Page 16 of Ciao, Amore

“Y’all didn’t come up with that, you know,” she retorted, turning her face away.

Looking around, Nico counted exactly four other passengers in the cabin. There was a single man a few rows ahead of them, who immediately pulled out a laptop, adjusted the overhead lighting, and began typing away. A woman sat by herself on the other side, black hair styled in an updo, wearing dark shades even as the sun had completely set.

The other two were a blond couple, possibly early twenties, whispering and smooching. Nico wondered if they were on their honeymoon, wondered what promises they’d made each other and how soon those promises would be broken.

Despite the moment of cynicism, and even though the smart-mouthed creature in the next seat wasn’t his womanandshe was irritating the fuck out of him at the moment, it felt good to have her beside him. He was thoroughly insulted but also very entertained.

Flexing her feet and getting comfortable, Dani hummed the bars to “Under Pressure,” knowing goddamned well which song she really meant.

“This is gonna be a long flight.” Nico sighed.

TURBULENCE

DANI

Stretched out side by side,with a divider between them, Dani was bored. Nico had fallen asleep after they’d watched his favorite Italian movie together,Cinema Paradiso,followed up by a new film neither had seen,The Hummingbird.She was secretly psyched that he loved those types of movies in addition to the ones with the explosions and chase scenes.

After the more serious high-brow films, they argued over which gangster film was better:Godfather,Goodfellas,Casino,orThe Departed.

“If you vote forCasino, we can’t be friends anymore,” Nico had warned, so of course that’s what she chose, even if the real answer wasGoodfellaslike him.

The attendants were blessedly occupied somewhere else, hopefully not keeping an eye on the somnolent space. She took a drink of water, her head struggling to stay clear between the complimentary champagne and the dry cabin air.

Nico hadn’t moved in about a half hour, maybe forty-five minutes. She’d teasingly asked if he was going to sleep with the hat, but he took it off with a glare. Now his thick dark hair tempted her to reach over and touch it, but she didn’t dare wake him up. He stayed still through the occasional dip and shake of the plane when it encountered pockets of air.

There was an occasional whisper that floated back from the honeymooning couple that was growing louder. She glanced over at Nico to see if he was still sleeping. Her thighs shifted as she looked at him. Her panties had been soaked pretty much since she’d walked into the waiting lounge and saw Nico there waiting for her.

Yes, it was playing a dangerous game, saying the things she’d said during that fraught conversation, the air vibrating with fantastically high tension. His sage-and-saltwater scent had washed into her body when she’d sat down next to him, and it had responded automatically; there’d been no stopping it.

She didn’t like that he made her feel helplessly drawn to him—that she’d fallen so easily into that effortless back-and-forth, their verbal sparring like oxygen to the flame that was already smoldering.

This is precisely why she’d brought the vibrator in her purse. Because she was already too turned on by him during those phone calls and video chats from an entire borough away. Yes, he was hot even when wearing that fucking lid in his house while they talked. Like everything else about him, it had become endearing.

Dani wasn’t blind. She tried to pretend his attraction to her at the diner was all in her imagination, but the night at her house had made it obvious. His constantly touching her, and the way he couldn’t tear his eyes from her lips when he spoke to her had been clues. That kiss had confirmed it despite his claim that he was acting.

But Nico’s responses, like hers, were merely the normal, basic need of a healthy human to fuck. It wasn’t an open invitation to attempt anything when they had an agreement that they wouldn’t. It had ticked her off to be reminded of it, but Nico had been right; he’d never once said he wanted anything from her but companionship and a few laughs on this trip.

She’d make herself look messy and desperate if she tried to take it further, so she fully intended to take care of her urges by herself, in her own bedroom at the villa. But she might have to start with her vibrator in the plane’s bathroom to take the edge off before they could get there.

Dani sat up, looking around at the other passengers. She couldn’t see the businessman. The woman was sleeping. The couple, though…yes, she was sure of it. They were fucking. The woman was bouncing up and down, her head rising and falling, her fingers gripping the top of the so-called privacy wall. The occasional groan slipped through, becoming more frequent as she watched; they obviously didn’t give a fuck who might see.

Damn, she felt creepy watching them, but it was too hot to ignore. Her pussy pulsed, and her nipples hardened. She reached to get the lipstick vibrator from her kit and was about to leave for the bathroom when she checked on Nico once more. It took a second for her to register that he’d opened his eyes and was staring at her. Dani froze. Most of him was in shadow, but his eyes seemed darker.

“Where you headed with that?” he asked, pointing at her hand with his chin.

“Using the bathroom,” she whispered back.

Involuntarily, her head turned when the man groaned. Nico sat up, his blanket falling down to his lap. His eyebrows rose once at the sight of the couple, then lowered.

“Wow. They’re really goin’ at it. Fuck,” he said, his voice thickened. He looked at her, a struggle visible on his features even in this low lighting. “You’re supposed to be the risk-taker. Are you already a member of the Mile High Club?” Clearly, he must have meant that sarcastically, but he wasn’t smirking at her.

“Are you making fun of me?” she asked softly.

“It’s a serious question. You’re the adventurous one. That thing in your hand is a cheat. It won’t get you into the club if you’re not already a member.”

His dark stare was sleepy with lust. She wished she could look away, but it was impossible. Her legs shifted. A sort of madness came over her, no other way to explain it. She wanted, more than she’d wanted anything in her life, to accept the challenge in that blue-black gaze.

“I’m not a member, but I bet you aren’t either.” Her voice was unsteady, and he audibly swallowed.

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