“But who…” she murmurs, her fingers still tracing.
“It was my mother’s,” I say. “Wherever she is now, she no longer has a need for it.” A gift from my fucking father. Probably the only good thing he ever did for her…20 carats of diamonds; a chain of jewels suspending a huge, flawless gem. I won’t bother telling Nikki what it’s worth. To me, it’s priceless…just as she is.
“Oh God, Dario, I don’t know if…” she murmurs, her eyes welling with tears.
“There’s no one else in the world I want to see wearing this, Nikki Love. My pure love…my treasure…” I press a kiss to her lips. They part beneath mine like a walk into heaven. And maybe I’m not as fucking weak as I’d thought because, dammit, I want her again.
When I lean against her gently, she sinks onto the bed, her body pliant. My hand slips between her splayed thighs, and I groan at the irresistible heat there. Moments later, when I slide into her wetness, it’s like homecoming all over again. As we move in harmony, eyes locked once more, I know this is where I belong. In this woman’s arms. In her heart.
And I never want to let her go.
Chapter 5
Nikki Love
Ifeel like jelly, and molten lava, and pure happiness all rolled into one woman-shaped bundle. I stretch languorously against Dario’s sleeping form, my fingertips trailing along the diamonds encircling my throat. It seems insane. I have no idea how much this thing is worth – probably more than I could earn in a lifetime. But that’s not what’s floored me.
It was his mother’s.
A woman he can barely speak of. Lord knows what anguish her memory must bring to him. And yet, he’s given this to me, a piece of the love he had for her. My heart could burst. I glance up as he shifts in his sleep. His face is still too gaunt, too pale. I feel guilt swirl a little. I’ve taken too much out of him. But how could I resist? It feels like a lifetime since we melted into each other that way, and so much has happened since we were on that fateful vacation. I press my lips against his chest, frowning as he flinches in his sleep. His eyes flicker open.
“Hey,tesoro,” he murmurs. But he can’t hide his pain from me – his smile is strained. It’s been hours since his last dose of medication. I sit up beside him. “And where do you think you’re going?” he asks. “I’m not done with you yet.”
“There’ll be plenty of time for ‘doing with me’ later,” I tease, clambering from the bed. “Right now, you need food…and meds.” He makes a grumbling sound, but I shake my head firmly. “I’m not listening to your crap about not needing painkillers. And I’m certainly not having you pick up an infection because you didn’t take your antibiotics.” I reach for my clothes and dress, feeling his eyes moving hungrily over me. The man’s freaking insatiable.
“You’d better not be wandering far,” he says, stretching his fingertips out and trailing them down the back of my thigh. It makes something clench deep inside. Dear God, it seems I’m insatiable too. I lean down to peck a kiss against his forehead and press him back onto the stacked pillows.
“Rest up,” I say, “Sister Lovie’s orders!” I catch his sassy grin as I turn to leave the room. I almost walk smack into Raoul as I step over the threshold.
“Nikki!” he says brightly.
“Hello, Raoul,” I say coolly, crossing my arms over my chest. “What brings you here?”
“I, uh…I thought I’d check in with the boss…see how he’s doing,” Raoul says, looking awkward.
“Oh no, you don’t!” I say sharply. “He’s resting. I won’t have you going in there and rattling his brain with work stuff! He’s not strong enough yet.”
Raoul gives a chuckle. “That right? Well, he seemed pretty fucking strong a while ago when you two were going at it like rabbits,” he says. I feel my cheeks flush scarlet.
“That…that…I…” I shake my head.Oh God, I’m dead.“That was different,” I eventually mutter. “I- uh…we were careful.”
“Careful?” Raoul raises an eyebrow. “They could hear you out on the golf course.”
Asshole!
He’s narrowed his eyes on my chest, and for a moment, I think he’s checking me out, until I realize he’s looking at the diamond necklace I’m still wearing. Without thinking, I reach a hand to touch the gems, then quickly drop it again. Something flickers in his expression, but he says nothing.
“Okay…look…just don’t put too much pressure on him, okay?” I mumble. “He needs time to recover. I’m going down to fix him something to eat. You’d better be done by the time I get back, do you hear me?” I try to keep up my bravado, but I can still hear him laughing as I bolt down the corridor.
When I reach the kitchen, Carlos is bustling around his domain, pots bubbling on the cooker.
Perfect!It’ll take me less time to get back up there to make sure things aren’t getting out of hand. Within minutes, I have a tray of food prepared and make my way cautiously up the stairs back to the room. My progress is halted by the sound of raised voices halfway down the hall. The bedroom door is slightly ajar, and the sound filters clearly to me.
Dammit!I told Raoul not to upset him.
But I pause. Not quite certain if I can barge in there and interrupt what seems to be an important discussion. I tiptoe closer and hover beside the door.
“I swear, bro…you put up a fight like a tiger. Could have taken him out too, if he hadn’t torn open the fucking hole in your chest,” Raoul is saying. I frown.
