Nicoli: Chapter 10

“I’m not a virgin.”

Leandra gasps, her mouth gaped open as I just nonchalantly drop this information bomb on her. “You’re not a virgin?”

“Shhh.” I quickly glance around the restaurant, hoping no one else heard Leandra blurt out my confession—especially the muscle Alexius placed on protection duty. Luckily, the two of them are sitting across the restaurant at the bar, pretending they don’t even know we exist. But they know. They’ve been trained to have eyes in the back of their head when it comes to Leandra and me.

Leaning in closer, I respond quietly, “No, I’m not.”

“Why haven’t you told me?”

I shrug. “It never came up.”

“Bullshit. We’ve spoken about my sex life with Alexius numerous times, and in detail, I might add. So you had plenty of opportunity to share this little tidbit of information.”

“Your sex life, yes. Not mine.”

“Seriously, though. Who? When? Where? How many times?”

I give her a wicked grin. “It’s a long story.”

“We have time,” she urges. Then, as if on cue, the waiter arrives at our table with the bottle of champagne. We sit in silence as we wait for him to pour our glasses, and I can practically hear Leandra’s thoughts racing, her gaze unwavering and filled with questions.

Once the waiter walks away, Leandra’s eyes widen with a muted demand for me to spill every last detail.

“It happened the summer after high school. Mrs. Del Rossa and I went to Tuscany for a few weeks just to get away from it all.” The golden bubbly tingles on my tongue as I recall the vivid memories of good food, great wine, and sensual nights spent under the Tuscan sky.

I smile shyly. “I met this couple—”

“A couple?”

“Yes. A couple. Imelda and Tommaso.”

“Oh, I love that name. Tommaso.”

“You have to shut up if you want to hear the story.”

She mimics zipping up her lips, then eases back in her chair.

“So, Imelda and I became friends. Good friends. She went sightseeing with me, and we laughed so much my stomach would hurt. It was just so freeing to be able to do things without the Del Rossa name hanging over my head.” I peer at Leandra from under my lashes. “Anyway, Imelda invited me to their villa for dinner one night. It was quaint and beautiful, safely tucked away within a vineyard.” My gaze drifts off into space as memories come flooding back, and my skin erupts in goosebumps as if it remembers, too. “We were drinking expensive wine, chatting, and laughing. The three of us just got along effortlessly. You know?”

“No. I don’t know, which is why I want you to talk faster.”

I laugh, my insides awake with butterflies born from memories. “After dinner, the three of us took a stroll outside in the vineyard. The night air was warm and scented with grape blossoms.”

“The perfect setting for romance,” Leandra says dreamily.

“To this day, I’m not sure if it was the Tuscan wine or the romantic atmosphere drawn from the summer night heat, the pink and orange sunset, and the enchanting grapevines. Maybe it was a little bit of it all rolled into one.” I close my eyes for a second, trying to bring back the feeling of warm air caressing my skin. “But I was high on whatever it was. All three of us were.” I take a sip of champagne to calm the flurry of emotions within me. “I remember laughing at something Imelda had said when suddenly Tommaso grabbed my hand, swirling me as if we were dancing. A cloud of dirt rose around our feet when he pulled me against him, his dark brown eyes boring into me with so much intensity it took my breath away.”

Leandra gasps. “Where was Imelda when this happened?”

“She stepped up behind me and rested her hands on my hips. There was no need to read the room—or in this case, the vineyard—to know what they were proposing.”

“God, I need more details.” Leandra empties her glass of champagne and doesn’t wait for the waiter to refill her glass, pouring herself another one. “Every last detail.”

I snicker and look down at the pristine white tablecloth. The memory feels so real, as if the ghost of Tomasso’s fingertips still lingers on my skin. Shivers travel down my body as I think of how he gently smoothed his hand down my side, my hip, lifting my leg as he leaned into me, letting me feel his hard cock against my wet sex. I uncross and cross my legs under the table. “Let’s just say that her words set off a chain of events that made that the best night of my life.”

“What words? What did she say?”

Sensual flashbacks have me clenching my thighs and shifting in my seat. “She said, ‘Let us make love to you, bella.’ And Tommaso, his lips were inches from mine when he whispered, ‘Just for tonight.’”

“Sweet Lord.” Leandra’s cheeks flush, and judging by the heat in my veins, I’m pretty sure mine do, too. The waiter walks up to us, ready to take our order, when she dismisses him with a single wave. “Not now.”

I burst out laughing, loving how entranced she is and how good it feels to finally share this with someone.

“The next thing I knew, all three of us were standing naked in the vineyard, and we were all wrapped up in each other. I was so high on adrenaline, now that I’m thinking back, it all seems like a vivid dream.”

“You lost your virginity in a vineyard?”

“Not technically in a vineyard on the dirt ground. Somehow, we managed to make our way back to the villa, and I remember how nervous I became when Tommaso backed me up against the edge of the bed. Imelda noticed and asked me what was wrong, and when I told them that I’d never had sex before, I swear the desire in their eyes intensified threefold.”

Leandra leans forward, placing her elbows on the table, and practically begs for more details. “What happened next?” Her voice is lower now, huskier.

“They spoke to each other in Italian, and Imelda suggested I watch them first. I was transfixed while watching Tommaso caress and kiss her, how their bodies moved in the same rhythm, like a perfectly choreographed dance. Imelda’s back would arch off the bed, Tommaso’s toned ass flexing, the lean muscles in his back curving and rippling as he made love to her on lavender sheets.”

“Ah-huh.” Leandra empties her second glass, flustered, and I suppress my laughter.

“He made her come, and the moans that left her mouth were pure ecstasy. I wanted that. I wanted to experience what she just felt.” I shrug. “So, I said yes.”

“Of course you did. If you said no, I’d tell you right now that we can no longer be friends.”

I laugh so loud that people sitting two tables from us glare at us, but give me one more glass of champagne, and I won’t care. “Imelda guided me onto the bed,” I continue. “She made me lean back against her, settled between her legs with my back against her chest. She told him what to do, and he did exactly what she said. He kissed me the way she told him to. Touched me as she directed. And when it came to…you know…taking my virginity, Imelda kissed me. She kissed me so hard, with so much passion and vigor, the next thing I felt was this deep pressure between my legs followed by a sharp pain that turned into this exquisite ache that I’ve never experienced before.” I suck in a breath, the memories becoming too real, my cheeks heated with embarrassment and arousal.

Leandra gapes at me, her expression both shocked and captivated.

I clear my throat and try to douse the heat in my system with a full glass of champagne. “And that’s how I lost my virginity. In a villa surrounded by vineyards in Tuscany.”

“Well,” Leandra presses her lips together, “it sure as hell beats losing your virginity in a boutique.”

Our hysterical laughter fills the restaurant, and I can’t believe I was finally able to tell someone. It feels good to share my secret, and it somehow makes it more real. More insanely erotic and beautiful.

“I spent every night with them after that, until one day I got there, and their villa was empty.”

“They left?” she blurts out. “Without saying goodbye?”

“Yeah. But it’s okay. Well, I mean, it sucked, of course. But somehow, it felt like it was time. You know? As if it ended while it was still beautiful, and that time would just have ruined it.” I weave my fingers through my hair, pulling the blonde tresses over my shoulder. “I spent two more summers in Tuscany after that, but I never went back to that villa in case I might find them there.”

“You didn’t want to see them again?”

“Of course I did. But I was afraid the three of us might get entangled again and that it wouldn’t be as beautiful as it was the first time. The memories I have are worth more than a second-rate experience.”

“It’s like I’m listening to a romance novel on audio,” she remarks, then grabs her handbag and stands. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. I urgently need to go fuck my husband.”

I burst out with laughter, the moment filled with lightness. “We haven’t eaten lunch yet.”

“And I’m famished. But not for food.”

“That’s so unfair. At least you have someone to satiate your hunger. All I have is a bullet and a wand.”

“Oh, we have that, too. But Alexius gets jealous when it’s not his cock I’m riding.”

“Oh, my God. I’m getting visuals. Please stop.”

“It’s only going to get worse if you don’t take me home to my husband soon.”

“Jesus, yes. We’re leaving.” I grab my bag and take a quick last sip of my champagne while Leandra is already out the door.

I sigh, past reminders instilling a wistfulness in my soul. I’ve always had peace with what happened all those summers ago in that Tuscan villa. Never once did I regret a single moment I spent with them. It was the most liberated I’ve ever felt in my entire life. No tragic past or possessive Del Rossas breathing down my neck. I was free to just…be.

The only thing that remained a constant during my time with them was Nicoli. Not a single minute spent in that villa could douse the fire that burned in my soul for him—that still burns in my soul for him.

For as long as I can remember, he’s been the single most important person in my life—even if it seems like he hardly notices me. Yet I’m pretty sure he noticed me last night. Naked. Embarrassed. And a goddamn trainwreck.

My heels click across the polished floors as I weave through the tables and chairs, aiming for the exit, when a man steps in front of me.

“Excuse me.” He smiles, his eyes an intense brown.

I stop, bewildered. “Hi.”

“My name is Felix.” He clears his throat, his crisp white shirt stretching across broad shoulders. “I hope you don’t think I’m too forward, but I was sitting at the bar with a few friends, and I really tried not to stare at you like a stalker.”

My cheeks flush. “Well, um…firstly, thank you. I guess. Secondly, my name is Mirabella Tirelli.” I hold out my hand, and he takes it with gentle fingers, squeezing lightly.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mirabella.”

This man has melted chocolate irises and a jawline that could cut through glass, but there’s something sticky about the look in his eyes. They’re too eager, and I feel like I’m suffocating under the weight of his attention. Don’t get me wrong. He’s painfully attractive—the kind of guy you’d see on the cover of a magazine because, holy shit, is this guy good-looking—but he’s totally giving me predator vibes.

A gold chain peeks from underneath his open-collared shirt, the scent of his expensive aftershave confirming that this man has no shortage of money. Well, that and the dollar sign tattoo on the side of his neck. He slips his hands into his pants pockets, inching closer, looking at me like I’m the only woman in the room. “I was hoping you’d let me buy you a drink sometime.”

Apparently, he’s attractive but stupid. Or he just has no idea who I am and who my name connects to in this town.

“Listen, I’m flattered. I really am, but—”

He holds up his hand in defeat. “It’s okay. I understand.” He pulls a card from his pocket. “Here’s my number in case you change your mind.”

Not to be rude, I accept the card and slip it into my purse. “It’s nice to meet you, Felix.”

Brushing past him, I smile because it’s been a hot minute since a guy approached me in this town. And it kind of feels…good. Too bad I only have eyes for one man.