by Sarah Curtis
Nico raised an eyebrow. "Gone?"
"She left the country. France, I think."
More fucking great news. But he had to be sure. "How do you know?"
"Priscilla."
Marco's sister and Elena's best friend. If anyone would know, it would be her. Nico grunted again. "Any news on Carmine?" A question he asked every day. The answer was always the same.
"Nothing significant."
Fuck. He should have just done what he'd wanted to do from the beginning and killed the bastard.
"Have you ever thought he's just letting it go?"
No. Nobody in their right mind would ever just let Olivia go. "Doubtful."
Marco shrugged. "It's been months."
Nico uncrossed his legs and sat straight in his chair. "And we'll fucking watch him for months more if that's what it takes."
Marco raised his hands.
Nico didn't lose his composure often, but fucking Carmine pushed all his wrong buttons. He stood from his chair. "We done here?" He had the urge to find Olivia.
Marcos stood, too. "Yeah. I'll see if I can find out more details on Elena."
It wasn't a subtle conversation switch, but Nico appreciated the effort. He dipped his head in acknowledgment and left the room.
Olivia wasn't in their bedroom. He looked at the connecting door and saw it was ajar and knew that's where he would find her. They were converting her old bedroom into the baby's room. Last time he'd checked, everything had been removed, waiting on the arrival of the new baby furniture.
Opening the door, his anger from a few moments ago that he'd finally managed to contain, resurfaced tenfold. In two long strides, he hit the center of the room. "What the fuck!"
He watched, as if in slow motion, Olivia's back go rigid, and she started to lose her balance on the tall fucking ladder she was standing on. His body was moving, his top half preceding his feet, which seemed as if they were moving at a snail's pace. One of her arms flew out, trying to counterbalance her shift in gravity, the paint roller she held leaving her hand to sail in an arc and land somewhere to the right of the room. Her knees bent, banging into the top platform of the ladder with a hard crack as her other hand came down, catching herself from the fall.
And then the ladder started to tip, and miraculously somehow he was below her, his arms reaching up, grabbing her waist, and pulling her away as the ladder fell to the floor.
"I've got you." His voice came out in a gruff whisper as he plopped himself to the floor, Olivia tucked safely in his lap.
It took them both a moment to reset. Olivia recovered first. "What the hell, Nico?"
He was taken aback by her tone. He set his jaw and ground out, "What the fuck do you think you were doing?"
Her eyes squinted. "Painting."
"Are you crazy? You almost fucking fell."
"I was perfectly fine until you showed up and started yelling."
He opened his mouth about to yell more but... stopped. She was absolutely fucking right. His jaw snapped shut, and he buried his face in her neck, holding onto her tighter. He didn't say another fucking word.
She didn't say anything either, but she wrapped her arms around his neck, tangling her fingers in his hair. He felt the baby kick against his stomach, making his presence known and Olivia giggled in his ear.
And although there was nothing fucking funny about what had nearly happened, he found himself chuckling, too.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
"Look at you," Gabby said, taking both of Olivia's hands in greeting.
"It's kind of hard not to look at me. I take up most of the room."
Gabby laughed, leading her farther into the room to the place of honor—a wing-back chair decorated with multicolored balloons. The whole room was decorated similarly with baby-blue and baby-pink streamers and banners that proclaimed welcome baby.
About thirty women occupied the room, mostly chatting in small clusters. Olivia only recognized a handful. She chewed nervously on her lip, uneasy at her first family event without Nico by her side. The family was very traditional. No men attended showers of any kind. But at least she had Gabby.
Olivia had tried to convince her mom to come. She'd even braved the stores to buy her a new outfit, but at the last minute, she'd said she wasn't feeling up to it. She had looked a little peaked, so Olivia hadn't forced the issue. But now she wished she had, sad her mom was missing this.
Olivia spotted Nico's mom, Dona, over by the refreshment table and skirted the coffee table to go say hello. As she drew near, she couldn't help but overhear Dona's conversation with a woman Olivia didn't recognize. "It was unexpected, but she's a sweet girl," Dona said, filling a paper cup with punch.
"But I heard she's not Italian," the woman said with a touch of a sneer.
Dona was quick to defend, lightening Olivia's heart. "No, but she does make my Nico happy, so that's all that matters."
Did she make Nico happy? She'd like to think so. She moved closer, making her presence known. "Dona!"
Dona turned, a smile lighting her face. "Olivia, you've arrived. Now the party can start."
The next couple of hours were a whirlwind of games, presents, and cake. That part had been fun. The questions—all from people she didn't even know—were what she hadn't liked. The pregnancy questions had been easy.
"How far along are you?"
"Seven months."
"Are you having a boy or a girl?"
"We've decided to keep it a surprise."
"What names have you picked out?"
"We haven't really talked about that yet."
But the personal questions probing into her and Nico's relationship, she hadn't been sure how to answer those. Not without embarrassing Nico or his family. She'd spent half the day deflecting, and it had been exhausting.
Olivia felt her phone vibrate from the pocket of her maternity dress. Nico sent her a text.
How's it going?
If I asked you to come rescue me, would you?
In a heartbeat.
Help!
Fifteen minutes later, Nico walked into the room. She honestly hadn't expected him. She'd figured he'd think she'd been joking.
His eyes scanned the room and narrowed at finding her tucked in the corner. His stride was direct and purposeful as he navigated the room full of people and objects. It didn't take him long to reach her side.
Eyes slightly misting, she searched his face, looking for an ounce of emotion. None was there. But he had come. That had to mean something, right?
He took her hand, helping her to her feet. Dona had made her way over to them, surprise clearly lining her features. "Nico. What are you doing here?"
"I've come to collect my wife."
She laughed for a few beats before the seriousness of his expression diminished her humor. "Is everything okay?"
Olivia saw his rigid stance relax, obviously realizing he'd worried her. "Everything's fine. I have a surprise for Olivia, and I don't want it spoiled."
That seemed to appease her. "Well then. Off you two."
Olivia spoke up. "Thank you so much for the party."
"You're welcome, my dear. Go have fun."
"So how terrible was it?" Nico asked as he pulled out of the driveway.
"It wasn't that bad."
"You're lying."
She swung her gaze his way.
Nico stopped at a stop sign and looked at her. He pointed to her hand. "You're playing with the hem of your dress." Then his finger traveled up. "And chewing on you
r bottom lip. You only do that when you're lying or nervous."
She immediately released the hem of her dress and pulled her lip from between her teeth.
Nico chuckled. "Too late, tesoro. Now I'll ask again. How terrible was it?"
She shrugged as if no big deal. "Some parts were good. Like spending time with your mom and Gabby, and the games were fun."
"But."
She sighed. "But... evading personal questions about us from people I don't know was not fun."
"What kind of questions?"
"Oh, you know, the typical how did you two meet questions."
"I'm not ashamed of you."
But maybe she was ashamed enough for the both of them. He must have seen something he didn't like cross her features because he said, "You're beautiful, sweet, kind, and caring. It doesn't matter where you came from or how you grew up."
They were still at the stop sign, but the street was quiet. In a small voice, she acknowledged something they'd never actually talked about. "My mother's a prostitute."
He put the car in park. Leaning over the console, he captured her face in his hands. "Who gave birth to an angel."
"Do you really believe that?"
"Yeah, I really fucking believe that. I don't give a fuck what anyone thinks, what assumptions they make, or what biases they have."
"But I do."
And that was the root of her problem. Growing up, she hated thinking her life might not end up any better than her mother's. Then Carmine came around, and her mom got sick, and she knew her life wouldn't be better than her mother's. It had taken a while for her new reality to sink in, but she soon became resigned to her fate.
Then Nico came along, offering her a different life. A way to be respectable. She could handle the sneer of others looking down on her if the allegations were true, but it cut deep when they were not.
Nico placed his forehead to hers and said in a soft voice, "Then that's something we need to work on. I don't care how long it takes. I will tell you and show you every damn day how special you are until it sticks, and then you can tell the rest of the world to go fuck themselves."
Tears slid down her cheeks. He brushed them away with his thumbs before kissing the tip of her nose. She wanted to believe his words, but she wasn't there yet.
But maybe with time, she could be.
Olivia sighed, closing her eyes. She'd finally found a comfortable position, lying on her side but still couldn't nod off. The baby was restless, making sleep impossible. Nico was at her back, his hand rubbing circles along her stomach.
Her thoughts drifted to the baby shower and one of the questions she'd been asked. "We need to think about names for the baby."
"I'll be happy with whatever you like."
That didn't help. She decided to narrow the field down. "Will Grandma Rossella roll over in her grave if we don't choose something Italian?"
"What do you know of Grandma Rossella?" Nico asked with a smile in his voice.
"I know she didn't like frozen lasagna."
Nico barked a laugh, and the baby gave a hard kick.
Olivia groaned. "I think that might have damaged my kidney."
Nico kissed her shoulder still chuckling then helped her roll to her back before saying, "An Italian name would go over well with my family, but I don't want you feeling obligated to go that route."
"Well." Feeling a bit shy, she reluctantly admitted, "I've been doing some research for Italian names on the Internet."
Nico's eyes lit, and she knew that had made him happy even if he wouldn't admit it. "And what did you find?" His hand found her stomach again and started rubbing.
"I like Angelica for a girl and Antonio for a boy."
"A's, huh?"
"I thought we could start at the beginning of the alphabet."
"Please don't tell me you want twenty-six kids."
That made Olivia laugh. "No. But I would like a couple. A little boy and a little girl, maybe. What about you?"
Nico got up on an elbow, hovering his face over hers. "I want whatever will make you happy."
She smiled, running a hand up his arm. "Even a little girl?"
He sighed closing his eyes, looking totally defeated before lowering his forehead to hers. "Even a little girl."
Olivia fell asleep, wrapped in her husband's arms, with a smile on her lips.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Is my girl ready?
Olivia got the same text every Thursday night. Date Night.
She is.
I'll be home in ten.
She'll be waiting.
She used the mirror to slide on her flip-flops, no longer able to see her feet past her eighth-month belly, then inspected herself in the mirror. Dressed for comfort, she wore a shapeless black sundress that hit her right above the knees. She'd left her hair loose to fall down her back in a wavy waterfall and hadn't bothered with makeup.
She took her time navigating the stairs, holding tightly to the handrail, not wanting to fall. Her center of gravity was a bit skewed, and it wouldn't take much for her to lose her balance on the steep stairs.
The front door opened as she reached the bottom.
Nico.
He commanded her attention just as much then as he had the first time she'd seen him. Dark from head to toe. His hair. His eyes. His expression. His clothes. His aura. She was pulled to him as if by an actual force—his polarity sucking at her essence—tugging her with an invisible rope until she stood not a foot away from him.
"Tesoro." He brought one of his hands up to cup her face, his thumb grazing the apple of her cheek. "How are you feeling?"
"Good."
"Liar."
She frowned. "I didn't bite my lip." She'd been working on her tells, as Nico called them, telling her it was a poker term.
"I can read it in your eyes."
Her frown deepened. "Then I'll never fool you."
"No, tesoro, you won't. How are you feeling?" he repeated, this time expecting the correct answer.
"Tired." She hadn't been sleeping well the past week, pressure on her lower back keeping her awake.
It was his turn to frown, obviously not liking her answer. "We don't have to go out."
She shook her head. "It took too much energy to get ready. No way will it be a wasted effort."
He watched her a few moments longer then his hand slid to the back of her neck. His lips came down on hers, lightly at first, sipping at them, until his tongue made an appearance, stroking her bottom lip before demanding and achieving entrance.
Her hands reached for his waist, gripping the material of his jacket. The kiss turned forceful, but he was giving instead of taking. Almost as if he were trying to transfer his energy to her. It wouldn't work, his kisses always left her light-headed.
He pulled away, if possible, his eyes darker than a moment ago but his lips twitched. "Then let's go."
He took her by the hand and led her out the door to the Porsche.
"Where are we going?" she asked after they were settled.
"It's a surprise." He pushed the button, and the car roared to life.
He liked to surprise her, and she was always surprised.
They drove in silence, but it wasn't strained. She never knew what he was thinking during the comfortable moments of quiet they shared. Couldn't tell if his thoughts were peaceful or turbulent. Was he working out problems, or did his mind just drift in a random jumble?
He glanced over at her, a small smile tugging at his lips. "
What?"
"I was just wondering what you think about when you go quiet."
He shrugged. "It depends. Work shit. Trivial crap." His eyes slid to her again, a smirk on his lips. "Fucking you."
She squirmed in her seat, and from the look he gave her, she could tell it didn't go unnoticed by her husband. "And just now?"
His hand found her leg, ducking under the hem of her dress to run along the soft skin of her inner thigh. "Pounding into your tight heat while you milk my cock with your orgasm."
Her mouth fell slightly ajar, and if he inched his fingers any closer, he'd feel how turned on she was. Maybe they should have skipped going out after all.
As if reading her mind, he said gruffly, "I can always turn around."
Her eyes drifted to his lap. He was straining against his slacks, the outline clear through the soft material.
She must have taken too long to decide because she heard him mutter, "Fuck it," as he made a quick right into the next parking lot entrance they came to. Olivia grabbed at the door handle to keep herself upright.
They were at a hotel, but she couldn't tell which one as Nico pulled the car up to the entrance. He got out and around to her side of the car, helping her alight before tossing his keys to an approaching valet. So fast, she'd barely had time to process what was going on, he had her through the front sliding doors, got them a room, and pulled her into the elevator, hitting the button for the thirtieth floor.
"Not a suite, I'm afraid, with such short notice."
Olivia looked up at Nico and blinked. He'd tried to get them a suite? She blinked again.
He placed a finger under her chin. "Close your mouth, tesoro, until we reach our room, and I can give you something proper to fill it with."
The elevator doors parted, and they stepped off. Their room was a short way down the hall. Nico slid the key card into the slot and opened the door, directing her through before following her in.
"Take off your dress," he said, tossing the key on the dresser then loosening his tie, his eyes never leaving her.
She grabbed her dress by the hem, pulling it over her head while Nico stripped off the bedspread, tossing it to the floor.