A planned engagement

chapter 13

Andrew dropped Alexi off at the house. She went inside and asked Anna where Nico was.

"He's upstairs, crying and drinking," Anna replied.

Alexi didn't know how to comfort him—or even confront him—until she heard a noise from his room.

"I need to go talk to him," Alexi said to Anna as she rushed upstairs to his room.

Nico was on the floor, the glass he had been holding shattered beside him.

"Nico, what the hell do you think you're doing?" she said, rushing toward him.

"Everyone I've ever loved is gone," he muttered. "They're all gone, Alexi."

"Please, you don't have to be like this. Grandmother wouldn't want this," she said softly.

"What are you still doing here?" he snapped. "Just go already. She's gone. Leave, Alexi."

He picked up the bottle of wine and started drinking again. "All of you—just leave me alone."

"I'm not going anywhere, Nico. Look at me," she said, cupping his face in her hands. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "Nico, I'm not leaving you. Do you hear me?" she shouted.

Nico burst into tears and hugged her tightly.

"I don't have anyone left," he whispered.

"You've got me. I'm here, Nico," she said, holding him just as tightly. "I'm here, and I always will be."

She looked at him for a long moment. f**k pretending, she thought. I don't care anymore.

Without another word, she kissed him deeply, their tongues meeting in a desperate, breathless tangle. They kissed until neither could breathe.

"I love you, Nico," she said. "I love you so much, and I'll be here for you no matter what."

Hearing that, he stood up, pulling her with him, and began kissing her endlessly.

Alexi turned her back to him, the air between them thick with anticipation.

Moonlight spilled across her skin as she gathered her blunt hair over one shoulder, exposing the delicate line of her spine and the zipper of the deep red gown she’d worn to the wedding.

“Take me,” she whispered, voice low and trembling with need. “I want you, Nico. Now.”

His breath caught at the words. He stepped closer, the heat of his body brushing her back before his fingers even touched her. Slowly—agonizingly slowly—he grasped the tiny zipper pull and drew it down, inch by inch, the soft rasp of metal the only sound in the quiet room. The fabric parted like a secret finally revealed, sliding over her shoulders, down the curve of her waist, pooling in a whisper of silk at her feet. She stood there in nothing but black lace panties, the cool air raising goosebumps across her skin, her heart pounding so loudly she was sure he could hear it.

Alexi turned to face him. Nico’s eyes darkened as they roamed over her—hungry, reverent, almost disbelieving. His hands moved to the buttons of his white dress shirt, undoing them one by one with deliberate care, never breaking eye contact. Each button revealed more of his chest: the strong planes, the faint trail of dark hair leading downward, the rapid rise and fall of his breathing. When the shirt finally slipped from his shoulders and fell away, she reached for him.

Her fingers trembled slightly as she worked his belt, then the button of his trousers, then the zipper. The sound of it lowering felt impossibly intimate. Before she could push the fabric down his hips, Nico’s control snapped.

He surged forward, cupping her face in both hands and kissing her like a man starved—deep, desperate, devouring. She moaned into his mouth as he walked her backward, guiding her gently until her knees hit the edge of the bed. He followed her down, lowering her onto the soft sheets with exquisite care, his body covering hers like a promise kept too long.

Skin finally met skin. His chest against her breasts. His thighs parting hers. The hard length of him pressing insistently against the damp lace between her legs. Alexi arched into him, nails raking lightly down his back, urging him closer.

Nico broke the kiss only to trail his lips along her jaw, her throat, the sensitive spot just above her collarbone that made her gasp. His hand slid down her side, tracing the dip of her waist, the flare of her hip, before hooking into the delicate edge of her panties. He tugged them slowly down her legs, kissing every inch of skin he exposed—inner thigh, behind her knee, the arch of her foot—until she was trembling, open, aching for him.

When he rose above her again, naked and breathtaking in the moonlight, he paused. Their eyes locked.

“ Tell me you want me, ” he said, “ I want to hear you say it Alexi.” voice rough with emotion.

“ Please Nico, I want you . Take me.” She said as tears roughed down her eyes

Alexi reached for him, guiding him to her entrance, her legs wrapping around his waist.

“You are killing me lexi...”

He entered her in one slow, perfect thrust—deep, deliberate, filling her completely. They both groaned at the sensation, stilling for a moment to savor the overwhelming rightness of it.

Then he began to move.

Long, languid strokes at first, drawing out every sensation, every slide of skin on skin. His mouth found hers again, kissing her in time with his hips. She met him thrust for thrust, hands clutching his shoulders, then his back, then tangling in his hair. The rhythm built gradually—deeper, faster, more urgent—until pleasure coiled tight and bright inside her.

Nico slipped a hand between them, fingers circling her c**t with devastating precision. Alexi cried out, back bowing off the bed as her orgasm crashed through her in shimmering waves. He followed moments later, burying himself deep and groaning her name against her neck as he came, pulsing inside her, holding her like she was the only thing keeping him tethered to the earth.They stayed locked together, breathing hard, hearts racing in unison.

Around 2:00 a.m., the house was silent. Alexi stirred beneath the warm tangle of sheets, her body instinctively seeking the heat of Nico beside her. When her eyes fluttered open, she found him already awake, propped on one elbow, gazing down at her in the pale moonlight.

A slow, sleepy smile curved her lips. “What are you doing, mister?” she whispered, voice soft and husky with sleep.

Nico brushed a strand of hair from her cheek, his touch feather-light. “I just wanted to watch you sleep,” he murmured.

“You’re so beautiful like this… peaceful. I still can’t believe you’re really here.”

Her heart swelled at the tenderness in his eyes. She reached up, cupping his jaw.

“Are you feeling better now?”

He turned his face into her palm, pressing a kiss there. “I will be,” he said quietly, “if you hold me.”

Alexi didn’t hesitate. She opened her arms, and he came into them willingly, settling his head against her chest, one strong arm sliding around her waist to pull her close. She threaded her fingers through his dark hair, stroking gently from his temple to the nape of his neck, soothing circles that made him exhale a long, shaky breath. His own hand began to move—slowly, reverently—tracing the curve of her shoulder, down the dip of her spine, over the swell of her hip, as if relearning every line of her.

The touch was comfort at first, but comfort quickly warmed into something deeper.

Skin against skin, breath mingling, heartbeats syncing. She felt the shift in him—the subtle tightening of his muscles, the way his thumb brushed the underside of her breast with growing intent. He felt it in her too—the soft catch in her breathing, the way her legs parted just enough to welcome the weight of his thigh between them.

Nico lifted his head, eyes searching hers in the dim light. Whatever he saw there made his gaze darken with quiet hunger. He leaned in and kissed her—slow, deep, unhurried—like he had all the time in the world to taste her. When he pulled back just enough to speak, his lips brushed hers.

“I want you again,” he whispered, the words rough with reverence. “I don’t think I’ll ever stop wanting you.”

Alexi’s answer was a soft, breathy smile. “I’m right here,” she said, guiding his hand lower, showing him exactly where she ached for him. “Always.”

This time their lovemaking was slower, dreamier—less urgent than before, but no less intense. He kissed every inch of her as though giving thanks: her eyelids, the tip of her nose, the hollow of her throat, the soft curve of each breast. When he finally settled between her thighs, he entered her with exquisite care, watching her face the entire time, whispering her name like a prayer as he filled her completely.

They moved together in long, languid waves—bodies rocking in perfect rhythm, hands clasped tightly above her head. Every thrust was deep and deliberate, every withdrawal a sweet torture that drew soft sighs from them both. She wrapped her legs high around his waist, pulling him impossibly closer, and he buried his face in her neck, breathing her in—jasmine, warmth, home.

Pleasure built gently, steadily, until it crested in quiet, shuddering waves. Alexi came first, clinging to him with a broken whisper of his name, her body trembling around his. Nico followed moments later, pressing deep and stilling as he spilled inside her, lips finding hers in a kiss that tasted of love and relief and forever.

Afterward, he didn’t pull away. He stayed inside her, holding her close, their foreheads resting together as their breathing slowly evened out.

“Stay with me,” he murmured against her lips as he fell asleep immediately.