"Wait!" Her call is so desperate I stop in my tracks and give her a quizzical look. "I have a... a... favor I wanted t-to ask you. Please."
"A favor, on top of me already staying here and watching out for your ass?" I hiss. She blanches. Nicoletta doesn't need to know watching her tight little behind swinging from side to side isn't annoying at all – but it sure is fucking tempting, because with each sway of her hips, I'm picturing myself buried to the hilt inside her. And if nothing else, it's fucking distracting.
"I'm sorry," she mutters. "I shouldn't have said anything. I'm so stupid."
I want to defend her, but I know it's best if I keep my mouth shut. But in the end, I prove to myself I'm even weaker than Nicoletta.
"What kind of favor do you need?" I ask in a low growl. She fidgets with my shirt on top of her dress, refusing to look at me. "Come on principessa, spit it out. I'm not going to wait all night for you to grow a pair of balls and say it."
"I need you to help me." The words tumble from her lips now. "I want to be a good wife to your brother."
"Good," I bark. "And?"
"And..." She flushes a pretty shade of pink. "I don't think I know how to do that."
"What do you mean?"
"Being a wife." She gives me a meaningful look. "Everything it entails... I was hoping you could help me with that."
"You want me to teach you... what, exactly?"
"How to... make myself pretty, presentable, desirable," Nicoletta whispers. "How to kiss him, touch him right. I want to be the perfect wife for him. I can never let Adrian down."
"You want me to teach you how to fuck," I scoff. "Is that it, principessa?"
Nicoletta looks right into my eyes and nods.
"Yes. Yes, that's what I'm asking for. So... Will you?"
3
Nicoletta
I wait, the question still fresh on my lips while Ryder watches me intently.
"This is one dumb idea," he tells me. "I shouldn't entertain it for even a second."
"Then why are we still talking about it?" I smile tentatively. "Please, Ryder. I really need your help."
Watching him closely, I try to decipher what his opinion on my request really is. Does he want me? Is he just playing along so he doesn't piss off Papa? Am I imagining the tension, the chemistry between us, or is it really there? Soon, I will find out. I think he wants to kiss me, I can tell from the way he's staring at my lips, his brows furrowed.
"Your papa would kill me if I did this," Ryder finally mutters. "You know damn well we shouldn't, Nicoletta."
"Please." I'm getting desperate, but I'm not embarrassed. I'm going to get what I want, no matter what. Even if I have to beg for it. "I'm so embarrassed. I can't ask anybody else to help me, you know Papa doesn't let me talk to other men. You'd be doing me a huge favor, and I'll repay it the first chance I get. Just please, Ryder. Please do this for me."
"No," he shakes his head vehemently. "It's a stupid idea and it would get both of us into a ton of trouble. Let's stop talking about it."
He makes a move to walk away from me, but I've already grabbed his hand, pulling him back. I tug his sweatshirt up over my head and throw it to my bed. His eyes are on me. I know he can see the shape of me through my nightdress.
"Please," I plead again. "I really need this. I don't want to embarrass myself on my wedding night. What will Adrian think? He'll be so unimpressed... Please, help me impress your brother."
I can see the wheels are turning in Ryder's head. He's calculating whether it's worth it, and as his watchful gaze slides over my body, I stand up straighter on an instinct. I don't even understand why I'm doing this. Well, no, that's a lie.
I'm not doing this because I'm so desperate to have my first kiss.
I'm doing it because I want my first kiss to happen with him – Ryder Bernardi, my fiancé's brother. I want him to touch me. To fuck me. I should be ashamed of myself and yet all I feel is excitement at the prospect of him saying yes and giving me exactly what I want. I pucker my lips and give him my best puppy dog eyes, the ones that work so perfectly on Papa.
"I shouldn't do this," Ryder finally mutters, his gaze guiltily resting on my lips.
"But you want to." I smile, knowing I've got him right where I want him – wrapped around my little finger. "Please, Ryder, show me how to kiss, so I can be a good bride for your brother..."