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I also have a newfound appreciation for my body too, and what it’s capable of doing. I had no idea I could bend in those ways – or how good it could feel…
When we finally fell asleep, it was like every single muscle in my body had been given the workout of its life – but the ache is a very good one. It holds the memory of what we did, and even if it was truly painful, I think I would love it. As it is, I can only think about getting the chance to do it again.
I’m still pillowed on Nico’s chest, probably the most comfortable place I have ever fallen asleep. His chest rises and falls gently under me as he breathes, and I can hear his calm and measured heartbeat. It occurs to me that it’s already some time into the new morning, and I wonder if he’s still asleep – but when I shift slightly to try and find out, he answers me quietly.
“Good morning, Lili,” he says, his voice a deep rumble through his chest under my head.
I turn around to look up at him, twisting in the sheets. Somehow, I don’t at all feel awkward about my nakedness under them, or the way this movement exposes my chest. I feel comfortable with him. I wonder how that happened so quickly.
“Good morning,” I say. “Have you been awake long?”
He smiles, switching off the screen of his cell phone and setting it on the bedside table. “Not for long. I didn’t want to wake you.”
I kiss him in answer to that, even though it’s only immediately afterward I realize I must have morning breath. But then again, I suppose he does too, and I didn’t notice it anyway, so I push that to the back of my mind. Just another one of those things that don’t seem to matter in the here and now. It’s like something in me instinctively knows Nico is nowhere near shallow enough to be put off by a natural phenomenon that happens to everyone.
“What are you doing today?” I ask.
“You know,” he says, reaching out to tap the end of my nose playfully. “I’m doing you.”
I laugh at that, sitting up and waiting for him to do the same. “This house is so beautiful,” I say, wonderingly, looking around. “It’s so… big.”
“I know,” he says, with no inflection at all that tells me anything.
“Big enough for a family,” I hint again.
He smiles then. “One day, I hope there will be a family here.”
“There hasn’t been before?”
He laughs. “You and your direct honesty. Well, no. Just me on my own.”
“Why?”
Now he winces. “Lili, baby, angel. Why does that sound like an accusation?”
“I just…” I sigh. “Look at you. And look at this place. And you’re telling me you’ve been single? For how long?”
“For a very long time.” Nico’s face and voice are so serious that I don’t doubt it must be true. “Lili, I’ve been waiting for the right person. I almost gave up waiting, to be honest. But it seems good things come to those who wait.”
He reaches out to tuck my hair behind my ear, and my heart almost stops.
He’s been waiting for me. That’s what he means.
“You want me to share all of this with you?” I blurt out.
“Everything,” he says, smiling lazily, as he draws me towards him for a kiss. “Call me crazy, but – I’m already sure.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Nico
Time goes so fast when you want it to go slow.
I show Liliana everything I can of Monaco in the couple of days we have left. I can’t help but think that we wasted so much time in the beginning. Of course, we didn’t have any choice. Her father was here, and it's not like we could have carried this on right under his nose. He wouldn't have let Liliana go anywhere on her own, let alone allowed me to take her around like this.
Still, that time would have made a difference. When you only have one week together, it's not just every day that counts. It’s every minute.
That’s not to say that we didn’t make the most of our few days. We christened every room in my house, some of them several times over. The boat, too, saw its fair share of action. And when we weren't rolling around together, I made sure to show her the best time I could. I took her to bars and restaurants where I would get the VIP treatment. I took her shopping, for anything she could desire. I spoiled her, just like I said I would.
So, why doesn't it feel like enough?
The bad news is that Liliana is supposed to be flying home soon. I suppose we could make up some kind of ruse. Pretend that her flight got canceled or delayed, or that she lost her passport and couldn't make it. But all of that goes the window, because of the call that she got this morning.
