Secretly fantasized about for days? Maybe.
But expected? Not in the least.
I hadn’t spent any time with Sophia except to say hello and get a quick hug before she disappeared upstairs to her Nonna’s apartment for the day. And night. Nic had prowled around all day like a large, wild animal, practically growling at the men he’d hired to help me move. He exuded a raw, primal masculinity which was impossible to ignore. Every time I looked at him, his eyes were on me. His attention was intense—fierce. I knew I shouldn’t let anything happen between us, but then he’d stalked into my room and all my good intentions flew out the window.
I’d never had such a strong physical reaction to a guy. It’s why I wasn’t just a virgin, I was completely untouched. There had been cute boys in high school, and a couple attractive guys in college who had asked me out. But none of them had the same energy as Nic. He was beautiful. Savage. Completely unashamed of his attraction to me. And he totally threw me off balance every time I was near him. But today was a new day, and I was going to do my best to forget what it was like to have his lips on my nipples and clit, the feel of his soft whiskers on my thighs. His finger inside me.
Darn it! Shaking my head to clear the sensual fog Nic was able to wrap around me by mere thoughts of him, I hurriedly dressed, getting ready to start my day. Pulling out a dress, I longingly looked at a pair of jeans. After Nic’s destruction of my yoga pants yesterday, a dress probably wasn’t the wisest choice of clothes because it would give him easier access to my body. We were starting the morning off with church, though, and I couldn’t bring myself to wear something so inappropriate.
Glancing at the clock, I noted how early it was, brushed my hair, pulled it back into a low ponytail, and swiped some gloss on my lips. I wanted to beat Nic and Sophia into the kitchen, to start this morning off on the right foot by making them breakfast. Checking my reflection in the mirror above my dresser, I nodded in satisfaction before heading out the door. I closed it quietly behind me and crept past Nic’s room on tiptoes. I didn’t hear any sounds from behind his door, but I didn’t trust him not to have an internal radar which told him I was awake and out of my room. Or to be a light enough sleeper to hear me moving around in my room, since we shared a wall. Yeah, he’d put me in the room next to his. I found it only slightly less shocking than the way he’d made me come. Nic DeLuca was going to be a handful.
I arrived in the kitchen without incident and puttered around until I found all of the ingredients and tools to make French toast. I hummed quietly, lost in the comfort of something I enjoyed and was good at. I didn’t even notice Nic enter the room until his arms slipped around my waist, causing me to yelp with surprise.
“Morning, bellissima,” he rasped, his breath warming my ear. His voice sent shivers down my spine. It was lethal, and completely unfair that a guy who had his looks also sounded so sexy. The sound of him speaking in Italian was enough to make my panties wet.
“Good morning,” I croaked, my voice hesitant and unsure.
He nuzzled against my neck. “You look and smell good enough to eat.” He nibbled at my skin, making me squeak aloud, before lifting his head to peer over my shoulder at the pan on the stove. “But I guess I’ll have to satisfy my hunger with the breakfast you’re making me since Sophia and my mother will be down here any minute.”
“Your mom?” I gasped, turning in his arms to look up at him in surprise while running my hand down the front of my dress to smooth out any wrinkles I’d gotten since I’d been up.
“No need to be afraid of my momma, Gianna. She’s excited to meet you.”
He probably meant to reassure me, but his statement only sent my heart racing more. If she was excited to meet me, then they must have talked about me. My face heated at the thought of meeting her so shortly after what had happened in my room last night. The humor in Nic’s eyes and the smile tilting the sides of his lips made me want to stomp my foot in frustration. He didn’t seem to be worried in the least.
“I’ve never met a boyfriend’s mom before,” I blurted out, my hand flying to cover my mouth as soon as the words left it. I’d just called him my boyfriend. How much more of a dork could I be?
Apparently, Nic had a thing for dorky girls because his eyes heated with a possessive gleam. “Good,” he purred. “I’m a greedy man and want all your firsts to be with me.”
“Give the poor girl some space, Niccolo.”
My spine straightened at the sound of the feminine voice scolding Nic. I tried to step away from him, to turn and greet his mom, but he didn’t let me get very far. Instead, he wrapped an arm around my waist and led me over to where she stood.