CHAPTER14
Nico
Awareness creepsin little by little. The first thing I completely register is the weight covering my stomach and legs. I roll my neck to the side and see Peppermint sound asleep, her hair splayed out on the pillow next to mine. She’s facing me, with one hand tucked under her head and the other stretched across my midsection. Her leg is thrown over both of mine but bent at the knee, so her thigh is brushing against my boner.
I close my eyes and savor having her so close. In sleep, she’s unguarded in a way I’m sure she hasn’t been in her waking moments in years. I know from experience that that is both a blessing and a curse. Hell, the whole reason I’m in bed with her is because I couldn’t guard against the nightmares last night.
As much as I’d love to stay in bed with Peppermint and ignore the outside world for a while, I know I need to get up and do some work. Not only did Nicholi trash my house yesterday, but he also ruined my laptop, which held all of my files pertaining to him. Fortunately, I always back up my work to a flash drive which I always keep with me. But I need to get everything loaded onto the new laptop.
When I start to untangle myself from Peppermint, she tightens her hold and pulls me closer.
“Hmm, stay,” she mumbles without opening her eyes.
I smile to myself. Fuck, what I wouldn’t give for her to always be like this. But then she wouldn’t be Peppermint, and Peppermint is pretty perfect just the way she is.
That being said, staying in this position is exquisite torture. Her fingers flex against my skin, barely brushing the flesh, and it teases my senses. My cock jerks against her thigh.
“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea,” I say, my tone full of lust.
“It’s a great idea.”
I stare at her, the faint light from the rising sun kissing her cheeks. Her eyes remain closed as she wets her bottom lip with her tongue, eliciting a groan from me.
“Cuore mio, the things you do to me.”
Rolling to my side, I slide my hand under her tank and skim my fingertips over her stomach until they touch the underside of her breast. Peppermint sighs.
“Open your eyes for me,” I instruct in a whisper. When she doesn’t, I cup her tit and brush my thumb over the nipple. “I need you to look at me.” Peppermint’s eyelids slowly rise. “So fucking beautiful.”
“I’m scared,” she admits, letting her eyes fall closed again.
“Eyes open,” I demand as I pinch her nipple. She obeys. “Who do you see?”
“You.”
I move my face closer to hers, letting her feel my breath on her skin. “And who am I?”
“Nico.”
“Exactly.”
I press my mouth to hers, lightly at first. Peppermint stiffens but when I tease the seam of her lips with the tip of my tongue, she moans and deepens the kiss. She darts her tongue out to meet mine, and we vie for dominance. All conscious thought flees my mind as I lose myself in the way she tastes, the sound of her moans. The only thing that matters is the scorching heat moving through my veins. My blood is the gasoline, and Peppermint’s kiss is the lit match.
Peppermint moves her hand from my chest to trace a path over my abs, down to the waistband of my boxer briefs. Her fingers work their way under the thin cotton. My cock hardens to a painful degree, and when she brushes her thumb over the tip, I swear the angels dance.
“Fucking hell,” I hiss against her lips.
She breaks the kiss, and her eyes lock on mine. She stares so intently that I start to wonder if she’s still seeing me. I pull my hand out from under her tank and cup her cheek.
“Who are you seeing,cuore mio?”
“You.” She wraps her slender fingers around my dick. “Nico.”
I grip her wrist and remove her hand so I can shift to straddle her. Her body goes rigid, and her eyes widen. I run my hands up her sides, catching the hem of her tank and pulling it off over her head.
Leaning close to her ear, I whisper, “Say my name again.”
“N-Nico,” she says with a shiver.