Page 64 of Isabella

He runs his tongue along the seam of my lips, causing a small moan to escape me. Nicco takes advantage, sliding his tongue in to meet mine, and now it’s his turn to groan in approval. The sound vibrates through me, straight to my core.

“I’ve missed you so damn much, Isabella,” he mumbles against my lips. Pulling back slightly, he peers into my eyes and cups my cheek with his hand, rubbing the pad of his thumb along the soft skin at my jaw. “I’m so sorry for hurting you, but you have to understand,” he pleads with me, the desperation shining through his words, “I would’ve never done it had I thought there was another solution. There’s no extent I won’t take to protect you.”

“I know,” I whisper, giving him a small nod. “I know, Nicco. Just kiss me. Kiss me like the past three years never happened.”

His eyes darken, then he slams his lips back to mine, and we take from each other what we’ve needed for so long now.

This kiss is different from the kiss we shared in the bathroom of Cucina del Sole. That one was filled with a rushed need of desperation and fueled by anger. This one is filled with a longing we’ve had for each other for years now. I might’ve buried those feelings, trying to mask them with resentment, but now that they’re free from the cage I put them in, they’re fueling everything behind this kiss.

He steps back, holding my hands in his, and smiles down at me with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

“What’re you looking at me like that for?”

“You want to go for a ride?” he asks, causing me to raise my brows in interest.

“A ride?”

“Yeah, you used to love riding on the back of my bike.”

Gosh, if that isn’t the truth. There was nothing like wrapping my arms around him while we found an open road to ride down.

Luckily for me, I’m wearing a pair of jeans, black boots, and a leather jacket, perfect for the fall weather, but there’s just one thing missing. “I don’t have a helmet,” I say.

He breathes out a chuckle. “You didn’t think I’d come unprepared, did you?”

“You still have?—”

“Your helmet? Of course. It’s been sitting around waiting for you to use it again.”

I shake my head. “You and your confidence,” I laugh out.

“I always had a plan, Isabella. You might’ve not known it, but you were always the end goal. You were always meant to be mine since the day I laid eyes on you.”

He gives my hands a light squeeze. “And I don’t mean when we met again in college. I might’ve only been eleven the first time we met, but there was something about you. I didn’t understand what it was at the time, but I know now. You were always meant to be mine.”

The way he saysminesends a shiver up my spine and causes my heart to flutter. I never thought Nicco’s words would have that reaction on me again, but I’m sure as hell glad I was wrong. “I’m starting to believe you,” I say.

The corners of Nicco’s lips turn up into one of the biggest smiles I’ve ever seen from him. “So, what do you say? You want to take a ride?”

I consider the potential repercussions if Gianni or Tito find out I’m no longer here, but the thrill of being on the back of Nicco’s bike again supersedes any trouble I could get in with my brother, so I smile up at Nicco in excitement and say, “Let’s go.”

39

NICCOLÒ

The crisp fall air surrounds us while we take the roads to a spot Isabella and I used to frequent. With her arms wrapped around my waist and us working together as one to lean into each turn, it feels like the past three years never happened.

As I take the last turn into the park, Isabella’s arms tighten around me, and I give her hands a pat, a sign I used to give to her all the time that I had her.

Putting her helmet on the bike, she turns around and faces the park. “The last time I was here was with you,” she says.

“How long do you think we have before your guards suspect you’re not at the boutique?” I ask while we walk to an open bench surrounded by trees that have reached their peak fall foliage shades of yellow and orange.

“Tito should be more focused on Liana, and Gianni’s used to me hanging out there for hours on end. That’s why I chose her place to meet. I knew she’d be able to sneak you in the back door, and I knew I’d be able to get away with doing my thing there for a few hours without any concern.”

“What do you do there for that amount of time that makes your guard so naive to not check on you?”

“I’ve actually been helping Liana around the boutique so she can focus on her new bridal line, and anytime she needs help, I’ve been assisting her in preparing for New York Bridal Fashion Week in April.”

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