Beyond his imagination, Nico had to steady himself against coming at the first stoke inside her. She opened her eyes to see him watching her, as he held his position over her.
"There, Nico, that's better." she managed to say, then drew his mouth to hers, tasting herself on his lips. It was more an aphrodisiac than any alcohol might have been, having Danni lick her own essence from his mouth. When she started to squirm under him, he slowly started to move above her, holding back, letting her get accustomed to his presence inside her.
Nico had accepted her words last week when she said she wasn't as experienced as he might think. He'd never imagined she'd meant to this degree. He'd have gone slower if he'd realized, but knew the inevitable would have to happen. Better it was over now. She was still getting accustomed to him and he struggled not to push. Her inner muscle movement made him finally give up all restraint and start to pull back, her fingers digging into his shoulders. He pushed back and watched her; wordless as he taught her the push-pull that made her insides quiver around him. Soon she forgot to be embarrassed, forgot about the arrangement, and started to want him. It was her whispered words urging him to go faster, deeper, harder until he felt her flex around him and relax under him. He let himself go, taking only a few strokes more before dropping over the edge of reason himself.
"Damn it, Danni," he whispered, while she used her hands to stroke his back, holding him to her, still inside her. He felt her insides flex against him and felt himself filling her a second time. They had no long conversation, rather gently renewed the act they'd started, finishing with him breathless in a sweat and Danni calling out his name, her fingers laced in his hair, holding him as if her life depended on him.
He moved away and disposed of the used condom before tucking her against his chest while he tried to get his breath back. She seemed stunned and speechless. She traced her fingers along his chest, but she hadn't looked at him. Nico knew he should forget the subject, but couldn't. Being her first only made his resolve to make her his wife stronger. Instantly, he understood not to verbalize his thoughts quite that way.
"Something we should talk about, Danielle?"
"Not any more, Niccolo," she said. He shook his head, laughing at the absurdity of the whole situation. He offered her wine and water; she wanted him. Her hands traced along his body, felt him coming back to life yet she hadn't touched his cock. It was as if she meant to avoid it. He didn't care. He was semi-erect again, and Danni was kissing him with a new desire, as if all her pent-up needs were falling free around them in the afterglow.
An hour later found them in the kitchen, Nico in just a pair of old jeans, Danni with just her silk slip covering her nakedness. What should have felt awkward didn't. They moved with an almost practiced rhythm while making sandwiches and pouring tall glasses of cold milk. Their conversation was mostly about food, wine being diplomatically left out. With her back to him as she filled the dishwasher, Danni never saw the look on Nico's face. If she had, she probably never would have been able to face him again. Anger and lust boiled just beneath the surface, disappointment his proposal was again rejected not computing in his brain.
Nico sat in his kitchen, watching Danni wipe down the counter, continuing their conversations about restaurants and favorite meals. Her slip shifted with each movement, allowing him peeks at her thighs or the tops of her breasts. Her nipples were still hard and puckered; he longed to move behind her, to take her against the sink. Of course that wasn't part of their arrangement. She'd be sore, he knew. Hell, he had aching muscles in places he didn't know could ache. Once she became accustomed to his presence and size, she surprised him. Danni was no ice maiden. Once relaxed, she seemed to give herself to him freely.
There were moments when he felt the naivety to her touch. Now he knew he had to find a way to keep her here in the valley as his wife. He'd loved her from afar since before he should have thought about her. For years he'd been so careful not to push her further than was acceptable in his mind. Now he knew she was meant to be his. He didn't propose again. Instead, he stood and quickly moved behind her. He used his fingers against the silk to tease her nipples, his lips to tease the back of her neck. Danni pushed against him, shifted her hips against his erection, giving him permission.
Nico had planned on taking her back to bed for sleep but his alter ego took over. One hand dropped from her breast to brush against her lower lips and she let out a sigh. From there it was a simple lift of her slip and a lowering of his zipper as he slipped inside her. She groaned, and he started to pull away, remembering she'd be irritated. Her hands reached behind her, holding his hips tight.
"Don't stop," she half whispered, half groaned. "You feel different without the condom."
"Want me to stop? You said you were on the pill?" His lips continued to nibble at her throat and earlobe as he slowly pulled from inside her.
"No, don't stop. It was just an observation." Danni leaned forward, using the counter to balance herself as Nico's movements quickened. He felt her muscles clamp against him, holding his cock in a viselike grip while she climaxed. Her moist heat made his path slicker. He drove himself deeper several times before pulling the silk up over her buttocks, pulling from inside her. He let his cum spray against her skin, not thinking twice about watching it drip down her cheeks. Danni was still braced against the counter, her breathing returning to normal as his did. Nico wasn't sure what to do after this last performance, so he simply lifted her into his arms and headed toward the staircase.
"Shower," he whispered and she nodded against his shoulder.
The large glass enclosure was big enough for two even while they were soaping and rinsing. Danni exited the steamy enclosure first, wrapping a thick brown towel around her while using his hair dryer to take the moisture from her long curls. He noticed she didn't use it to clear the mirror as he usually did. She slipped easily under the covers beside him and accepted the warmth of his body. Nico understood this was right. Danni belonged with him, in his life, bed, and business. Accepting he actually was in love with her, as opposed to the convenience of the situation, would take time.
Nico didn't have words for Danni even if she asked, and was thankful she hadn't. He was grateful when she slid beside him, cuddling against him. Sleep overtook her quickly, and he realized the stress lines were finally easing from her face. He didn't sleep. He held her close while wondering how to get out of the mess he'd started. If only she'd accepted his proposal, but she hadn't. He knew Danielle was the kind of woman who would not stay in the valley once her land was gone. His mind tangled with details of how to get Cirillo back for her, but nothing concrete came to mind. He finally drifted to sleep when she rolled on her side and pulled him with her to spoon against.
* * * *
Danielle didn't try to escape the awkward morning. When she woke and saw the sun rising, she simply wandered around his room, dressing as she came across each item that had been dropped or tossed the night before. Then she climbed onto the huge bed, which wasn't so big anymore with Nico sprawled on his stomach, his arms outstretched. She drew the blanket over his naked form and moved to straddle his body, having to shift her skirt and slip to do so.
"We'd get a whole lot further if you let me turn over," he said in a groggy voice.
"Don't. I have to go, but didn't want to just leave."
"Good, stay and get some sleep. I'll make breakfast for us later."
"Maybe next week." Danni let her hands slip down his naked back before lying down against his back to run her tongue along his shoulder blades. He shifted under her, trying to turn her, but she wouldn't let him. She simply whispered, "Thank you, Nico," and scurried away. Danni made the coffee before she left, and with shoes in hand, stockings in her jacket pocket, she walked right past her truck, knowing he'd get it back to her somehow. This morning, she wanted to walk the yards, wanted to enjoy the early morning with no distractions, namely people. The vines would keep her secret and not ask why she smiled like a Cheshire cat. This morning was just for her and her memory of how Nico loved her last night. He was a gift she'd given herself. "Happy Birthday, Danielle," she said aloud to nobody but herself.
Nico decided to return her truck himself, just to make sure she was all right. When he turned onto the Cirillo property, he saw the sheriff's car at the front door and gunned the old Ford, gravel slipping under the tires as he raced the length of the road and skidded to a halt. Carmen, wringing a dish towel between her hands, was at the door before he had time to knock.
"Oh, Niccolo, I'm so glad you're here." Her eyes were filled with tears, her face worried. "I don't know how much more she can take."
"Where are they, and what's happened?" She nodded to the patio as he moved quickly through the house, hating the structure around him, knowing why Danni felt it cold and foreboding. He arrived just in time to find the sheriff trying to calm Robert. Felice sat crying at a glass-topped table and was glaring at him. Nico stopped, taking a cleansing breath before entering the scene.
"Danni?" he said, getting everyone's attention. Robert started another loud tirade on the injustice of life and his loathing of Danielle. "Sheriff, is there a problem? Can I help?" he continued, looking directly at Danni.
"Nico, I didn't realize you were here," Danni said, strangely relaxed, with a glass of iced tea before her on the table. She was back to jeans and a T-shirt; her long, sable curls braided down her back; her oilskin hat nearby. "Would you like some tea?"
It was a very surreal moment in time. He glanced to each person before coming to stand behind her seat. It was a possessive statement without words. He stood tall, his feet planted a shoulder width apart, his arms folded across his stomach. Nico's oilskin was pulled deep on his forehead to hide his eyes from the group he surveyed.
"No thanks, I got the truck started," he said, winking at her when nobody else could see. She looked different, not in any specific way, rather the look of her face had softened. She'd come into her own, literally overnight. It was because of their loving she'd lost her naive air. From one side, he was saddened. She'd never be innocent again, and all by his doing. The other side couldn't help smiling when he remembered how she'd called his name in the moment of climax he created within her. He suddenly felt like the proverbial strutting cock, and he forced himself back to the situation before him.
"Thank you, kind sir. We, Sheriff Addams and I, were just explaining to Robert and Felice I had every right to have his Jaguar repossessed. Now it's gone, we'll all have to share the pickup." While her words were simple and clear, he caught the lift of her lips in a slight smile.
So, she'd managed to get Robert's precious car.
Good for you, Danni,
he thought, giving her shoulder a squeeze to acknowledge her move.
"Good thing it was just the distributor cap then. It started right up after tightening it." His words were to cover why the truck was left at his house all night. He didn't know what circumstances she'd gone home to after leaving his bed, the taste of her skin still on his lips, the aroma of coffee filtering into his room, proof it hadn't all been a dream.
"Thanks."
"Nico, it's good to see you again." Coy Addams, sheriff-at-large, tried to sum up what Nico walked into. "We were also discussing Robert and Felice's injunction on being evicted. It seems Robert has a friend who has a friend who knows a judge who has decided to let them stay in the house until the final turnover." His words were professional, yet blunt. His tone suggested trouble was brewing.
"Oh, when did this happen?" Nico managed to ask, his stomach knotting at the idea Danni would have to share the house with them to the literal end.
"This afternoon," Danni said, quite calmly. "I was served with the injunction just as the flatbed truck came for the Jag. It was a bit confusing, but I think the sheriff has it all worked out. I've spoken with Sam and decided not to fight them. They're welcome to stay until the turnover." There was a pregnant pause before Danni added, "Of course, by then we'll all be homeless and not have a home to come back to." Her words were sugar sweet. He understood the undercurrent.
"You still had no right to have my vehicle repossessed." Robert's voice rose when he realized he wasn't the center of attention anymore.
"I had every right since Cirillo money was paying the lease." Nico swelled with pride at Danni. She was smart and beautiful. His label would profit from their union, once he made her realize it was their best path.
"Oh, stop this, all of you. I can't take much more." Felice stood and surveyed everyone around her. "Sheriff, please leave and take Severino with you. None of you is welcome on Cirillo land. Danielle, you'll call the dealer and tell him it was a mistake. I want that vehicle back here before dark." She shook her head and turned to leave as if her words would be adhered to without question. Felice was dead wrong.
"Not going to happen, Felice, the Jaguar is gone. Deal with it, just as I'll have to deal with you and Robert under my roof for a few more weeks. And for general clarification, don't ever think to order anyone off this property again. Sheriff Addams and Nico are always welcome in my home."