Chapter Thirty-nine
NINA
Five Years Earlier
ITALY
Ronan was finally back in Italy for the whole summer.
My heart practically vibrated in my chest at the thought.
After months of late-night phone calls, voice notes, and me crying over my absolute worst decision ever—dyeing my hair auburn—I was finally going to see my boyfriend again.
Where I could actually touch him, not only watch him through a screen.
I glanced at my reflection in the small mirror by the door, fingers running through the auburn strands I had spent three days mourning.
“I still don’t know if I hate you or if we’re starting to get along,” I muttered to myself.
Ronan had listened to me sob about it for hours, promising I’d still be beautiful even if I shaved my head.
“Have you cleaned up your room, Nina?”
My mother’s voice rang through the tiny apartment, and I shut my eyes, exhaling before answering, “Yes, Mamma.”
A skeptical pause. “Hm. I don’t believe you.”
I rolled my eyes before heading into the kitchen, where she stood by the stove, stirring something fragrant. “You can check,” I challenged, leaning against the counter.
She gave me that look—the one that said she would check, and if she found so much as a sock out of place, I’d never hear the end of it. But instead, she sighed and said, “I don’t know if you can start fashion school this year.”
And there it was. The thing I’d known was coming but had been avoiding thinking about.
I swallowed, my stomach twisting. “I figured,” I admitted, forcing a shrug. “But I’m going to work twice as hard to get more money. I’ll save up.”
My mother’s eyes softened, but there was something else there, too—guilt. “Bambina78, I know how much you want this.”
“I will have it,” I said firmly. “I have to work harder. Being poor should actually be illegal.”
“Nina! Non dire queste cose!79” She flicked a spoonful of sauce at me, and I yelped, dodging it. “We have what we need.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I muttered, but before she could launch into another speech about gratitude, a sharp knock at the door sent my heart straight into my throat.
I knew that knock.
I didn’t even hesitate. I ripped the door open, and there he was.
Ronan.
His skin was kissed by the sun, his sharp jawline was just as devastating, and his familiar grayish-blue eyes locked onto mine before I all but launched myself into his arms. He caught me, holding me tight against him, his chest rumbling with laughter as I buried my face in his neck.
“You’re here,” I whispered, inhaling the scent of him—citrus, salt, something distinctly him.
“I told you I’d be back, didn’t I?”
I pulled back enough to cup his face, my lips parting in shock. “Aspetta—” My fingers tangled in his hair, realization hitting me like a bolt of lightning. “Your hair.”
His lips twitched. “What about it?”
“It’s auburn.”
Ronan smirked, tilting his head. “You said you felt weird because you dyed yours,” he said, his voice impossibly soft. “So I dyed mine too. Now we match.”
Something in my chest snapped.
“You idiot,” I whispered, but my throat was tight, my eyes burning.
“Your idiot,” he corrected, brushing his lips against my forehead.
I crushed my mouth against his, kissing him like I could make up for all the time and distance between us. Because he was here. He was mine. And this summer, auburn hair and all, belonged to us.
A sharp throat-clearing shattered the little bubble Ronan and I had wrapped ourselves in. My spine stiffened, and I turned my head in time to see my mother standing a few feet away, arms crossed, expression unreadable.
Ronan immediately straightened, setting me gently back on my feet before stepping forward with polite stiffness. “Buonasera, Signora Moretti,” he greeted, voice steady, but I felt the tension in his posture.
My mother gave him a slow, assessing nod. “Ronan.” A pause. Then, “Nina, remember to—”
“Mamma, no,” I cut in before she could finish, my eyes widening in warning.
I would not be hearing another safe-sex lecture right now.
She huffed, shaking her head before stepping forward and pressing a quick kiss to my cheek. “I’m off now,” she murmured, then turned to Ronan with a look that could turn grown men into stone. “Dinner’s on the stove. Be good. And be safe. Both of you.”
Ronan, to his credit, nodded obediently. “Yes, ma’am.”
I bit my lip to hold back a laugh as she finally left, the door clicking shut behind her. The moment she was gone, Ronan exhaled, running a hand through his very auburn hair. “Your mom scares me.”
I grinned. “I know.”
He shook his head like he couldn’t believe it, then glanced down at me as we walked into my bedroom. “You saw your parents already?” I asked.
“Yeah. My mom cried. My dad told me I looked stupid.” He smirked. “Business as usual.”
I snorted, my fingers finding his hair again, tugging at the now-familiar color. “I still can’t believe you did this.”
His brows lifted. “Can’t believe what? That I look amazing?”
“That you actually dyed your hair auburn because I felt weird about mine!”
Ronan’s smirk softened into something warmer. “Why wouldn’t I? You hated it, and I wanted you to feel less alone.” He dipped his head slightly. “Besides, I kind of like us matching.”
Something melted inside me, turning my bones to liquid, and before I could think twice, I surged forward and kissed him. He tasted like scotch and something unmistakably him, and when I tugged him closer, he didn’t hesitate to follow, his hands gripping my waist like he never wanted to let go.
When I finally pulled away, enough to breathe, I whispered against his lips, “You’re never leaving my bed to go back to New York.”
His forehead rested against mine, his breath warm as he murmured, “Sì, I don’t want to leave it.”
I didn’t want space between us. Not even an inch. My fingers curled into his shirt, pulling him closer, deepening the kiss until I felt his breath hitch.
Then I let go. Not all at once, enough to reach for the buttons of my dress, sliding them open one by one.
Ronan’s hands twitched at his sides. His throat bobbed as he watched me push the fabric off my shoulders, letting it slip to the floor in a soft whisper of fabric.
His jaw clenched. “Nina… I don’t have any—”
“I trust you,” I whispered.
His gaze flickered, hesitation surfacing. “Are you sure? I know how you—”
I kissed him before he could finish, cutting him off with the press of my lips. Then, when I pulled back, I brushed my fingers against his jaw and murmured, “Ronan, shut up and make me cum.”
His eyes darkened with desire, and it made my heart race. He stepped closer, the heat between us thickening with every inch.
“You’re sure about this?” His voice was low, rough, like he was struggling to keep himself in check. But I could see it in his eyes—he wasn’t about to pull away.
I nodded, my fingers running over his chest as I whispered, “Yes. No more talking, just...”
He didn’t need to hear more. With a growl, he kissed me again—hard, urgent, like he couldn’t wait any longer. His hands slid to my waist, pulling me closer as his lips moved against mine, driving away every last ounce of doubt I’d had.
His hands slid down my body, slowly, deliberately, before lifting me up against him. The weight of him felt grounding, and as his lips moved to my neck, I let out a soft moan, pulling him even closer.
“God, Nina...” His voice was thick with desire, but there was something else in it—something deeper that made my pulse quicken.
“You’re gonna be a good girl for me, aren’t you?” he asked. I didn’t reply, but moved almost imperceptibly against his cock. “Aren’t you, tesoro?”
I nodded.
He grabbed my throat. “Words.”
At last, I met his gaze and simply said, “Yes.”
My arms wrapped around his neck, hands locking together as I felt his hair and the skin at the back of his neck.
He leaned over to take a nipple between his lips. His tongue flicked over it, sending more jolts of erotic electricity straight down between my legs.
“I missed you,” he told me, grinning. “All of you.” His hands came up to grasp my breast, fingers traveling inward until he was holding me only by my nipples. He squeezed, and I gasped.
“Sensitive there, aren’t you?”
How did I even go four months without feeling Ronan wrapped me?
I nodded, my eyes widening again as another surge of pain—and pleasure—came from his probing fingers. “Yes!” I gasped.
He twisted, hard enough to make me feel the burn as my nipples stiffened and grew in his fingertips. Pressing his mouth to mine again, he slid his arms around my back and lifted me.
He looked down at me, drawing me into his gaze. “Let me do all the work,” he told me, as he quickly undressed and went to his knees.
Thank God.
This was my favorite part about Ronan—he always knew the right way to use his mouth.
I watched as he pushed my thighs wider and moved his head toward my throbbing pussy.
“Oh my—fuck,” I whispered, trying my best to keep quiet, then I thrust my hips forward with haste.
He started slowly at first, teasing me until out of nowhere, he started devouring me, and I couldn’t find the words to scream. My hands ran through his hair, then lowered to clutch his neck as my orgasm hit. I arched, almost falling off the edge of the bed.
He held me firmly and began licking again as soon as my breathing slowed.
He glanced at me briefly, then, before I knew it, his head dipped and he was back to eat my pussy, while his fingers found their way to my clit. My teeth were clenched, and when he started tongue–fucking me, I groaned, and my shaking thighs involuntarily gripped his head.
“Baby,” I moaned, as I felt a second orgasm wash me. “God, yes!”
My legs shook as I draped them over his shoulders, and after a minute, I pressed my body against him. Then, I gripped his head in my hands.
“You make me…” I gasped. “I can’t even…”
He stood up, then, without missing a beat, captured our lips again. “Taste your cum on my tongue.”
I threw my head back, but not before he kissed me again, and I tasted myself.
“Your pussy is so wet,” he whispered.
“Because of you.” I looked into his eyes, losing myself again. I couldn’t form sentences as he dropped his boxers. I drop to my knees, where I can see how hard he is. He grasps it at the base, slowly stroking its length. As my lips closed over the head, my fingers went to massage his balls.
“You’re gonna suck, or you want me to face-fuck you?”
I swallowed. “Option two.”
He slid into my mouth, first with ease. Then after a while, he sped up, moaning softly and muttering curses.
His hips thrust forward harder, pegging the head of his cock against my throat, and I gagged.
He paused, then looked down at me. “You okay?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Relax your throat,” he whispered, and I did, allowing him to push further.
“Good girl,” he praised, then slid forward in my mouth again.
I gasped loudly, strings of saliva streaming from my lower lip onto my breasts.
He cupped my cheek. “Dio, sei bellissima così.80”
Pulling his cock from my mouth, he gently sat me on the bed, and for a minute, gazed at me.
“You’re so perfect, amore mia.”
His eyes were inviting, and without giving any warning, I stood up shakily, straddled him, and sank on his dick.
God, I felt… I missed this.
Nothing could ever compare to being filled by Ronan.
Even more so because this was our first time without a condom.
“Fuck,” he breathed, “Your pussy feels so good.”
His hands grazed the tops of my legs and slid around my hips.
As I sank further, my eyes widened, and I moaned. A little too loudly.
“You.” I breathed. “Are.” I panted. “So.” I cried. “Big.”
He chuckled and looked at me. “You feel so good sitting on my cock,”
I moved my hips, coaxing whatever else of him I could take, and my eyes rolled back as my breath caught in my throat.
“Ronan!” I screamed, “Oh my gosh!”
Why did I think I could take all of it?
“You like sitting on my cock, don’t you?” He pulled the scrunchie from my hair and let the curls fall over my shoulders.
His words only heightened my desire, and I moved my hips faster, with more purpose and fluidity.
“God, yes!” I moaned. My head dropped, my hair splattering as I kept the pace consistent.
“Tell me how much you like this… how much you like taking my cock raw?”
“I l-love it,” I stammered, and he slapped my ass. “So much.”
I leaned forward, and that did it. We were coming. Hard and fast. At last, I dropped onto him, my head landing on his chest as he filled me with his cum, and my body shuddered from the pleasure.
The room was quiet now, save for the soft rhythm of our breathing as we lay tangled in the sheets. My skin was flushed, every inch of me still shaking. Ronan’s arm was draped over me, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm.
He shifted slightly, pressing a soft kiss to the top of my head. “Let me clean you up.”
I glanced down at my legs, still shaking, and shook my head softly. “I cannot stand,” I whispered.
He chuckled, a low, satisfied sound. “Then I’ve done my job well.”
I smiled, a lazy, satisfied smile that tugged at my lips. “You really did.”
Ronan grinned, his hand brushing my hair back from my face.
He leaned down and kissed me, slow and deep, his lips tasting of sweetness and something indescribable that left me breathless.
When we finally pulled away, he rested his forehead against mine, his smile gentle and content. Everything felt perfect.