Page 31 of Ciao, Amore

“Why’d you stop?” she panted.

Nico grinned at her, even though his chest was still laboring and his cock was visibly straining upward through the towel. “You were right. A contract is a contract.”

The triumph on his face and the unresolved ache in her pussy infuriated her. “You’re seriously going to leave me like this?”

“Stop being so dramatic.You’re not dying.” He slapped her ass, his fingers lingering for another squeeze. An expression of pain crossed his face as he stared down at her body, but then his lips set into a smirk. Squeezing his cock, he drawled, “And if you want out of the contract, you only have to do one simple thing. Beg.”

“Excuse me?” she spluttered.

“Beg. If you want to ride this dick again, you’re gonna have to beg for it first. In the meantime, be my guest and use my shower. Finish yourself off in there, if you want. I’ll wait here till you’re done.”

She could fucking kill him.

“You dirty motherfu—"

“Whoa. I’d say get a room, but you’re already in one,” a male voice exclaimed from the doorway.

Her head spun to see Tommy standing there with the younger boys, who jumped up and down, covering their mouths with their hands while laughing. Tommy looked amused, regarding them with an unpleasant smile. She wasn’t sure she appreciated that look.

“Tommy, what the fuck?” Nico complained, lifting his head to stare over her shoulder.

Nico swiftly closed her robe and stepped in front of her to block her from Tommy’s view.

“Little T opened the door; what do you want?” Tommy said, holding up his palms. “Don’t worry, we didn’t see anything. We just came to tell you to hurry up, we’re all about to leave. Also, I’m gonna need a transfer.”

Nico exhaled. “How much?”

“Three k, for my share of lunch and the other shit we need to do today.”

“Yeah, okay,” Nico said with a frown. When Tommy didn’t follow up he gestured to the door. “Uh, you’re welcome? Do you think we could get some privacy?”

Dani would have loved for the floor to open up and swallow her at the embarrassment. Because behind Tommy, a dark-haired woman with bright blue eyes appeared and was staring at her. There was nothing good in that gaze. It was Carolina, looking at her like she was the Hoe of Babylon in the flesh.

Oh God, no. Half-dressed, horny, and angry because of this woman’s firstborn? Not exactly the state she thought she’d be in meeting Nico’s mother. If this was awkward for her, she could imagine how he was feeling.

“Could you give us a minute to get dressed, please?” Nico asked, his voice terse.

“Hi, Nico. ‘Oh hi, Mom, how are you?’ I’m good, thanks.” Lina was apparently the source of Nico’s fluency in Sarcasm. “I can see you have better things to do than come greet your mother this morning.”

“Ma. I’ll come see you the minute I’m dressed, unless you think Nonni would appreciate me struttin’ around like this?” he asked.

“Fine.”

She rolled her eyes at him and went down the hall, dragging Tommy along with her, who grinned at them and gave her one last long stare. Too long. Dani didn’t like that look in his eyes. It wasn’t sexual interest, not that. She knew when a man was interested that way. This was something else—something vaguely hostile. If Nico noticed it, he didn’t say anything.

A chorus of high screams and laughter headed their way. The combined force of children was making another attempt at a break-in. Nico went to shut the door and lock it before they reappeared.

Leaning against the door, he murmured fervently, “I love my family. I love my family.” Then he refocused that sea-blue gaze on her and grinned. “Well, that’s one way to start the day. I’m sorry about them.”

Without the audience, Dani lost her composure. “Oh my God. Your mother thinks I’m aputana. I could see it in her face,” she moaned, wringing her hands.

Nico stared at her. “One, good use of Italian vocabulary. Two, you’re my girlfriend, why wouldn’t we be fucking in the morning? Third, this is my room. If they don’t want to see anything, they shouldn’t come busting in like a horde of Germanic barbarians sacking Rome. Forget about it. The shower’s all yours.”

She remembered she was still mad at him, even though her acute rage-lust had simmered down to a dull, throbbing body ache. “The sister-wives sent Isa to tell me to meet them down at the beach.” Trying to calm down, Dani slapped her cheeks gently and breathed in and out.

Nico snorted at “sister-wives.”

“Yeah, I heard that’s the plan. I’ve been up since six. I worked out, and then I had breakfast with Nonno and Nonni.”

---