Page 17 of Nico (Members From Money Season 2, #154)

He wanted her with a passion that overrode everything else. And was prepared to do anything to make it work between them. It occurred to her that his daughter might resent the intrusion, but being with Sadie was not an option.

"We will make it work." He vowed. Getting into bed, he tucked the tendrils that had stuck to her wet cheeks and brushed at the moisture.

"You love me, I know you do."

"Yes." There was no sense denying the truth of it. She was in love with him. She had her doubts about the future and what that little girl would think of her, but she knew without a doubt that she loved him.

She reached up and traced the line of his jaw, feeling the coarse shadow of stubble beneath her fingertips. The intensity in his eyes made her heart skip, and for a moment, the world shrank to just the two of them. Words hovered on her lips, unspoken but understood, as he gathered her close.

The night wrapped around them, promising new beginnings and the possibility that love could heal the wounds of the past. Wrapped in each other's arms, they faced the unknown together, ready to embrace whatever the future might hold.

The lovemaking was slow and sweet, so much so that she felt the tears burning the back of her eyes again. He was making up for the time they had lost, the six weeks they had been away from each other. He had been a fool or maybe more than a little confused.

He kissed the tears, thrusting into her, holding back, restraining himself and determined to put her pleasure first. He owed her that. He had left her. God, oh he had suffered and so had she, he knew that now. He wanted to make up for the hurt and pain of their separation.

Capturing her lips, he swallowed her cries as she erupted all over him. Her slender curves trembled beneath him, firing his blood even more.

"More." He whispered against her lips as he drove into her.

His control was close to breaking. But he held on just a little bit, just long enough to take her over again.

When she pressed her face against his chest in complete surrender, he finally let go and when he did, he gave her everything.

Poured into her until his body was shaking with all the desire he had been storing up.

It took him several minutes to move.

And even then he was reluctant to break the intimacy.

"I don't want to crush you." He cradled her against him, loving the feel of her face pressed into his chest.

Throwing one leg on his, she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"I'm spending the night."

"Hmm." She did not care about anything else but being in his arms again.

"No objections?" he teased.

Lifting her head, she brushed at his chin and relished the feel of the stubble. His body was long and lean, the muscles bunching beneath her body.

He drew lazy circles on her back, his fingers tracing the curve of her spine as silence settled comfortably between them. The night enveloped them, a cocoon shielding them from all worries and regrets. In that quiet, they found peace, a fragile, precious thing that neither wanted to shatter.

"I missed you," she whispered, her voice muffled against his skin.

He kissed the top of her head, breathing in the scent of her hair. "I missed you more than I can say. I won't let anything come between us again."

She smiled, feeling the promise settle deep within her heart. Outside, the world continued its restless turn, but inside their embrace, time seemed to pause, just for them.

"Tell me about her."

He shifted so he could stare into her eyes, pleased that she would express an interest in his daughter.

"She's beautiful." He said simply.

The pride in his deep voice had her smiling.

"I sound like a typical father."

"You sound like a proud one," She corrected.

"Well, she is. Blonde curls that refuse to be tamed, and she's an artist."

Her brows lifted. "Like her dad?"

"She paints." He was happy he could share the topic with her. "Not quite two and so smart. She's going to outpace me when it comes to talent."

He chuckled softly, his eyes distant for a moment as memories flickered across his face. "She loves sunsets. Sometimes she'll drag me outside, paintbrush in hand, just to capture the way the light hits the clouds. I think she sees the world in colors I can't even imagine."

Her smile softened, warmth blooming in her chest. "She sounds incredible."

"She is. Her room is done up in pearl pink and she insists on having a story read to her every night.

My parents and sister spoil her. Not to mention the staff.

" He stroked her back absently. "At first, when I first met her, I had my reservations.

I wondered how the hell I was going to navigate the journey.

A little girl. I also wondered if she would somehow blame me for not being part of her life. "

"I'm sure she's too young to hold that against you and when she's old enough, you can explain it to her. What about her mother? Has she called?"

He shook his head. "No. And I don't expect she will."

She squeezed his hand, offering silent comfort. "Maybe she just needs time," she murmured. "Or maybe she doesn't know what to say."

He sighed, a mix of longing and acceptance threading through his words. "Whatever happens, I'm focusing on what I have now. On my daughter. And on you."

Her eyes glistened with emotion as she leaned in, resting her forehead against his. The connection between them felt stronger than ever, built on honesty, hope, and the gentle promise of tomorrow.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke, content to let the quiet fill the room. The promise of new beginnings, fragile but bright, lingered between them like the first blush of dawn.

She trailed her fingers through the denseness of his chest hairs, wondering if she should bring it up.

"You have questions."

His uncanny ability to read her threw her for a minute. "I hate when you do that."

He merely grinned at her and waited.

With a sigh, she shifted her gaze to his face and met his eyes. "I don't know how to feel about you sharing a child with another woman. It seems so intimate, somehow. You planted your seed inside her and you now share a daughter."

His eyes held hers steadily. "That might be the case and for the rest of Gracie's life, Brigette will always be her mother.

If and when the time comes and she wants to become part of my daughter's life, I will not stand in her way.

She signed a legal document yes, but if in the future she wants to come and see Gracie, I will allow it.

There was passion between us, I will not deny it.

I was never in love with her. I've never been in love before.

Until now." He trailed a finger over her cheek.

"There's no need for you to feel an ounce of jealousy. It's not necessary."

"Still."

"I want children with you." His eyes were burning with intensity. "Is that something you can wrap your head around?"

"I don't..." She began and biting off the rest, shook her head. "Please don't ask me that now." She added quietly. "We still have a long way to go."

"I'm just asking a question. I'm in this for the long haul and that includes marriage and eventually children.

It's not something I thought about before, well, perhaps fleetingly.

I always took it for granted that I would one day father a child or two.

" His hand cupped the back of her head, fingers sliding through the silky strands of hair.

"I was so caught up in my work before that it was just that, a fleeting thought.

Then I met you." Bending his head, he brushed his lips over hers.

The taste of her, sweet and seductive made him yearn for more, so he took it.

His tongue slid into her mouth slowly, gently, lingering on the texture before diving in further.

The idea of her swollen with his baby was enticing. He never had the chance of experiencing anything like it and he wanted to do so with her. Swallowing her whimpers, he took them deeper, one hand drifting down her back as he eased her on top of him.

It had stopped surprising him that he could want her again. Dragging his mouth from hers, he nibbled on her neck and then her throat.

"One day." His voice was a whisper against her skin. "I'm not saying it has to be right now. But one day in the future, when you're wearing my ring and we're man and wife." His hand wedged between them to curve at her flat stomach.

"Nico." Her breathing was ragged and her senses dulled.

"But not now." He lifted his head to look at her.

"Do you have any idea how sexy you are? How irresistible?

I could be with you all night like this, and it would still not be enough.

You drive me to madness, the yearning for you never fades.

Let me have you again." His breathing was shallow, his chest heaving. "Let me taste you."

"I can't," Her breath hitched, and she dug her fingers into the solid wall of his chest as he continued to torture her lips with teeth and tongue.

"You can."

Her eyes snapped open when his hands spanned her waist and he lifted her up so he could enter her. She wrapped around him like a tight wet glove and made him shudder. She had that effect on him. Every rational thought leaked from his mind. He could only feel.

When she started to move, he followed blindly.

Raising up, he sought her nipple, latching on hungrily, feeding from her like a starving man.

He thought he had taken the edge off his hunger but was he wrong!

He wanted more of her and knew he would never be satisfied.

When she erupted around him, he followed helplessly, his long, lean body shuddering.