Page 21 of Ciao, Amore

Dani took the phone back. “Hey, could you tell Mami and Papi I made it okay? If I call them myself, Mami won’t let me get off the phone, and we only have a little bit more time left in Rome.”

Terri murmured something to her. They chatted in hushed tones for a minute, but Nico overheard Terri laughing and saying something about “very tall babies” while Dani blushed.

“Mi ta stimabo. Love you guys.” When she ended the call with a big kiss to her sister and the baby, Dani gave him a questioning look.

“When did you tell my dad you were bringing him back a domino set?” she asked.

“When we were playing, while you were with your mom in the kitchen. He said I didn’t have to. I said it’s no problem. I want to.” Nico shrugged. “Gotta beat him with style next time.”

Dani’s mouth set in a worried line. “Okay, that’s really nice of you to humor him, but you’re going to start hanging out with him even though I’m staying here? Won’t that be kinda weird?”

“Well, he’s under the impression I’d be with you for that visit since I’m yourboyfriend.” At Nico’s emphasis on the word, Dani pursed her lips. “But even if I wasn’t, I can’t make friends with your family without you around? I had a good time with them. And I was about to lose that second match to a man who gave himself the title Master Chief of Dominoes, so yeah, I pretty much have to go back now. I’ve got my reputation to think about.”

“Whatever,” Dani said with an exasperated eye roll.

After that, they saw the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain, which were both still packed with tourists despite Italy officially being in the off-season for travelers. He was glad they were able to see more everyday Italians, from lifelong residents running their shops and manning outdoor kiosks to the newcomers from other parts of the world.

While they were watching people, Nico noticed Dani getting attention too. From men. One gave him a quiet thumbs-up, which made him grin, but all the others earned his evil eye. It dawned on him that for all their interactions over the past month, he hadn’t really been out and about with her in public. Yes, he’d assumed men found her attractive since she’d been on so many dates during Year Zero, but to see it in real time unexpectedly put him on edge.

When he reached for her hand, she let him have it. He hated the insecurity behind the gesture, but he needed to declare they were together, even if it was a fake togetherness.

They decided to finish their afternoon with a stop for gelato at a tiny hole-in-the-wall he visited whenever he flew into Rome.

“Hey, Nico from New York, how’s it going?” Andi the proprietor greeted in Italian, giving Nico a brief hug. He was short and round with a wide, friendly face and a chocolate-splotched apron. “Oh my goodness, who is this beautiful young lady? You finally got caught, Nico? Introduce me to your wife. Does she speak Italian?”

Dani’s eyebrow rose, clearly having understood the gist of the man’s rapid-fire questions.

With a wink, Nico replied in Italian, “Andi, this is my wife, Daniela Grazia. She’s from Manhattan. We’re on our way to Napoli to introduce her to the family.”

“Bravo, bravo. In honor of your marriage, the gelato is on the house.” Andi asked what flavors they wanted and bustled back to their outdoor table with the cups and tiny spoons. “Nice to meet you, Daniela. Next time, you stay longer to have dinner with me, okay?Ciao.”

As they sat eating the sweet, rich treat, much creamier than regular ice cream, Nico savored his vanilla like it was the best thing ever. It wasn’t nearly as tasty as she had been with her thighs squeezing his head in bliss, but it came close. Dani wasn’t quite so enthused over her butter pecan.

“Nico, why didn’t you correct him? When he thought we were married.” Her face was serious as she stared at the well-dressed women and men passing by on the gorgeous afternoon.

“Anything that gets me some free gelato,” he responded with a shrug. The fact that she didn’t smile made a small sinkhole form in his chest. “Dani. Tonight when we get to the villa, you’re going to have to do a better job acting like you love me, so practice, practice.”

At the word “love,” she shot him a look—of warning, of helplessness, he wasn’t sure which.

“It’s one thing to talk like that in front of your family. We’re not in Naples yet. In fact, I’ve felt kinda weird all day after…the thing on the plane.”

“The thing on the plane. Right.” Nico took a few more spoonfuls while he contemplated what to say. “I thought what happened was fucking amazing, but if you have complaints, I can do better next time with a proper bed and some lube. You watch.”

“It’s not that I didn’t have a good time. It was awesome. You did good, kid,” she said, referring to her being two whole years older, and he grinned despite the thudding in his chest—despite the desire even now to reach over and kiss her. “But we did it without protection, which I never do. I don’t want you to think that just because I’m on the pill, I go around getting hit raw by random guys, because I don’t.”

His grin slipping a bit, Nico stared at her. Quietly, he asked, “I’m random?”

She evaded his gaze again, appearing tongue-tied until she sighed with exasperation. “You know what I meant.”

“Dani, relax. I told you, I’m not a caveman. An asshole, yeah, but not a caveman. I don’t think badly of you. I don’t usually raw-dog it either. But I got caught up, and it was awesome, and I don’t regret any of it.”

Another half-truth, part lie; true, he didn’t usually go at it without a condom, but it wasn’t just being caught up. He’d wanted,needed, to feel her with absolutely nothing between them if that was going to be their one and only time together. Right or wrong. Sensible or not.

When she didn’t answer, he continued, “If it makes you feel better, it’s been six months since I’ve had sex with anybody, and I’ve been checked. And I trust that you wouldn’t lie about your health.”

“Oh,” she said, pausing to consider what he’d revealed. “Six months?”

“Yeah, not since my ex,” Nico murmured. “I went on one date with a woman who was already in love with someone else. Nothing happened, and after that, I just couldn’t gear myself up for it. But what’s done is done. Next time we’ll use something. I’ll pick up a box of triple-XL Magnums.”

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