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“I’ve been busy trying to find your father.” Nico replied gently, “But my first priority is always you. So tell me what you need.”
“Just you.” I laid my head against his shoulder, tucking it under his chin. “This is nice.”
“It is, Wife.” He leaned back further in the chair, reclining me in his arms so I was more comfortable as he continued to massage my scalp. “It’s almost dinner time, we’ll retire to our room for the rest of the night after we eat. I’ll be so close to you; you’ll be tired of me by morning.”
“You could be buried inside of my body for the next twenty-four hours straight and I don’t think I’ll tire of you, Nico,” I purred, enjoying the way his body tightened underneath mine.
“I think I’d like to try that,” he chuckled, kissing my temple before pulling me up to sit upright. “But first let’s eat, so I know you have the energy to take me deep into your body.”
“Hmm, that’s not the worst idea in the world.” I winked and stood up. “You can tell me what advances you’ve made in all your time away from me lately while we dine.”
Chapter 21 – Nico
Ariannasatacrossfromme at the small table in the kitchen nook where we ate dinner most nights. The dining room was currently being renovated, with new paint, wallpaper, lighting, and furniture all hand-picked out by Arianna and the design team from Dubai.
But something told me we’d continue to dine in the kitchen even after it was done. My wife had a knack for chatting with the staff as they worked and she hated being isolated from the busy people, even if she had me for company.
She was a people person.
It was one of the things that had drawn me in the first time I saw her in Milan all those years ago.
“What room will the nursery be in?” she asked quietly when only Molly and Chef Alec remained on the other side of the kitchen, discussing the menu for the following day.
“Whatever room you want it to be,” I replied, sipping my wine to clear my pallet before digging into the next course.
“What room did your mother use as the nursery when you were little?”
“One of the ones across the residence from their room,” I shrugged, “I couldn’t tell you which one exactly.”
Her brows furrowed as she wiped her mouth, signaling that she was finished with that course. Manny appeared out of nowhere and cleared our dishes and Alec started plating the next course.
My staff worked more efficiently since Arianna’s arrival, and I didn’t doubt for one second that it was because they wanted to impress and spoil her for her kindness and generosity to them at every turn.
“You didn’t have a room in the same wing as your parents?” she asked, not dropping the topic like I wished she would.
“No.”
“How about when you were older?”
“I didn’t move into the primary wing until I took over the entire Cosa Nostra, Arianna.”
“Why?” She shook her head in confusion.
“Because my father was a smug son of a bitch, but he loved his wife,” I shrugged, “And he refused to share her with anyone, even me.”
Her eyes rounded and her pink lips parted. “That’s terrible,” She whispered.
I shrugged, “I didn’t know any different.”
She looked away from the table and her eyes misted over slightly as she stared out the dark window to the patio. “Our children will know different, Nico,” she whispered sadly, “They’ll know unconditional love and warmth.” She closed her eyes, and a tear ran down her cheek before she took a deep breath and looked back over at me. “We have to learn how to be more than our parents were. We have to end the cycle.”
“We already are, Arianna.” I leaned across the table and took her hand in mine, even though my body ached to take her out of her seat completely and hold her in mine. “We already love our baby more than either of our parents ever did us. We’re already changing everything. Together.”
She gave me a watery-eyed smile before taking another deep breath and leaning back as Manny set down two plates before us, clearing his throat gently. “Tortellini with pesto.” He informed with a bow and a smile to his mistress who returned it.
“One of my favorites,” She patted his arm affectionately. “Thank you, Manny.”
He backed away with a nod to me and we both started digging in, choosing to leave the sadness of the conversation behind us as we ate the delicious meal. “This is good,” I commented as she took a giant mouthful and then giggled around it.
