Chapter Seventeen
Lyriope
“Come on, I have something I want to show you,” Nick says as he grabs me by the hand.
We are taking a walk, side by side along the river below the village, enjoying the warm air. In many ways the last two weeks have been wonderful. Nick and I have spent every waking moment together, and I don’t want our time in Italy to ever end.
In my case, the forced proximity being a blessing rather than a curse.
We talk, we laugh, and we briefly kiss if I initiate it. But we haven’t had sex since after the tattoos, and I’m starting to wonder if it’s because I confessed my love only to have it rejected. It feels as if he’s been distancing himself with work—the planning of the next Wonderland. But he hasn’t been shutting me out either. It’s like we’re walking on the edge of a cliff, and I’m just waiting for us to fall.
I’m trying my best to not overthink. To not feel inadequate. To not start believing he’s had a taste of me and now is bored. I’m trying hard not to spiral and just “stop” as he had ordered the last time I did.
I’m trying to follow the rules of his game, because I desperately want to keep playing it.
Each minute of each day, I’m falling deeper and harder for this man, and trying my best to simply live in the moment and not overthink.
I wouldn’t dare confess that to Nick again. We haven’t discussed love, but we haven’t brought up the fact that this is temporary either.
It’s messy, complicated, and most likely unsustainable.
I think we both know that, but we don’t want to face it. Or at least that’s how I’m seeing it. A Tuscan getaway to live a fantasy life, and then back to reality. What harm can hiding my head in the sand a little longer do?
But eventually the dark shadows will come knocking.
I know this.
The white rabbit who carries the clock warning that time is up will appear.
“Where are you taking me?”
“Over there.” Nick points to a villa on the top of a vineyard-covered hill. “That’s our new place. It’s finally completed.”
“Our new villa?”
He nods with a smile of pride on his face. “I told you I’d find us better accommodations. I like the security and the reclusiveness of this town. It’s centrally located, and it also acts as our own personal fortress. So staying here is wise, but I did want something a little less… rustic for us.”
I lean in and kiss him with excitement. “You never cease to amaze me. Can you show me the inside now?”
We walk hand in hand to the villa like a couple in love. I know that he did this for me. Yes, the man likes his fancy shit, but I feel it in my core that this was more for me than him. I’m not used to receiving gifts, but I have never found Nick as attractive and sexy as I do as we approach the door.
As we walk in, my breath is suffocated from the magnificent view I see first thing. The entire east-facing side of the house is floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the rolling hills. It’s breathtaking, it’s so Nick Hudson. The stone walls are still rustic but clearly have been cleaned and repaired. The floor is made up of a decorative pattern of Italian tile that is an art piece within itself. I’m shocked to see there’s no furniture, however.
“It’s empty.”
Nick smiles. “I want us to go into Rome and shop for it. I want you to buy whatever you want.”
I blush, almost feeling giddy with the news that he wants to take me to Rome. Rome! And to shop!
Nick’s smile grows bigger, and he wraps his arms around me. “Money is no object. And I’ll stay out of it. Whatever design you want.”
He kisses my forehead, my cheek, the tip of my nose and then my lips. I press my body into his, moving my tongue past his lips to touch, to combine. Everything about this man makes my body sizzle. His soft, genuine show of affection is like a shot of adrenaline to my libido. He isn’t cocky or arrogant, but sweet and sincere.
Is it Italy? Does this place bring out a different side out of him?
Sure, he can still be bossy as hell. He speaks his mind and expects to be heard and obeyed. I still know that when it comes to Nick, I have to be careful. His dominance cannot be broken. And frankly… I’m okay with all that. But the truth of the matter is Nick is a great guy, and I have never been turned on more.
I try to press Nick back up against the wall. I want to take him right then and there. His hard, muscled body won’t budge an inch, however.