Sweet On You - By Kate Perry Page 0,44

moved to her side and ran a possessive hand down the length of her hair. "That's not the usual reaction I get when I walk into a room."

Daniela lifted her face. "There's a first time for everything. Nico, these are my friends Eve and Lola."

"Ladies." He smiled at her friends and then dropped a kiss on her lips. "I'll leave so you can continue to discuss me."

Something warmed in the pit of her stomach as she watched him leave, something that didn't have anything to do with carnal pleasure and everything to do with affection. She'd only been here a couple days, but she wasn't ready to go home. Even if Tony went back to New York, she'd stay here.

"You do like him," Eve said softly, a twinkle in her eyes. "You're visually eating him up like he's a chocolate croissant."

She turned to them. "How do you know if you're in love? How did you guys know with your men?"

Lola and Eve both shrugged, but it was Lola who said, "It's different for everyone. But, really, Daniela, the answer's inside you if you're honest with yourself."

She looked inward, wondering. If Nonna were here, she'd tell her to make zabaglione and stir in thoughts of him—if it came out sweet, it meant she was in love. If it curdled, he wasn't right for her.

But Lola was right—she didn't need to make zabaglione to know. The answer was there in every beat of her heart.

Nico stood in his bathroom. His once-tidy counter was covered in mysterious feminine things. There was enough makeup piled there to stock a department store. When Daniela had said she called her assistant and asked her to deliver "a few things" she'd need while she stayed with him, he hadn't expected this.

Oddly, he hadn't minded either. It was... not bad, actually. The noise and the clutter of having someone else around was actually nice.

He picked up the random fluff of underwear from the floor. Red: his favorite color.

He smiled at it. No, it wasn't bad having Daniela there—at all.

He'd never pictured himself living with anyone, much less someone like Daniela. Jason was right: Nico would never have picked someone like her because she was too messy.

She made him too messy.

The stillness from the other room informed him the women were gone. He tossed the panties in the laundry hamper and walked out into the living room. He stood in the entryway, watching Daniela clean up the detritus from her impromptu tea party. He'd liked seeing her with her friends, even if they'd burst into girlish giggles the moment he'd walked into the room.

It made him wonder what she told them about him.

"If you know what's good for you, you'd help me carry this into the kitchen," she said without turning around.

Grinning, he slipped behind her and gripped her around the waist.

"That's not helping," she murmured.

But he could hear the smile in her voice, and he nuzzled her neck. "It's helping me a lot."

Laughing, she set the things back on the table and turned in his arms. She circled his neck with her arms and kissed him.

It never got old. Every touch, kiss, embrace was new and different. Exciting. "Remind me to give Jason a bonus."

"What?"

"Nothing." He smiled. "Did you have a good time with your friends?"

"Yes." She smiled happily. "I love them. I haven't had female friends since I graduated from high school. Culinary arts are so competitive, and I worked so much, and Tony was my best friend, anyway..."

Her voice trailed off, some of the brightness fading from her expression.

It surprised him how much he didn't like seeing her light dimmed. He touched the corner of her mouth with his thumb. "But now you have me, and those women, who were frightening, by the way."

She laughed, like he meant her to. "How were they frightening?"

"They looked like they were hungry and I was the main course." He pretended to shudder.

Laughing more, she pushed his shoulder. "You loved it. And they didn't look at you that way. They're both happily taken with studs of their own."

"Are you saying I'm a stud?"

"That's what you're always telling me." She smirked at him.

Bending, he put his shoulder into her waist and lifted her over his shoulder.

"Nico!" she shrieked. "Put me down."

"Okay." He took her to the couch, set her on top, and covered her with his body.

Laughing, she pretended to push him away. "You're a brute."

"You love that about me."

"I do." She warmly gazed up at him, running her hand along