“Hello?” I gasped, already dragging the phone on its long cord toward the bathroom.
“Morning, bella.” The sound of Nico’s voice made me flush and I closed the door behind me.
“Hi.” I whispered.
“Did I wake you? It’s almost noon.”
“Is it?” I blinked at the sunlight streaming through my bathroom window. I’d been up far too late, and had been woken up, several times, in the middle of the night. Of course, I couldn’t exactly tell him what I’d been doing, now could I?
“Are you sick?”
“No, I’m fine,” I protested.
“You sound hoarse.”
Of course I did. I was whispering. “I should go.”
“But I want to talk to you.”
Mason knocked on the door. “Dani?”
Oh crap.
“Later,” I whispered, closing my eyes and praying for a miracle. “Meet me at the Mood Cafe in an hour.”
I hung up the phone just as Mason knocked again, louder this time. “Dani, are you okay?”
“Fine!” I called brightly, standing and opening the door.
“Who was that?”
“I had a study group at noon,” I lied. “They were wondering where I was.”
“Why did you take the phone into the bathroom.”
“I had to pee.” I lied. “You know me, as soon as I get up, I have to go.” In fact, I had to go now. “Listen, I have to hop in the shower and get ready to go. Will you be okay here for a few hours?”
He shrugged. “I’ll just go get myself some lunch.”
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“I’ve got my English/Italian dictionary, don’t I?” He grinned. “And I can say hamburger e patatine fritte.”
I laughed. “That will get you a hamburger and fries.”
“Then I’m all set.”
I rushed through my shower, put on jeans and a t-shirt and grabbed my jacket, calling out to Mason, who was now in the shower himself, that I was leaving.
“I left a key on the table,” I called, peeking behind the curtain. His hair was all soapy, and the sight of the suds dripping down his chest, over the flat, ridges muscles of his abdomen, made my breath catch. I didn’t dare let my gaze dip lower.
“Thanks.” He rinsed, rubbing his eyes and blinking at me. He saw the way I was looking at him and grinned. “Sure you can’t stay a while?”
I thought of Nico waiting for me at the cafe and sighed. “Later. I’ll be back in a few hours. Can you feed Jezebel?”
“Sure.”
Nico was waiting already, although I was right on time. He smiled as I approached, rising to kiss my cheek and pull out my chair.
“Don’t say anything.” He held up a finger as I opened my mouth, which was probably a good thing, because I wasn’t sure what I was going to say anyway. “I want to apologize.”
I just sat and ordered a vanilla Coke, waiting for Nico to continue.
“You’re right, this whole trying to find a place for us is crazy.” He reached over and took my hand. “And you have become far more important to me than my mother or my family. I want you to know that.”
“Nico…”
“No, wait.” He turned my hand over in his, tracing the lines of my palm with his finger. “I’m going to look for a place. My own place. So we can stop this sneaking around.”
I blinked at him, stunned. I probably would have jumped up and hugged him if he’d delivered this news a few days ago. Now I could just sit and stare, a growing pit of anxiety settling in my stomach.
“I…” What could I say? I’d come here with the intention of telling him about Mason. I knew I should tell him the whole story, my entire history, strip myself bare before him.
The waiter came and I sipped my Coke, grateful for the interruption. He asked if we wanted to order food, but Nico paid for our drinks, telling him no.
“I’m hungry,” I protested.
“I have a surprise for you.” He smiled, standing and reaching for my hand.
“Where are we going?”
The gondola was waiting and he helped me into it.
“Al Ponte Antico.”
I stared at him. “The… hotel?”
“I rented a suite for the night.”
“But…” I thought of Mason, waiting for me back at my flat. What in the hell was I going to do now?
“It’s Saturday,” he reminded me. “You don’t have class.”
“No…” I swallowed, trying to think of something, anything.
“And I’m taking the day off.” He grinned down at me, triumphant. “Aren’t you happy?”
“Yes.” I bit my lip, seeing the glint in his eyes. “Of course I am.”
And part of me was. The other part of me was panicking like a kid realizing their winter sled was hurtling downhill off a cliff.
The hotel was one of the most expensive in Venice and I knew he must have practically emptied his savings account to afford it. Nico remarked on my suddenly quiet demeanor, but the truth was, I was overwhelmed with guilt. How could I possibly tell him no? But if I didn’t… what in the world was I going to do about Mason, back in my little room, with Cara Lucia patrolling the hallways?
“Do you want to eat first?” Nico offered, carrying a bag over his shoulder as we headed to the room.
Suddenly it occurred to me. “I don’t have a change of clothes.”
He smiled, taking out the key. “I took care of that.”
“How?” I followed him down the hallway.
“I bought you a few things.” He held up the bag as he worked the key in the door lock.
“Nico!” I blinked at him, still shocked by his revelation, and even more bowled over by the room when he opened the door. The suite was large, oriental rugs on the floors and a gold, ornate headboard over the huge bed. I couldn’t help rushing to the window, the sweeping view of the Grand Canal breathtaking before us, as if we could just walk out onto the water.
“You belong here.” Nico’s breath against the nape of my neck made me shiver.
“In Al Ponte Antico?”
“In Italy.” His arms went around my waist. “With me.”
And I knew he was right. My whole life I’d dreamed of this, living in the city where the streets were made of water and the buildings held the secrets of an ancient history like a pent up breath. There was no more beautiful, vibrant, living place for me than Venice, and I couldn’t imagine myself living anywhere else.
What was I going to do?
“Stay with me, Dani.” Nico nuzzled me, his words melting my heart. “I can’t live here without you anymore.”
“Don’t say that.” I turned, twining my arms around his neck. “We hardly know each other…”
He shook his head, his smile knowing and telling at the same time. “We know everything we need to know. And you know it.”
I did.
He kissed me, soft and slow and sweet, breathing me in. What girl could say no to him?
“I have something for you.” He went to his bag and dug through, holding a brown package out to me. “My sister helped me gauge your size.”
I looked at him, smiling. “What is it?”
“Something for you.” He sat down in one of the chairs, looking up at me, slowly unzipping his jeans. “And for me…”
“You want me to open it?”
“Go to the bathroom and put it on.”
I couldn’t resist. It was the finest, silkiest, sexiest lingerie I’d ever seen, all black. The corset had straps on the bottom for the silk stockings, the thong was black with two straps across each side and there were even a pair of sexy black heels included-just my size.
I knew he was out there waiting for me, but I took the time to clean up a bit once I had stripped down. Then I tried it all on, looking at myself in the full-length mirror on the back of the door, my breasts pushed up by the corset, nipples pursed and hard, my legs long and shapely, the heels making them even moreso.
When I opened the door, I found Nico still sitting in the chair still mostly dressed, his cock out, hard in his hand, waiting for me. His eyes darkened as I approached, his gaze sweeping over me in the outfit he’d chosen.
“You like what you see?” I cocked one hip, my hand resting there, smiling down at him.