Nicola helped me find a seat at the table. The contrast between his gentlemanly manners and his bad-boy flair was intriguing. Definitely, I was falling madly in love far too soon. Truthfully, I should have been finished the instant our gazes connected across the bar some weeks ago.
The waitress didn't even give me a sideways look when she brought out our champagne that Nicola had ordered for the two of us. Nicola was the only one she saw, so she nodded and ran off to do what he said. The fact that he was still giving his undivided attention to me mitigated any jealousy I could have felt.
Still concerned about the evening's lavishness, I said, "You didn't have to bring me champagne."
He looked at me with startling severity. " I'm getting tired of you telling me what's optional. I'm aware
