Page 64 of Ciao, Amore

“Let’s hit it,bella.”

Dinner that night was excellent as usual. The restaurant carried the sweet scent of fresh flowers, and the ambiance was relaxed yet sophisticated. Nico chose the perfect wine to go with their meal. He had to convince her to try thetotani e patate, a local Positano dish of fried squid and potatoes, but once she did, she loved it.

“You cannot go wrong with a potato,” she remarked, thoroughly enjoying it. The light from the candle that wavered and flickered on the table cast a soft glow on her face, touching her features and doing the impossible by making her even lovelier. “Thanks for being so pushy about the food. About everything we’ve done here. If you hadn’t, I wouldn’t have had so much fun.”

“If you’re referring to the Vespa, you’re welcome. And now, you know we need to have thedelizia al limoneone more time.”

“More lemons? Okay, I’m down.”

“Down for anything?” he teased.

“That Jade. I told her nobody’s gonna want to wife up a chick with a username like that.” Dani scowled with a headshake.

Nico only raised his eyebrows and took a swallow of water. “I don’t know, somebody might.”

He watched her eat the lemon custard, relishing every bite. As she scraped up the last of it and gave him a thumbs-up with a satisfied smile, his heart thumped harder, louder, knowing his promise was about to be broken tonight. Talk of the future had been forbidden, and he’d obliged her request faithfully up till now, but he was running out of time. Proverbial midnight was coming soon, and he had to secure his Cinderella before it was too late.

“Let’s go back up to the hotel,” he suggested after they’d chatted a bit longer.

“Sure.”

Nico swallowed hard after taking her hand. They were nearing the hotel when he paused at the railing off to the side, overlooking the thousands of lights from the bars and restaurants below. Those lights rivaled the stars. Dani found her way into his arms as a cool breeze picked up. He rubbed her arms slowly to keep her warm.

“You should’ve brought a sweater,” he said against her hair.

“Probably.” She snuggled in closer. “But you give the best heat.”

“I’ll have to do a better job taking care of you,” he said slowly. “I hope you let me.”

She only murmured against his chest, warm and safe. He felt the words tumble upward, finally felt safe enough, needful enough, to give voice to what he was feeling.

“Dani, I’m in love with you,” Nico said softly. She went still in his arms, but she didn’t pull away. He had to believe that was a good sign. “I know it’s early and we need more time together, but I can’t pretend I don’t feel this. I needed you to know so you can decide what you want to happen next. If you feel the same way, wherever you’re going, I’m there. Saturday can’t be the last time we see each other. Not after this.”

“Oh,” she breathed. She pulled back. His stomach clenched, thinking she would leave his arms, but instead, she smiled at him with shining eyes. Shining from unshed tears, from a sincere, sweet emotion that matched what was happening inside him. “I…love you, too. I love you, Nico.”

Daniela said the words as if they were from a language spoken on an alien planet. His heart overflowed, no stopping it, because he appreciated how hard it was for her to say, how monumental this was for them both.

The words were enough for him. Promises, everything they needed to plan, could all come later. For now, he would savor the knowledge that she felt the same, that he wasn’t alone in this after all. And he needed to get her back to the hotel as soon as possible.

Their room was cool. Nico had left the windows open to the September night air, and he shut them while Dani disappeared into the bathroom. While she was in there, he busied himself lighting the tapers on the small nightstands near the bed and the dresser against the wall. Turning the lights low but not completely off, he surveyed the simple scene.

He wondered if he should have done more, gone all out and hired someone to throw rose petals on the bed and the floor while they were at dinner, but there hadn’t been time. Maybe when they visited Positano again, maybe on their honeymoon, the suite would have the hot tub and the roses and anything else she wanted. Assuming she liked hot tubs with roses. Knowing her, she’d probably laugh at him and call it corny while secretly loving it.

He’d have to find out what she liked, everything that turned her on physically, what she needed emotionally. There was so much ahead of them, so much to learn and explore with each other, he could have burst with excitement at all the possibilities.

Of course he was marrying her. There weren’t any doubts about the path they were on. It was a matter of timing. He shouldn’t push too hard or reveal too much. Dani’s love was a tender thing, like a newborn butterfly fresh out of its cocoon—not to be manhandled in a clumsy grip but balanced carefully on an open palm.

Nico was down to his boxer briefs when the bathroom door opened. Turning the light off as she left it, she lingered in the doorway for a moment, suddenly shy. A cream bra and panty set was all she wore. He hadn’t seen her buy them. They were both cut a little too small to fully support her heavy breasts or her ass, and his fingers flexed, anticipating the feel of them in his palms.

Venus personified. His own personal goddess incarnate.

She reached up ever so slowly and pulled at the clip holding up her hair. With that same hand, she ruffled her sun-kissed curls gently, her body stretched, until the soft dark mass fell around her shoulders. Dani laughed, as though she’d done something silly, as if she was only cosplaying sexy and this wasn’t her natural state of being.

“You nerd,” he murmured thickly.

As a response to his insult, she cupped her tits and shook them. His mouth watered, dying to lap up her cream with his tongue. Morning, afternoon, again at night—it was never enough for him.

“Come here,” he demanded softly.

---