Page 66 of Nico
He smiled slightly. "She's going to want to come with us."
"We're going to have to explain to her again what a honeymoon is."
"Every aspect?" His thick brows arched teasingly.
"The salient parts." She buried her fingers in the hairs at the nape of his neck. "You got a haircut."
"I was marrying the most beautiful woman in the world, figured I would try and dress the part." Tilting her chin up, he brushed his lips against hers and felt the heat rising. "I cannot wait to get you naked."
"We still have a few more hours."
"Like hell," he growled. "Thirty minutes to circle the room and say our goodbyes." And he meant it.
*****
One would say they took their work with them. She had been to Italy and explored parts of Rome as well as Venice, but with him, she discovered little known villages where the stunning displays of simple arts made her so excited, she could barely contain herself.
Their honeymoon was unorthodox, and she loved every minute of it. During the day, they would walk for miles, popping into tiny villages where to her surprise, her new husband spoke the languages fluently.
"I have a head for it," he acknowledged sheepishly when she simply stared at him.
And there she discovered a fifteen-year-old artist who could capture people and animals in charcoal with exquisite precision. Making a split-second decision and after consulting the boy's mother, she called Andre. Within a day, she had signed the artist and arranged for him to travel to the states in another two weeks.
"You don't mind?" she asked him as they strolled along the streets of the tiny village. He had bought her some cheesy Arancini balls. It was a surprisingly mild day considering that it was in the midst of winter and tourists were pouring out of small cafes and novelty stores.
"I don't mind at all." Lifting their joined hands, he kissed her knuckles and had an old woman stopping to beam at them, the spate of Italian rapid and going right over her head.
"What did she say?"
"That we should make the most of our love and be happy for the rest of our lives. She also said we should hurry up and make babies." His bottle green eyes twinkled at the skeptical look she cast him.
"You made that part up."
"Maybe." He glanced at her as they started walking towards their villa. "I want children with you."
"We already have Gracie," she pointed out.
Wrapping her against him, he turned her around. "I want to see you big with my seed inside you." His voice grew rough. "Call me sexist, I really don't care, but I want to look at you and see you pregnant."
"And barefoot?" she challenged and could not help the emotions swirling through her. This side of him had the uncanny ability to make her go wild.
"Possibly." Ignoring the people swirling around them, he tilted her chin up and crushed his lips to hers. "Let's go back to the villa. I have this terrible taste for you."
"We've not finished exploring..."
"Oh yes, we have."
As they made their way through the winding streets, the hum of village life surrounded them—echoes of laughter, the scent of baking bread, and the distant call of church bells. Her heart felt impossibly light, buoyed by the sense of adventure and the man whose hand she held. Each new discovery stitched them closer together, memories forming one after another in the patchwork of their shared story.
*****
He rolled off her weakly, heart pounding like a jackhammer in his chest. He had pounced on her when they were barely through the door and ripped off her clothes. Somehow after he had buried himself inside her, they found their way to one of the bedrooms.
The villa belonged to the company, and he had dismissed the caretakers as soon as they arrived, wanting to be alone with his new bride. He did not want company in case he had the urge to make love to her right in the small living room or the kitchen. And since arriving, they had sampled every room.
Gathering her to him, he sniffed her hair and sighed. "I hurt you."
"Not much. I did some damage myself." She stroked his chest, where her nails had marked him. The man had been like an animal in heat, and she loved it. It gave her a thrill to see the usually complacent Nico Coulter go all crazy as the desire took over.
