“So tell her to stop.”
“I don’t want to hurt her feelings.” He made it sound so simple.
“It’s not you, right?”
She shook her head.
“So tell them the truth. Tell them who you are.”
Right there in the narrow hallway, he drew her close to his body. It was hard not to be distracted by the feel of him. She was itching to lift his black T-shirt and tug on the twin barbells piercing his nipples.
His expression left no doubt he could read her mind. “Do that and I’ll be forced to find a bedroom.”
“I’d be just as happy to undress as I was to dress.”
He lowered his head and took her mouth in a gentle kiss. “When we get home, I’m going to strip you naked and keep you that way for the rest of the day.”
When we get home. She refused to dwell on the significance of his words. If she tried to analyze everything he said, she’d drive herself insane.
“Are the two of you ever going to make it into my study? Or am I going to have to give you a moment’s privacy right here in the hallway?”
Desiree jerked at the sound of her brother’s voice, but Nicolai didn’t seem ruffled in the least. He shot her brother a pointed stare before giving her another slow, sensuous kiss.
“Yes, yes, I get it that you two lovebirds are really into each other.” Erik leaned against the doorjamb. “However, you were the one who was in a hurry to see me, Desiree.”
She did need to talk to her brother. Pulling away from Nicolai, she trudged the last few feet to the den and stepped inside. “I guess we should just get this over with.”
Erik settled himself in a leather chair, leaving them the sofa. “This relationship isn’t a grievous sin against me. Nicolai’s a great guy, but if you’re here to ask my advice, I’ll give it to you straight. Staying with Nicolai will never get you want you want in life. If this is what you want, that’s your business, but I’m not going to give it my blessing until you slow down and think it through.”
The idea of asking Erik for his advice or his blessing about her relationship with Nicolai was ludicrous. She settled herself on the leather seat, automatically scooting as close to Nicolai as she could. The heat of him there beside her was reassuring. “You think I’m here to talk to you about our relationship?”
Her brother didn’t lose his confident demeanor very often. Seeing it slide from his face was perversely satisfying. “Then why are you here?”
“To talk about Selena’s asshole fiancé.”
“You want to talk about Jackson?”
This was harder than she’d expected. There really weren’t good words for the kind of bombshell accusation she was about to make. At least not polite ones. She cleared her throat and went for direct. “Jackson tried to force himself on me last night.”
Erik’s gaze flickered from her to Nicolai. “Force himself? As in, our younger sister’s fiancé tried to rape you?”
“He’s made comments before. Ask Joshua. He told me to make certain I didn’t find myself alone with Jackson.” Desiree clasped her hands tightly in her lap. “But I had to attend the charity auction last night in Selena’s place.”
“Where did this happen?” Erik pushed to his feet and began pacing agitated circles between his chair and the executive desk at the far end of the room. “If you were never alone, how could he force himself on you?”
“I said he tried, not that he succeeded. He trapped me in a corner. I managed to give him the slip.” An overwhelming sense of gratitude hit her hard. When she’d been huddling in the back of the cab in a ripped dress with no shoes and no money, the sound of Nicolai’s voice had been akin to an angel’s.
Erik sliced the air with one hand. “Why am I only hearing about this now?”
“I took a cab to Jack’s after it happened.”
“Why?”
She felt Nicolai’s gaze and turned to meet it. “That was where I wanted to be.”
“Did you go to the hospital?”
“Nicolai wanted to take me, but I wouldn’t go. I’ve got some bruises, but they’ll heal. The hospital would’ve called the police.”
Erik’s expression was grim. “And you would’ve had to name Jackson.”
“Mama is going to go ballistic.”
“What do you have to say about all this?” Erik looked over her head at Nicolai.
“If I see the fucker, I’m going to tear him apart.”
The venom in Nicolai’s voice sent shivers down her spine. This was the brutal side she’d always known lay just below the surface. It should have frightened her, but it didn’t. In fact, there was something deeply reassuring about having a man like Nicolai on her side.
Erik made a frustrated sound and turned to stare out the window. “What do you want me to do?”
Nicolai stood up so quickly she felt the sofa slide backward. “What do think you should do? That piece of shit tried to rape Desiree. I say we take him out behind the bar and beat some sense into him.”
“It’s not that simple.” Erik focused on her. “Are you ready to face Selena and tell her the truth?”
It should have been a no-brainer. Desiree knew firsthand what Jackson was like. Marrying him would be the worst mistake her little sister could ever make. But Erik had a point. It wasn’t that simple. There was a prenup to consider. Not to mention the legion of fashionable guests who were scheduled to attend the wedding in three days.
“Desiree?”
“Yes, I am.”
NICOLAI COULD PRACTICALLY smell the apprehension in the air. The entire thing was absolutely black and white. He knew Erik believed what Desiree had told him. If anything, his sister had just reinforced the bad feelings he’d already harbored about his future brother-in-law. Yet here they were, dancing around, trying to avoid offending their mother and sister. Their younger sister should’ve been damned thankful to get a heads-up before she found herself leg-shackled to a rapist. And their mother? What kind of screwed-up parent was more concerned with a prenup than her daughter’s safety?
“When do you want to do this?” Erik picked up his wallet and keys from the desktop.
Desiree stood up. “Right now, before I lose my nerve.”
“I’ll drive you.” Erik swung his key ring around his index finger. “Do you want me to drop you by Jack’s, Nicolai?”
Uneasiness settled in his gut. There was no way he was sending Desiree in alone. Erik might be her brother, but he was a victim of their twisted society rules just as much as she was. Nicolai decided to play it cool. “I figured I’d tag along.”
“If you plan on dating my sister long-term, that’s not a good idea.”
“The hell it’s not.” Once again, he and Erik were at an impasse involving Desiree. His friend’s expression hardened into the lines Nicolai associated with one of his stubborn moods.
“Don’t argue about this.” Desiree moved between them, resting her hand against Nicolai’s chest. He could feel her agitation in the light touch. “Give us a minute, Erik. All right?”
“Fine. I’ll meet you by the car in ten minutes. I need to look in on Talia and tell her where I’m going anyway.” The study door clicked shut behind Erik, and they were alone.
Nicolai gently took her hand in his and drew her close. “I’m not letting you do this alone.”
“I won’t be alone.”
“I’ve known your brother a long time, and I like him.”
“But you don’t trust him.”
“Not with this. Not with you.” He wished he knew the words to explain what was happening. His instincts had always been good. Even during a losing streak, they’d told him he was an idiot. They’d kept him on the right path since he’d walked away from the tables, and they were screaming at him now.
“I have to stand on my own. I have to go in there and tell my mother and my sister the truth.”
“Even if they won’t listen?”
“Even then. I have to know that I tried to do the right thing
even if it goes against the rules.”
He’d thought once that she belonged to this life instead of with him. He was starting to realize it wasn’t about belonging. It was about choices. “Remember what I told you?”
“I have to be my own woman.”
He dipped his head and brushed a kiss across her lips. “When push comes to shove, which way will you choose?”
She pressed herself closer, until every part of her was stretched against every part of him. “I choose you.”
“Then never back down, wild girl.”
Chapter Thirteen
“I can’t believe you have the brass to show your face in this house after what you did.”
Desiree generally had no trouble finding a snappy comeback for just about anything Selena had to say. This was different. “I’m sorry?”
Selena stalked across the morning room and plopped down onto the settee. She crossed her bare legs, bouncing her ankle. Her designer tennis skirt revealed a sleek expanse of bare thigh. The sporty purple-and-white outfit was at odds with a diamond bracelet Desiree had never seen before.
Settling into his corporate peacemaker mode, Erik sat opposite Selena in a wingback chair. Desiree had seen him use this tactic with their younger sister at least a million times. He’d become so good at it that Selena rarely realized he was playing both sides. With his most earnest expression firmly in place, he finally spoke. “What happened, Selena? I’d like to hear your side of the story first.”
Desiree bit back a groan. Controlling her irritation with effort, she took the chair adjacent to Erik’s. Using key words like “your side” and “first” were about the only way to deal with Selena, but after years of patronizing the spoiled princess, Desiree had had enough.
“When I got back from Echoes this morning, Jackson had left this on the foyer table with a note to call him right away.” Selena tilted her wrist to let the diamonds glitter in the sunlight.
Clever bastard! Jewelry solved just about anything with Selena. And putting it on the foyer table? That was a sure way to ensure Jackson would get first crack at telling her his version of what had happened at the charity auction.
“So I called him right away to say thank you for the beautiful bracelet.” Another sparkly flick of the wrist. “And he told me that he was so incredibly sorry for what had happened last night with you.” She scorched Desiree with an angry glare. “He said he had no idea how you felt about him until you came on to him right there in the banquet hall.”
“That’s his story?” The scheming weasel was obviously a little smarter than Desiree had given him credit for.
“The idea that you could pull my fiancé, the man I’m going to marry the day after tomorrow, into a dark corner and try to convince him to have sex with you is just disgusting, Desiree.”
Desiree was mad enough to breathe fire. “Finally we agree on something.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m just agreeing that the idea of me and your fiancé having sex is disgusting. In fact, I think the idea of Jackson having sex with just about anything is disgusting. Or really, just the thought of him is disgusting.”
Erik reached over and put a hand on her knee. “Desiree. Enough.”
“Yes, that will be quite enough from all of you.” All three siblings leaped to their feet as Annaline Aasen entered the room. Their mother immediately went to Selena’s side and bent to give her cheek an air-kiss. “I left the club as soon as Jackie gave me your message. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. I’m just confronting my whore of a sister about her attempted seduction of my fiancé.”
“Insults don’t create solutions, Selena. I know you were hurt by your sister’s betrayal, but the crass language solves nothing.”
It couldn’t have hurt more had the two of them mowed her down with a steamroller. Pressure built behind her eyes, and Desiree fought to keep from crying. All this time trying to do the right thing, be the right person, wear the right clothes, have the right friends, and do what her mother asked—and for what? It was becoming all too apparent that it didn’t matter what Desiree did or said. She would never be enough. Her mother would always love the “baby” best of all, and Desiree would always come second.
Nicolai has always put you first.
The thought gave her a burst of strength. “You know what? I’m done.” Desiree ignored the warning look Erik passed in her direction. This was bullshit, complete bullshit. “You believe what you want. I know the truth. I came here to warn you that your husband-to-be is the world’s biggest asshole and a rapist who practically tore my clothes off last night trying to force himself on me.” She tilted her head back until they could all see the purple marks on her windpipe. “He almost knocked me out. I actually broke my favorite pair of Jimmy Choos trying to get away from the bastard.”
“If that’s true, where’s the police report?” Selena propped her hand on her hip and stabbed her finger in Desiree’s direction. “It’s his word against yours. And you’re probably just protecting that lowlife you’ve been seeing.”
Desiree tried to keep the shock from her face, but her mother and sister knew her too well for that.
“Delia Desiree Aasen.” Annaline’s tone could’ve frozen water. “You couldn’t possibly think I wouldn’t have you investigated after that little stunt you pulled with the alarm the other night. If you’re going to act like a spoiled teenager, I might as well treat you like one. The man is a gambling addict who is most likely dealing drugs out the back door of that trashy bar in Back Bay. You could do so much better if you would only let me help you.”
It felt as though someone had stripped her naked and dumped ice-cold water over her head. Her gaze darted around the room before it settled on Erik. He was the only one who knew that much about Nicolai. Her mother’s words were eerily similar to Erik’s little speech in his study. He and Nicolai hadn’t acted like two guys who’d been friends for years. Were they at odds over her? Could Erik have possibly said something to their mother?
“I might not think he’s the best match for you, Desiree, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a good man.” He turned to face their mother. “Nicolai Anastas is not a lowlife or a drug dealer. I’ve known him for more than ten years. It’s been at least that long since he’s gambled. He’s an upstanding guy who took care of Desiree last night after Jackson assaulted her.”
Annaline walked from the settee to a delicate side table to retrieve her cell phone. “It’s apparent your judgment hasn’t improved any in the last year or so, Erik. That you would defend a man like this Anastas character when he’s most likely the person who assaulted your sister in the first place is unforgivable.”
Desiree had been such a little idiot to believe she could ever get through to her mother and sister. She should’ve listened to Nicolai and gone to the hospital the night before. Not that a doctor’s note and a police report would’ve convinced the Queen of Denial her would-be King was a deranged pervert. And a liar.
“Hi, Cade, it’s Annaline Aasen.” Sometime during Desiree’s inner castigation, her mother had placed a phone call. How could she make a call now? Weren’t they kind of in the middle of something? “Of course, Cade. I know you’re busy, but if you could just take a few officers and go pick up that bartender I had you check out the other night. I’d like to press charges. Hmm? He attacked my daughter, Desiree. Assault with intent to rape, I believe.”
Desiree’s heart skipped a beat. “Mama, what are you doing? Are you crazy?”
“That’s enough.” Erik sliced his hand through the air. “You can’t press charges against someone for Desiree. She’s a grown woman.”
“The hell I can’t. Nobody assaults an Aasen and gets away with it.”
“Well, apparently they do, as long as they’re a card-carrying member of the Social Assholes Club.” Desiree turned to walk out of the morning room. She was done beating her head against the wall.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” Selena move
d to block the door. “I fired that incompetent wedding planner this morning as soon as I got back from Echoes. You hired her to begin with. Now you’re going to fix it.”
“I’m sorry, did you just say that you fired Isabel?” Rendered without comeback twice in one confrontation. Was there a full moon or something?
“She’s a total moron. Of course I fired her!”
Annaline stepped away from Erik and focused her radar on Desiree. “Isabel was completely unprofessional with your sister on the phone this morning, not to mention rude. I know you said she came highly recommended, but I won’t tolerate someone treating my daughter with such disrespect. Fortunately most of the planning and scheduling is done. There are just a few details that could use your attention. You’ve always had such a talent for that sort of thing. I’m sure it will turn out beautifully.”
“What did you say to Isabel, Selena?”
“I told her I changed my mind about the shade of pink I want for the flowers.”
“Why would you do that?” Desiree wished she were surprised, but it wasn’t really that shocking that Selena would try to change the flower order two days before the wedding.
“I saw this rose yesterday at the spa. It was the most amazing shade of pink! Seriously, Desiree, you should’ve seen it! So I told Isabel she needed to get her butt up there to Echoes and find out what it was and then have the florist incorporate those into the bouquets for my attendants.”
“You saw a rose, yesterday, at the spa, and decided to tell Boston’s busiest and most sought-after wedding planner that you want her to call the florist, also the busiest and most sought after in the city, in order to make changes to bouquets ordered eight months ago for a wedding taking place the day after tomorrow?” Desiree didn’t believe for one minute Selena would ever understand how any of that was out of line. Not even when it was spelled out for her.
“Why are you just standing there? I need you to fix it.” Selena crossed her arms like a petulant child. “And the rehearsal dinner is tomorrow night at the club. You need to confirm the menu with the chef.”
Boston Avant-Garde: Impetuous Page 11
