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"I think Luca wants me to buy this house," Nolan said as we swayed to the music. Luca's earlier conversation with me was still ringing in my head. That I somehow had changed Nolan was still hilarious, but the other more astute observation he had made still stuck in my mind. I could not possibly be falling in love with Nolan. I was not in love with him. The closeness I was feeling at the moment had more to do with my desire to get to know him. The beauty and romantic nature of Milan and not anything substantial like love. And besides, Nolan was not the type to fall in love. He told me himself.

"Did you hear what I said? "

"Huh?" I took myself out of my musings to focus on the subject of my thoughts. But his mouth was distracting. Too distracting. I wanted to kiss it. "Yes. Luca was doing a little winking and nodding about the Villa when we spoke."

Nolan chuckled, swaying me a little harder. "You weren't listening, were you? What were you thinking of?"

I felt my cheeks flush and had that irrational fear that he had read my thoughts. "Nothing!" I blurted out.

"Your face doesn't look like it was nothing." His mischievous grin made me want to wipe it away with some clever retort about how I was not thinking anything sexual related to him, like he was assuming, but what was actually on my mind was worse than a lust infused day dream.

"This place is lovely." I shifted back to our original conversation. "It would be a shame if he sold it."

"He could always turn it into an event venue," Nolan suggested.

"The thought of a bunch of Americans having their gauche weddings here makes my blood boil."

Nolan drew back. "You are American!"

"I like to think of myself as the non-tacky variety."

He chuckled and whisked me in his arms, twirling me around and back into his arms. "Luca is in deep debt," he sighed. "He didn't tell me, but it's clear his investments have been working against him. The fashion house he started went bankrupt recently and I'm pretty sure this place is the only asset left to his name."

"He told me he doesn't want the house to fall into the wrong hands. And I get it, it's a beautiful place."

"You like it?"

"What's not to like? It's like walking into a place where time stood still. It's magical."

Nolan glared into my eyes. "You like it, don't you?"

I shrugged. "It's a lovely place. It's sad that he's selling it."

"Hmh..."

The music changed to a slow melody. Nolan slid his hand down my waist to my back and pulled me close, pressing my body against his. We danced slowly, feeling the beat of the music in my bones. It was electrifying and oddly mellow all at the same time.

"This reminds me of that first dance we had together," he said. I immediately knew what he was referring to. That time at the gala when we had danced to music like this. I had wanted to kiss him. Do a lot more to him, but I was embarrassed by my thoughts. This time, it was different. I slid my hands to his neck, and he stiffened, then he let me draw his head down until our lips met. My lips brushed against his, kissing him softly until he groaned, gripped my waist tighter and drew me up to my tip toes into a deeper kiss. He kissed me like he always did. Hungry and full of unquenched thirst that he seemed to only find in me. It made me bolder as I accepted it, my hands wandering into his hair and playing with the tendrils of his hair. His kiss was so wonderful I felt like I was floating.

It was only when we broke apart did I realize again where we were. No one was paying attention to us since we were at the corner darker part of the dancefloor, but still. I had kissed him like a sex starved slut. And yet...

Nolan said what I was thinking. "We should retire, don't you think?"

I nodded, and Nolan laced his hand in mine. The number of people still at the party had dissipated, but we were unnoticed when we left. I let Nolan lead me as he took us to the chambers Luca had said were ours. As soon as we arrived, Nolan switched on the light, bathing the suite with a warm light that bounced on thestuccoes in the ceiling. Even the frescoes on the walls looked more beautiful at night than the day, but Nolan seemed oblivious to the beauty. He was gazing intently at me. It was so intense and if it was any other person in any other situation, it would have scared me, but because it was Nolan, it made me feel wanted. Desired. As though I was the only person in the world and nothing else was important.

He led me to the ornate wide four-poster bed and when he reached the edge; he lifted me up. I squealed in surprise as he laid me down on the bed. Then he slowly removed my clothes, kissing each part he exposed until I was completely naked. Then he got up and removed his own clothes, a strip tease only for my eyes. And when he was naked, he joined me on the bed beside me. He turned my head to face him, and I accepted his kiss, my hand wandering down his chest, his caressing my breast, driving me slowly insane. His hand was like a lightning rod, igniting fire everywhere he touched. We continued kissing like that until I felt like bursting and I couldn't take it anymore and I flipped my leg over his body and straddled him. He moaned when I rubbed my body over his and I rejoiced in making him as insane as I was feeling. But before I could do anything, he flipped me back onto the bed, until I was lying on my back and he was on top of me.

"I want to please you," he said.

I relaxed and let him lead like he wanted to. Nolan groaned in appreciation, and he played with my body in a way that was both reverent and exploitative. He drove me wild with his kisses until I was writhing and whimpering in his arms. His mouth dropped kisses down my body and his tongue licking my center with one desire in mind, wanting me to come apart. And then when I did, he lined up my body with his, his cock poised at my center, and drove inside me. His thrusts were deep. As though he wanted me to become part of him. I welcomed it. In all my time with him, I've never felt this wanted. This desired. Not with anyone else.

I reached for his head and pulled him down for a kiss just as we both came together. I cried my orgasm into his mouth and he swallowed it as he gripped the pillow that my head was lying on so hard I was sure I heard it tear.

Three words danced on my tongue. I wanted to say them. It felt right to say them. But not now. Not today.

It was hard to look him in the eye the following morning. Last night's sex felt different. We had moved onto a different lane and I don't think we both fully understood what that meant. We were no longer two people in an arranged marriage anymore, but I wasn't sure how to broach that. Nolan didn't seem to have the same dilemma as I. He woke up earlier than me and, when I woke up, he had already showered and changed. The light blue pants and white striped shirt with two buttons opened at the collar he had on made him devastatingly handsome.

"Hi," he said, standing at the foot of the bed, tucking in his shirt.

"How long were you awake?" I stretched my arms. His eyes flared when my breasts popped out of the sheets. "You should have woken me up."

"You looked like you needed your sleep. I kept you up late last night."

I blushed, recalling how he had woken me up two more times in the middle of the night to make love. It was as though he wanted to drive me wild. I did not complain. I loved every minute of it. But this morning, there was something in his eyes that I could not quite explain.

"I'm going to meet up with Luca." He came over to my side of the bed and kissed me on the cheek. "I'll meet you at the breakfast buffet," he said and left before I could ask why. I got my deliciously sore body out of bed and to the shower. Half an hour later, I was at the breakfast buffet.

Breakfast was held in a large hall that was just as ornately decorated as the rest of the rooms. There was a buffet table at the far end of the hall, with a chef at the end of the table taking everyone's egg requests.And in the middle of the room was a long table. Everyone was walking like a zombie at the breakfast table. The party must have gone on further into the night, I thought as two sunglass wearing women staggered past me with mimosas in hand. I took a bowl of cereal, added some fruit and went to the table and waited for Nolan. I was in the middle of eating a bowl of cereal when Luca slid into the seat next to me.

The grin on his face was infectious. "You look like a happy camper." I said. "Last night's party couldn't have been that good."

Luca encased me in a big hug, squeezing me tightly. "Thank you." He let me go, still beaming. His eyes were glistening with a wealth of gratitude that felt unwarranted.

I chuckled nervously. "You're welcome, but I don't know what I did to deserve the thanks."

"You should know that your man is a keeper."

"That's why I married him."

"Never leave him. He loves you."

"What makes you think that?"

Before he could answer, Nolan came to sit on my other side, a cup of coffee in his hand. "What are you saying to my wife, Luca?"

"Nothing," Luca said. "I was just thanking her for buying the villa."