Page 72 of The Billionaire's Pact

“Leave a message,, and I’ll call you back later.”

My heart dropped, and I tensed all over.

“Cass, sorry I missed you. I’ll try you later. Kay, Bye.”

I slumped my shoulders. What can I do?

Then I thought of Nadia. She was basically a stranger, but our lives were similar. She shared her private experience. Then again, she’s Rocco’s friend. Still, I needed advice. She had told me she was due back in France. I shook as I dialed her number; my pulse jumping in my throat.

“Adelina,” Nadia sang out when she answered. Her voice was warm, friendly. It eased the tension and nerves I had and I relaxed my shoulders.

I smiled. “Hello, Nadia.”

“It’s lovely to hear from you. How are you doing?”

“I’m…I’m great, thanks,” I said and chewed on my bottom lip.

“I’ll be sending your dress soon for a fitting. I can’t wait to see you wearing it.”

“Thank you. I’m very excited to see it,” I said, and we went silent for a few seconds. My pulse sped up.

“How’s Italy?” she asked.

“Great, uhm, we went to Siena di la Palio and Pisa so far.”

“Wow, I haven’t been there yet,” she said, and we went quiet again.

“Adelina, I’m happy you called me. But I suspect you had a reason more than an update on your wedding dress,” she said in a softer tone.

I sat down on a chair and pulled my hair over my shoulder. “No…uhm. Rocco and I, uh, we had….”

“Had sex for the first time?” she asked in a gentle tone.

“Yes, we did.” I touched my hot face.

“How do you feel?” she asked.

“I feel…I don’t know, scared?” I hunched my shoulders.

“That’s natural. Sex is a very emotional experience. My first time with Paul, I was also scared.”

“You were?” I croaked.

“Yes, I was. I had to get past the fact that he was famous. I felt insecure because he’d dated women that were much more sophisticated than me.”

I exhaled long. “That’s how I feel, too. How did you get over it?”

“Realizing Paul chose to be with me. Everything that he did was to bring me into his life.”

“Rocco, too. He’s been great.”

He had done the same. He’d gone out of his way to include me in his life. He encouraged me to explore my own interests. He also didn’t pressure me to have sex. He waited until I was ready.

“Sex can be emotional and bring up a lot of feelings. My advice to you is to stay close to him. If he’s busy, tell him you need him to stay with you.”

My pulse sped up. “Can I really do that?”

“You can. I promise you,” she said. “He’ll want to keep you close, anyway. Trust your feelings and let him know them. All right?”

---