Page 7 of Nico
Her mouth was full and ripe and slightly swollen from his kisses. He could not get enough of the taste of her. No woman had ever taken him over like this before. He loved women of course, was fascinated by the differences and their complex nature. He had dated indiscriminately in the past. Females seemed to be drawn to him and as one date had told him, it had something to dowith his scholarly look and the fact that he did not care about his appearance. He privately thought it had more to do with his name than anything else.
But he never held that against them. He had also never been so involved that he wanted to take a wife and start a family. His work absorbed him.
He was difficult to live with and would never dream of putting anyone through the discomfort of trying to understand and accept him.
His family had expected him to take up his rightful place at the helm of the company and had pushed for him to go to the best college and learn about the business. So, he had a master's in science and one in creative art as well. He had started being fascinated with sculpting and painting while he was in high school and had secretly decided that's what he wanted to do with his life.
The arguments from his parents had been many as they tried to sway him to change his mind, but he had inherited his mother's stubborn streak and had not budged.
He had turned thirty-five in June and for the first time in his life, he was thinking about marriage and a family.
Ironically, the woman he wanted those with was not ready for that kind of commitment and he was going to have to be patient. He was a patient man and could wait. What he was not going to do was allow her to stay away from him. That was not negotiable.
Even as dawn pressed gently at the edges of the curtains, Nico felt the familiar ache of longing settle in his chest. He wondered if Sadie could sense the current of resolve thrumming beneath his quiet exterior, a stubbornness equal to hers, forged not in rebellion but in devotion. He reached out, brushing a stray lock of hair from her brow, memorizing the vulnerable peace etched into her sleeping face.
The city would soon rouse, insistent and hungry, yet for now, the world had narrowed to the hush of shared breaths and the rhythm of her dreams. He traced the line of her jaw, marveling at how quickly his life had become divided: the time before her and the time after.
He thought of the legacy his family guarded so fiercely, the weight of expectation draped across his shoulders like an ornatemantle. He had always resented it, always chosen his own path, a path of marble dust and color-stained hands, far from boardrooms and balance sheets. Yet with her beside him, even the notion of compromise seemed bearable, as if love itself had redefined what was possible.
Sadie stirred, lashes fluttering. A slow smile, drowsy and unguarded, curved her lips. She mumbled something indecipherable and burrowed deeper into the pillow. Nico's heart ached with affection, and he pressed a gentle kiss to her bare shoulder.
He made a silent promise then, binding as any vow: he would give her all the time she needed. He would protect the flame of her independence, never asking her to dim it for him. But he would also fight, gently but relentlessly, for the future he glimpsed each time she let him in.
Outside, the first birds began to sing, their notes threading through the quiet room. The day awaited, uncertain, unpromised, and full of hope.
*****
Her eyes flickered open slowly. At first, she had a moment of confusion as she wondered where she was and then she remembered. Remembering had her jolting to full awareness and the aches and soreness of a body well used.
She was at Nico's place. Turning her head, she was startled to see his long, lanky frame sitting Indian style next to her, busily sketching.
"Hi." He glanced up at her and then back at the drawing pad, long fingers busy.
"Hi. What're you doing?"
"Sketching you." He gave her an absent smile before continuing.
"Naked?"
"What?" He looked up with a frown.
"You're sketching me naked?" She sat up, using the sheets to cover her body.
"Of course."
"I never gave you permission."
"Creative freedom," he reminded her absently.
"You keep saying that. Why are you sketching me naked?"
He gave her a surprised look. "Why not?"
"Nico!"
"What?" He anticipated her move and blocked it as she tried to grab the book from him. "Are you worried I'll sell it to your gallery?"
Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "I was not thinking that, but now I am. You have no right..."
