by Lucy Score
“I have no plans of giving up Manhattan for Blue Moon,” he promised. But his gaze tracked back to the screen where Emma beguiled him.
“I know you’re not taking assignments right now, but I thought I’d pass this idea on. You know how if you’re off the scene longer than it takes to recover from rhinoplasty, everyone in the industry forgets about you?”
Niko picked up an apple out of the bowl on the counter and bit into it. “Uh-huh, sure.”
“Well, I’ve got an idea that could tide everyone over until you’re back from playing farmer. I’ve got a friend of a friend who owns a gallery in SoHo. He’s looking for a new exhibit, and I thought you could pull together some shots. Maybe do a retrospective with some of your favorites?”
He stared at his screen again. “Actually, I have a better idea.”
By the time he hung up, his agent was ecstatic and he was feeling a little psyched himself.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Niko found Emma in her office at the brewery swearing at her computer screen. “Unfreeze, damn you!” She slapped a palm down on top of the desk. The office had been built into the barn’s original silo and was tucked away from the chaos of the brewery and its kitchen, which was probably one of the reasons Emma spent very little time in here. He’d noticed she preferred to work from a laptop in the restaurant where she could keep an eye on things.
“You’re beautiful when you’re annoyed.”
Emma startled and then smiled a sleek, female grin when she spotted him in the doorway. “Well, isn’t this a nice surprise? Miss me already?” she teased.
“Maybe,” he admitted, crossing to her. He eased a hip on the corner of her desk and stretched out his legs. “How are you today?”
Emma pushed back from the desk and swiveled her chair to face him. She looked up at him through her thick curtain of lashes and wet her lips. He went instantly hard.
“A little sore and a lot satisfied. How about you?” There was a smile in her voice that he liked hearing.
Niko tugged on the end of a red curl. “Not nearly finished with you. That’s how I’m feeling.”
He couldn’t quite gauge her reaction. Emma was a little too good at masking her thoughts. “Is that so?” she asked innocently.
“Before we explore this in-depth,” Niko winked, “I need to know if we’re still friends.”
Emma cocked her head to the side. “I feel very friendly toward you,” she promised.
Everything this woman did or said seemed designed to make him want to tear her clothes off and pleasure them both.
“It looks like you’re feeling pretty friendly, too,” she said, eyeing his erection through his jeans.
“Stop looking at me like that. You’re making it worse,” he groaned.
“I could probably help you out with that,” she said, trailing a hand up his thigh.
“Jesus, woman.” He stilled her hand with his own. “Let me get to the point before I lose any more blood flow to the brain.”
She leaned back in her chair looking pleased with herself and opened her palms. “By all means.”
“I need you to look at something and tell me what your honest opinion is.”
“Your cock is spectacular, and you know it.”
“Emmaline.” His voice was stern. “This is serious.”
“I was being completely serious.”
He tossed the envelope on her desk.
“What’s this?”
“Open it and find out, smart ass.”
She slid the stack of pictures free, and Niko found himself holding his breath.
“Oh! The wedding!” She looked up at him, eyes dancing, lips parted. He shifted away, straightening from the desk to pace. He didn’t trust himself to not bend her over the desk when she looked at him like that.
He shoved a hand through his hair. “I emailed them to Phoebe and she was… pleased.” She’d been thrilled. The number of exclamation points in her email outnumbered the words she’d used. But Niko didn’t trust that she wouldn’t be just as enthusiastic if Aurora and the twins had recreated the wedding in crayon and macaroni.
Emma was watching him closely. He pointed at the pictures. “I want to know what you think.”
She gave him one last searching look before dropping her focus to the stack of photos he’d printed.
“Oh, Niko,” she breathed, holding up the first, a photo of Aurora hiding under the table with her contraband cake. “It’s perfect. Absolutely perfect.”
He said nothing and waited while she paged through the stack.
Her breath caught on one, and she stared at it for a long minute before carefully shuffling it to the back. “Are you trying to murder my heart?” she asked, holding up the last shot. It was the one of her and Franklin sharing a dance.
Niko shoved his hands into his pockets. “Well?” he asked her.
Emma paged through the photos once more before tucking them carefully back into the envelope and stood. “Nikolai Vulkov, how can you possibly doubt yourself after that?”
He blew out the breath he’d been holding. “You like them?”
“They’re beautiful, and I’m keeping them. Phoebe can get her own when she comes back from the Bahamas.”
“Is that so?” he asked, hooking his fingers into the front of her very sexy black Oxford and drawing her in.
“Not in the office,” she warned, putting her fingers over his lips.
“Jax and Joey do it in the tack room,” he argued.
“Stop distracting me. Tell me how you feel about the photos,” she ordered.
“They’re good. But I wanted to hear you say it so I’d know if I was delusional.”
She laughed, hooking her hands behind his neck. “My delusional artist friend.”
“While I have you softened up, I’ve got a proposal for you,” he said, brushing a tendril back from her face.
“We’re definitely not getting married,” she smirked, batting her eyelashes at him.
“We’ll put that in the To Be Discussed pile,” he shot back. “I’ve been thinking a lot about…” his eyes raked her. “Us.”
“There hasn’t been an ‘us’ for a full twenty-four hours yet,” she reminded him.
“Our friendship goes way back,” he insisted, and Emma laughed.
“Please continue.”
“I’m going to be here for a few more weeks,” Niko began. “And there’s no way what happened last night was a one-time thing.”
“Hmm,” she said blandly.
He tickled her under the ribs until she cracked. “Okay! Okay. I wouldn’t say no to a repeat performance,” she gasped.
“Now, you know that I don’t do relationships, and I know you don’t do anything casual.”
She was looking suspicious now and tried to take a step back but he followed her. “What are you suggesting?”
He backed her up against the desk caging her between his thighs. “I’m suggesting we both step outside our comfort zones and see where this goes.”
She wet her lips, and it drove him crazy. “Huh?”
“I’m saying I’ll be monogamous with you if you’ll be willing to give up your ideal end game for me so we can continue enjoying each other.”
Emma’s green eyes narrowed. “I’m trying to think about the multitude of reasons why this is a terrible idea. But I can’t because you’re too close.” She slapped a hand to his chest, but it didn’t move him an inch. He merely leaned in over her to tease her jaw with his teeth.
“Say yes,” he ordered.
He felt her shiver beneath him and skimmed his hand down the curve of her breast, over her waist and hip, until it found bare leg where her black skirt ended.
“What are you doing?” she whispered against his mouth.
He shifted his stance so his thighs parted hers, and he let his hand trace its way up the inside of her thigh. “I’m sweetening the deal.”
He found the satin of the thong already damp and growled low in his throat. “The
things you do to me, Emma.” He brushed the wet satin with the pads of his fingers and watched her head fall back in surrender. “What’s your answer?”
Those slick cherry lips parted, but no words came out. Niko slid his fingers under the edge of the material and used his knee to force her legs farther apart. He was gentle at first, circling slowly before dipping two fingers into her honeyed entrance. She moaned, bucking her hips against his hand as he thrust in and out.
“Tell me you want me, Emma. Just me,” he said, using his thumb to brush that sweet nub.
Her knees buckled, and she gripped his shirt to keep from falling. “Say the words, baby, or I’ll stop.”
“Don’t you dare stop,” she gasped.
“Tell me.”
She was riding his hand now urging him on.
“I want you, Niko. I want you.”
“You’ll be mine… for now?” he clarified.
“Y-yes.”
“Good girl.” She tightened around his fingers, muscles clenching down as he took her over the edge.
She opened her mouth, and Niko clamped his free hand over it, muffling her cry of surprise as she came. She went limp, sagging against him. He withdrew his fingers and enjoyed her look of shock when he slid them into his mouth.
Her flavor was on his tongue, and he wanted more.
“Damn it, Niko! Not at work,” Emma hissed, recovering her sense of propriety.
He should’ve been sorry, but he wasn’t. Not when he got to witness Emma’s physical response to him first-hand.
“You don’t even look sorry,” she grumbled, straightening her skirt and shoving her hair over her shoulders.
“I’m never going to be sorry about making you come.” It was her turn to clap a hand over his mouth.
“Let’s get one thing straight. I got carried away, but this can’t happen again at work. My job is important to me, and I don’t want to jeopardize anything for a quick fuck on my desk,” Emma told him coolly.
Niko took her by the hands, feeling a stirring of guilt. “I’m sorry. I got carried away, too. That’s the last thing I’d ever want you to feel about what we do.” She wouldn’t look him in the eye, so he nudged her chin up. “I’m sorry, Emma.”
She set her jaw. “As long as you understand, work is off-limits. So if you want any help taking care of that,” she looked down pointedly and tapped the erection that was trying to claw its way out of denim with her knuckles, making him draw in a sharp breath. “Then you’re going to have to wait until my break and meet me outside.”
“Have dinner with me.”
“What?”
“I’m not leaving you feeling like this,” he told her, stroking a hand over her cheek. “Have dinner with me on your break. We’ll eat in the bar.”
“If we do that, then everyone’s going to know!”
“Know what?” The question came from the doorway.
Emma jumped a mile and backed into her desk. “Holy shit, Joey,” she said, clutching a hand to her heart. “You scared the hell out of me.”
Joey, in boots and riding breeches, smirked and crossed her arms to lean against the doorjamb. “You look pretty occupied. Maybe I should come back later.”
Emma tried to swat Niko out of the way, but he stayed put. “Wait right there,” Niko pointed to Joey and dragged Emma to the far side of the office. “We have to tell her.”
“Tell her that you just gave me an orgasm in my office?” Emma hissed in disbelief.
“That we’re dating, baby. The orgasm thing is up to you,” he whispered.
“But we just decided… I don’t know if I’m ready.” Emma looked up at him, her green eyes wide and searching.
“What’s going to happen if we don’t tell her?”
“Well, she’s going to know anyway and probably blab to Jax who has a huge mouth.”
“His mouth is pretty regular sized. Beckett has a bigger mouth,” Joey corrected her from across the room, and Emma went scarlet.
“You heard that?”
“Good acoustics,” Joey shrugged. “Congrats on the orgasm by the way.”
“I’m going to die right here on this spot,” Emma moaned.
Niko took matters into his own hands. “Joey, Emma and I are… dating.” He didn’t exactly choke on the word, but it didn’t flow either.
“Okay. Anyway, Jax and I were going to bring the kids in tonight for dinner. Is that cool with you?” Joey asked Emma, unfazed.
“Uh, sure. We only have a handful of reservations. All small parties.”
“Cool.” Joey shoved away from the door. “See you at seven?”
“Seven’s fine,” Emma said, nodding harder than necessary.
Joey frowned thoughtfully. “You might want to work on your delivery, by the way. Maybe lead with the orgasm thing.” And then she was gone.
“That was easy,” Niko said when she was gone.
“I guess we’re committed now,” Emma groaned.
Niko brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. “I guess we are.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Joey and Jax insisted that Niko and Emma—on her break—join their party for dinner. Forty-eight hours had changed a lot for their little table, Emma thought. Reva and Caleb were both wearing some of the new clothes she’d delivered this morning. Joey listened as Caleb delivered a dissertation on every kid in his kindergarten class. She looked over his head at Reva. “Is there an off button?”
Reva gave a small smile, the first Emma had seen from the girl.
Emma was relieved for the distraction of extra dinner guests. It was a slow night at the brewery, and she and Nikolai would have had entirely too much time together.
Her head was still spinning from last night, from this afternoon. Everything about Niko pushed her off balance. The way he’d made her feel in bed—and then again in her office—was so intense, she needed time to adjust, to get used to it. She’d played it cool when he showed up in her office, but on the inside, adrenaline was thrumming through her veins the second she’d looked at him and remembered how it felt to have him over her, under her, in her.
Then he’d thrown her again with his “see where we end up” suggestion. She must have been temporarily insane to have agreed to something that ridiculous. They couldn’t possibly have a future together. Why waste the time?
She looked across the table at him and when his dark gaze met hers she remembered exactly why it was worth wasting the time. He was so effortlessly gorgeous, so incredibly talented, and still so interested in her. While their friendship had started as a joke, Niko never made her feel like he didn’t value the time he spent with her.
A heated debate broke out over appetizers. Joey and Caleb wanted wings while Jax and Reva were staunchly in favor of the beer-battered onion rings. “Why can’t we get both?” Joey grumbled.
“Because we’re feeding kids, and we’ll stunt their growth or give them high cholesterol if we feed them like this,” Jax argued.
“Shit.” Joey looked down at Caleb. “Sorry. Crap.”
“It’s okay. Our mom says ‘shit’ all the time.” Caleb patted her hand.
“We’re getting both appetizers,” Joey decided. “But just this once,” she added sternly.
Reva’s lips quirked again, and Emma thought that maybe miracles did happen.
She looked over at Niko and smiled when he winked at her.
“So you two, huh?” Jax grinned from the head of the table.
Emma shot Joey an accusing look.
“What?” Joey shrugged. “You didn’t swear me to secrecy. He’s kinda my husband. We have to talk about stuff.”
Emma took a deep breath. “Yes, we’re… dating.”
“How do you think the Beautification Committee’s going to handle this?” Jax asked.
“We’re not even a blip on their radar,” Emma paraphrased Elvira. “I’m sure they’ve got bigger fish to fry.”
Joey snorted. “Don’t be too quick to believe everything you hear
,” she warned.
“The Beautification Committee has better things to do with their time than worry about us,” Emma argued.
“You’d think, but no,” Jax put in.
The appetizers arrived and were divvied up and the conversation turned to how life at the Pierces’ was going with two new additions.
“My commute’s a lot shorter,” Reva joked.
Niko grinned approvingly at her humor, and the girl flushed to her roots. Emma bit her lip and hid her smile. Nikolai Vulkov’s charm had quite the effect on women of all ages.
They ate and talked and laughed and the normalness of it all had Emma hiding her panic and excusing herself under the guise of brewery business. She ducked into the kitchen and checked up on Julio who was training a new cook. Her dishwasher, Shane, waved cheerily from his spotless workstation.
“I like the apron tonight, Shane,” Emma winked at him and made him laugh. She’d hired Shane through a nonprofit program that paired workers with disabilities and traumatic brain injuries with local employers. He’d been her favorite hire to date, and everyone on the staff loved him. Shane’s claim to fame was his rotating wardrobe of colorful aprons. Tonight’s was a Blue Moon original in flaming tie-dye colors.
She took the kitchen’s back stairs down a flight to the keg room. She took her time hefting each tapped keg to make sure it would last the night. Cheryl, the head bartender, ruled the keg organization with an iron fist, and Emma was pleased to see everything was in order after this week’s kegging of the new lager.
She took a moment to sit and breathe. Sitting across the table from Nikolai felt too… right. If she was going to make this “see where things go” relationship work, she had to forget about the end game and focus on the now. This was painfully new to her. She was nothing without her goals and long-term projections. At one point, she’d thought that Mason was her future, yet when she’d broken things off, she hadn’t felt overly disappointed. The fact of the matter was, she just hadn’t felt much at all besides secure when it came to Mason and their future.
There was a hell of a lot more emotions that came to mind when she was with Nikolai. Lust, need, anxiety, terror.
If she was going to enjoy this, she needed to let go of the what-ifs temporarily. Eventually, Niko would move back to the city and pick up his life where he left off, if the photos today were any indication. And she not only needed to be okay with that. She needed to enjoy the time they had together.
