“I tried to bury my love for you, Nico. But, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t do it. Sometimes it was so all-consuming, I couldn’t bear to be around you.”
“Those were the times you pushed me away,” Nico deduced, his eyes taking in the delightful curve of her lips.
“Yes,” Alana said passionately, her breasts swelling with desire. He had to kiss her soon or she’d perish with the want of the feel of his mouth on hers.
“Un momento, mi amor,” he said, as he released her. He slowly reached into his coat pocket and removed a small, red velvet-covered box. He handed the box to Alana, his hands closing around hers.
“There are some traditions my parents taught me that I cannot ignore,” he said, his accent more evident due to the depth of his emotions. “Alana, you know I adore you. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife and partner in life? Will you allow me to cherish you and protect you for always?”
Nico released his hold on her, allowing his arms to fall to his sides. Alana could not pull her gaze from his wonderful face. She knew she had heard a proposal, but the whole scene felt surreal to her.
“Alana?”
“I do,” she murmured.
Nico grinned. “It’s a little early for that reply.”
“I will,” Alana corrected herself. She screamed and jumped into his arms. “Yes, yes, yes, yes!”
Laughing, Nico set her back down. “You haven’t even looked at the ring. You might not like it.”
Alana opened the tiny box and smiled broadly. The ring was a two-carat diamond solitaire in a white gold setting.
“It’s beautiful,” she told him. “Thank you.”
Nico solemnly placed the ring on her finger, and then they kissed. Coming up for air, Alana said, “When you promised to always protect me, what exactly did you mean?”
“It means I’d gladly give my life for you,” Nico said, jutting out his strong square chin. “And I mean that, querida.”
“Will you also protect my honor?”
“To my last breath.”
Alana laughed softly. “Well, don’t be so vigilant tonight, Nicholas Setera, because for the next few hours I just want to be your woman. Make love to me, Nico.”
“As you wish,” he replied, his voice husky and his eyes never leaving her dear face.
Picking her up in his muscular arms, he carried her upstairs to his bedroom, where they stood at the head of the queen-sized, hunter-green comforter covered bed.
Nico reached up and methodically removed the pins holding Alana’s naturally wavy hair in its smooth chignon, dropping them onto the nearby nightstand. Her hair fell in soft waves about her face. Alana, in turn, removed his tie, placing it next to the pins, and then she began to slowly unbutton his pleated, crisp white shirt.
Her sable-colored eyes raked over him. She wanted to record every detail of this moment in her mind’s eye so that she’d never forget it. Not the look of passionate longing in his dark, uniquely downward-sloping thickly-fringed brown eyes. Nor the sound of his breathing or the feel of his warm exhalation on her hot skin.
Finished undoing the shirt, she bent her head and kissed his hairy, decidedly muscular chest.
Nico grasped her by the shoulders, halting her slow progress downward. “One good turn deserves another,” he said. He walked around behind her and unzipped the silvery gown, and the weight of the material caused it to slip from her silken teddy-clad figure. Alana stepped out of the dress and bent to pick it up. She tossed it onto a nearby chair.
She stood before him in a black teddy, silk stockings and her silver Italian pumps.
Boldly stepping forward, she reached for the clasp on Nico’s slacks. He stayed her hand there. “As you can see, I want you very much, querida. But unless we want to start a family tonight, you’ll have to excuse me for a minute.”
Nico kissed her forehead and disappeared into the adjacent bathroom.
When he returned, Alana was lying on the bed after having removed her shoes and stockings. She looked up and was unable to suppress a gasp. Nico was completely nude except for a pair of black bikini briefs. She’d seen him in bathing trunks before, however never in an excited state.
“You should see your expression,” Nico said, smiling.
He sat beside her and drew her into his arms. It was the first time their bare skin had ever touched like this, and he could not help trying to experience all the sensations of touch, feel and taste simultaneously. He breathed in her sweet essence. His hands ran over her soft, pliant body and he ran his tongue along the perimeter of her full mouth.
“Nico,” Alana said breathlessly. Her eyes were closed. Her head went back as she succumbed to a euphoric feeling of pure pleasure. Nico followed the delicate curve of her throat with his tongue.
“You’re exquisite,” he whispered in her ear. “So lovely, you take my breath away.”
“I feel like this is my first time,” Alana told him, her eyes coming open. “I’ve dreamt of this moment so many times, and now that it’s here, I’m so nervous...”
“Shhh...” Nico said.
He gently forced her back onto the bed, holding her in his strong arms all the while. They lay facing one another.
“Sweetheart, tonight is ours. From this moment, here and now, the past is dead and the future is new territory. We will explore it together.”
Alana pulled him close and kissed his square chin, working her way upward to his full mouth. She couldn’t believe her good fortune. Nico loved her—and she wasn’t dreaming.
Epilogue
Alana rolled over in bed and slammed her hand down hard on the off button of the alarm. Forcing her eyelids apart, she read the lighted dial: 3:23 A.M. That hadn’t been the alarm she’d heard after all.
She none too gently nudged Nico awake. “Nicholas Setera, wake up. It’s your turn to go get Nicky.”
Sitting straight up in bed, Nico yawned. “Didn’t we just go to sleep?”
Alana laughed as she sat on the side of the bed. “It only feels like it. I’m going to the bathroom. Nicky’s waiting for you.”
Wiping the sleep from his eyes, Nico yawned again and finally put his feet on the floor.
“He’s two months old,” he grumbled. “When is he going to start sleeping through the night?”
“You’re asking me?” Alana replied, smiling at the sight of her husband stumbling toward the door. “This is my first child too, you know.”
“Well, what did the book say?” Nico asked, referring to the child-care manual Alana had read throughout her pregnancy.
“It said by the time he turns three months old, we will probably resemble the walking dead, and judging from your appearance, it was right,” Alana said, laughing heartily.
Turning to leave, Nico said, “Well don’t look into the mirror when you go into the bathroom because you might run out screaming.”
Alana nearly did scream in fright when she saw her reflection in the bathroom mirror. There were dark circles beneath her eyes, and her crowning glory looked like she’d stuck a finger in an electric socket. She smiled at that haggard young woman because, even though she looked less than lovely, she’d never been happier.
She splashed cold water on her face and dried it with a clean towel. Then she cleansed her breasts in preparation for her son’s three A.M. feeding, which was nearly half an hour overdue. No wonder he was screaming at the top of his lungs.
She went back into the bedroom and awaited Nico’s arrival. She knew he was delayed because he was changing Nicky’s diaper. From day one, Nico had been an attentive father. He never shirked his responsibilities, no matter how dirty the job.
Nico entered the room five minutes later, cuddling his son in his muscular arms. Nicky was no longer crying. He found solace in his father’s nearness. For Nico’s part, he was instantly transformed for the better when he held his son. He could not help marveling at the miracle that was Nicolas Shelby Setera.
He carefully placed Nicky in Alana’s arms and
sat on the bed next to them. He was wearing only pajama bottoms. Alana wore the top. He loved watching his wife feed their son. She held Nicky firmly against her and Nicky automatically turned his head toward her breast and suckled contentedly. Eight pounds, ten ounces at birth, Nicky had gained over two pounds in his two months on Earth. He was thriving beautifully on his mother’s milk.
Alana had been observing Nicky, making certain he was positioned correctly. She could hear him swallowing, feel the slight pulling sensation. He was in his normal rhythm.
She looked up to find Nico smiling at her.
“What?” she asked, curious as to what he found amusing.
“You just took to that as if you’d been doing it all your life,” Nico said, his eyes meeting hers. “He looks more like you every day,” Nico said as he gently touched his son’s head which was covered with an abundance of curly black hair.
“I think he looks like you,” Alana disagreed. She grinned. “Of course, everyone thinks he looks like someone else. Yesterday Margery told me she thinks he has my mother’s eyes.”
“That’s understandable,” Nico said. “Connie was his grandmother. But when Toni saw him, she swore he has her nose. Now that’s scary.”
They laughed.
Nicky opened his eyes. They were the same warm brown color as his father’s.
“We broke his concentration,” Nico joked. Then added, “Do you know what tomorrow is?” He looked up at her expectantly.
“Thursday,” Alana replied deadpan.
“Does June 15th ring a bell?” Nico said, his finger trailing along her strong jawline.
“Mother’s Day is in May,” Alana began, seemingly unaware of where her husband’s line of questioning was leading. “My birthday’s in April. Your’s is in July...”
“Alana Setera...” Nico said, his deep voice rising slightly.
Alana grasped one of his big hands in hers and squeezed it reassuringly. “Do you think I’d ever forget our anniversary?”
Raising her hand to his mouth, Nico kissed her fingers one at a time. His dark eyes mirrored his emotions. He’d waited a long time for this moment. Looking into Alana’s eyes and seeing her love for him reflected in them, he knew it had been worth the wait. “Not for a second,” he replied confidently.
* * * * *
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ISBN-13: 9781460325452
VALENTINE’S FANTASY
Copyright © 2014 by Harlequin Books S.A.
The publisher acknowledges the copyright holders of the individual works as follows:
WHEN VALENTINES COLLIDE
Copyright © 2007 by Adrianne Byrd
TO LOVE AGAIN
Copyright © 1997 by Janice Sims
First published by Kensington Publishing Corp. in 1997
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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Valentine's Fantasy: When Valentines CollideTo Love Again Page 26