I close my eyes and lean my head on his shoulder, breathing him in.
We're silent for a moment. Nico brushes a strand of hair from my face, his touch lingering.
“Why do you always have this need to save everyone?” he asks quietly. “Taking your sister’s place to marry Gallo, damning the consequences… always protecting them. You’re not even the eldest.”
I look down at my hands for a moment, then back at him. “Because no one protected us,” I whisper. “After my mother died, my father… he changed. Or maybe he was always like that, and her death just made it worse. He never wanted daughters. He reminded us constantly that we were disappointments. Bargaining chips. He’d get drunk and say things like ‘I built an empire and all I have to show for it are five holes waiting to be filled.’”
My voice cracks.
“I became the shield. Rosalia was the first to be married off, and after that, I made sure the others were okay. I took the punishments so Sienna, Camilla and Daniela didn’t have to. I stood between them and his rage. I learned how to read his moods, how to distract him, how to take the hits so they wouldn’t break. Because if I didn’t protect them… who would?”
Nico’s jaw is tight. His hand on my waist has gone still, but I can feel the tension in his body. He’s angry, not at me, but for me. It makes something warm bloom in my chest.
I swallow hard. “So, when Sienna came to me crying, saying she couldn’t marry Andrea… I couldn’t let her go through that. Not when I could take her place. Not when I could give her the one thing none of us ever got. A chance at love.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through all that.”
He’s quiet for a long moment. And then I ask, “And why aren't you in a relationship?”
He quirks a brow. “You want me to be with someone else?”
“I meant before me. You're hot, handsome and rich, I'm sure getting women would be easy.”
As the words leave my mouth, I realize I don't want to picture Nico with another woman but me.
He smirks. “So, you think I’m hot? Keep going.”
I roll my eyes. “Just answer the question.”
He looks into my eyes and says, “Because I never wanted anyone else.”
The way he says it, I want to ask if he does now, but I don't think I'm ready for whatever answer he might give, so I change the subject.
“Why do you hate my father and Gallo so much? What did they do to you?”
He hesitates for a second, then helps me to get on my feet, and he starts pacing.
“You don't have to tell me if you don't?—”
“Years ago,” he cuts in, “your father and Gallo's family worked together to destroy a rival family. They didn’t just take their territory. They made an example of them. They tortured the don in front of his wife and son. Made the wife watch as they killed her husband, then killed her too. The son, which was me, was able to escape, after they shot and left him for dead.”
I let out a soft gasp when I realize he's talking about his family.
Tears pool in my eyes. “I'm so sorry Nico, I had no idea.” How could my father have been so heartless?
Nico walks up to me and thumbs my tears away. “Hey, you don't have to feel sorry for me.”
He brings his forehead to mine. “Please don't cry.”
The room falls quiet as we both stare into each other's eyes. The air between us feels heavier now, charged with everything we’ve both laid bare.
Nico leans in slowly and kisses me.
It’s not the hungry, desperate kind. This kiss is deep, slow, and almost reverent. His hand cups my face as his lips move against mine, tasting me like he’s trying to memorize every second.
I melt into him, my hands sliding up his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart under my palm.
Nico groans into my mouth, his hands gripping my waist as he kisses me back just as fiercely, tongue stroking deep, claiming me.
