“Uh-huh.” She didn’t believe him.
Nico rushed to Boston after her yesterday. He could reschedule appointments with clients.
He looked back at her and blinked a couple times in that innocent way of his. “What?”
Autumn looked away and shook her head, then closed her eyes and leaned back again. She was going to enjoy this bath for what it was. This thing between her and Nico would not last forever. She couldn’t allow it.
She opened her eyes and turned her head. “Nico.”
“Hm?” He didn’t move from the door. His gaze on her.
“Thank you. For everything.”
His gaze softened, “There’s no need to thank me,mia cara.” Walking back over to her, he kissed her temple. “Now, listen for once and stay here. You’re safe. I don’t want to hear you leaving without me.”
Autumn rolled her eyes this time. “Whatever you say.”
Nico kissed her hard on her lips. Autumn opened her mouth as his lips touched hers, she moaned through the kiss, her toes curled under the water, and she sighed when he released her.
“Promise me, Autumn.”
“Yes, Mr. Scala,” she said in a dry tone. “I’ll stay and be safe.”
“Va bene. Very good,” he stood once more and went to the door, his eyes on his watch. “You know how to reach me if you need me.”
Autumn said nothing but watched as he left. She listened to his steps as he walked down the stairs, and then the door opened and closed. Autumn let her lids shut and shook her head.
What the hell did she get herself into?
Nico Scala was changing her. She wasn’t this woman that needed coddling. She was a strong, independent woman that needed only herself and her cat.
Wasn’t she?
Autumn couldn’t deny she enjoyed being treated like a princess. She had luxury before, but it was sterile. Cold.
The warmth Nico showed her now could disappear in a blink of an eye.
“Just enjoy it while it lasts, Taylor,” she murmured to herself.
She stayed in the water until it cooled. Feeling steady, Autumn stepped onto a fluffy floor mat and reached for the towel. She wrapped it around her and walked back into the bedroom.
A peasant blouse and khaki-colored capris lay on the bed with silky underwear. “Oh Nico,” Autumn sighed with a shake of her head. She picked the items up and quickly put them on. She walked down the stairs to a small kitchen area. There was a steaming cup of coffee ready for her.
She took it out on the back patio and watched the fluffy cumulus clouds lower in the sky. There was blue sky as far as the eye could see. It was a difference from the smog that infiltrated New York.
She couldn’t help but wonder if this was just a dream.
There was a swift knock on the front door. Autumn finished her coffee and put the cup in the sink.
She opened the heavy wooden door to see a girl about sixteen in a dress with long, dark hair, “Yes?”
“Signorina? Are you ready?”
Autumn blinked. “Ready?”
“Signorais waiting. By the grapes?”
“You will tread with us tomorrow, yes?”
