Nikos: The Greek's Mistress (BWWM) (The Wallflower's Series Book 1)

by T. C. Clark

  “Nikos are you sure this is okay?” Dabria asked for the third time. Her hair was loose hanging just past her shoulder. Her light green eyes displayed concern. They had been close friends for a long time and she’d never seen him this upset.

  She’d felt a steady thrum of electricity between Ada and Nikos. The electricity she had only experienced with one other person. Whether Nikos wanted to admit it losing Ada would hurt.

  She knew she needed him to keep up the ruse for just a little longer but guilt ate at her. Ada was clearly hurting. She’d already overheard other people making comments about their former relationship. She wondered if Nikos had ever considered that.

  “Maybe we should tell her the truth about our relationship,” Dabria said quietly trying to assess the situation from every angle.

  “No I made a promise to you and I intend to keep it. When you helped me out when we were younger you saved my life and the lives of my brothers. I owe you this much.”

  “But you can’t expect Ada to wait for you especially after taking me to an event filled with your friends. People are talking about her now and some of it is nasty, Nikos.”

  “Who is talking about her?” Nikos snapped sitting up quickly. Whatever happened between them, Ada would always be treated with respect by any who knew him or else they would answer to him.

  “Just people Nikos… you know how our set is they love to gossip and they adore pain even more. If Ada had come alone, they would have destroyed her. The only reason people are behaving themselves is thanks to the muscle-bound Italian at her side.”

  “You hear anyone say anything let me know Dabria. I won’t let anyone hurt her she doesn’t deserve it and I will take apart anyone who says otherwise.”

  Nikos‘ mouth set in a grim line at the mention of the Italian. He’d done his research on the infamous Luca. He knew he was a man who typically got what he wanted. He had to figure out a way to get Ada away from him.

  He couldn’t do it himself every time he was within two feet of the man he wanted to kill him. His barely contained rage made it impossible for him to think clearly and he reverted to caveman tactics to put distance between them.

  He needed to be calm and logical. He’d glimpsed the emotion in her eyes. She was far from over him and if he played his cards right, he would have her back where she belonged by the end of this weekend.

  “Nikos seriously I think we should tell her about our arrangement. I trust her if you do,” she said sitting on the bed. Nikos always acted as if she’d saved him but she knew it was the other way around.

  Thanks to his protection she’d had the most wonderful years of her life. She only needed him for a little longer. She was sure once they explained the situation to Ada that they could resolve their issues. The woman obviously loved Nikos.

  She knew this because she knew love. A person in love would always be given away by their eyes. As much as Nikos wanted to deny the emotion, the obsession he felt with Ada was his version of love.

  “No Ada can’t keep this up; whatever is going on with Luca will end now. She should have never left; she should have trusted me enough to hear me out that night. Now we have to do this the hard way.”

  “You think getting her to come back to you even thinking I am your fiancé is the “right,” way to do things,” Dabria asked raising a perfectly arched eyebrow. Nikos could not be this stupid.

  “She left me Dabria… disappeared just like…” he stopped himself refusing to say her name. His body stiffened as he recalled the sheer panic he’d experienced when he hadn’t been able to find Ada after she’d left. He hadn’t felt that way since he was a child.

  He’d lived with Ada and he‘d lived without her. He now knew his life was infinitely better with her. He needed her to understand that she couldn’t run away at every sign of trouble. He wouldn’t allow himself to be put in that position again.

  “I need her to know that no matter what happens we don’t run from each other, we stay and fight. She has to understand her future no matter how precarious it seems, belongs to me.”

  “That sounds an awful lot like punishment.”

  “I don’t care how it sounds Dabria this is one part of my life that is not up for discussion. Don’t worry about me I know what I’m doing. But let me know if you hear anyone gossiping about her, I won’t allow her to feel out of place here.”

  Dabria watched her friend as he gathered his things and headed towards the bathroom with his head high. He was intent on controlling this relationship and didn’t seem to see the reality of his situation. Ada was nothing like his mother, she was just a woman who’d been hurt by a person she loved.

  She’d seen the expression in the beautiful woman’s chocolate colored eyes. It held the need very similar to her ex. She couldn’t allow her family’s rules to destroy another relationship. She had depended on Nikos for far too long, relying on his loyalty to protect her.

  She couldn’t keep this up, starting tonight she would set up a plan to let her friend off the hook from a promise he’d made so long ago. She would deal with whatever happened afterward with the same pride, Nikos had wrapped around his family when he’d pulled them from the gutter. She could only hope that by the time that she untangled this web that Ada would still be willing to have him.

  * * *

  Ada took a deep breath as she stepped off of the path of the walking trail. Luca had been called away because of an issue at his company. She was praying that Nikos had nothing to do with it, but her hope was rapidly dwindling. He was obviously not done with her.

  She cleared her mind and focused on the surrounding beauty. Whoever had created the grounds of this very prestigious hotel had done a fantastic job. Everywhere flowers bloomed and blossomed. She smiled at the simple beauty of life.

  The weekend was almost over and she’d once again be free. Nikos had been hot on her heels since the opening dinner. He’d made it clear that their relationship at least for him was far from over.

  Everywhere she went, he was there standing too close or hovering just within range. There had been some speculation about the status of their relationship and his behavior only fanned the gossip. She’d repeatedly tried to lose him at the mixed events but it was hard to do with nearly six and a half foot Italian by your side.

  She felt like she couldn’t breathe with him so close. He’d also taken up the habit of recounting stories about them, hilarious and intimate ones that left the audience with no doubt of their closeness.

  She walked through the garden reveling in the quiet needing time to think. She’d taken the trail out of desperation to get to it, hopeful that no one had seen her. She only relaxed when she got to the center and saw no one about. She walked slowly reliving their brief conversations in her head. What was it about this man that made her so weak?

  In other areas of her life, she was disciplined and principled. It was like he had some secret weapon with her and sadly she knew what that weapon was… love. She still loved him; she closed her eyes with despair as she recognized that she probably always would.

  Dabria had been a quiet shadow treating her with a wary respect. She clearly had no issues with whatever was between them. Nikos possessive nature showed itself every time Luca excused them for the night and he didn’t tamp down the fire in his eyes whenever they landed on her.

  She didn’t understand their relationship or why Dabria didn’t seem bothered by it… but that didn’t mean that it was okay. She only had to get through the final party tonight that was all. She needed to focus on that with her mind made up she fixed her face and turned to head back to the party.

  She stopped cold when she saw Nikos leaning against one of the fern-made walls. He was watching her with an intensity of a wolf with a hare. She knew ignoring him wouldn’t work. It would only give him an opportunity to use their chemistry against her.

  It didn’t help that he’d worn an outfit she’d purchased for him last fall for their annual pumpkin patch picnic. His dark brown hair was
thick and shiny under the bright sunlight. His fitted sweater only enhanced the muscles she knew was just underneath.

  She nodded her head at him in greeting.

  “Nikos, what are you doing here?” She asked the first question that popped into her mind.

  “I’m just trying to keep up with my runaway lover. She seems to think that she can hide from me all weekend,” he said with mysterious eyes.

  “I’m not hiding.”

  “You are and it stops here. You can’t just run away just because something isn’t going your way,” he said annoyed.

  “You think that I’m running away from you because I’m upset that things aren’t going my way? You lied to me… humiliated me!”

  “How did I humiliate you, Ada? That agreement was made a long time ago, and I had my reasons for keeping it to myself. You didn’t even give me a chance to explain what happened?”

  “Okay, what happened?” She snapped.

  “No, you lost the right to ask me that when you disappeared without a word for a month. If you want this to work now, I need your trust.”

  “Nikos, why are we doing this, you think I betrayed you and I know you betrayed me. What’s the point of beginning again?”

  “Ada you can’t tell me you don’t want what we had. You aren’t fooling me with this Luca thing. A woman like you can’t move easily from one man to the other.”

  “You really think you have me figured out?” She asked her small body stiff with resentment.

  “Yes, although I did spend the better part of the night convincing myself that you wouldn’t really just move on from us so easily. This is just some type of game to prove to me that you are over us,” he admitted.

  “If you think that I would use someone to get back at you, you don’t know me at all,” she replied walking closer to him.

  “Are you telling me this thing with Luca is real?” He asked his voice for once sounding vulnerable.

  “No there is nothing going on between me and Luca, yet. Although if anything ever happens, I know that I’ve done nothing wrong. We are no longer together because you belong to someone else,” she said stopping when she got close enough to see the expression on his face.

  “Ada this isn’t going to work,” he said stalking her. For every step he took towards her she took two back. When her butt hit the side of the green covered wall, she stopped and lifted her chin. Her light brown skin flushed with anger. She was tired of running from him like she’d done something wrong.

  “You are mine and vice versa, you just forgot for a moment. What we have can’t be recreated with someone else, trust me I know.”

  He kissed her quickly pulling her into his arms. He felt her stiffen at first her hands coming up in an attempt to put some distance between them. But he ignored it, he knew in this they were the same. It didn’t take long for her arms to wrap around his neck.

  Nikos’ tongue pushed deep into her mouth with pure demand. His body shuddered at the taste even more potent than he remembered. What was it about this woman that shook him to his core? His massive body shuddered as her fingers tangled painfully in his hair.

  She’d missed him so much that she could barely control herself. She found herself taking pleasure in his scent and his size. She moaned moving against him with mindless need quickly forgetting the reasons why she shouldn’t.

  One touch that was all it took for them to go up in flames. His hands cupped her ass and lifted her clear off the ground automatically she wrapped them around his waist, uncaring of who could see. His hands tightened painfully on her hips and for a brief second, she remembered where she was and why this wasn’t possible and tried to pull back.

  He knew the exact moment when sanity returned to Ada and he savagely took back control of her mind. His mouth dominating hers repeatedly obliterating all thoughts leaving only him. He needed her… it was insane. He couldn’t make love to her out here in the open. He couldn’t risk anyone seeing his woman like this.

  Even as the thought crossed his mind, his body rejected the idea. It had only been a month, but it felt like years since they’d moved together like this. His tongue moved down the golden brown column of her neck to the opening of the loose fitting dress.

  Every instinct was screaming at him to stop. He needed to take control of the moment, hell that was exactly as he intended when he’d followed her out here. But his dick throbbed painfully; velvet steel awaiting a taste of what it knew was just under the surface.

  She could feel Nikos’s hardness pressing into her. She wanted him, god she did. But she had to stop this, his hands were already moving to the front of her dress.

  “Nikos, please let me down,” she whispered painfully aware that he could probably feel her wet panties on his pants. At one time she thought their chemistry was a blessing, ensuring that they would want each other well into old age, but at this moment it felt like a curse.

  He wasn’t hers anymore why the hell couldn’t she get that through her head. Whatever weirdness that existed in his engagement didn’t alter the fact that he was engaged. Where was her pride?

  His eyes were smug with an arrogance that she had at one time found sexy. He let her slide down his body wanting her to feel his body’s reaction to her. Once she was free, he rubbed the wet spot on his pants uncaring that she could see the effect she had on his body, he would never deny her that. In fact, he couldn’t deny it, he wanted her always.

  She shook her head at her stupidity. The movement drawing Nikos eyes to her face. He was surprised to see tears in her eyes. She’d always enjoyed everything between them, had he hurt her?

  “Ada, did I hurt you moró?” he said softly his large hand cradling her soft cheek as he pulled her stiff body into his arms once again. But this time he held her with gentleness tamping down on his lust.

  “You have to let me go, Nikos….please. Whatever this is can’t happen again,” Ada said quietly.

  “This will happen again and again. Come back to me. Trust in what we feel in this moment,” he said.

  “Are you still engaged?” She asked again. It was the only question that mattered.

  “Would you run again if I said yes? You claim to love me but once things got a little rocky, you left with ease. You didn’t fight for me. You gave up and ran, what was that? How do I owe you an explanation now? Your chance for one died when you disappeared. So I ask you again, come back to me no strings attached. Let’s see how much that love is worth.”

  “You must have a really low opinion of me to think that I should play the second woman in your life. I thought you at least cared about me even if it wasn’t love,” she said painfully.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I do love you that’s why I ran. I knew if I stayed I would never leave. That’s how much I loved you. I knew I would do anything to be with you and I couldn’t do that to myself. I deserve more than that don’t you think?” She whispered tears falling unchecked down her cheeks.

  “Ada…” He started to say only to be stopped by her next question.

  “If you had a daughter, and she was in a relationship just like ours and she told you about it, what advice would you give? Would you tell her to stay and fight for a man who has lied to her? Would you tell her to play the part of the mistress and hope that in time he figured out he loved her?” She asked pushing away from him, Her need for space warring with her need for comfort.

  “I loved you so much that I wanted to be with you forever. I wanted to create a legacy with our kids, how is that so wrong? Don’t I deserve that, I was the best woman I could be with you,” she continued.

  He looked at her with confused eyes as if he’d never considered that.

  “What would you tell her Nikos?” She asked again.

  He felt as if someone had punched him in the solar plexus. From the word go he’d wanted this woman over anything else in his life. He’d broken all of his rules to get her and now he could see her literally slipping away. He thought seriously about th
e question and frowned when the obvious answer popped into his head. He shook off the thought and changed tactics.

  “Ada, this engagement it’s complicated, but it’s not based on love or feelings. You didn’t even give me a chance to explain. If you loved me as much as you claimed wouldn’t you have confronted me? Pushed me for an answer, you left so easily.”

  “Easily,” she said with a small laugh. “I didn’t get out of bed for a week after I left you. I cried so much I actually got sick….But I did the right thing. Even if I had stayed you would have told me the truth and we still would have exploded. You were never really mine, to begin with, people who care about each other they don’t hide decade-long engagements and they don’t attempt to punish the other one for exercising their right to leave.”

  He remained silent and closed off still processing everything she’d said. She stepped closer to him and laid a hand on his chest. His heart was beating as hard as hers. An emotion she couldn’t name had frozen his features.

  “I don’t think I’m the woman for you, Nikos. I think you are my great love and I am someone you want deeply. If I didn’t inspire that emotion in you in the last two years. It will never happen and that’s okay. I’ve spent this last month reconciling myself to it. I hope you find her because despite how it’s ending with us, you are an amazing man,” she said with sad eyes leaning up to place a gentle kiss on his cheek. She allowed herself to remember her time with him without the last month playing out.

  She turned and walked away leaving a stunned Nikos behind. He knew if he pushed her he could have her, it was written on her face but he wouldn’t risk hurting her further. Since the day she’d left he’d thought only of her betrayal, he’d assumed it had been easy for her to leave him.

  Absently he touched his cheek where she’d kissed him. She thought he didn’t care about her enough. How could she believe that, look at him? He was standing in the middle of a maze after chasing her around for the last month. He’d paid a lot of money to get Luca to leave her side. He was sure the Italian would realize soon enough who owned Etos Holdings.