“I won, is what I did,” he says, setting his cards down and standing from the bed. He crosses to where I’m sitting, and I tip my head back to look at him. “I won the games. I won our bet.” He drops to his haunches in front of me, his eyes on mine, dark with something that makes my breath catch. “Admit it.”
I lean in and brush my lips over his, surprising him. But the truth is, I don’t want this moment to end. I’m terrified that once we go back to New York, this trip and everything we’ve shared will be nothing more than a distant memory.
“You won,” I say, bringing my hands to his shoulders and hugging him close. I bury my face in his neck and push down the panic that threatens to surface. Can’t I have him for more than one weekend? Why can’t we be like this always? Why does it have to end?
Nico’s hand rubs soothingly down my back as though he can sense my thoughts. It doesn’t comfort me—it only lights a fire under me, my nipples pebbling and warmth flooding my core. Christ, I want him. Now. Here. I let out a shuddering breath against his neck that makes Nico stiffen against me. “I think it’s time for me to collect my prize.”
But something in his stillness has changed. His hand on my back has gone taut, and when I pull back to look at him, I find his expression has shifted—a tightening around the jaw, something sharp and watchful behind his eyes that wasn’t there a moment ago. It’s gone in a second. “You’re right,” he says, and his voice is even. “Prize first. I’ll just need a moment.” He presses a kiss to my temple. “I have to check something downstairs. Wait for me.”
“You won’t be long?”
“No.” His eyes meet mine, steady and deliberate. “I won’t be long.”
I watch him go. Something about the set of his shoulders makes me uneasy, but I push it aside. The afternoon light is warm. The room is quiet.
I mean to stay awake.
I don’t.
Chapter Six
Nico
The room is quiet when I let myself back in.
She’s asleep on the bed—curled on her side, fully dressed, one hand tucked under her cheek. The cards are still scattered around her. I stand in the doorway for a moment, just looking at her, and something in my chest does that thing it’s been doing since Vegas started. I cross to the bed and sit on the edge.
“Gabriella.”
She stirs. Blinks. Then her eyes clear and the flush comes back in a rush—she remembers exactly why she was waiting for me.
She starts to sit up. I let her. She pushes her hair back, glances at the cards still spread across the blanket, and then looks up at me.
“Strip.”
She blushes, a light pink that settles on her cheeks. I groan when she bites her lip, her eyes staying on mine as she grabs the hem of her top and pulls it over her head. Fuck, she has a pale bra underneath, and the silk is thin enough that I can see the pink of her nipples, pushing against it. I palm my throbbing cock, groaning when she snaps open her jeans and tugs down the zipper. Then slowly, in a move she wouldn’t think of as sexy because she’s so fucking innocent, she wiggles out of them, leaving behind panties that match the bra.
“Everything.”
“Nico—”
I lift my eyes to hers. The heat in my gaze cuts her off more effectively than any word could.
And there she goes, biting her lip again. “It’s not like you haven’t seen me naked before,” she murmurs to herself, and the flush deepens on her face as he moves to take off her bra, freeing those pale, perfect tits, nipples tight and making my mouth water. I press harder on my cock as my need triples. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.” Then the panties come off.
She stands in the center of the room, watching me with uncertainty as I drink up her naked form. Everything about herseems amplified in the quiet intimacy—just us two, away from our chaotic families and a world that would look at me sideways for wanting her.
But she’s mine.
Every inch of her body, from the wavy brown hair to the innocent pink color on her toes—she belongs to me.
“Come here.”
She walks toward me, and when she’s within arm’s reach, I take her hand and pull her onto my lap. Something about being fully dressed while she’s naked in my arms has my cock pressing harder against the zipper of my pants, desire flooding me. My hands slide hungrily up and down her back before settling on her ass. I lean in to kiss her when she pulls back slightly, making my brows rise.
“Are...um, are we doing it?”
“Doing what?”