by Alexx Andria
Nico fumbled with his pants and then he shoved my dress up above my waist, pausing a minute to lift me onto the desk. Papers fluttered and pens tumbled to the floor, giving us away, but we didn’t care. I spread my legs and he gently fished out the pleasure egg, tucking it away in his jacket pocket—our little secret.
Then he ravished my mouth as if he couldn’t get enough. His tongue, his hands, all roving—tasting and touching—committing to memory every nook and cranny, every hill and valley.
We froze as voices sounded in the hallway, but they receded quickly and I smothered a relieved giggle. I couldn’t imagine being caught like this would do Nico any favors when he was supposed to be here on an official capacity for his family business.
Impatient to be inside me, Nico pulled me from the desk and flipped me over to bend over the mahogany. The smooth wood beneath my cheek was cool as Nico gripped my hips and guided himself inside, pushing hard until he’d buried his shaft balls-deep. I groaned, losing myself to the pleasure of being taken like this, and wondered how I’d ever get over someone like Nico. How could anyone else possibly compare?
I groaned softly as he drove, sliding in and out with strong, controlled thrusts, building that beautiful tension like a master cellist slowly built to a crescendo. My fingers curled against the wood, my eyelids squeezing shut as I fought to keep the cry behind my teeth, but Nico’s name burst from my lips as I came, clenching and squeezing as every muscle contracted and released in perfect concert.
God, he could fuck.
I was dimly aware of Nico finding his own release, grinning with sated pleasure at how sexy he sounded when he came. There was something so primal about the act of climax that aroused me even as I was content to simply try to slow my thundering heart rate.
Nico withdrew and tossed the condom in the waste bin, then helped me from the desk. We dropped into a spacious divan and lay there in the milky dark, completely disheveled but entirely happy.
Moonlight shafted in through the expansive window and the stars punched diamond sparkles in the midnight tapestry. I didn’t know whose office this was or how much trouble we’d be in if we were caught; all I knew was I didn’t want this moment to end.
It felt like magic.
“You are the most beautiful woman in the world,” Nico murmured, idly playing with an errant curl lazily tumbling down my shoulder. “I can’t believe I ever thought you were plain.”
I blushed at the memory of that first meeting. “I have a confession...”
I heard the smile in his tone as he said, “Yeah? Confess, my darling.”
“I purposefully came to the interview wearing the ugliest dress I had. I knew of your reputation, but more so than that, Patrice had made a snide comment about my wardrobe, which she was doing constantly, and I think I did it out of spite. I know, stupid.”
“Do you miss working at Luxe?” he asked.
I hesitated, giving the question serious thought. “I miss some of my coworkers, but I don’t miss the bullshit. Publishing is a dog-eat-dog world. It’s almost inevitable that you’re going to get eaten or take a bite out of someone else at some point. I don’t miss that part.” I twisted around to meet his serious gaze, those eyes doing something dangerous to my insides, but I managed to stay focused. “We really need to do some work on your project. You hired me to do a job. I don’t feel right accepting payment for work I haven’t done yet. In fact, you should’ve only paid me half up front and the other half when I delivered.”
“Screw the project,” Nico said, yawning, and I frowned. Screw the project? Nico seemed to sense my sudden disquiet and he clarified, “I mean, screw the project right now. I don’t want to talk work. I want to enjoy having the most incredible woman on my arm.”
I relented—I mean, how could I not when he said things that made me melt?—saying, “Well, when you put it that way...” I brushed a soft kiss across his lips and he reciprocated. I smiled. “Thanks for tonight. It’s been exquisite.”
“The pleasure has been mine,” he said, and while it could’ve sounded obligatory or trite under any other circumstances, I sensed that Nico meant every word.
Or maybe that was his gift—he could make a woman believe anything that fell from his lips.
“Nico...I’m curious...have you ever been in an actual relationship?” I asked.
He sighed. “Once, no, twice. Both times ended badly.”
I bit my lip. I probably shouldn’t have asked, but I needed to know if he was even capable of deep emotion or if I was seeing things that didn’t exist when he looked at me.
“Tell me how you and Houston met,” Nico said, expertly defecting as Grady would say.
“I was in college. We met at a party. We were both drunk. He was supposed to be a good time, not a long time, if you know what I mean. But he made me laugh. I was so stressed with midterms that I needed someone to shake things up, make me smile.”
“I’ve never known Houston to be particularly funny,” Nico said with a slight sniff, and I giggled at the obvious pinch of jealousy. “But then, I suppose your brain was starving for entertainment,” he teased.
I laughed. “Yes, well, it was a perfect storm of bad judgment, and before I realized in time that it was time to cut my losses, I got pregnant.”
“And Houston bailed when you told him?”
“Actually, he stuck around for a month or so but when things started to get real, he slowly stopped calling and coming around. Basically, he ghosted me.” I realized something, laughing as I shared, “Come to think of it, I guess technically, we’re still dating because we never broke up.”
“You’re definitely broken up,” Nico growled, holding me more tightly. “He’s a pussy for skipping out on his responsibility.”
I recognized that tone and I tried to keep things light. I rose up and shimmied over his hips to straddle him, my fancy dress pooling around my hips as my hot folds rested on top of his quickly hardening cock.
“I don’t want to talk about Houston,” I said in a silky tone, sliding my pussy over his groin. “I want round two before we’re discovered and thrown out for being disrespectful perverts.”
“I’ve been called a pervert my entire life. I wear that badge with honor,” Nico growled with a sexy smile tugging at his lips as he reached between us to push up inside me. I rode him slowly, lifting my hips and grinding, loving the way his hands anchored at my waist to guide and control my movements, his hooded gaze centered on the spot where our parts joined.
My name lingered on his gasped warning, and I smiled with anticipation at how well we meshed together sexually. I wanted to ride him to completion, but that wasn’t wise.
I rose up and he pulled out with a small groan of disappointment until I replaced one hot, wet orifice with another. We were out of condoms and I wasn’t going to risk pregnancy, but it was no tragedy to have Nico in my mouth. I loved his taste and I adored the taste of myself on his skin as I worked him without mercy.
He came with a loud grunt, filling my mouth, and I quickly swallowed, sucking every last drop down my throat, loving how easily I could turn this charming playboy into putty in my hands...er...mouth.
Finished, I wiped my mouth and smiled, though I realized, too late, Nico was going to be a hard habit to break. I helped Nico to his feet and he pulled his pants up and buckled them with an adorable grin that was both sexy and boyish, and I wanted to do even more wicked things together.
Hell, I’d be willing to do just about anything with Nico. Even butt stuff. And that was saying a lot because I’d tried anal sex once and swore to never do it again.
“Why did your relationships end?” I asked, unable to let it go. I needed to know if Nico was simply incapable of deep emotion with another human being. Why? Because a part of me was starting to hope that he felt the same way as me and that, maybe, just maybe, we might have something worth exploring.
But if I were spinning my wheels in mud, I needed to stop right now and save myself from drowning.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Nico
I SENSED THE energy in the room change between us. Even though Lauren was trying to seem nonchalant about her probing question, I could sense that it was anything but lighthearted.
I knew I ought to play it off with some sort of teasing answer and distract her with something else—my mouth on hers, perhaps—but something compelled me to be honest.
Which, in my experience, was never a good thing.
“I...uh, well, I was an idiot.”
“Most men are idiots,” Lauren teased and I didn’t disagree, but I think I excelled in making the worst possible decision in any given situation. She cocked her head with interest as she asked, “What did you do?”
I hesitated, torn between tossing a joke or going for the bald truth. I opted for truth even though I wouldn’t come out looking so hot. “I cheated. Both times. It was hurtful and wrong, and I didn’t have a solid good reason for what I’d done to either of them. Both were great women who didn’t deserve how I hurt them.”
A long pause stretched between us. I knew how most women felt about “cheaters,” and I didn’t blame them. Hell, my brother’s wife, Katherine, threatened to bail on a marriage contract that’d been in play since she was sixteen because she’d thought Luca had cheated on her.
It all came out in the wash that he hadn’t—Luca wasn’t that kind of guy to begin with and he’d been head over heels in love with Katherine since forever—but the hell she’d put him through to get to the aisle wasn’t for the faint of heart.
Let me just say, there was a hostel and a soup kitchen involved.
“Were you sorry?” Lauren asked quietly, breaking into my thoughts. I didn’t want her to think being genuinely contrite made any difference in the hurt I’d caused, but yeah, of course I’d been sorry.
“People caught red-handed doing something wrong are usually very sorry. Doesn’t change what I did. Twice. Seems I have a thing about not learning from my past mistakes.” I shrugged into my tuxedo jacket. “The thing is, I have this aversion to commitment, it seems. Just when things are going great, I have to go and do something awful to ruin it all. It’s my MO, which is why I don’t get into relationships anymore. Best to stay single. That way no one gets hurt.”
Even though it was dark, I could sense Lauren’s disquiet at my admission. I smothered the urge to smooth over my admission with a lie to preserve the sweetness between us, but I couldn’t sully the first real thing I’d allowed myself to feel in years by being disingenuous.
“People make mistakes and they change and grow,” Lauren said. “Or they don’t and they keep making the same mistakes, but either way, it’s their choice one way or another.”
“Which is why you don’t date anymore either because of Houston.”
“I don’t date because I have a sensitive six-year-old who is more important to me than the inconvenience of suffering a few nights of loneliness.”
“Lauren, I was honest with you, do me the courtesy of being the same,” I said, not letting her skate past without at least owning her actions, as well. “You’re afraid of being hurt.” Her silence confirmed my assumption and prompted me to admit, “Well, I am, too. I’m afraid of hurting another good woman.”
A woman like you.
I didn’t like how the mood had changed. The night, to this point, had been the most fantastic on record, and I hated how such serious talk had put a blemish on an otherwise perfect evening. I gathered Lauren in my arms, and she went willingly. I inhaled the sweet scent of her perfume and skin and committed it to memory. I knew this feeling and I knew to run from it before everything soured like milk left out in the hot sun.
Eventually, every relationship I was in curdled.
I wouldn’t do that to Lauren and Grady.
Which meant I needed to either cut ties now and risk hurt feelings or finish my so-called project and end things on a professional note as agreed upon.
My inclination was to cut ties, but that would save only my feelings. Spending more time with Lauren and Grady, even under the guise of the project, would only prolong the inevitable and suck all of us deeper into quicksand.
I should’ve never interfered with Lauren’s life. If I hadn’t barreled my way into her life, she would’ve been happy to go along as she always had, meting out a meager lifestyle on her paltry salary, but strong in her heart.
Now I was the thorn, burrowed deep, unwittingly killing her.
“We’ll get started on the project tomorrow. Seriously.”
She brightened, happy to be working again. “Awesome. I promise you won’t regret hiring me. I can’t wait to write your story. I’m going to make the world see the real you. Including your brothers.”
Her genuine enthusiasm only made me feel wretched. The project had been a sham and my actions underhanded, but I had to see it through, even if I just stuck the finished manuscript in a box and lit it on fire. Dante was right; no one wanted to read about my life, what little I’d done with it.
But for now, I’d play the game for Lauren’s sake because she deserved far better than having me crash into her life and ruin it.
I grasped her hand and asked with a rueful grin, “Shall we make our escape?” She nodded with a tremulous smile, and we slipped from the room to the exit where the car awaited.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Lauren
NICO HAD ADMITTED the very thing I’d suspected all along—he was averse to commitment, which meant he wasn’t the right fit for Grady and me.
His admission should’ve snapped me out of whatever spell Nico had been weaving around me, but it only served to make me want to cry. There was a side of him that was so incredibly sweet and generous, but maybe I was just falling for the charm and not the real Nico.
Who was the real Nico? I didn’t know.
For that matter, I didn’t know anything about him aside from that we were fantastic in bed together and my son thought he was better than sliced bread with peanut butter.
I didn’t know his friends—aside from Houston, if Nico could call him that.
I didn’t know his family—aside from that one awkward encounter with his brother Dante.
I didn’t even know his favorite color.
Basically, I knew nothing because he never planned to make me a permanent part of his life.
To be fair, I’d known this from the start and supported it, but now the knowledge hurt.
Since it was late, I’d prearranged for Grady to stay the night with my mom, which meant I was free to sleep with Nico for the entire night if I chose.
But did I want to do that?
Probably not a good idea.
We arrived at the apartment—his place already felt like home—and just as I was about to turn toward the spare bedroom, Nico caught my hand and shook his head, that one wordless motion telling me everything I needed to know.
No words. No more conversation. Just our bodies doing what our bodies did best.
I closed my eyes as he undressed me with all the tender attention of a man who hadn’t been with me only an hour prior, and I allowed the pleasure to roll over me as his tongue slipped between my folds to lick and suck until I broke out in a sweat and came hard.
Shuddering as the pleasure went bone-deep, I sighed as the last wave crashed over me, settling against Nico’s naked body, limp and content.
And that was how I fell asleep.
The following morning I awoke before Nico. I rolled to my side and propped my head with my hand, smiling as he slept. He was the most beautiful man I’d ever seen. Truly. Almost too pretty. Between that wash of dark hair and those classic cheekbones, not to mention that killer body, he could give a Calvin Klein underwear model a run.
Bu
t from what I knew of the Donato men, they were all handsome. I could easily see how women wobbled to their knees whenever one was around.
All signs pointed toward walking away, cutting my losses, but when I looked at him, my heart did funny things and my lips wanted to smile, if only to give shape to the feeling in my soul.
As much as I liked to think I’d been in love with Houston...what I felt for Nico was nothing like how I’d felt about Houston.
This felt deeper, more stable and yet wildly intoxicating.
The way Nico was with Grady—there was no faking that emotion. He might be able to fool me, but whatever was happening between him and my son was 100 percent real.
And it was the same for Grady.
Damn it—I knew I shouldn’t have let Grady get attached, but how could I not when Grady had been so happy?
Nico’s eyes opened slowly and he graced me with a sleepy smile as he reached for me. “Stalker,” he murmured. “Did you take pictures while I was sleeping, too?”
“Only a few for blackmail purposes later,” I answered, giggling as he burrowed his face against the crook of my neck. “You should be worried. I caught you drooling.”
“Ah, truly damaging, indeed.” He kissed the back of my neck, sending goose bumps rioting down my skin. “And what other trouble have you been up to while I slept? Does it include breakfast?”
I laughed. “Yes, I made a full-course meal while you drooled. Are you nuts? Eat a bowl of cereal.”
“Damn, the honeymoon is over,” he drawled, and I laughed harder until his hand started to travel down my belly, then my breath caught and I bit my lip, anticipating his touch. “I can’t seem to get enough of you,” he admitted, his fingers lightly skimming the soft skin of my folds. “Are you a witch or something? I think you’ve dosed me with Love Potion No. 9.”
I stilled, turning to him. “I might ask the same of you,” I countered, dancing around the highly charged word floating between us. I’d fallen for him. I’d done the very thing I’d sworn I wouldn’t. But how did Nico feel about me?