A small moan slipped from my lips.
“Then . . . then what?” I asked, nearly panting.
“I’d finger fuck you while sucking on your clit until you screamed out my name and begged me to stop.”
I could feel myself getting wet and I had to squeeze my legs together. Another peek at Liza showed she was talking to the lady setting up next to us.
“Then I’d spread your legs wider so I could see those pretty pink lips that my cock was dying to slip into.”
“Nic. Stop.”
He smiled. “Turning you on, baby?”
When his hand started for under my dress, I knew things were about to get a little crazier. Nic’s hand came to a stop when he brushed his fingers across my bare lips.
With wide eyes, he stared at me. “You’re not wearing panties?”
My face heated. “I . . . I wanted to . . . surprise . . . you . . . later.”
I was so horny I could hardly think straight. This never happened to me before I met Nic. He quickly found a way to work me up so much I would be practically begging him.
“I need to fuck you.”
I closed my eyes and mumbled, “Yes.”
“Now.”
My eyes snapped open. “What?”
Nic grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the exit door of the conference ballroom.
“Where are we going?”
He looked around after he nearly busted the door down.
“Nic! Nic, the competition is about to start!”
Dragging me down the hall, he looked back at me. “I don’t think this is going to take long.”
A zing zipped through my body at the idea of having Nic before the event started. It would relax me, there was no doubt about that.
Turning down a hall, he started checking doors until he found one open. Pulling me inside, he shut and locked it. Then he quickly pulled my dress over my head and pushed two fingers inside of me.
“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. You’re wet as hell.”
“Of course I am. You were just whispering dirty things in my ear.”
Nic laughed. “You like that don’t you, baby?”
I wasn’t the least bit embarrassed by admitting I did. “I do. It turns me on even more.”
He pushed my bra up and over my breast, letting them bounce down as he grabbed one and clamped his mouth onto my nipple. Electricity raced through my body as I held onto his shoulders.
“Oh, God, Nic.”
“I know, baby. I know.”
He lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist.
The way his eyes turned dark with desire almost had me coming on the spot.
Nic positioned himself at my entrance and pulled me down onto him in one quick movement, causing me to gasp.
“Damn it. I’m sorry, Gabi.”
I gripped his shoulder and started moving my hips. So close. I was so close.
“Nic. Fuck me. Please!”
He did exactly as I asked him to do. I came almost immediately and the moment I did, he came right along with me. He grunted and then called out my name as I felt his warm seed spill into my body.
We stood there in silence, his cock twitching inside of me. I was a web of ecstasy as I slowly brought my breathing back down. Nic pulled out of me and smiled. I could feel his cum sliding down my leg and it was the hottest damn thing ever. He quickly looked around and found some paper towels. Dropping to his knees, he cleaned me gently before slipping my dress back over my head.
I went to talk but stilled when there was a knock on the door.
“Nicholaus? Are you in there?”
My eyes widened in horror. Nic and I stared at each other. He put his finger up to his mouth in a motion for me to keep quiet. I tilted my head and shot him a really look.
“I don’t know where they went.”
I mouthed, who was that?
Nic rolled his eyes and pulled me to him. Pressing his lips to mine, he kissed me. So deeply and so passionately I forgot that his mother was on the other side of the door. I forgot about the competition and most importantly, I forgot I was running from my past.
I PACED BACK and forth wringing my hands together as we waited for the judges to give their results. All I wanted was to place. And of course beating Katerina would be nice.
“Stop pacing, Gabi. You’re making me nervous.”
Stopping, I smiled at Liza. “Sorry. I’m going out of my mind waiting.”
“What you need is another sneak away with Nic,” she said while wiggling her eyebrows. My face heated and I looked past her to see Nic. He was over at his mother’s station across the room. My heart dropped thinking about almost being caught by Katerina. That was twice she’d almost caught us in the middle of the deed.
“We only went for some air.”
“Uh-huh. Please. I can practically smell the sex on you.”
My mouth fell open. “Liza!”
With a nonchalant shrug, she replied, “What? I’m not naïve, Gabi. I see the way he looks at you like he wants to devour you. It’s hot.”
I chewed on my lip and grinned. “He’s so amazing.”
Liza laughed. “Charity said, from what she hears coming from your room, Nic surely must have a magical dick.”
Now my face really felt hot. I slumped down into the chair and stared at Liza. “She did not say that.”
“Oh, she said it. I think she said it in front of Max because she thinks he has the hots for you.” Liza laughed. “Which is so far from the truth.”
With a frown, I asked, “Why is that so far from the truth?”
With a surprised expression on her face, she pinched her brows together. “You don’t know, do you? Oh. My. Gosh. Neither one of you know.”
“Know what?” I asked in anticipation of what she was going to say.
“Max is gay, Gabi! He’s been in a relationship with the same guy for three years.”
I looked at her like she had grown two heads. Not that I cared Max was gay, but how could Charity and I miss that?
“Max is gay? How did I miss that?”
Her right shoulder lifted. “Beats me, but I can’t wait to tell him this.”
I jumped up to beg her not to when the host of the event spoke.
Nic walked up right then and wrapped me in his arms. “It’s okay, agapiméni. No matter what happens, you’re my number one.”
Smiling, I reached up on my toes and kissed him. They were announcing the top five winners, staring with number five. I prayed like hell I got it.
“Our fifth runner up is, Lauren Night.”
My body sank against Nic. “There are four other spots,” he whispered. I smiled, knowing he was right. There was a small chance I could make fourth . . . maybe even third.
Glancing over to Katerina, she looked confident. Why couldn’t I be that confident?
“Fourth place goes to Michelle Smith.”
My heart was pounding in my ears.
“Third place goes to Katerina Drivas.”
Closing my eyes, I fought to not cry out. Nic chuckled next to me. “Oh, she is not going to be happy with third.”
I turned and sat down on the chair. She still won and I would never live it down.
“Second place goes to Elizabeth Rainy.” Burying my face in my hands, I tried not to let it get to me.
Why?
Why did Liza have to tell her about the competition?
“And the winner of the Tenth Annual Colorado Springs Cooking and Baking Competition is Gabi Mandola.”
My head jerked up as Liza and Nic both cried out in celebration. “You won! You won!” Liza yelled as she pulled me up and threw her arms around me.
Tears started to form in my eyes and when I pulled back and gazed over at Nic, I lost all control. He looked so proud of me and when he held his arms out, I nearly knocked him over when I rushed into them.
“You won, Gabi. I knew you would.”
His words filled my heart with so much love it felt as if it would burst. When I pulled back, I h
ad tears streaming down my face.
Nic smiled. “I’m so glad you’re happy you won. You deserved it.”
I shook my head while wiping my tears away.
“I’m happy I won, but I’m freaking ecstatic I beat your mother!”
Nic stared at me for a few seconds before he busted out laughing and pulled me in for another hug.
A voice cleared from behind me and I stepped back to see Katerina standing there. She wore a huge smile. I was terrified this would make her dislike me even more.
“Congratulations, Gabriella. I’m proud of you.”
My chest tightened. “You are?”
She laughed. “Of course I am. I knew that day in your bakery you had it in you. You are a very talented young woman.” Her eyes swung over to Nic. “My son is very lucky to have found you.”
The room spun.
Did she say what I think I heard?
“He is?” I asked with a stunned expression. “But . . . I’m not . . . I’m . . . I’m not Greek.”
Katerina shrugged. “Some of us can’t all be that blessed, my dear.”
I couldn’t help but start laughing. I knew no matter what I did, I would always have that one thing against me that Katerina would hold over my head, but I was okay with that. As long as I had Nic by my side, everything else was a walk in the park.
The red phone rang and my heart stopped.
It never rang.
Ever.
I slowly made my way to the drawer and pulled it open. With shaking hands, I reached for it and took a deep breath.
“Hello?”
“Gabriella, my sweet girl.”
“Daddy? Is everything okay?”
He laughed. “It is. I wanted to make sure you had everything ready for the trip.” I breathed a sigh of relief. In the last four years I’d only spoken to my father twice. Once was to tell me my aunt had passed away. Not being able to go to her funeral was hard.
“I’m all set. Are you sure this is safe?”
“Antonio and I wouldn’t allow you to come if we didn’t feel that it wasn’t.”
“Are they still watching the house?” I asked while I nervously bit my fingernail. My arm wrapped around my stomach to try to settle it. An image of my old boyfriend, Dante, flashed through my mind.
“Not in two years. Nor have they had anyone trail us to Italy. If you ask me, the man is an idiot. He has no clue what he is doing.”
I thought I had loved him at one time.
How wrong I was.
Dante thought my family was naïve. He had no idea who Antonio really was. My brother was always at least two steps ahead of him.
I stayed silent for a few moments before he broke into my thoughts.
“Antonio said you were worried about someone last month.”
Frowning, I nodded. “Yes. Someone came in and ordered a large number of cakes, but it turns out it was for an office party. It was nothing. Me being overly paranoid.”
“That is what has kept you safe the last six years, Gabriella. Don’t let your guard down now. The more you stay out of the public eye the better.”
My stomach dropped. I wasn’t sure if I should tell him about the picture or not. I decided it was probably best I do. If I’d put my life in danger last week at the cooking competition, my father needed to know.
EXHAUSTED WASN’T EVEN the word to use to describe how I felt. I finally had a day off and the first place I was going was Gabi’s. I didn’t even care that it wasn’t her day off. I needed to see her. Feel her in my arms. Plus, I needed to brief her on the family dinner tonight.
Rolling my eyes, I let out a sigh. Picking up the phone, I hit my mother’s number.
“Nicholaus, it’s about time you called your mother.”
“I talked to you two days ago, Mama.”
“How am I supposed to know you’re okay if I don’t hear from you?”
Pulling into the guest parking spot at Gabi’s place, I put my truck in park and sighed. “No news is good news.”
“Nonsense. Now, what time will you be bringing Gabriella over?”
“Why do you insist on calling her that? Her name is Gabi.”
My mother laughed. “Because Gabi sounds like a stripper’s name.”
Scrubbing my hand down my face, I sighed. “Mama, how would you know what a stripper’s name sounds like?”
She laughed. “Oh, I know.”
My eyes rolled again. “It’s only the immediate family . . . right?”
“Define immediate, Nicholaus?”
I groaned. “You, Dad, Thad and Phoebe, and Thano, Kilyn, and Kira.”
“Yes.”
Relief washed over me. The last thing I wanted was to scare the living shit out of Gabi with the whole family.
“Sounds good. We’ll see you later tonight. I’ve got to get a few hours’ sleep, I’ve been at a stand-off for the last twenty-eight hours.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure your father is on his best behavior.”
I didn’t have the heart to tell her I wasn’t worried about him . . . it was her I was worried about.
“See you later, Mama. Love you.”
“I love you too. Tell Gabriella the family is looking forward to meeting her.”
Before I could correct her on the name and get her to explain who she defined as family, the line went dead.
I grunted as I got out of the truck and dragged my ass up the stairs to Gabi’s place. I was positive she was down in the bakery, so I let myself in and headed to her room. I needed a hot shower and a bed.
Her voice drifted into the room as I came to a stop. I slowly made my way over to the balcony. The door was cracked open enough for her voice to carry inside.
She was upset.
“I understand. Yes, Antonio, I don’t need a lecture from you too. I messed up. I had no idea they would do that. I’m very aware of that, thank you very much.”
I frowned. Who was she talking to? There was no way this was a business call. Whoever she was talking to, she knew them personally.
“I’ve already received a lecture from father on this. I don’t need one from you as well.”
My breath stilled. Her father? Her parents were dead.
“I’m already beating myself up for letting this all happen. It got out of hand and I let my guard down. It won’t happen again. Now, can we please change the subject?”
What in the hell is she talking about?
The glass on the door showed her reflection. She was sitting down and a slow smile moved across her face.
“I am excited about Italy. I cannot wait to see you, Antonio. You have no idea.”
A stabbing pain shot through my chest.
Who in the fuck was Antonio?
“No, I just told Charity and Nic that I’m going to visit where I used to go with my family. Charity wanted to come with me, but I told her I needed to do this alone. I’ve told them both I have extended family in Italy. Well, of course I know that.”
I stumbled back. Gabi was lying to both me and Charity. But what was she lying about?
“I love you too, Antonio and I can’t wait to see you.”
And there went the twist of the knife. Turning, I wanted to walk to the front door and leave, but I went to her room instead. I stripped out of my clothes and crawled into her bed. My mind was spinning, and I was too tired to even take a shower.
Who was Antonio? Gabi told me her parents died when she was in high school. Were they alive? Why would she lie?
“I love you too, Antonio and I can’t wait to see you.”
My chest tightened. Maybe he was an old family friend.
The door to her condo opened and closed. She must have been done with the call and headed back to the bakery. Forcing myself to get up, I headed to her bathroom and showered.
Wrapping a towel around my waist, I stared at myself in the mirror. The cold shower woke me up enough to do what I knew I shouldn’t be doing.
I spun on my heels and headed out to the k
itchen. Glancing down at Gabi’s itinerary, I took a picture of it with my phone and sent it to Scarlett. Her best friend owned a travel agency.
Me: Can your friend get me on these flights and find me a hotel?
Scarlett replied back within a few minutes.
Scarlett: She said if the flights are full, do you want the closest times to it?
I dragged in a deep breath then whispered to myself, “Why don’t you just ask her, you idiot?”
From the moment I’d met Gabi, I knew she was hiding something. If I asked her, she might make up a story.
No. I needed to see for myself what she was going to be doing and who she was going to be seeing in Italy.
Me: Yes. I need to be there either when this plane lands or before.
Scarlett: Gottcha. On it.
Me: Thanks. I owe you one.
Scarlett: Well, I know how you can repay me back. It’s been a while, Nic.
I didn’t respond. Scarlett knew I was seeing someone, couldn’t believe it, but she knew.
Heading back to Gabi’s room, I fell onto the bed and was surrounded by her smell. My dick instantly got hard thinking about her.
Fuck, I didn’t want to believe she was lying to me or cheating on me, but something in my gut told me both might be true.
The front door opened and Charity came to a halt as she covered her chest.
“Fucking A, Nic. You scared the shit out of me.”
I lifted my brow. Cole had told me a few weeks back about his and Charity’s hook up. He’d been kicking himself in the ass about forgetting a condom and at the same time wondering why Charity hadn’t returned any of his calls the last few days.
“Sorry. I was waiting on Gabi.”
She flashed me a smile. “I forgot she gave you a key.”
When she walked in, I couldn’t help but notice how tired she looked.
“Long day downstairs?”
Charity stopped walking and turned to me. “No. I wasn’t there today.”
I nodded. “Why haven’t you called Cole back?”
Her eyes filled with tears and I was honestly taken aback. Charity didn’t seem like the type of girl who let her emotions show. When she instantly started crying, I jumped up and went over to her.
“Charity,” I softly said as I pulled her into my arms.
“I’m not a whore, Nic. As much as I act like I have no problem sleeping around, I rarely do. What happened with Cole has never happened to me before and I have been beside myself ever since.”