by Alisha Rai
Sadia relaxed. “Good. You have much more to teach Kareem. I caught him explaining to his friend that his cool aunt Livvy is a fucking tattoo artist.”
Livvy squeezed her eyes shut. “Oh no.”
“Oh yes.”
“I’m so sorry. I swear, I’ll watch my mouth next time I babysit.” The words fell from her lips so easily. Next time.
Sadia, thank God, looked more amused than annoyed. “Please. Now, tell me what you’ve been doing. I haven’t seen you all week.”
What am I doing, or who am I doing? Yeah, she wasn’t quite ready to talk about Nico. “I saw Grandpa John,” she said quietly.
Sadia pursed her lips in a soundless whistle. “Wow.”
“Yes.”
“What was that like?”
“Fantastic. Better than anything I could have imagined.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “He hugged me.”
“As he should. You’re eminently huggable.”
“He said he would have come to Paul’s funeral, but he didn’t want to upset us.”
A shadow moved behind Sadia’s eyes. “How kind of him.”
“Nicholas said the same thing.”
“Nicholas? You saw him again?”
Livvy bit her lip. Shit. “I mean, you know. He said it that time I told you about.” It wasn’t a lie. It wasn’t the full truth either, but it wasn’t a lie.
No one can know. They would hold firm on that part of their agreement. They could resolve whatever was between them without anyone else getting hurt.
Sadia’s brow cleared. “Oh, right. Well, I know John tried to talk to Paul a couple of times, but Paul refused.”
“I’m probably going to see John again soon. Maybe you and Kareem could come with me.”
Sadia wrinkled her nose. “To be honest, Livvy, I’m not too eager to introduce Kareem to the whole Kane-Chandler dynamic. It messed Paul up. Being an heir to C&O was his whole identity, and once it was gone, he didn’t know who he was.”
“None of us knew who we were after it was gone. It’s hard to go from feeling so certain about what your life is and then having it ripped away from you.”
“I have no doubt. But you found yourself, Livvy.”
Livvy raised an eyebrow. Had she?
“Paul . . .” Sadia frowned. “Paul didn’t. Being a small-business owner and my husband and Kareem’s father—any and all of those things could have defined him, but they came in second place to what he’d lost.”
Though Livvy hadn’t spoken to her brother for a long time, she could see that being the case. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. Paul was responsible for himself.”
Livvy nodded slowly. On the list of things she needed to deal with from her past, her estrangement from Paul would have to be one that couldn’t be resolved. Whatever regrets and sorrow she had about their relationship would be ones she carried. “Right.”
“Don’t get me wrong, though. I’m happy you saw John and I hope you can get some closure with him.”
“Yes, well, that was the reason I went to see him. I needed it.” She drank her coffee. “Jackson was right. It was unrealistic to think I could only confront tiny parts of my past.” But he’d been wrong about those parts being unresolvable.
Sadia froze. “Wait. You talked to Jackson?”
“Not much. He saw me for about two minutes, then got on his bike to go to New York.”
“You saw Jackson? He was in town?”
Oof. She hadn’t thought about how Sadia would feel about that. “Yeah.”
“What . . . but he didn’t even come to Paul’s funeral!”
“He said he couldn’t.” The bit about being in jail, Livvy would keep to herself. It wasn’t that she was ashamed of her brother. She didn’t know enough of the story to relate it to anyone.
“Yeah. Right.” Sadia’s lips thinned so much they practically disappeared.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“I’m not upset. I don’t understand why he’d show up now when he couldn’t be bothered for anything else.”
Sadia was totally upset. But Livvy wasn’t about to rile her up further.
Her friend attacked the shreds of the scone. “Is he gone for good?”
“I got a text this morning saying he’d be back tomorrow.” Livvy finished her cookie. “I can tell him to come see you.”
“Whatever.” Sadia tossed down the food she’d been playing with and came to her feet. “I haven’t seen him in years. What do I care if he doesn’t bother to see his sister-in-law and nephew? I don’t care at all.”
“Uh.” It sounded like she cared an awful lot, but Livvy wasn’t in a hurry to point that out. “Okay.”
Sadia smiled, though it was nothing more than a fierce baring of her teeth. “Listen, I have to run. I want to check in on Kareem before my sister comes over to watch him while I’m at the bar.”
Part of Livvy wanted to pursue this, but Sadia had said she liked space. Plus, she wasn’t sure what else to say. Jackson was complicated. “That’s fine.” Livvy grabbed the food and said her goodbyes to Sadia. It wasn’t until she checked her phone in the car that she realized she’d received a text.
Nicholas. Coordinates and a time, eleven o’clock.
His texts had come so often she’d stopped counting them, but she couldn’t stop treasuring them. She ran her fingers over the numbers before checking her watch. She had plenty of time to eat dinner in front of the blaring television and try to engage her mother in conversation before she headed off.
The awful guilt threatened, and she pushed it aside. Nope. While what she was doing with Nicholas wasn’t totally risk-free, he’d been right: it was far healthier than anything she’d done with the man in a decade.
She didn’t realize she had a goofy smile on her face until it widened when she got another text.
Wear something nice.
Chapter 17
BEAUTIFUL.
Such a trite, overused word. Nicholas wished he could come up with something that better described the punch-to-the-gut feeling he got when he saw Livvy.
Nicholas leaned against a pillar. Livvy appeared utterly at home at the bar of the swanky hotel. She was wearing a red dress, short and strapless, with polka dots on it. A white petticoat was visible under the hem. Her hair was styled in some utterly complicated old-fashioned pouf that matched her pinup-girl dress. On another woman the outfit might have looked sweet and girlish, but she’d paired it with high-heeled wedges that had straps crisscrossing her ankles and calves. The vine on her shoulder peeked out from under the strands of her hair. The dragon was barely visible on the back of her calf, under the skirt, a flash of curling tail.
They’d had sex with the lights on now a couple of times, but he hadn’t spent nearly long enough inspecting and licking every spot of ink on her. He didn’t know if there was a point where he’d be satisfied.
For the first time in his life, he’d consciously stopped trying to compartmentalize his personal life from his work and family, and it was an amazing experience. Yes, nothing was as orderly as he was used to. Yes, he’d had to rely on his staff more. Yes, sometimes he zoned out during business meetings since half his attention was focused on how many hours it would take to see her, text her, talk to her again.
But he was happy.
Of course, he could see the problems looming ahead of them. He was growing more and more certain about his feelings for her; she was understandably skittish as hell. But for once he was living in the present, not the past or the future. He was living for himself, Nicholas the Man, not Nicholas the Son or Nicholas the Brother or Nicholas the CEO.
A man sitting next to Livvy at the bar edged closer, turning his head as if he were contemplating talking to her, and Nicholas stifled the growl in his chest. He walked closer, until he could wedge in between the two of them to lean on the bar. “Hello there,” he said quietly.
Livvy glanced his way, amusement dancing in her dark eyes. The dim
chandelier lighting in the room caressed her golden skin. “Hello.”
“Can I buy you a drink?”
Livvy tapped her martini glass. “I have a drink. Can I buy you one?”
“I’d like that.”
“What will you have?”
“Scotch.”
She caught the bartender’s eye and waved him over to place his order. They didn’t speak until after the bartender poured his drink and moved away. The scotch was smoky and delicate, settling over his tongue and throat. “My name’s Nicholas.”
He could tell by the way her mouth puckered that she was biting her cheek. “Olivia.”
“You don’t look like an Olivia.”
“You don’t look like a Nicholas.”
He shrugged. “Call me whatever you like, then.”
“I’ll do that, Nico.”
She’d been sighing that in his ear for the past week. Those two syllables filled him with an unmatched sense of delight. “That’ll do, Livvy.”
She swiveled on her stool. “So, what brings you here tonight?”
“I’m looking for something.”
“What?”
Solace. Relief. You. He wanted to grin but controlled his expression. “Not sure yet.”
“You look like you have everything.”
“Seems that way on paper.”
She rolled her eyes. “Poor little rich boy.”
“How do you know I’m rich?”
Her hand smoothed over his chest, stopping his heart. Would he ever be tired of her touch? He feared the answer was no. She tugged on his tie. “This. This costs more than some people’s paychecks. That’s how I know.”
“You got me.”
“What do you do?”
“Boring stuff.”
“I bet it’s something important.”
“Not really. I take care of things.”
“Things? Or people?”
Nicholas looked down at her. “Both, I suppose.”
Her lashes fluttered. “Sounds important.”
“I hope it is. What do you do?”
“I’m an artist.”
“Ah.” He took a sip of his scotch, barely tasting it. “What’s your medium?”
“Skin.”
“Hmm.” Since she’d touched him, he dared to lift his fingers and trail them over the vine at her shoulder. “Did you design this?”
“I did.”
“Where did you get it?”
“Boston.”
“Nice.”
He continued tracing the vine, feeling her shiver. “For a tattoo artist, you don’t have many visible tattoos.”
“There are few people I’ve been able to trust to execute the designs I want on me.”
“I’ve been thinking of getting a tattoo.”
“Have you? I can’t see you with one.” She cut her gaze away from him, telling him she was lying.
“Maybe a fairy,” he ventured. “Or a mermaid?”
Her lips twitched, and she took a sip of the fruity drink she’d ordered. “If they’re naked, I guess.”
“Look how smart you are. Such a professional.” He followed the vine to the back of her shoulder. He knew exactly where it ended, curling over the delicate bump of her shoulder blade. “I welcome any other suggestions you have.”
“I’ll—I’ll think on it,” she murmured.
“Are you good at what you do?”
She didn’t hesitate. “I’m the best. Are you good at what you do?”
“Taking care of people?”
“Yes.”
“I—” He was about to downplay his accomplishments but instead took a cue from her easy confidence. “I am. Though sometimes I can’t take care of everyone.”
“No one can.”
“You’re right. I’m learning to prioritize.”
“You should prioritize yourself first.”
His smile was genuine. “I don’t think you’re wrong.”
“Well.” Livvy picked up the cherry from her glass by the stem and took a bite of the fruit, holding the stem between her white, even teeth. “What are two competent people like us supposed to do with their time?”
He smiled, though he didn’t feel like smiling. His body was so hard it hurt, watching her slowly make love to that cherry. “I’ve got a room upstairs.”
She put down the stem. “I’d have been disappointed if you didn’t.”
They didn’t speak as they made their way upstairs to the room he’d reserved. This wasn’t a comfortable silence, but the kind of silence that came from two people who didn’t know each other that well.
Feeding the fantasy.
As the elevator rose, he slid his hand from the small of her back up to her shoulder, then down over her arm, scraping his callouses over the vine, until he could clasp their hands together. “The things I want to do to you,” he murmured.
The look she cast him was sizzling. “What do you want to do to me?”
He took one step, then another, crowding her smaller body. He raised their joined hands and placed them against the wall of the elevator. “Strip you. Lick you. Fuck you.”
Her legs fell open, giving him room to press against her. He couldn’t stop himself from grinding his cock in the warm, wet space between her legs.
“That all sounds good,” she breathed.
The elevator dinged, and he’d never been so grateful when the doors opened to reveal an empty hallway. If she hadn’t easily matched his eager pace, he would have been dragging her. He inserted his keycard wrong at first, and he cursed impatiently when it flashed red, giving her a dark look when she laughed.
Finally they were inside. He didn’t wait, pressing her up against the door, as he had in the elevator. With great care, he pushed her hair over her shoulders and looked down into her eyes. “I want you to tell me what you like.”
“You know what I like.”
“How, when we’ve never met before?”
Her lips quivered, but she didn’t contradict him. Her small breasts pillowed over the neckline of her dress. He lowered his head and kissed the flesh, not breaking eye contact with her. “I need you to tell me. Is this okay?”
Her eyes darkened. “Yes.”
He reached around her and found the zipper, pulling it down so he could properly trace her spine down to the dimples at her waist. He wanted to lick those dimples. He eased back and paused before lowering the dress. “Can I strip you naked?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
With a shove, he had the dress on the floor. He took a second to admire her braless breasts, then dropped his hand to her panties. It was a scrap of fabric, tied at each hip with a tiny bow. He gave the strings a gentle tug. “Please, can I get these panties off you?”
She nodded. Two tugs at each bow, and the lace was on the floor, her body completely naked in front of him. He took a second to admire her smooth skin, decorated with ink. He knew this body so well, and yet at the same time he didn’t know it at all. “Will you get on the bed?”
She bit her lip and sauntered past him, the muscles in her short, powerful legs clenching and releasing. She crawled onto the bed in a way he knew was designed to get his blood rushing to his cock. He swallowed, then slowly worked his tie free.
He dropped it onto the bed and quickly stripped off his shirt and pants, preening only a little when she ran her hungry gaze over him. He donned a condom and then grabbed the tie and crawled up her body, her smooth legs grazing his hairier ones. “Can I tie you up, Livvy?”
Her eyes widened. “Uh, with the tie?”
“Yes.”
“Yes, yes, yes.” She nodded for emphasis. “A million times yes.”
Well, that confirmed his suspicion she had some sort of weird fetish with his ties. He bit the inside of his cheek as she flung her hands above her head. He looped the tie around both wrists. She tested the knot, her expression growing more heated as she realized she was caught. “Boy Scout.”
He ran his lips down the inside of h
er arm, making her shiver. “Good with knots. Always prepared.” She arched up, and he controlled her easily, placing a hand on her hip. “Be patient,” he whispered.
“Patience is not my strong suit.”
“That’s too bad. It is mine.” He licked his way over her breast, to her nipple. “I still need you to tell me what you like.”
“Nico . . .”
Her breasts were fuller on top than the bottom, which meant he had to cup and lift them to get her nipples into his mouth. He plumped one up, then ran his mouth all around the tip and down the valley between her breasts. Her foot dragged up his leg and ass and back, exerting a steady pressure to get him closer and tighter.
He readjusted so her legs were caught under his, and took in her glassy eyes and flushed skin. “Do you want me to stop?”
“No.”
Very carefully, he ran his tongue around the areola of her nipple. She cried out, and he lifted his head. “What do you want?”
“Suck me.”
He drew a bit of her skin on the curve of her breast into his mouth and sucked it softly. “Like this?”
“No. My nipples, damn it.”
He pushed her breasts together and opened his mouth wide, his groan matching hers when he sucked in a mouthful of her pretty nipples. He drank in the sound of her sighs and moans like they were ambrosia. If he could, he’d consume her completely.
He played with her for a long moment, until she was writhing beneath him. He kissed his way over her body to the tattoo on the outside of her left breast. A heart, with parentheses around it.
“Where did you get this one?” he murmured, and traced the heart with his tongue.
“Los Angeles.”
He nipped her skin, then moved lower, kissing over her clenched stomach. He nibbled her cute navel, then lower still, over her hipbones and the pot of gold there. Her first.
He spread her legs wider and traced his fingers over the intricate stylized dragon that ran up her leg, its head on her thigh. “What about this one?”
“D.C.”
He frowned, something niggling at the back of his mind, but he shoved it aside, barely able to concentrate on breathing when her body was so wet and ready beneath his.
