ARIA

For all the right reasons?

I doubt I'm ready to take on Nicco's brand of depravity, but I make every effort to push aside my misgivings. On a night like tonight, I feel too light and too free to be tied down. Tonight is for living.

Fuck everything else!

I gaze up at Nicco with my heart in my eyes and a pulse between my legs. Desire surges in me. I walk toward him and slide my hands over his broad shoulders. Rising on my toes, I rain kisses along the chiseled line of his jaw while whispering, "Then make me fucking scream."

"Does this mean I have permission," he murmurs in a voice brimming with mischief, "to do whatever I want tonight?"

"I should probably stop you," I muse recklessly, "but I won't."

Within seconds, Nicco's hands capture my waist. He picks me up as though I weigh next to nothing. My legs wrap around his waist while he carries me across the garage. I giggle at his eagerness. Before I know it, I'm hoisted onto the black leather seat of his Ducati motorcycle.

"Voglio baciarti. Da tutte le parti. Adesso," he growls.

Confused, I ask him to translate, "What did you say?"

Nicco's gaze darkens, and his body tenses as though primed and ready for fucking.

"A kiss. Now," he rasps the bare minimum into English.

The tip of my tongue darts out. I wet my lips and ready myself to kiss Nicco. On the mouth. As I lean in, however, he pulls away. "No, no, baby. Not there."

"No?" I mutter with a furrowed brow.

Smirking, his hand nudges my knees apart. "Here."

Both eyes widen. I exhale softly, "Oh, fuck."

Even better.

My heart thuds, hard, when his demand registers in my brain. The realization throbs all the way down to my core. Like the thirsty bitch I am, I comply without hesitation, spreading my legs for him. Now, it's his turn to grin at my eagerness. He shoves my skirt up to my waist and slides my panties down my legs. Nicco's towering frame sinks before me. His knees hit the ground. He pulls my legs over his shoulders until his face is positioned between them. Fingertips graze my inner thighs. A whispering touch here. A light caress there. The thrill of anticipation keeps building within.

Our eyes meet.

Nicco holds my gaze when he finally moves in to kiss me. Not on the mouth. But between my legs. His lips and tongue feel like sin on my bare pussy. Every nerve thrums with desire. My eyes close. A faint moan escapes me.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

But I need more.

"Please," I beg, hips writhing as I try to rub my desperate, needy clit against his mouth.

"Please... what?"

"You know what I want."

"Be a good girl," taunts Nicco, "and use your words."

Glaring and grumbling, I tell him, "I want your..."

"My... what?"

"Your mouth..."

"My mouth... where?"

With warm cheeks, I force the dirty, little words out of me, "You mouth on my clit."

The bastard rejects me right away, "Not yet, baby."

"What!"

With a wicked chuckle, Nicco proceeds to undermine my efforts, eating me like I'm a ripe honeyed peach but refusing to give me what I want most. He pleasures me everywhere except—there.

Sadistic bully.

His lips continue to kiss mine. Nipping at my folds. Sucking on my pussy. Tracing circles and drawing lines with the tip of his tongue. Nicco's muscled arms loop around my thighs, pulling me closer. His tongue slides inside me. He fucks me with it. My eyes roll to the ceiling as delight sings through my veins. He keeps tormenting me in this way. Wet and hot, I'm practically panting. It's not enough, though, and Nicco seems totally fine with taking his sweet fucking time, edging me to oblivion.

Desperate, I whimper, "Baby, please, I need—"

Nicco grunts over my plea, "Patience. Trust me when I say that I am preparing you."

He smiles against my clit and gives the hard little nub a ghost of a kiss. I gasp at the sweet sensation, instantly craving more contact. "Preparing me for... what?"

His eyes dart toward the black gift box for a second. "Your present."

Nicco's attention returns to me. I sigh in appreciation as he replaces his tongue with two fingers. He starts fucking me again, pumping the digits in and out of my slickness. Lust clouds my mind. It's hard to focus. By now, I can feel my own wetness dripping down my thighs.

Struggling to think and form words at the same time, I pant, "My... present?"

What the hell did he get me again?

Some sort of... toy?

Without warning, Nicco's fingers slip out of me. My pussy clenches as though searching for him. I'm about to protest when he winks and says, "Now... you are ready for it."

He leaves my side and returns with the gift box. My hands are nearly trembling with need and want when I tear the box open. Inside, I find two smaller packages wrapped in matching matte black paper. Nicco hands me the square-shaped one. "Open this first."

I unwrap it and blush like a bright red tomato when I realize what he's given me. Nicco eyes my reaction with amusement, but he's too much of a gentleman to tease me about it.

"Jesus, fuck," I breathe out an awed whisper. I can't believe that I was right. I'm no prude, but I've never used anything like this before. Nicco really went for it. The shameless bastard actually got me a toy.

It's U-shaped. Made of black silicone. One end looks like it might slide into me like a dildo. The other end appears to be designed to stimulate the clit. It looks pretty high-tech, too. The kind that can be controlled through an app on the phone.

I still need to come, badly, and this toy looks like it can make me see stars. It's getting harder and harder to breathe. Nicco's hand returns to my thigh, sliding up, higher, touching me, caressing me. My heart races with exhilaration. The air feels hot, heady, and thick with our passion.

Boldly, he takes the toy from my hand and offers in a voice low and soft, "Allow me, principessa."

"Yes, baby, yes," I moan while he teases the smooth, rounded silicone tip along my slit, up and down, up and down, until it glistens with my excitement. I cling to him when he catches my mouth in a deep, soul-searing kiss. Our tongues dance in time to Nicco's gentle, unhurried thrusts as he eases the length of the toy inside me. Deft fingers position the other end, securing it snugly over my clit.

Then, to my shock, Nicco commands, "Get dressed, baby."

Heat and pleasure muddle my senses. "What the hell? I thought we were going to—"

In a few quick strides, he retrieves a leather jacket and pair of jeans from one of the glossy white built-in cabinets along the garage wall. Nicco tosses them to me. "Put these on or else you will get cold."

Frowning, I inspect the jacket and jeans. The jacket is too large for me, and I suspect it belongs to Nicco. The leather smells like his cologne. The jeans, however, look brand new, and they're my size. The man's attention to detail appears second to none, and he definitely knows my body very well at this point.

"Where are you taking me?"

Narrowing his green eyes a bit deviously, he offers me a helmet. "A drive."

He can't be serious. I gape at him. "Right now?"

"Right fucking now."

A hot, heavy pulse hits low in my belly. Feeling beyond flustered and turned on, I gesture to the toy still inside me, "But what about—"

"It stays in."

I suck in a breath. Oh, fuckity-fuck-fuck. I realize, then, that this night is going to be absolutely wild, and the craziest part has only begun. I shouldn't go along with Nicco's insanity. But I do. I get dressed with the toy still inside me. Nicco's leather jacket engulfs my smaller frame, and I kind of love the feel of it all around me. Like I'm a part of him, and he's a part of me.

When I'm fully clothed again, I glance over. Nicco taps something on his phone and, suddenly, a low, pleasurable vibration hums to life inside me. I squeeze my thighs together, gasping, "Oh, God..."

Nicco urges, "Let go, baby. Just let go of everything."

My nerves are a mess. "What?"

"Do it for me. Per favore."

"I..."

"Nothing else matters tonight, okay? Nothing except you and me. Living like there is no tomorrow."

"Okay, okay," I whisper as my chest tightens with some kind of beautiful, wrenching emotion, "I'll try."

I want what he's offering on a visceral level. My entire life I feel like I've been pining for just one measly star, and, now, Nicco is about to give me the whole damn sky.

It's too much.

My heart can't fucking take it.

Ever the gentleman, Nicco assists me with my helmet before putting on his own. Then, he guides me back onto his Ducati and straddles the seat behind me. I feel the solid wall of his chest press along my back. Strong, muscular thighs cradle mine. My ass tucks firmly into his crotch. His arms wrap around me as we grip the steering together.

He hits the ignition. The Ducati roars to life. Nicco's deep, husky voice floats over my shoulder, "Ready?"

I swallow. Hard. The rumble from the bike and the vibration from my toy is doing all kinds of naughty things to my insides. I swear to God, I'm about ten seconds away from coming. Playing with dildos and Ducatis at the same damn time is probably a death wish waiting to happen, but I'm too invested at this point to chicken out.

This moment feels significant. I sense the power that it's unleashing in me. I want, more than anything, to let it all go and live like there's no tomorrow.

With a set of my jaw, I declare, "Ready."

The garage door opens, and the engine revs up from zero to sixty within three seconds flat. I shriek in delight as we shoot out into the dark of night. Even in the summer, Inverness is about ten degrees colder than London. The chilly air nips the skin on my exposed knuckles. A rush of adrenaline floods my senses. I grip the handlebars tighter. The buzz between my thighs intensifies. I can't help but moan.

My heart is about to pound out of my chest. Nicco drives as though fear doesn't exist in his world. At one point, the road starts winding and curving, and, with every twist and turn, our entire bike tilts to a dangerous forty-five-degree angle from ground level. We're inches away from skidding into an early grave. Nicco keeps going faster, faster, faster still. But I can sense his skill. He's in total control of this chaos.

When we reach a safer, straighter stretch of road, the crazy bastard does the unthinkable. One of his hands slides into his pocket. Within the same second, I feel the toy pulse harder than ever. Humming against my walls. Humming against my clit.

Oh, God.

Oh, God.

My hips start writhing against their will, needing the friction, chasing my orgasm. I'm about to—

Nicco removes his hands from steering the bike and shouts into the night, "Your turn!"

I scream in terror as I try not come, "The fuck are you doing!"

He laughs like a madman. "Try not to get us killed, baby."

I didn't know it was possible to be so fucking pissed and turned on in the same minute. I nearly have a heart attack as I scramble to grab the handles. "Oh, my God! Oh, my God! We're gonna die! We're going to fucking die!"

Nicco places his hands over mine, holding them steady. "Relax, baby. You got this. Do not be afraid. I am here. Just keep your eyes fixed straight ahead. Steady, steady, sì, just like that..."

Nicco coaches me through my fears. As my confidence builds, he lets go again and gives me full control of the Ducati. At nearly one hundred miles per hour, we ride on and on and on into the darkness. My nerves begin to ease. I'm actually enjoying myself. A little too much, probably. The hum of the toy grows even stronger. I'm beginning to feel lightheaded. I toss my head back, half-moaning, half-laughing, to the skies. It's like I'm cheating death as pleasure winds up and down my spine, my pussy starts contracting, air rips from my lungs, and, at last, my orgasm hits, riding out in burst after burst of bone-melting euphoria. My eyes snap shut as my world shatters in bliss. I've never come so hard in my life.

Nicco grabs the handles and starts steering for us again. If not for his arms keeping me upright, I think I would've climaxed right off the goddamn bike. My head lolls to the side in the afterglow, resting on his shoulder. Nicco is the only thing anchoring me in place. He's still driving like a madman, but I feel safe in his arms. Smiling, my eyes flutter open. Stars shine above us. Shadowy mountains loom in the distance. There's nothing but open road up ahead. My senses continue to fly. The night feels infinite, and I've never felt more alive.

Nicco was right. Tonight is turning out to be unforgettable. Because he is unforgettable. Nicco has sparked something inside me that I never believed I could have.

Is this what it feels like to finally find someone that you're scared of losing?

Shit, I think so.

Do I have what it takes to hold on to a man like Nicco Vitale, though?

As he drives us into the deep, dark hours of the night, blurred scenery whips by in phantom-like shadows, and the hell-raising speed of our acceleration compels me to throw caution to the wind.

Do not be afraid.

Nicco's advice from moments ago echoes through my mind.

Just your eyes fixed straight ahead.

I think he might be right again. I can't keep looking back. Not at Maya or Jaime or my parents. It's time to let go, take a leap of faith, and pray that Nicco and I won't crash and burn. Hope dares to enter my heart. It gives me the audacity to believe that maybe, just maybe, we might have a shot at happiness together.