Tears well up in my eyes. “There’s nothing to forgive.”
“How can you say that?”
I take both his hands and face him. “What if it was my mom? My aunt? My old boss? Would you blame me for what they did? When you know without question that I had nothing to do with it?”
“I wouldn’t blame you,” he replies quickly. “But it’s different. You were almost killed. And before that… I didn’t believe you. And I hate myself for it.” His gaze moves across my face. Alarm wides his eyes. “Ah, Soph. Don’t cry.”
“Don’t hate yourself. Please.” I wrap my arms around him. “Don’t ever say that. Ever. You’re a good man, Nico Parisi. You are not your father. You’reyou. Smart. Brave. You protect the people you care about fiercely. You’re annoyingly stubborn at times, but so am I. You’re amazing, Nico. And I…”
My heart jumps.
Hope flickers across his features. “You what?”
“I still want that second chance, Nico.” Tears spill down my cheeks, but Nico brushes them away. “I forgave you for what happened when we were just kids. And now, there’s nothing to forgive. You protected me. You stood up for me. You didn’t do anything to apologize for.”
Nico’s gaze burns into mine. Emotion works in his eyes. “You would still give me another chance?”
I sniff. “If you still want it.”
“Soph.” He hugs me to him. His heart pounds against mine. “I do. More than anything.”
I lean back and frame his face with my hands. “Then let’s work through this together. Okay?”
“Okay.” He nods. “Okay.”
As we look at each other, something hot and intense moves between us. Frissons of electricity sizzle wherever we touch. His erection thickens, going hard against my belly. Then he kisses me gently on the lips. “How long did you say that casserole had to cook?”
I look at my watch. “About twenty minutes now.”
A genuine smile lifts his lips. Desire heats his gaze. “So. Enough time to take you into the bedroom, it sounds like.”
My core squeezes. “I could turn the oven down to give us some more time.”
“Perfect.” Nico sweeps me into his arms, one beneath my knees, the other behind my back. Then he jogs towards the kitchen as I clutch his neck. “The more time, the better.”
I stretch to kiss his cheek. “Did I mention how much I like being carried by you?”
He looks down to give me a wolfish grin. “Oh, I know.”
“Sofia, wake up.”
A big hand grips my shoulder and shakes it gently, but firmly.
“Soph.” It’s low. Almost inaudible. “I need you to wake upnow.”
My brain still wants to cling to sleep, to the lingering memories of a dream where Nico and I are in New Zealand, sharing a romantic dinner while we gaze out at the majestic snow-tipped mountains. Nico is gazing into my eyes, something so much deeper than affection within. He’s just about to tell me something important. I can feel it.
So, no. I don’t want to wake up yet. I want to hear what he’s about to say.
“Soph.” The hand on my shoulder shakes harder this time. “Wake up. Now. Someone’s inside.”
The last part jerks me awake.
Someone’s inside? The condo? And I’m assuming he doesn’t mean us?
I sit up quickly, blinking while my eyes try to adjust to the darkness. “What? Who? Where?”
“Shhh.” Nico hugs me against him and speaks close to my ear. “There are three people inside the condo. The interior cameras alerted me.”
