by E. M. Gayle
I looked at her intently, considering that question. I really didn't think I needed one. I wasn't in the position of needing an heir and I liked my freedom. But for the second time in my life, I could almost picture something more. And like it or not, Nova was the complete package. Looks, money, smarts. She would make an interesting foil. For a time.
"I think I already have..." I bent low and took her by surprise by pressing my mouth to hers. Yes, I’d made up my mind...
17
Nova
The next day came and went with no more word from Ronin or Rock. I dropped my phone into my purse. I was done staring at it, waiting for the damned thing to come to life.
I'd worked through the day until almost midnight and returned to work before the sun came up. Now, fifteen hours later, I still couldn't sleep. Not with my entire life hanging in the balance. Between the upcoming fashion show, Ronin not responding to my texts and Rock pulling an abrupt about face, I was feeling low.
Rock had apparently decided to give me space. If he was trying to prove I would miss him, he'd accomplished that. I didn't just miss him, I ached for him. Then there was the confusing kiss Ronin had left me with. That bastard wasn't playing fair at all. Hell, neither of them were.
On top of that… As predicted, the word about my engagement had hit the internet and set the town on fire. My team was doing their level best to field all the calls, emails, and social media messages requesting an interview or an official statement, which I had so far declined to give. Everyone wanted details about the man I was planning to marry. My friends weren't much better. They were pressing me for the juicy deets and desperate to get together. If not for the fashion show, I would not be able to avoid them.
"Do I want to know what's making you frown like that?" Gabe took the seat next to me at the bar and motioned toward the bartender. Within seconds he had a glass of amber-colored liquor in front of him and all of his attention squarely on me.
Clearly, I should have skipped the nightcap and gone straight to my room. I wasn't ready for twenty questions from my boss, either.
"It's not a frown per se, it's just sheer exhaustion from the long hours I've been working. Guess it's bringing out my resting bitch face."
Gabe laughed. "Yeah, right as if. You wouldn't know RBF if it stood up and slapped you. But I get it if you don't want to talk about it. You've had a lot going on lately."
I wasn't sure if it was my overactive imagination or not, but I suddenly had a feeling that Gabe knew everything. That was both impossible and irrational, but he definitely knew something.
"Been burning the midnight oil lately getting ready for the show. So many details to finalize before the big night. Now I'm just too excited to sleep."
"I've heard really good things about your new designs. There's a lot of buzz around your show and what you will debut."
For a second, I just looked at Gabe, blinking. Then I started laughing. "Nina?" I asked.
He smiled. "Is it that obvious?"
I nodded. "It's the buzz that gave it away. That sounded straight out of her vocabulary, not yours."
He took a swallow of his drink. "Busted. I honestly don't know jack about women's fashion. Although I can definitively say that the Nova pieces that Nina has worn thus far are stunning.”
I felt the heat of a blush crawling up my neck. That felt like high praise coming from someone like Gabe. He might know fashion, but he had spectacular taste in everything. It might also have something to do with the fact I was on my third martini in an hour. My only defense being I was parched when I arrived.
"Your wife looks stunning in anything she wears."
He nodded. "This is true. But that doesn't diminish what I meant. From what I've seen you are extremely talented."
"Well, good thing you snapped me up while you could." Although, I might be out of business before I could establish the latest line if Ronin didn't let me off the hook. Mafia wives, according to their men, were better in the background than in the public eye. A fact I'd grown to resent more than ever.
"Nova," he said gently, but with a clear reprimand in his tone. I'd picked up on the fact that Gabe Michaels was as alpha dominant as the other men in my life. The difference, though, was the pure devotion and protectiveness he had for his wife. I'd officially declared them couple goals shortly after meeting them.
"I know. I don't take compliments well. Although I truly do appreciate them. Thank you."
Gabe tipped his drink toward mine. "I'll drink to that, as well as your upcoming successful new line. I have no doubt it's going to go over like gangbusters."
"From your lips to God's ears," I responded, touching my glass to his.
After we both took drinks, Gabe returned his to the bar top and his face twisted into a look of concern. I wanted to ask what was on his mind, but I had a feeling it had to do with me and that this would be the part of the conversation that would make me squirm.
I nursed my drink a little longer, hoping I was wrong, when Gabe spoke again.
"You've got a lot going on, and Nina and I want you to know that we are here for you." He swiveled on his seat and met my gaze before I could avert my eyes. The genuine concern I saw there disarmed me. He wasn't trying to attack or insult me, he simply looked worried.
"Thanks," I said, not quite trusting myself to say anything else.
He lightly touched my hand and that genuine warmth nearly did me in. I had gotten really damned lucky when I was chosen to open my shop at The Sinclair. The people here had become more my family than my real family. And sometimes that wasn't such a bad thing.
"We were a little surprised to find out you were engaged to be married. I thought you might have been getting serious in a totally different direction."
Oh my God. Was that his way of saying he knew about Rock and me? I dropped my head onto my hands and groaned. In the back of my mind, I'd known that privacy was limited living in a casino hotel, but I hadn't allowed myself to examine what that meant when it came to what Rock and I had going on. At the very least, I figured no one would care.
"It's not that big of a deal." He said with a pat on my hand. "There may be eyes and ears all over this resort, but that doesn't mean we're not discreet. You have nothing to worry about in that regard. But I thought maybe you'd want to talk about it."
"Does Nina know, too?"
"Normally my wife knows everything I do, but in this case, I won't violate your privacy like that. So, if you need to talk about what's going on, and you don't want anyone else to know, I'm here for you."
I managed to hold in another groan, although barely. I still couldn't hide the fact I was mortified. Although he was right about one thing. It was no one else's business, unless I made it their business, including him.
I lifted my head and turned to face him. My face felt hot, but it wasn't shame I was feeling. "I'm actually not onboard with the marriage my family arranged for me. I'm currently trying to negotiate my way out of it." Whoa. That is not at all what I had intended to say. I pushed my drink away. That was enough of those for one night.
"An arranged marriage is pretty old-fashioned. I didn't think many cultures in the US still used them."
"So I keep hearing. My family is pretty old school. We definitely don't see eye to eye on a lot of things."
"I kind of figured that, since you've never mentioned anything about them. Do they live here in Vegas too?"
Crap. I had opened the door to this conversation and now I didn't know how to close it again without insulting my boss. "Close enough," I said, hoping that would be sufficient.
"Don't worry. I get complicated family. I could tell you about mine, but then you might run screaming."
"I thought you were close to your brothers." I blushed. "Nina might have mentioned them a time or two, and I think I met one of them at a party not too long ago."
"Yeah, Levi. He's in charge of the security systems here. He makes frequent visits to check up on things. Tucker and Mason are a little differen
t. But yeah, I guess you could say we're close, all things considered."
I didn't know what that meant exactly, but I could hear the affection in his voice. Gabe and Nina didn't have any kids of their own yet, but I could see he was already one hell of a family man. Which made him worlds apart from the kind of man that had raised me.
"I—"
"Am I interrupting?"
My entire body went rigid at the sound of Rock's voice behind me. I let the deep bass of it wash over me for a second before I gave up and gave in. Leaping from my stool, I flung myself into his arms. When he wrapped his arms around my waist, I breathed a sigh of relief.
"Wow. I guess I should have come sooner."
I reluctantly pulled myself free from our embrace. "Yeah, you should have."
A wide grin split his face. "Good thing I'm here now, then." He tipped his head towards Gabe. "Gabe."
"Reed." Gabe returned the greeting, but his voice had changed. It had a chill in it I'd never heard before. He turned to me. "I guess that's my cue to head home. Just remember what I said. if you need to talk, my door is always open."
"Thank you." I gave Gabe a quick hug and then returned to Rock. Gabe left the bar without saying anything else, which left me wondering what his deal with Rock was.
"Do you and Gabe not get along?" I asked.
"We get along well enough.”
"That's a little cryptic."
Rock laughed and squeezed my waist. "It was meant to be. My history with Gabe is kind of a long story, and the nitty gritty details would certainly bore you."
I highly doubted that, but I would let that go for now. I was just really glad he'd shown up. I didn't want to spend what little time we had together trying to analyze him.
"Do you want to join me for a drink?" I asked, pulling at his hand in the direction of my seat.
"I want to join you, but not for a drink." The low growl that came out with those words caused a tingle to work down my arm.
"What did you have in mind?" I couldn't hide the smile playing at my lips. We both knew exactly what he was referring to and I was absolutely not opposed. I couldn't think of a better way to take my mind off the stress and decisions I had to make.
"Let's go for a ride."
18
Rock
I led Nova through the myriad of hallways and elevators and corridors that eventually led to the parking deck. These resorts were designed to keep guests inside spending their money. Either at the tables, in the shops or the restaurants. When marketing and architecture came together it resulted in a maze that took a fair amount of effort to actually exit.
By the time we finally made it out to where I'd parked, I was as antsy as her. Without the added benefit of being tipsy to take the edge off. I could have just taken her upstairs and fucked both our brains out and been done with it. That would have been the smart thing to do.
But I'd already broken protocol and crossed so many lines, there was no turning back now. Still, the skin at the back of my neck itched as the rest of my shit day refused to give me any rest. The judge had not only denied our request for visual access to Anthony Cullotta's surveillance, but he revoked the audio as well. And despite all the evidence we'd gathered in the last forty-eight hours we still didn't have enough to get shit done.
Which meant I was worried about her safety more than ever. If her father had plans to visit her, I wanted eyes and ears. First and foremost, for her safety, but also for the potential information he might accidentally spill.
I stopped in front of my bike and Nova looked at me like I might be out of my mind.
"This is what you meant by a ride?"
"Of course." I said, opening a saddle bag and retrieving a helmet for her. "It's a beautiful, warm night. Once we get out of the city, you'll be able to see the stars, and we can both forget about the insanity of our busy lives."
"Well," she said, taking the helmet. "When you put it that way, it doesn't sound so bad."
"You've never been on a bike before?"
She shook her head. "There's a lot of things I've never done before. Being raised by strict parents didn't exactly lead to a life of adventure."
I hesitated, unsure what to say. She usually said so little about her family and I feared she’d clam up again. It was time to learn more about her than her sexual preferences.
"Sounds like we've got some experimenting to do." I winked, trying to lighten my mood. I wanted to spend some time getting to know this woman because I liked her, not because I had a job to do. And if she had some adventures to fulfill, I would love to do it at her side.
I fastened my own helmet, took a seat on the bike and then adjusted my position so she could comfortably climb on behind me. To her credit, she only hesitated for a moment before hiking up her skirt and climbing on. I didn't want to mention the flash of panty I'd gotten when she did so, but hot fucking damn. That simple, tantalizing tease made me think about adjusting my dick as it grew from its half hard state to a full-on rager.
That was Nova, though, blissfully oblivious to the effect she had on me until it was painfully obvious. And tonight it was going to be painful, since I had already decided we would not fuck. It was past time we explored more than just our sexuality together.
"Ready?" I asked as she wrapped her arms around my waist and plastered her front to my back. Just the feel of her soft breasts with their hard nipples pressed against me almost changed my mind. I could have us both upstairs, naked, and in her bed within ten short minutes. I shook my head free of that thought. As enticing as it was, it couldn't be tonight's focus.
"Yes, " she said at my ear.
"Don't let go." She'd been drinking, and the last thing I wanted was for anything else rotten to happen.
"Yes, sir." She answered throatily, the words I loved from her going straight to my dick. Fuck, but she was going to make this no sex tonight rule hard.
We roared out of the garage and shot out into the busy streets of Las Vegas. I took backroads to avoid the traffic jam on the strip, but until we got to the outskirts of town, I focused on navigating the jam-packed roads. That was Vegas for you. Didn't matter what night of the week it was, or what time of day, this town literally never slept. It wasn't just a lame travel slogan.
Which was why Las Vegas had such a large criminal and legal presence. It was a never-ending fight that resembled a game of whack a mole. Take one down and two more would pop up. And still, we never gave up. Well, some of us didn't. That fucking judge did. It was so fucking obvious he was on the Cullotta payroll it wasn't even funny, and at the moment, there wasn't a damned thing I could do about it.
After about thirty minutes we passed over the invisible line of traffic and into the more peaceful side of the night. These parts weren't exactly crime free since they were fairly ideal when it came to burying bodies, but it wasn't wall to wall people either. I breathed deep, letting the warm night air fill my lungs and my head.
Work could stay behind, for once. This was my time with Nova and I wanted it clear that nothing mattered more. We drove into the canyons, and as we climbed, the quickly changing elevation the air cooled considerably.
Another fifteen minutes up into the mountains, and I finally pulled over and parked the bike in a spot that directly overlooked Vegas. The lights glittered in the distance while here above us it was dark enough to see the stars as I'd promised.
"Wow. This is gorgeous."
"One of my favorite spots when I need to get away." I hopped off the bike and then lifted Nova from her seat and deposited her gently on the ground. While she removed her helmet, I set mine down and unpacked the blanket I kept in my saddle bag for just this type of occasion.
"I can see why. I've heard the views from here were spectacular, but I've never seen them."
I turned and looked at her. "Really? Why not?"
"Well, for one, in case you haven't noticed, I pretty much work all the time. When I do venture out with friends, we don't usually go far. We're all pretty busy wom
en, and the city really does offer a lot of fun places to go."
"Guess that makes you more of a city girl at heart," I joked as we walked the short trail head to the rock formation at the top. I spread out on the blanket and took a seat. When she started to take the spot next to me, I snaked my arm around her waist and pulled her into my lap. "It's chilly up here." That was the excuse I was making to keep her close when actually the only one I really needed was the fact that's where I wanted her.
She wiggled in my lap in response and made me groan. "If you say so."
I could hear the laughter in her voice and it made me smile. Her resilience and ability to embrace the moment seriously turned me on. A lot more than the tits, ass, and legs did. Well, kind of. Those were some serious assets she sported.
As she settled down, I started thinking about home and how nice it would be to have her with me in those mountains. "Where I grew up, the city was a little farther away. Only about an hour, but still it felt like a trip. I've always preferred fresh air and the outdoors."
"Where was that?" Her voice had a dreamy quality to it, like she was floating carelessly in the moment. I hoped it was true, considering we both needed the escape.
"About an hour outside of Seattle. A teeny tiny town called Sultan. It may not have seemed like much with its two stoplights, but what it lacked in amenities, it more than made up in outdoor activities. We were close to everything. Mountains for hiking in the summer and skiing in the winter, a river for kayaking and fishing, not to mention hunting, and the various hot springs that fill the area.”
"And motorcycle riding?" She asked. "Is that a thing you did back home too?"
"Oh yeah. My father was the president of a motorcycle club. I learned how to ride a bike long before I ever drove a car."
"Sounds dangerous. How old were you?"
"I started out on dirt bikes when I was five and graduated from there. Didn't bother with a car until high school, and even that was only borrowed from my mom when I needed it. Didn't see the point."