“Oh. Well, that’s not fatal. You can teach a guy to be a better kisser.”
Chloe just stared at me. She obviously had her doubts.
“Okay, like how bad? On a scale of one to ten, with one being the kiss in the rain between Allie and Noah in The Notebook, and ten being slobbered over by a Great Dane with a bad case of halitosis?”
She considered it a moment. “Forty-seven.”
“Oh my God, seriously?”
“Seriously. I have to wipe my face with a towel afterward. And my tonsils are sore. He’s an aggressively bad kisser. I just feel too bad for him to say anything. How could I even bring that up? ‘Excuse me, dear, but you’re tickling my lungs with your freakishly long Gene Simmons tongue. Mind dialing it back a notch?’ Yeah, that’s not a conversation I can see myself having with a man authorized to use deadly force.”
Picturing a horrified Chloe being slimed by a smitten Officer Cox, and her being too nice to clue him in, I started to laugh. It was hilarious.
“Dude,” said Chloe, unamused.
“I’m sorry,” I replied, gasping with laughter, “it’s just too funny!”
“Uh, no, actually it’s not. The worst part is Eric is otherwise a really great guy. We have a lot in common, and we laugh the entire time we’re together, but,” here Chloe shuddered, “now every time he gets near my face, I have a panic attack.” She sighed. “I think I’m going to stop seeing him. We haven’t done the deed yet, but I can’t imagine having sex with someone I’m afraid will drown me in a tsunami of spit.”
I had to cover my face with my hands I was laughing so hard. Chloe fished an ice cube from her drink and threw it at me.
Finally I calmed myself enough to speak. “Okay, I have an idea.”
“If you’re going to tell me we should make an appointment with Grace, I will throw you in the pool.”
“No, no, listen. What if you took charge of the situation?”
Chloe merely blinked at me.
“So, for instance, what if you told him you’d always wanted to play ‘Interrogation,’ and you handcuffed him to the kitchen chair?” As Chloe’s brows rose, I started to really warm to the idea. “Maybe he’s a spy, and you’re an FBI agent, and he has top secret information you need. Maybe the only way you can get it out of him is to tease it out. Maybe he has to sit in the chair and let you do all the . . . um . . . stuff, so that you can be in control.”
Chloe sucked thoughtfully on her straw. “So he couldn’t even kiss me back, or I’d win, like that?”
I nodded. “That way the whole pace of it is in your hands. If he gets too, um, enthusiastic, you stop. If he controls himself, you reward him with . . . well. I’m sure you’ll figure out something creative.”
Chloe’s button nose wrinkled. “It sounds like an awful lot of work. Did you have to teach Nico how to kiss?”
I smiled. Chloe said sourly, “That’s what I thought.”
From across the yard, a voice called, “Girls!”
Chloe and I turned to see Nico standing at the back of the house, where the living room opened to the pool terrace. He was barefoot, wearing faded, holey jeans and a Led Zeppelin T-shirt so old it was almost transparent. His hair was mussed and he hadn’t shaved in a few days, and his smile was as brilliant as the sun.
As it always did when I saw him, my heart fluttered like a hummingbird’s. I’d never, ever get used to the fact that that beautiful creature was mine.
“Come and eat! We’re takin’ a break!” He waved, then disappeared inside.
Chloe watched me watch him go. When I looked back at her, she was grinning from ear to ear. “It’s good to see you happy, Kat.”
I hesitated a moment before I answered her. I hadn’t breathed a word about the reality of Nico and Avery’s relationship to anyone, including Chloe and Grace. I never would; that information I’d take to my grave. But sooner or later I’d have to tell them about Nico’s proposal. If I’d been hiding it from the world, I’d been hiding it from them, too. In my heart of hearts, I knew it was fear that kept my mouth shut.
I was still waiting for that other shoe to drop. But the waiting was getting awfully lonely.
I blurted, “He asked me to marry him, Chloe.”
Her squeal was deafening. She leapt from the longue, dropped her iced tea, and grabbed me, hugging me tightly. “Ohmigod Kat that’s unbelievable, I’m so happy for you I could scream!” It came out in one burst, followed immediately by, “Where’s the ring? Is he having it made? Did you pick it out together? Oh God, I’m dying! Dying! This is the best news I’ve heard in years!”
When I didn’t respond, she pulled away and looked at me sharply. Slowly, horror dawned over her face. She sank back to the chaise, her blue eyes huge and round. “Please don’t tell me you said ‘no.’”
“I said ‘yes.’ But we’re not really telling anyone yet. Only his brother knows, and now you. We’ve agreed to keep it a secret for the time being.”
She looked relieved for a split second, then worried again. “Okay, it’s a secret. But you said ‘yes’! So why are you not happy?”
I looked at the spectacular house, at the shimmering pool, at the incredible view. Then I looked back at Chloe. “Because there’s a very persuasive voice in my head that keeps telling me this is all too good to be true.”
“That voice belongs to Grace,” said Chloe dismissively.
“I don’t know, Chloe, I just feel like . . . ” I took a breath. “Like life can’t be this good. Not for any extended period of time. Things like this aren’t meant to last.”
Chloe gazed at me pensively for a while, a little wrinkle appearing between her eyebrows. “All right. Let’s play this out. Say for some reason in the future—you and Nico have a huge fight, he gets hit by a bus as he’s crossing the street, whatever—your relationship ends.”
My stomach tightened. Chloe merely shrugged.
“Yeah, it will be painful. It will really suck. But it won’t be the end of the world, Kat. It won’t kill you. And it won’t lessen how wonderful it is now, or how wonderful it would be if you let it be. Relationships end. People die. But the world doesn’t stop turning. You know that better than anyone. So for now, just enjoy every moment of what you have with Nico. If it’s meant to end, it will end. You have no control over that. But you do have control over yourself. How you act, what you say, how you show him your feelings. Just live for today and be happy, because in a way, you’re right. Everything eventually ends. We all eventually die. That’s why every day we have is so special. The fact that we only have a limited amount of time is what makes life precious.”
Chloe leaned over and took my hands. “What you have with Nico is a gift, no matter if it lasts the next ten minutes or the next fifty years. Don’t screw it up with what-ifs. Your past is just that: past. Let it go and be happy. You deserve it.”
I stared at her with my mouth open. “Holy shit, Chloe.”
Her eyes sparkled. “Don’t let my blonde hair and bubbly personality fool you. I’m a Zen master, girlfriend.”
“Apparently. And here I thought Grace was the smart one.”
She pretended outrage. “Hey! Just because I’m a babe doesn’t mean I’m dumb!”
“Obviously. Though I had no idea Zen masters had such high opinions of themselves.”
Chloe adopted a yoga pose, legs folded beneath her, thumbs and forefingers in circles, eyes lifted to the heavens. “The truth has no ego, my unenlightened friend.”
I snorted, and she dissolved into laughter.
“Okay, Yoda, let’s go get something to eat.”
“Definitely,” she said, rising and tying her hair back into a sloppy ponytail. “Though, technically, Yoda was a Jedi master, not a Zen master.”
We gathered our towels and sunscreen, then linked arms, smiling like loons, and went into the house.
Which is when things got really interesting.
Apparently, whoever ordered lunch thought there should be enough food to feed a mob. N
ico laughed at the look on my face as I stopped short in the kitchen, staring at the platters taking up every inch of space on the island.
The island that was about the size of my dining room table at home.
“Are we having a party I don’t know about?” I counted twelve aluminum trays. There were sandwiches, cold cuts, tacos, fruit, lasagna, an enchilada casserole, and BBQ wings piled high, along with a basket of dinner rolls and a veggie and dip platter.
Nico pulled me against him and kissed the top of my head. “This is what happens when you let A.J. order. He’ll end up eatin’ most of this himself.” He dropped his voice and murmured, “And I’ll end up eatin’ you, darlin’. That bikini should be illegal.”
I blushed and looked down at myself. The bikini in question was one of Chloe’s, a turquoise number with sequins on the bra. She loved sparkly stuff. I’d asked her to bring a spare when I invited her over that morning because most of my clothes were still at my house. Needless to say, my girls were spilling out of the bedazzled top. Chloe’s B cups were no match for my cleavage.
Nico’s appreciative gaze swept over me, and his eyes heated. “Would you think I was bein’ an overprotective asshole if I asked you to go change before the boys came up?”
I smiled, loving that he wanted me all for himself. “Since you asked so nicely, Mr. Nyx, no, I wouldn’t think that at all.” I rose up on my toes and gave him a kiss. His smile warmed me all the way through.
“Chloe, you want to come with me to change?” I tore my gaze from Nico to see Chloe already grazing through the food. Chewing on a wing, she nodded, then held up a finger.
“One sec. I’ll be right behind you. I just need to murder a few more of these first. I’m starving.”
Chloe was always starving. She had the metabolism of a jackrabbit. As further proof of the unfairness of the universe, she never gained an ounce, no matter how much she ate. Though she was my best friend, I had to admit my jealousy of her slender, athletic build. To me she looked like what God must have had in mind when he created Eve. Even with no makeup and her hair in a sloppy ponytail, shoving food into her mouth like a starving animal, she managed to look both glamorous and lovely.
I sighed. Then Nico pinched my ass.
“Hey.”
I looked up at him. His grin nearly melted me. He bent to whisper into my ear. “You’re the most beautiful girl in the world, Peony. Don’t forget it.”
“Peony?”
“Yep. Exotic. Rare. Smells like heaven. Brings good fortune. Peony. That’s you.”
It was my turn to grin at him. The man was excellent for my ego. “Have you been spending your spare time on the internet surfing flower sites?”
“Nah. Just a little somethin’ your florist friend here taught me the day I went into her shop for your birthday.”
“Oh, really?” I tried to sound put out. “So you went with roses for my birthday present instead of the exotic and heavenly peony, hmm?”
Nico’s smile grew even wider. He gazed down at me, his hair falling into his eyes, happy and so handsome it hurt. “Peonies are also a symbol of a happy marriage. I was savin’ those up for when I got you the ring.”
My heart flip-flopped inside my chest. “Are you for real?” I whispered.
He brushed his thumb across my cheek and squeezed his other arm around me. “Real as a heart attack, baby. Now go get changed before the boys get up here and get a look at you in that bikini and I have to do some murderin’ of my own. And not of chicken wings.”
He released me, lightly slapped my ass, leaned into the counter, and jerked his chin in the direction of the doorway. “Get.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re lucky that order was preceded by some sweet talk, mister, or I’d—”
“Yeah, I know exactly what you’d do.” Voices and footsteps echoed down the hall from the direction of the recording studio, and Nico glowered at me. “Now, get woman!”
I couldn’t help it. I laughed. Quickly gathering my towel and the bag I’d stashed my sunglasses and lotion into, I skipped out of the kitchen and went upstairs to change, leaving Chloe sucking BBQ sauce from her fingers and Nico shaking his head.
When I came back downstairs no more than ten minutes later, I walked into what can only be described as a standoff.
Leaning against the counter in the same spot I’d left him was Nico. Right beside him was Brody, dressed casually like Nico in a T-shirt and jeans. Standing across the other side of the kitchen were Ethan and Chris. Propped on a bar stool he’d dragged across the kitchen was the recording engineer, Ray, an older guy with long, gray hair and round glasses. Everyone seemed a little confused.
In the middle of the room, glaring at each other across the island and trays of food, stood A.J. and Chloe.
“Because I’m her best friend, that’s why,” said Chloe, sounding defensive.
A.J.’s brows were drawn down, shadowing his eyes. The sneer in his voice was as unmistakable as the one on his face. “You two attached at the hip?”
“Yes, we’re attached at the hip.” Chloe’s voice was thick with sarcasm. “The cord is just invisible.”
“Too bad you’re not,” A.J. instantly shot back.
Chloe’s mouth fell open. Nico and Brody exchanged looks.
“Quit bein’ a dick, A.J.” Nico sounded as if this was something of a regular occurrence. “She’s my guest. And what’s your problem with her bein’ here anyway?”
Chloe put her shoulders back and lifted her chin. “Yeah, A.J. What is your problem? Considering this isn’t the first time you’ve been an unprovoked dick to me, I think I have a right to know!”
For a moment I was startled; Chloe had just called someone a name. That was unprecedented. And she seemed so fierce she reminded me of Grace. But then I saw her trembling hands, and knew it was all for show. Whatever A.J. had against her, it really hurt her feelings.
Feeling protective on her behalf, I stepped into the kitchen. “What’s going on here?”
A.J. cut me a lethal look that would have done a serial killer proud. He remained silent. Looking back to Chloe, his cold amber gaze flickered over her, taking in her bikini, her tanned skin, the look of anger in her eyes. His jaw worked. For a moment, he wore an odd expression of satisfaction, then his face closed down. “Fuck it. I don’t need this shit. I’m out.”
He turned on his heel and stalked out of the kitchen. A few seconds later, the front door slammed so hard the living room windows shook. There was an awkward moment of silence until Nico spoke.
“Sorry about that, Chloe. Don’t take it personally. A.J.’s not exactly what you’d call a people person.”
“He’s not exactly what I’d call a person,” she said, her voice shaky. She looked over at me. “I didn’t even do anything! I was just standing here, minding my own business, when he came in and started giving me grief!”
“He’s probably just agro about the tour,” said Brody, shrugging. “Brother always gets twitchy before we go on the road.”
My gaze shot to Nico. My legs became rooted to the floor. “Tour?”
“Yeah,” he said, watching me warily. “About that.”
“Just got confirmation this morning,” chimed in Ethan, smiling. He obviously wasn’t agro about going on the road. He looked positively gleeful about it. “Forty dates in thirty cities over two months. Kicks off in October in New York. Then we go all over Europe. Denmark, Sweden, Spain, Italy, Germany, you name it. Winds up in Paris on New Year’s Eve.”
“October? Europe?” I repeated, unable to process what I was hearing. Nico was leaving for Europe for two months? When had he been planning on telling me?
“Can’t wait to see if the Krugermann twins will be at the Munich show again this year,” said Chris. He and Ethan shared a high five and a snicker that told me all I needed to know about their special relationship with the Krugermann twins.
It felt as if all the air in the room had been sucked out.
Ethan strolled over to the food as if
nothing out of the ordinary had just happened. Chris and Ray followed, and soon the three of them had plates in hand and were piling them high.
Chloe intervened, knowing full well I was on the verge of a meltdown. “I think I’ll go change now. Come with?”
I tore my gaze from Nico. “Sure,” I whispered.
“Kat.”
“I’ll be right back, Nico. Just give me a few minutes,” I said over my shoulder as Chloe and I left the room. It had grown very quiet behind us.
Once in the master bedroom, I sank slowly to the bed, dazed.
“I’m sure he was going to tell you.” Chloe went to the pile of her clothes she’d left on the top of the dresser when we’d changed to go to the pool earlier. She dragged on her shorts, pulled a pretty coral-colored shirt over her head, slid her feet into a cute pair of blingy flip-flops, then came and sat next to me. “They only found out this morning, right? So he just hasn’t had a chance to tell you yet.”
I avoided her sympathetic gaze. It only made me feel worse. “They only confirmed it this morning. It must take, what, six months or something to plan a world tour? He had to have known this was coming. He had to have known for a long time.”
“I did.” Nico stood in the doorway with his arms crossed, leaning against the frame, staring at me. “I’ve known since May.”
May. Long before I even met him. He’d known about the tour for the entire time we’d been together.
I was beginning to feel queasy.
Nico pushed away from the door and moved toward us.
Chloe stood. “Um, I think I’ll head on out now. Thanks for having me over, Nico. Kat, call me later?”
I nodded. She gathered up the rest of her things, then came and gave me a hug. Into my ear she whispered, “Go easy on him. He looks worried.”
My smile was tight. He should look worried. Lucky for him, there weren’t any sharp objects in the immediate vicinity.
Chloe murmured a good-bye to Nico, and then we were alone.
“You’re mad.” He said it as a statement of fact.
Sweet as Sin Page 22
