Principessa Diana

Chapter Twelve: Dave

It had been sunny with not a cloud in the sky all morning and well into the afternoon. The sky hadn't turned dark until we were almost all the way to the Berkshires. The heavens had turned violent when we were about twenty minutes outside of Williamstown. Thunder roared and lightning flashed across a sky that was so black that you would have thought that the sun had already set. The rain grew so heavy that I was forced to pull off the road into the first parking lot I could find. It belonged to a small ma and pa motel. I parked in a spot under the awning of the building right in front of the office just as an emergency weather advisory come over the car radio.

"A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for all of Berkshire County and the surrounding areas. A line of severe storms will be moving through the area over the next forty-eight hours. Winds of up to seventy miles per hour and quarter size hail are expected. Rainfall of up to ten inches possible in some areas. Flooding in low-lying areas is possible and should be expected. Residents are advised to stay indoors and off the roads if at all possible."

Well. There went my plan to take my girl up to Mount Greylock to see the sunset. That would be suicide in weather like this. We weren't going anywhere anytime soon.

"Looks like we should probably get a room, cara mia. There's no way we can drive back to Boston in a storm like this." I killed the car's engine. "We were certainly smart to bring overnight bags with us." We had each brought along clothes to sleep in and an extra outfit just in case we decided to stay the night in the Berkshires. Now it appeared that they really had no choice.

"Alright," Diana nodded and smiled. It appeared that I had interrupted her while she was deep in thought.

"I don't want you getting any wetter than you have to so I'll run and check us in." I leaned over and gave her a quick kiss.

I was completely drenched by the time we made it to our small but comfortable room on the second floor. Depositing our bags at the foot of the bed, I went to take a quick shower and change while Diana changed in the bedroom.

When I exited the bathroom it was to find Diana lying in bed in a small purple slip of a nightgown once again deeply lost in thought.

"You, sweetheart, have to be the sexiest woman that I have ever laid eyes on," I told her truthfully as I crawled into bed beside her.

Diana simply smiled and kissed me before pulling away and biting her lip.

"What is it, dolcezza?" I reached up and caressed her cheek. "Something's been bothering you since we left Boston. Tell me what it is so I can help."

"I need to tell you something but I'm really, really scared of how you're going to react. I just can't keep it to myself. It's too hard." She was blushing and wouldn't meet my gaze.

"There's nothing you could tell me that I would react badly to. You can tell me anything, Diana," I assured her.

"I want to still be with you when this week is over." She reached for the hand that wasn't being used to prop myself up and began playing with my fingers.

I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face. "That's great news, cara. Why would you be scared to tell me that?"

"That's not all," she shook her head.

"Go on," I nodded.

"I'm in love with you...even though I know you probably think it's too soon. You don't have to say it back. I just needed you to know." Diana was beet red and babbling.

She was so damn anxious that she had no way of knowing that she had just made me one of the happiest men on earth. I silenced her babbling with a hard kiss to her pouty lips. "If you would shut up, you'd know that I love you too, Diana...so much sweetheart."

Finally, she met my gaze, a happy smile on her kiss-swollen lips. Her little hand ran up my t-shirt clad chest. "Dave, will you make love to me?"

"For the rest of my life," I promised before kissing her once again.