palm between my hipbones.

  He increased his speed, riding me hard and fast. How he was able to keep up the pace, I didn’t know. But I was thankful for it just the same.

  “I don’t want this to end, but fuck, I’m close.” With his words, he adjusted the hand on my stomach until his middle finger came in contact with my nub.

  The familiar tingling began to rise inside me. As I started to fall apart, Lucio thrust a final time and held himself to me. Staying buried deep inside my body as we rode the waves of release together.

  When I finally was coherent enough to think, I was laid out on my stomach with Lucio beside me on his back. He turned his head in my direction.

  “I knew you were going to be trouble for me. But that’s okay, I’ll deal with it. I’m going to get up, dispose of this condom, and grab us some water. Don’t move, ‘cause in about twenty minutes, I’m going to want to do that again.”

  My mouth dropped open as he jumped out of bed and headed in the direction of the bathroom with an exuberant amount of energy. While I, on the other hand, laid unmoving and wondering if a heart could beat its way out of a chest.

  LUCIO MADE GOOD ON his declaration of more sex in twenty minutes, and after the second round and while I ran to the bathroom, he’d grabbed us a snack and more water. And as we munched on the carrots, we talked, getting to know each other better.

  I’d told him about the accident with my mom. My injuries and stay in the hospital. How hard it was for my dad and me to adjust without my mom around.

  He shared his own story. How stupid he felt for joining a gang. How his two biggest regrets were his dad dying, shot by someone he’d known. Tears came in my eyes when he’d spoken of his best friend Davis’ death and the responsibility he felt because Davis followed him into the gang.

  Lucio spoke of the injuries he sustained; fractured ribs, a gunshot wound, the hit to the back of his head that put him in a coma. The fact he stayed in the hospital longer than I had. With each word, it began to click into place for us. What nailed it? He shared what he experienced before his eyes had opened that he hadn’t told anyone before. He told me about his dad being there while he’d been in the coma, telling him he had to wake up, but he hadn’t. He was listening to music and that when it ended, was when he opened his eyes.

  “Do you really think it’s possible?” I asked as we rested with our backs against the headboard of the bed, sharing the bowl of tiny carrots and the bottle of water.

  Lucio finished chewing the carrot in his mouth, and after he swallowed it down, he answered, “Everything fits, Livi. We were in the same hospital, and our time there crossed. Your doctor was Dr. Michaels, and so was mine. He’d been in your room listening while you played your violin. You even said that after you’d finished, a nurse interrupted and told him he was needed in another patient’s room because he’d woken up.” He shrugged. “I’ll admit it’s kinda wild when you think about it. But the timelines, everything fits like a puzzle’s pieces.”

  “Do you realize just how much our lives have crossed in the last like six and a half years? How close we were to each other without meeting? And before you say we did meet, I don’t count it because if we had the opportunity to introduce ourselves, it would have been figured out sooner.”

  “Then it wasn’t our time to meet,” he said, and I stared at him.

  “Are you saying you believe the universe wanted us together, but it waited for your mom’s car to break down to have us meet?”

  “Yep. But I call it fate.”

  “I see a whole other side to you,” I said and giggled. Though in truth, what Lucio said made more sense than anything else. Maybe it was the reason I felt so comfortable in his presence.

  “Are you making fun of me?”

  “No.”

  He set the bowl and water on the table, then pounced and proceeded to tickle me. “I don’t believe you.”

  “Stop! Stop! You’re going to make me pee in your bed,” I yelled.

  He stopped, leaned back, then pulled me close, and I laid my head on his shoulder.

  “We’re going to have to get up so I can take you home. I want you to stay, but I know you can’t. And not because of your dad, but you have class tomorrow.”

  “And you have to go to the gym and train.”

  “Yes. My next fight will more than likely be scheduled for some time in the next two months. We know it will happen, just no confirmed date yet. So I have to be ready.”

  I planted a kiss on his chest. “Of course, you need to be ready. This is your final steppingstone to the title fight.”

  “Damn, you were listening,” he teased.

  “Always. Can we sit like this for just a couple more minutes before we have to get dressed so you can drive me home?”

  “Sure thing,” he said, and I felt him kiss the top of my head.

  After ten minutes, we’d gotten up and dressed, then he drove me home. I hadn’t even closed the door, and I missed him. How do you miss someone you’ve only known for five days?

  With the house locked up, I headed to bed. When I slid between the covers, I still couldn’t come up with an answer. All I knew was I missed him.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Olivia

  “HE’D NOT SOMEONE I would have pictured you with.”

  I stopped walking and turned around at Dean’s statement. It was verification he’d seen Lucio walk me to the music building doors after we’d shared lunch together. I’d been avoiding Dean these past two months because I hadn’t wanted to hurt his feelings, but I would if he said anything nasty about Lucio I would.

  “I don’t see why you can’t.”

  “Come on, Olivia. Your educated and talented with a bright future ahead of you. He’s here at lunchtime, wearing gym shorts and a tank.” He rolled his eyes on the last part.

  I took a deep breath to calm myself before I lit into Dean. “I don’t recall you being so snobbish when we dated, Dean. I should just walk away because there really is no need for me to explain anything that has to do with Lucio. But I won’t let anyone put him down when they know nothing about him. So, here it is. He may not have chosen college, which there is a lot who don’t, he has worked his way to becoming one of the MMA fighters to beat. That’s what he’s chosen to do. His goal. As far as what I’m doing with him besides his rocking body—he’s one of the sweetest, caring men I know. I would never expect him to give up what he’s worked toward for me—just as he won’t ask me to give up what I’ve worked toward for him. Now, if you’d excuse, I’d like to get to rehearsal. I have a busy weekend planned.”

  I swung the door open and walked away, leaving Dean behind, literally and metaphorically. I would never want to go back to the way things were before Lucio came into the picture.

  I actually found myself smiling more. I’d finally met Tao, and he was just as Lucio described him. Walt, Lucio’s manager, was a no-nonsense man who had no problem saying what was on his mind.

  Lucio’s fig
ht was coming up, and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to sit through it, but I would try. For him.

  Every day we spent together, we grew closer. Now, when I had thoughts of the future, he was always in them.

  The reason we’d had lunch together today was that I wouldn’t see him until after the fight on Saturday. Lucio informed me, he was superstitious and that since he was on a winning streak, he couldn’t have sex two days prior to a fight. Which meant he couldn’t be around me because it would be too much temptation.

  I’d shaken my head and laughed, and it hadn’t even gotten a rise out of him. My guy believed we laid our own paths by the choices we made, and Karma, Fate, and Destiny played more prominent roles than what everyone thought.

  Who was I to argue? Crossing paths had brought Lucio and me together.

  When I entered the classroom, I walked to my chair and sat. I hoped when I told Lucio what I’d found out this morning, he’d chalk it up to fate, too.

  “FOR GOD’S SAKE, LIVI. Sit still,” my dad said from beside me. I’d never been to the TD Garden, not once even though I’d live in Boston my whole life. The place was huge, and I tried to watch people. Still, my eyes always traveled back to the ring, where eventually, Lucio would arrive.

  “I’m nervous. I can’t help it. What if Lucio gets really hurt, Dad? I mean, he’s been in a coma before. It could happen again if he takes a hit to the head.”

  “Livi, sweetie. Do you believe Lucio knows what he’s doing?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then relax.”

  “I’ll try. But, Dad, I love him,” I blurted out, then looked over at my dad.

  “Livi, I’ve known that for some time now,” he said and chuckled, then put his arm around me, giving me a squeeze.

  When the announcer’s voice came over the speakers, I heard my dad mumble, “Thank God.”

  Lucio entered the ring, and I watched as he turned his head in our direction. He winked, then faced back toward the center as his opponent entered the ring.