“That’s my girl,” I say, and wink at her. “Now, eat up. I need you to keep up your strength. Tomorrow is going to be exciting.”
I grin as she does, eating my own food with gusto. I didn’t even get to have my own satisfaction yet, and I’m ravenous all the same. I wolf the food down, finding it to be much better than expected – maybe just because I’m in such a good mood.
Of course, not a single bite of it tastes as good as her.
I don’t want to leave, but I know that I have to. If I stay here, I won’t hold to my promise. I won’t be able to go through the whole night without tearing off her clothes and claiming her – and besides, there’s only one bed. That would be a recipe for disaster.
“I’ll meet you in the morning,” I tell her, kissing her full on the mouth. “By the way – did you bring a swimsuit?”
“No,” Liliana says, her eyes wide. “There wasn’t enough room in my suitcase for everything, and we didn’t think…”
“No matter,” I tell her, leaning down for one more lingering kiss. She’s so delicious, I want to stay. I force myself to pull away and leave before I get so hard again I can’t walk down the hall. “In the morning, beautiful. Be ready for me.”
“I’ll be ready,” she breathes, and even though she’s inexperienced, there’s a light in her eyes that tells me she really will be.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Liliana
I wake up from a dream in which Nico’s body was over mine, pressing down on me, his hard length pressing into my thigh. The closest I’ve ever come to touching a man down there. The memory of his tongue and fingers all over me has me opening my eyes to feel a burning passion between my legs. When I touch myself, I find that I’m dripping wet.
I can’t help it. I replay it all in my head, the way he kissed and touched me, the way he took me to ecstasy. I think of his body over mine and his hands on my breasts and I take it further. I imagine him stripping off his own clothes, the two of us naked together, our bodies pressing together.
But I have to stop because I don’t know what it would feel like to go further. I can’t imagine it. I can’t even picture him naked. I just have no idea what to expect.
But I know I won’t have to wait long to find out, and that thought spurs me to get up and dressed as quickly as possible.
I put on the same dress I was wearing last night since it’s still the best dress I have with me – and I don’t have a lot of other options that aren’t jeans or shorts and t-shirts. I check my hair and makeup in the mirror – hoping that his hint about a swimsuit doesn’t mean this face will be washed right off – and head downstairs to the lobby.
I thought I was early, but as I head across the wide-open space in front of the reception desk, I see him sitting on a plush sofa. He’s flipping through a newspaper, as though he’s been there for a long time. A flare of guilt and panic runs through me as I rush over to him.
“Am I late?” I ask, worried that I’ve already messed things up.
He glances up at me, putting the newspaper down and checking his watch. “No,” he says, “You’re early.”
“But…”
“I was early too,” he says, that slow and sexy smile creeping over his face. He wears only the slightest blush, and it makes him look all the more attractive. “I guess I couldn’t wait to see you again – quite literally.”
I can only grin back, biting my lip and glancing around the lobby. I want to scream at them all that I’m with this man, that he actually wants me. That he wants to be with me. How is something like this happening to an ordinary girl like me?
“Let’s go, then,” he says, offering me his arm. I take it as he leads me out of the lobby and into the street, bright with sunlight, where a car is waiting.
“Where are we going?” I ask. He gestures for me to go ahead, opening the door for me before sliding in after me.
He puts his finger to his lips and winks at me, then lifts his head to talk to the driver. “Take us to the Avenue Des Beaux-Arts.”
I rack my brain, but I can’t remember what was on that street when we talked about the maps. There were so many things to talk about, I don’t remember half of them anymore. And – I realize – I’ve left the maps back on the desk in my hotel room.
I’m about to say something, but I realize I’m probably panicking for nothing. Nico is a local, after all. I’m sure he doesn’t need a map to take me where he wants to go.
When we get out of the taxi, I look up and my jaw drops. I recognize this place, we walked by it while we were searching for the café. We didn’t stop. There was no point. We couldn’t afford anything down here.
The names over the stores are all world-famous. Bulgari, Celine, Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent, Dior, Piaget. I don’t have enough money to walk through the door of one of those places, let alone buy anything inside.
“So, where do you want to go first?” Nico asks, gazing down the street with his hands in his pockets, looking relaxed and calm.
“What?” I splutter, sounding the exact opposite.
“Where do you want to go?” he asks, gesturing ahead at the street. Chic women in expensive clothes and jewelry are strolling around us, on the arms of handsome men. I don’t know where I could possibly fit into this picture.
“But…” I start, about to shake my head and come up with somewhere else we can go.
“It’s my treat,” Nico says, catching my look. “You don’t have to worry. I mean it. Today is special, right?”
“Right,” I say dubiously, looking down the street again. “But… it’s just… I’m not like these women. Will I even find anything that will fit me?”
Nico looks at me sharply and blinks. “Speaking your mind again,” he says and smiles ruefully. “Lili, of course, they will fit you. You have such a wonderful body. Why wouldn’t it?”
I blush as I gesture helplessly at a woman walking down the other side of the street, talking rapidly in French to a handsome, rich-looking man. She’s so thin I’m surprised she can walk so easily.
“Nico…” I say, meaning to turn around and look towards the harbor, to suggest we go for a stroll instead.
“Baby, they have clothes for you,” he reassures me, taking my chin in his fingers and lifting it until I meet his eyes. “I promise. And they’ll look amazing on you, too. You have a real body. Sexy and curvy and hot. You’ll look a thousand times better than those types.”
Against my instincts, his praise starts to go to my head a little. I begin to think that there’s a possibility he could even be right.
“Um,” I say, and point at one of the stores at random since I don’t know any of them apart from the others. “There.”
Nico leads me inside, and I can’t help but feel so cheap and small compared to even the store assistants, with their long legs and designer outfits. I try to remind myself they only work here, but I still find it hard to even look around without feeling shy.
“Here,” Nico says, drawing me to his side and gesturing to a rack in front of me. “How about a swimsuit?”
I blink. “You mentioned that yesterday,” I said.
“I did,” Nico says, leaning down to kiss my shoulder. “And I’d like to take you out on the water. So, a swimsuit would come in handy. What do you want? A bikini?”
“No way,” I say, blushing like crazy. I could never wear a bikini. “Isn’t there a one piece?”
As it turns out, there are several. We grab them all in my size, and a polite yet stunning assistant comes over to help me to the changing room.
This is when I realize I have to come out of the changing room to show him the swimsuit – and there’s no way I’m walking out like that in front of all the people in the store.
I try them on one by one, and I have to admit that they look good. It must be something to do with the brand, the price is high, but the quality is high too, both in the materials and in the way that they’re put together. They’re flattering to my figure, and there’s one of them
that I really genuinely like.
But I’m still not brave enough to go outside in them.
When I open the door of the changing room back in my same old dress, Nico almost looks disappointed.
“I liked this one,” I say brightly, lifting it into the air. “If you’re sure you want to buy it for me…”
“Of course, I’m sure,” Nico says, taking it out of my hand. “Now, is there anything else you want before we go to the next store?”
“The next store?” I ask, my eyes boggling out of my head.
“Of course,” Nico says again, tilting his head. “You didn’t think I’d make you choose just one thing? I’m spoiling you today.”
“You really don’t need to,” I say, my mouth hanging open.
He steps closer, drawing me in by my hips until our bodies are pressed together, and bends his mouth to whisper right into my ear. “I want to,” he says, making a shiver run right through me. “I don’t know why, but you make me want to spoil you so bad.”
I guess he’s being serious, because before lunch at a café, I find myself carrying not just the swimsuit but also two new dresses. I’m afraid to look at the price tags because I have a feeling that I might end up terrified to wear them.
When we finish eating, I look up at him, wondering. “That was a really special day,” I say, trying to fish for whether this was the end of it or not.
“Was?” Nico repeats then shakes his head. “We’re not even halfway through yet.”
Aha – so, there’s more? I can’t imagine what else he could do after this. I’ve already probably increased the overall value of my entire closet by at least ten times, if not twenty.
“Where are we going next?” I ask.
“To the marina,” Nico says and stands to offer me his hand.
It might be nice to walk along the marina, I think. I’m sure it won’t be boring, like last time. As Nico said, he’s an expert tour guide. That means he’ll make it more interesting – and I would probably listen to him describing the minute details of a wall of drying paint, so long as I got to listen to him.
“So, how are your sea legs?” Nico asks.
With a jolt, I remember. That’s right! He said something about going out on the sea. Is there some kind of tourist cruise around the coast? “I think they’re fine,” I say, shrugging. “I haven’t really been on many boats.”
“Well, hopefully, it won’t make you seasick,” Nico says, coming to a stop by one of the small vessels. Everything here seems to be small, sporty, and sleek – just like the people who live here.
“Whose boat is this?” I ask, thinking he must have stopped to tell me about some celebrity or other.
“Oh, this?” Nico grins at me, then begins walking towards it. “It’s mine.”
It takes me a moment to run after him, I’m so surprised. “You didn’t say you had a boat!”
“I told you I was taking you out on the water,” Nico says, then turns to grin again as he climbs up onto the boat itself. “Did you think I would share you with a bunch of other tourists?”
I can’t hide my blush. It’s obvious that I did. I just take his hand as he reaches down for me, and allow him to steady me as I climb on board beside him.
“I just had no idea,” I say, admiring the white lines of the boat. It rocks only gently under my feet, swaying with the gentle waves.
“Well, I thought we could go out for a little spin. What do you think?” Nico asks, walking over to the front of the vessel where a steering wheel and a control panel are positioned in front of a white leather seat.
“I’d love to,” I say. I smile, thinking I can tease him – and also really wanting to know the answer. “Do you use this boat to impress all the girls?”
Nico doesn’t say anything for a moment as he starts the engine, and begins moving around to take care of other preparations that are lost on me. “No,” he says, at length, before looking at me with such an honest and open look on his face that it floors me. “I don’t let anyone on board this boat – not ever. It’s my sanctuary.”
“Then, why…?” I ask, shaken to my core at the emotion on his face.
“I don’t know. But somehow, you seem special,” he says. He reaches out and touches my hair, then abruptly turns away and continues preparing to take us out to sea.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Nico
I can think much better with the breeze in my hair and the fresh sea air filling my nose. Away from the bustle of Monaco, out where the only things we can see for miles around are more ships and small boats passing in the distance.
It doesn’t help me to explain, though, why I brought her out here. What I said was true. I don’t do this for anyone. Not friends, not family. I’ve never brought anyone on board this boat who wasn’t here to fix or service it. This is my own private domain, the one place where no one is allowed to enter. I shouldn’t have wanted to bring her here. I shouldn’t have felt comfortable with someone else invading my space like this.
And yet, here she is – and it couldn’t feel more right.
“This should do it,” I say, cutting the engine and admiring the view. Blue sea and blue sky all around us. In the very far distance, I can make out the white blur of the coast of Monaco, but all of the details are gone. We’re isolated out here, and yet still close enough to get help if anything should go wrong. This is where I normally stop, and it’s just as appropriate today.
The light breeze brings with it a feeling of freshness, making me take a deep breath. Yes, this feels right. I can’t even explain why, but all I know in my gut is that this woman is the one I will spend my life with. If I can’t, I don’t think I would be able to carry on.
“Good timing,” Liliana replies, coming up out of the downstairs cabin. She’s been changing into the swimsuit I bought her, and it makes my jaw drop when I see her.
It hugs her curves, leaving both her ass and her breasts perfectly highlighted. It’s a good thing I switched off the engine and stepped away from the controls, or we might have been driving around in circles while I tried to figure out what my name was. Every single thought is blanked out from my head as I look her up and down, and all the blood in my body goes south to my cock.
“You look…” I start, then shake my head. What word would even be appropriate? Sexy? Hot? Edible? Amazing? A million dollars?
“Far more casual than you?” she jokes, clasping her hands in front of herself in a gesture of shyness that has me crossing the deck to her. It also has the effect of pressing her breasts together, making her even more irresistible.
“We can fix that,” I murmur, leaning down to kiss her. When I look at her again, her wide and fluttering blue eyes almost make my heart stop.
“You brought a swimsuit, too?” she asks, so innocent that I want to laugh and also bend her over the railing and take her hard, and also put her in my pocket and keep her safe from the rest of the world forever. This contradiction in her, this duality, is something I have never seen before. It’s everything.
“I did bring something to change into, actually,” I reply. “Stay up here and call out for me if anything happens. I’ll be back in a moment.”
It’s not a swimsuit I have stashed below decks – although I do change into a linen shirt and shorts. A far more appropriate for a man of my age and social standing… not to mention, I have no intention of actually getting in the water today.
No, I have something even better than that planned. I gather all the ingredients and bring them up to the deck, setting them out ready on a flat surface near the wheel that serves as a table.
“What’s this?” she asks, turning from the view of the ocean to watch me, and I don’t miss her hungry gaze roving over me, taking in my legs. I keep in shape. It’s one of my greatest sources of personal pride. And I can’t say I dislike seeing her enjoy it, too. Part of me wants to rip off the rest of my clothes and get her opinion on how well I’ve kept myself together despite being twenty years older than her, bu
t I resist. Good things come to those who wait.
“Mock-tails,” I tell her, grabbing a shaker and rattling the ice inside. “Lie down on the side and get some sun. I’ll whip us up some drinks so we can relax. Sounds good?”
“Sounds amazing,” Liliana grins, and when she lies down on the deck like I suggested, I can’t help but pause. I watch her settle into the sunlight, her legs stretched out ahead of her. I should get a hat and sunglasses from below, make sure that she’s covered up. For some reason I can’t really explain, I do have a woman’s hat below, it was left in the boat as kind of a décor item when I bought it, and I didn’t bother to throw it away. I always meant to. Now I wonder…
Was this always supposed to happen? Did part of me know, somehow, that one day I would find a woman who was smart, sexy, open, intriguing, and interested enough to share my boat with me? Did part of me somehow know that she would also be adorably unprepared and that I would need things on hand to protect her with?
I have always been a successful man. Luck never came into it. I worked hard, and smart. I built myself up from a respectable wealth to somewhere much higher, gained a reputation that follows me, expanded and built until I had everything I needed. Everything except for a family. But now, seeing this beautiful woman draped across my boat, waiting for me to claim her for the first time…
I have to say I feel like the luckiest man on earth.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Liliana
“You’re going to burn, you know.”
I open my eyes at his alarming statement, lifting the wide, floppy sun hat Nico gave me to wear. “Do you really think so?”
“The sun can be deceptively hot out here,” he says, quite serious. He waves a tube of sunscreen at me. “Here.”
I reach out to take it, but he pulls it out of my reach and gestures for me to turn around. “I’ll do your back for you.”
“Oh, thanks,” I say, laying on my front. Within moments I feel the touch of something cold on my skin, followed quickly by the sure and confident touch of his fingers, gliding across the back of my neck and my shoulders.
Meet Me In Monaco: A Steamy Standalone Instalove Romance Page 6