Chapter twenty-one

No running, you have my word. Nico's voice sounded in Dani's mind as she frowned at her phone that was sitting on the bed. She hadn't heard from him since she'd left his apartment yesterday. She had tried not to worry. After all, he had said he had a lot of work to do. But she couldn't help thinking that it was beginning to feel a lot like deja vu. Because him not calling her wasn't the only thing that bothered her. She had called him a couple of times over the past thirty hours, and he hadn't answered any of those calls either. He could have at least sent her a text to tell her he was busy, right? An hour ago, she had decided to go get dressed for their date, because she refused to let herself believe that he was gonna stand her up – or that he had run again. He had given her his word and she trusted him. Period. After one last look in the mirror at the silky burgundy dress she had picked to wear, she grabbed her phone of the bed and went downstairs.

Ray Jay was sitting at the kitchen table, working on his laptop. "Another date?" He asked, looking up. He didn't sound all too happy about the idea, but after the long talk they'd had last night that didn't come as a surprise to Dani. He had admitted that he had misread the situation in Paris, but he had also remained adamant in his low opinion of Nico. Dani was really beginning to wonder what exactly Juliette had told him. She was just about to ask him, when he sighed. "Mom, just so you know… I really hope I'm wrong about Careles, okay?"

Well, it wasn't exactly a vote of confidence, but it was a start, Dani figured. "Thank you, honey." She smiled at her son tentatively. "So, do you have any exciting plans for the evening?"

His own smile was just as tentative. "I promised Linds that I would come visit with her again. She said she also had some friends coming that want to know what living in Paris is like." He rolled his eyes. "But I think she's just saying that because she wants to try and hook me up with one of them."

Just when Dani was about to reply, her phone buzzed. She quickly unlocked the device, walking into the family room for some privacy. "Hey Nico," she said, trying to keep her tone light. Why was he calling her instead of picking her up?

"Hey… Sorry I fell out of touch. I was handling a… situation for a client." Nico was silent for a heartbeat, then cleared his throat. "So, we still on for tonight?"

She hadn't been aware of the tension in her shoulders but now she felt them relax. It made keeping her tone light much easier this time. "I should hope so – I'm all dressed up, you know," she replied.

"Well, in that case… There should be a limo in your driveway right about now."

"Hey, mom? Did you know there's a limo in the driveway?" Ray Jay's voice came from the kitchen almost simultaneously.

Dani rolled her eyes, but felt a smile tugging at her mouth. "Okay, so there's a limo in my driveway," she said into the phone. "And you probably expect me to get in, so I will… But this better not be anything like the last time you sent me a limo, mister." While talking, she walked through the kitchen to the front door, waving her hand at Ray Jay who gave her a smile in return.

Nico chuckled. "Or else you'll slap me again?"

"You better believe it." Stepping outside, she saw the driver of the limo already holding the door open for her. She hurried towards him and smiled in greeting, then got in. "So… where's this limo taking me?" She asked Nico.

Again, he chuckled. "Just sit tight and you'll see soon enough, Doctor. Patience is a virtue, you know. See you in an hour or so." With that he hung up, leaving Dani to frown at the phone – but not for long, because it is hard to frown when there is a huge smile on your face.

An hour or so later the limo came to a stop. The driver got out, but Dani barely noticed that because she was too busy trying to make sense of what she saw through the window: Nico, standing by the open door of a small white airplane, a confident smile on his face. First a limo, now a plane – surely this must be one of her crazy dreams again, right? She pinched her arm. Ouch. Nope, not a dream… Then the driver momentarily blocked her view as he opened the door for her and she blinked. Okay, only one way to find out what was going on here, she figured. Taking a deep breath she got of the car and began walking towards Nico. She felt butterflies take flight in her stomach when his smile widened into a sexy grin as she came closer and she couldn't not return his grin. "You chartered a plane?" She asked when she reached him, a bit surprised that her voice didn't sound all shaky and breathless.

Nico glanced at the plane, then back at her, his eyebrows slightly raised. "I didn't charter it – it's mine."

Dani tilted her head, speechless until she realized that he was probably just kidding. She started smiling to let him know she was on to him, but felt the smile fade when she noticed the serious expression on his face. Wait. "You own a plane?" This time, she did sound a bit shaky.

"Well, technically I own a company that owns a plane, but yes." The grin came back on his face, making him look like a boy showing off his favorite toy.

Dani squinted at him, still not quite sure what to believe. "You mean the security company that you started… when, six weeks ago?" No company could be that profitable in such a short amount of time, could it?

Nico nodded. "That's the one." The grin faded from his face as he said it. "But I didn't start it. Marshall did, almost nineteen years ago. Then he made me partner."

Dani remembered him saying something about that when they'd had lunch together that day she'd run into him outside the DA's office. "And when he died…"

"He left me the company. And the jet." He took her hand and pulled her in for a quick kiss. "So, Doctor, you feel like flying tonight?" He murmured then.

"Depends," she replied, gently wiping her thumb across his lower lip.

He frowned. "On what?"

She held back the smile that was tugging at her lips. "If I get on that plane, will you stop calling me Doctor… Dominic?"

Nico winced a little. "I'd kinda hoped you'd forgotten about that."

She gave him an innocent look, still biting her lips to keep from smiling. "Why? I like Dominic." Better than Eugene, anyway.

"I like Nico," he stated.

Her smile broke through. "Remember that next time you wanna call me Doctor."

"Point taken – Danielle."

Rolling her eyes at that, she let him escort her up the stairs and into the plane. "Oh, hello," she said when a pilot stepped out of the cockpit just as she reached the top of the stairs.

"Good evening, Doctor Santino, and welcome on board. I'm Colin Moore. Nice to meet you." They shook hands and Moore nodded at Nico. "Mr. Careles. We'll be ready for take off in about ten minutes. ETA at STS will be around nine tonight – local time of course."

Dani frowned as she listened. STS? Local time? Why did the sound of that make her feel slightly nervous all of a sudden? "Uh, Nico? Where are we going, exactly?"

Nico nodded his thanks at Moore, who went back into the cockpit. Then he ushered her to one of the luxury cream leather seats. "I thought you might like to go taste some very exclusive wine," he said, sitting down next to her.

"Okay… But we could have gone to some wine bar in Manhattan for that… So again, where are you taking me?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You won't find this wine in Manhattan." He put his finger over her lips when she would have told him to stop with the vague answers already. "I really want you to taste it and hear your opinion on it. So I figured, why not go taste it where it's made – on a small vineyard in Sonoma Valley?" His mouth was smiling a little, but his eyes were all serious.

"S-sonoma Valley…" she stuttered, her mind reeling. "Wait. California?" That was like a five hour flight, wasn't it? And then they had to fly all the way back too… And all for some wine? Not that she didn't enjoy a good wine, but… Sonoma Valley?

He was still giving her that serious look and she got the feeling that this was somehow important to him. "Well, I figured that we could use a little R and R after all that's happened lately," he said.

"R and R?" Dani squinted, feeling her stomach clench. "A-as in… vacation? I thought we were going on a date – I can't just fly off for a vacation! What about Lindsay and Ray Jay?"

Taking her hands, he gave her a reassuring smile. "Dani, relax. You know I would never ask you to leave your kids alone for an extended period of time. We'll be back by tomorrow night. And in the meantime I have arranged some company for Lindsay and Ray Jay."

Oh boy. "Don't tell me you got Xeno to babysit them," she told him, making him chuckle.

"I called your mother. I believe she's bringing your sister with her." Dani closed her eyes on a groan as she imagined her mother and Ronnie having a field day with this – responsible controlfreak Dani, abandoning her kids to go off on an impulsive trip with some wealthy playboy… Or that's what they would probably make of it. She would probably not hear the end of it for years to come…

"Dani?" Nico's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Should I go tell Colin that we're not flying tonight?" She opened her eyes to find him giving her a worried look. "It's okay, you know. I can show you the vineyard some other time." He started to get up.

Making a split-second decision, Dani put her hand on his arm to stop him. "No. Don't."

He looked back at her. "You sure about that?"

She took a deep breath and nodded. "It sounds wonderful, really. It's just…" She shrugged and gave him a slightly apologetic smile. "You know – the limo, the plane, and now this… What's next, you gonna tell me you own the vineyard too?"

"Well, as a matter of fact I do."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course you do." But despite her wry tone and her stomach still slightly clenching with nervousness, she couldn't help feeling excited at discovering this new side to him. So she relaxed into her seat as best she could and fastened her seatbelt, smiling at him. "Well then – why don't you tell me all about this vineyard on the way there?"

The limo that had driven them from Sonoma County Airport to his vineyard pulled up in front of the house. Nico got out and quickly walked around to open the door for Dani. He inhaled deeply and the scent of early summer filled his nostrils, making the stress that living in the city brought with it fade a little. He came here whenever he felt the need to recharge, and a visit had been long overdue. The last time must have been – a year ago? He mentally shook his head. No, even longer. It was after TK got shot, but before Marshall died, so that made it… A gasp came from Dani, and he focused on the here and now again.

She was staring at the house, her eyes wide. "Oh, Nico, it's beautiful," she whispered. There was genuine delight on her face as she too, closed her eyes, inhaled deeply and let out a big sigh. "And so peaceful."

He watched as subtle lines of tension faded from her face and he felt a smile touch his lips. His heart felt lighter than it had since the jet had taken off. During their flight he'd been worrying on and off if whisking her away like this had been such a good idea after all. She'd seemed so… overwhelmed at first, and the last thing he wanted to do was make her feel like she wasn't in control. After all, he knew how scary that feeling could be, he thought, putting his arm around her shoulders and walking her up to the steps that led up to the front patio. "Wait till you see it in the morning," he told her in response to her first remark. He had fallen for the house with its stacked-stone walls and panoramic windows the moment he'd first laid eyes on it. And since that had been on an early spring morning, that would always remain his favorite time of day to look at it. He glanced at Dani then, whose eyes were wandering in all directions as if she was trying to take in everything at once, her lips still slightly parted, and he couldn't help but reconsider – the place looked even more beautiful now, in the evening, with her by his side.

Nico came to a stop on the patio and Dani looked up at him, questioning – but he saw her eyes darken a little the moment she noticed the look on his face. He brought up his hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, lightly touching the bruises that were visible there – although they were fading little by little. He leaned in and kissed her. Her lips were soft as they parted for him and her arms went around his neck, her fingers tangling in his hair, when he let his tongue explore her mouth. Her sweet taste made his head spin. He let his hands slide from her back to her sides and then to the front of her dress, lightly cupping her breasts. She let out a soft moan and arched into him. He pulled back slightly, breaking the kiss and putting his hands on her upper arms. "We should probably take this inside," he murmured when she slowly opened her eyes.

"I like the way you think," she replied, making him smile.

Once inside, Dani didn't seem to want to waste any time in admiring his house. As soon as Nico closed the door behind them she stepped back into his embrace, pressing her soft curves against his body in all the right places. Their kiss started out gentle, but soon grew more heated. Her breathing became just as erratic as his own when he put his hands back on her breasts, his thumbs skating lightly over her nipples. She let out that soft moan again and it was all he could do to not tear that sexy dress off her right there. But he wanted to take his time, so he pulled his mouth from hers. Taking her hand, he led her up the stairs to the master bedroom. "Why don't you get comfortable, I'll be right back," he said.

"Hurry up or I might get cold," she said. Then she turned around, wiggled her shoulders around a bit and somehow made her dress slide down her body until it was pooling at her ankles, making his mouth go dry at the sight of her smooth skin now covered by nothing other than some scraps of burgundy satin.

Nico couldn't resist putting his arm around her waist from behind and kissing that magic spot at the junction of her neck and shoulder, making her shiver. "Don't worry, I'll warm you up." Letting her go, he left the room and hurried downstairs again, a smile on his lips. Although he suspected that wine tasting in the traditional sense was the furthest thing from both their minds right now, he had promised her wine, hadn't he?

Entering the bedroom again, carrying a bottle of his best red wine and two glasses on a tray, Nico found Dani lying on her back in the middle of his bed, her hair and eyes shimmering with the reflection of the soft light coming from the candles she had lit in his absence. The smile that came on her face when she saw his admiring gaze was sweet and a little shy – and he just couldn't stand being this far away from her. Putting the tray down on the nightstand he joined her on the bed, gathered her in his arms and pulling her on top of him. "You look amazing," he whispered. She brought her face down to his, her hair brushing his cheeks, and kissed him. For a while the only sounds in the room were the soft gasps and moans coming from both of them as their hands roamed everywhere, touching and stroking, exploring each other with infinite tenderness. Somehow her lingerie and his shirt seemed to vanish into thin air and the sensation of her smooth, warm skin against his own made Nico wish the same thing would happen to his pants. Just before Dani's nimble fingers reached his waistband however, he remembered his intentions of taking it slow tonight. He stopped her by rolling her to her back again. Before she could protest, he silenced her with another kiss. Then he left her to pour some wine in a glass.

She leaned up on her elbows, which did wonderful things to her breasts, tilted her head and squinted. "Really? You wanna drink wine – now?"

He drank some of his wine, hiding the smile that tugged at his mouth at her impatience. "I told you I wanted you to taste it." With that, he put the glass down again and went back to her. As soon as his tongue found its way into her mouth again, she released an appreciative moan.

"Oh, you're right – that is a delicious wine…" she whispered when the kiss ended. Her eyes lit up with a naughty twinkle. "I bet I can make it taste even better though." She pushed him away and went to get his glass. Gving him a teasing look she drank some wine, then dipped her finger in the glass. Nico's dick strained in his pants and his mind grew a little fuzzy at the sight of her tongue coming out to slowly lick her finger clean. "Oh – wait…" she gave him a sweet smile. "I have an even better idea…" Before he knew what was happening, she climbed back on the bed and straddled him. Then she dribbled some wine on his nipple, making him gasp at the unfamiliar sensation. She downed the last of the wine in the glass, leaned forward – and there was that tongue again, now licking him clean… Nico groaned, clenching his eyes shut. Bringing up his hands to frame her face he brought her head up and smashed his mouth to hers again. Taking it slow had just gone out the window.

Even through his pants Nico could feel how hot Dani was for him, and he needed to be inside her – now. Putting his hands on her hips he urged her to lift herself up a little, so he could open his pants, shove down his underpants and free himself. When he was done with that, he slid a finger inside her, causing her to throw her head back on a moan. She was more than ready for him and Nico wasted no more time. Pulling his finger out and grabbing her hips again, he thrust upwards at the same time she came down. Pleasure overtook his mind when he slid in to the hilt. Her hands pushed at his shoulders as she sat up a little straighter. They moaned in unison as they began to move slowly, his fingers digging into her hips, her nails digging into his shoulders. "Dani, I'm yours – take me," he echoed her words from the other night when he sensed her starting to climb the peak.

She stopped moving, holding his gaze with hers. Nico saw a look of wonder cross her face as she studied him and found the truth in his eyes. He was hers. He loved her, he trusted her. He surrendered all control to her. She started moving again, slowly at first, then picking up the pace and increasing the friction. He followed the rhythm she set up until her muscles clenched around him tightly when she came apart and he gladly followed her over the edge, holding himself rigid as he spent himself deep inside her. She collapsed on top of him, panting just as hard as he was.

Spent, they just held on to each other for a while, both of them basking in the sense of peace and quiet that came over them.

Dawn was breaking, setting the room in a golden glow, when Dani woke up. For a moment she just lay on her side with her eyes closed, memories of the previous night bringing a blissful smile on her lips. Slowly turning to her other side, she opened her eyes – and found Nico gone. She reached out to where he should have been and found the sheets cool, telling her that he'd been gone for a while. He was probably downstairs drinking coffee or something. Rolling to her back and stretching languidly, she decided to go look for him. Maybe he'd be interested in some morning lovema– Dani bolted upright when a hoarse scream pierced the air, coming from somewhere outside the room.

A/N: OK, I just can't seem to make myself say goodbye to this story... That's why writing this chapter was a bit slow, I think. I told you last chapter that there were two more chapters left, but as it turns out, there may be a bit more than that. But I don't want to draw it out too long either, so the end is still near!

Please tell me what you think, and thanks again for the reviews so far!