Meet Me In Monaco - Flora Ferrari Page 0,30

for the wrong reasons. Even if I thought she had a deceitful bone in her body, I know the way she looked at me. I know what I saw when our eyes met.

She’s mine, and there is nothing either of us could do about it even if we wanted to.

Monaco is small enough that it's only a walk from the marina to my home, but this also means that my home itself is in one of the more upscale areas. In Monaco, that really means something. A lot of the buildings here are luxury apartment buildings, which is why mine stands out. A home, built to stand alone within its own small piece of land, built to my own exacting plans. I had to demolish the property which stood there before. I had a vision.

And as we approach the gated area, not many people know about what lies behind it. I have carefully kept hedges and trees growing around the front of the gate, so only the upper story can be seen, soaring above the gate and looking right down to the marina.

I don’t say a word about where we’re going. It’s only when I walk right up to the gate and enter my code that Liliana begins to realize we’re going inside.

“Wait,” she says, wide-eyed with confusion. “This is your home?”

“Yes,” I tell her, shrugging casually. “This is where I live.”

I look up and see it anew as if I’m seeing it through her eyes. It’s familiar to me, of course, but even so, it still feels impressive. To anyone else, it must give a real first impression. A grand family villa, right in the heart of Monaco. And until now, it has always felt too big for little me – like I designed it a bit too large by accident. Like my ambition outshone my reality.

But I feel like that is about to change.

Chapter Twenty

Liliana

In the morning, I wake with the sun playing over my face rather than any kind of alarm – or the knock of the hotel maid at the door. It’s such a luxurious feeling that for a moment I only revel in that I almost forget about all of the other things that happened last night.

But when I do open my eyes and look around, I’m in the most amazing place I’ve ever seen. Nico’s bedroom is truly fit for a king, and it has a view through the darkened glass that goes right out over the marina. I think I can even see his boat from here, though I’m not completely sure, after all, I’m not an expert on boats. Not yet.

My body aches from what we did when we got back here yesterday, between food and drinks and stopping to shower. We made love in almost every room, as far as I can work it out – the kitchen, the dining room, rooms that stood covered in dust sheets that we lay down on, the master bedroom. I had no idea there would be so many rooms in Nico’s house, but I can say for sure that I appreciate every single one of them already.

I also have a newfound appreciation for my body too, and what it’s capable of doing. I had no idea I could bend in those ways – or how good it could feel…

When we finally fell asleep, it was like every single muscle in my body had been given the workout of its life – but the ache is a very good one. It holds the memory of what we did, and even if it was truly painful, I think I would love it. As it is, I can only think about getting the chance to do it again.

I’m still pillowed on Nico’s chest, probably the most comfortable place I have ever fallen asleep. His chest rises and falls gently under me as he breathes, and I can hear his calm and measured heartbeat. It occurs to me that it’s already some time into the new morning, and I wonder if he’s still asleep – but when I shift slightly to try and find out, he answers me quietly.

“Good morning, Lili,” he says, his voice a deep rumble through his chest under my head.

I turn around to look up at him, twisting in the sheets. Somehow, I don’t at all feel awkward about my nakedness under them, or the way this movement exposes my chest. I feel comfortable with him. I wonder how that happened so quickly.

“Good morning,”