I shuffle out of his arms and sit cross-legged in front of him. I swipe at my eyes, then my entire face in case I drooled in my sleep.
Tony’s stare is making me feel like I’ve grown a second head.
God, I’m so stupid. I read this whole thing wrong. He said he fell in love with me seven years ago. Not currently, right?
“If I said that I was just sleep talking, would you believe me and move on as if nothing happened?”
A slow grin starts to spread across Tony’s face. “Not a chance, Nikki.” He cups my face in his massive hands and stares cautiously into my eyes. “But I have to ask, are you sure? Because after the day you’ve had, I wouldn’t blame you for being… overwhelmed.”
I lied to Tony once, and it derailed our entire relationship. So regardless of whether he’ll say those three little words back to me, I have to be honest with my feelings.
I cover his hands with my own and whisper my confession. “I’ve never been in love before. I’ve purposely avoided falling my whole life. That’s how I know I’m sure.”
Tony’s eyes soften further. “Nikki.” He kisses my forehead. “How is that possible?”
“I’ve always been in relationships, but I’ve never let anyone close enough to hold the power to break my heart. I promised myself I’d never be like my mother, coping with money or material things to fill the void of a broken heart. So I guess I picked men I knew I would be able to walk away from when the time came. I’d leave them before they ever got the chance to leave me.” I shrug. “Just because I was against falling in love didn’t mean I wanted to be alone. But funny enough, I was always lonely. Until… well, until you. And you… you fucking terrify me.”
His thumbs stroke my cheeks softly. “Why?”
I lean in and faintly brush my lips against his as I speak. “Because you’re everything I promised myself I never needed. And now that I have you, I’m petrified of losing you.”
“Nikki,” Tony whispers before sealing his lips over mine. He kisses me slowly until his hands wander and he hoists me onto his lap. He breaks the kiss and leans his forehead against mine. “I’m not going anywhere, Nikki. And clearly, I haven’t been keeping up my caveman antics if you think otherwise.” He smiles.
I purse my lips. “Yeah, but I know that kind of came out of nowhere, and usually people have a cute speech or something before they drop theLword. I literally woke up and mumbled it. I should have, at the very least, enunciated it better. I’m already failing at this. Maybe that’s why I’ve never done this before. I shou—”
“It was perfect, Nikki. You want to know why?”
I nod hesitantly.
“Because I started loving you the moment I laid eyes on you, and I’ve never stopped. So if you need a little speech or a dramatic moment from me to declare my love for you, I’ll give it to you. But just in case you don’t, let me make myself perfectly clear right here, right now. I love you, Nikki. And there is nothing that could tear me away from you. Ever. So please let me hear those three words from your pretty little lips once more to make sure I’m not dreaming.”
My heart starts to beat wildly as my smile takes over my face. “I love you.”
Tony’s lips crash onto mine as he kisses me senseless. A first kiss of sorts. Between two people who are in love with one another.
I lean back to study his face, and just as I thought, that same look of adoration is there. Long gone are those scowls that were a permanent fixture. The memory alone makes me chuckle. “When you told me to say those three words, I almost said, ‘Hi pillow princess.’ It was so hard to stay in the moment and be a mature adult. The joke was almost too good to pass on, but I held firm.”
A swift smack lands on my ass cheek, and my yelp turns into uncontrollable laughter.
“Don’t make me redden that ass,princess.”
“Don’t threaten me with a good time,love.”
“Fuckin’ hell. You’re gonna be leading me by the balls now, aren’t you?”
“I pity that you ever thought I wasn’t already.”
“All right. Over my knee you go.”
34
Antonio
The next fewdays flew by in a blur.
We decided to go off the island every day and visit Maria and her crew. Nikki was hell-bent on learning all of Maria’s cooking secrets, and I was perfectly content being her food tester. Even if that meant Nikki picking up some extra Dominican slang words she could taunt me with.
We spent hours in the ocean and playing dominos with the locals. I peeled mangoes for Nikki as she made dancing TikTok videos with Maria’s grandkids.
