A Little Harmless Faith

by Melissa Schroeder

  “Going to head back to the office if Nicola is looking for me. I have some lawyers to talk to.”

  “Of course,” Marta said with a smile. He shoved his hands into his pockets, and after one last glance at Nicola enjoying the morning on the lanai, he turned and headed back to his office. The sooner he was finished with work, the sooner he could call it the end of the work day.

  And then he could have Nicola all to himself once again.

  13

  Three days later, Nicola was having lunch with Jeff and Ben at a popular chain restaurant in the Aloha Tower Marketplace. It had gorgeous views of the water, and they, luckily, were seated outside. It provided a wonderfully cooling breeze.

  Jeff was about the same age as she was, only a few months older. His blond hair was still as short as it had been during their skating days, but he had put on a few pounds. During everything, he could always make her laugh, and when everyone else tuned their backs on her, he had stood by her. He was the one friend from her skating days that she knew she could count on. Ben, his husband and business partner, was shorter, with dark hair and a lean, wiry body that spoke of his marathon training. If Jeff was loud and amusing, Ben was a calming influence.

  Within moments of sitting down, she knew something was up. She’d had a bit of a scuffle with Jensen before leaving, because he hadn’t wanted her to go. In fact, he tried to order her not to go, she just laughed and walked out the door. He hadn’t been serious, it worried her anyway. He tended to get into trouble when he was left at loose ends, she couldn’t help it though. She had always drawn a definitive line between work and her personal time. Unfortunately, that was getting a little blurry thanks to their new connection.

  “I should have never forgiven you after you left me out in the cold,” Jeff said.

  “In the cold?” she asked with a laugh. “What the bloody hell are you talking about?”

  Jeff shook his head. “There you go again.”

  “What?”

  He waited a second, then he offered her an evil grin. “Sounding like a Brit.”

  “Bite your tongue, Jeffy. And how did I leave you in the cold?”

  “When you were hired by Jensen Wulf. I could have turned him.”

  Ben shook his head and smiled, saying nothing.

  “Technically, his mother hired me first as his sober companion. Also, you would have never turned him. He has no interest whatsoever in men.”

  “I disagree.”

  “You would be wrong, but then that wouldn’t be the first time.”

  He opened his mouth to argue with her, but his husband changed the subject.

  “One thing I have always been interested in is the history of the Wulf family,” Ben said.

  “How so?” she asked.

  Ben waited as their waiter returned to the table with their entrees.

  “I mean, it doesn’t sound very English or proper.”

  She chuckled. “Well, they aren’t that English. The truth is, their proper last name was Wulfgang. They changed it after World War I.”

  “Hmm, that is really interesting.”

  “Right? A large number of people with even the hint of German in their name changed it, including the Windsors. Of course, the Wulfs no longer lay claim to their aristocratic name.”

  “Very interesting.”

  “I find them all endlessly fascinating,” Jeff said.

  She had just taken a bite of her fish when she noticed a movement out of the side of her eye. The last few years had taught her to be wary of such things. Keeping all of the Wulf siblings out of the press was important. She looked over and saw nothing. Positive she had made a mistake, she concentrated on eating.

  “You would,” she said after swallowing. “It isn’t as fun as it looks in the press.”

  “And you started working for the Bad Boy Billionaire when he stopped being a bad boy.”

  “Hmm,” was all she said to that. She couldn’t tell either Ben or Jeff about her and Jensen. Both of them were horrible gossips. They wouldn’t purposely leak the information, but they couldn’t be trusted to keep their mouths shut.

  Again, the feeling of eyes on her had her looking around. Then she saw him. Hiding behind some greenery. It was the only explanation for it. Jensen Wulf, CEO of Wulf Industries and blood-related to the Windsor family, was hiding behind a palm plant spying on her. She blinked trying to see if he would disappear.

  She dabbed her mouth, then said, “Excuse me for a moment.”

  Both of the men nodded and paid little attention to her. As she rose and started in his direction, she saw panic move over his expression. She grabbed him by the wrist and never stopped her forward progression toward the bathroom. She stopped in the alcove that lead there.

  “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “I just happened—”

  “Don’t even try that.”

  He sighed and pulled off his sunglasses. “I was worried.”

  “About what?”

  “About this meeting.”

  “It isn’t a meeting. It’s lunch with an old friend and his husband. You can’t be jealous. They’re gay.”

  “It’s not that.”

  “What?”

  He looked past her, but she could tell he wasn’t focusing on anything in particular. Nicola knew he did this for one of two reasons. Either he was avoiding the subject, or he was coming up with an excuse that was closer to a lie than to the truth.

  “I was afraid they were trying to steal you away from me.”

  She blinked. “Steal me?”

  “Yes. I thought they might want you to be the PA for his production company.”

  “And that’s the only reason?”

  Still without looking at her, he nodded. She had no reason to think he wasn’t telling the truth.

  “Well, you don’t need to worry about that. I wouldn’t work for either one of them because they would drive me crazy. Also, they spent half an hour telling me that they are going to have another reality show. Can you imagine me on a reality show? That would end badly for everyone involved.”

  His mouth curved, and his shoulders relaxed a bit. Finally, his gaze met hers. “You do not do well in those situations.”

  “So, go away. You can meet the guys another time, but right now is my time.”

  “For a sub, you’re a bossy bit of goods.”

  She smiled. “Not a sub right now. I’ll be home in a bit.”

  When she turned away, he grabbed her hand and tugged her back. With the barest of touches, he brushed his mouth over hers. It was the first time he had done anything like this in public. They had agreed not to, but there was a part of her, a big part of her, that craved his touch, no matter where they were. And right now, they weren’t employer and employee. They were just Jensen and Nicola. She shivered, leaning into the kiss, enjoying the way his lips moved over hers.

  He pulled back before she was ready. She opened her eyes and found him shaking his head at her. When he spoke, his voice wasn’t that steady.

  “You are one dangerous woman, Nicola McCann.”

  Then he was walking away from her. She couldn’t go right back to the table. The guys would know something was up. Instead, she went into the bathroom and splashed some water on her face. After grabbing a few paper towels, she dried off her face and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Maybe it was her imagination, but she looked different. Happy. Had she not been happy before? She had but there had been some element missing in her life. Dammit, she didn’t need this, didn’t need the heartbreak that was definitely going to follow. They weren’t made for each other.

  Although, when they were together in his bedroom, it felt perfect.

  She shook her head. Get your head out of your ass, Nicola, she thought to herself. This was not forever. It was for right now.

  She straightened her shoulders and headed back out into the restaurant. When she sat down, both men looked at her as if she had grown a horn in her forehead.

  “W
hat?”

  “We have something to talk to you about, and we don’t want you to say no right away,” Ben said.

  Oh, God, they were going to ask her to work for them. Damn Jensen for being right. She would never admit it to him.

  “Guys, I love you, you know that. But working for you is just not a good thing.”

  Jeff threw his head back and laughed so loud it drew attention. Ben smiled at her.

  “Jeffy, cut it out.”

  “Oh, I struck a nerve,” Jeff said. “That’s not what we want to talk about. Our PA has to work on the show, in front of the camera, and while you make a pretty picture, you have no patience these days. No. We have something much more serious to ask you. And, like Ben said, don’t answer us right now.”

  She looked from one man to the other. “Okay, lay it on me.”

  When Jensen left the restaurant, he ordered John to just drive to H-3. He didn’t realize it at the time, but he was headed to Serenity’s home. Going home would leave him at loose ends and that was never a good thing for an addict. Nicola didn’t keep any liquor in the house when they were on the island. She would buy wine specifically for a meal if they were hosting, but she knew it was important for him not to be tempted.

  Still, he wasn’t in the mood to be there without her. He was relieved when they pulled into the parking area where Serenity and her men lived. There were two houses on the property. Serenity had lived in one until she moved in with her men. The smaller house was now just for her studio for her photography business. He slipped out of the car and started toward the bigger of the two houses.

  “Hey, Jensen,” Serenity called out from the porch of her studio. “Guys aren’t home today. They had a job on Maui.”

  “Oh.”

  “Nicola isn’t here either.”

  “I know.”

  She said nothing as she sipped from a coffee mug. “Come on in. I’m just playing with some pics I took. I’ll make you real coffee.”

  He nodded and followed her into her house.

  “What do you mean real coffee?”

  She frowned. “The guys won’t let me have caffeine. Someone has been doing research and found out that it’s really bad for the fetus.”

  “Ah,” he said wandering over to her computer. Then he saw the pics she was working on. It was from his house, by the pool.

  Nicola.

  She was wearing that stupidly big straw hat she loved. A pair of glasses hid her eyes, but the smile was genuine. In fact, she looked to be laughing. He loved that sound, the way it always seemed to dance through the air and make the atmosphere so much better.

  “She’s an easy subject,” Serenity said.

  He didn’t take his gaze from the screen. “Yeah. And the woman does love to laugh. Usually at my expense.”

  “Oh.”

  There was something in her tone that pulled his attention away from the picture.

  “What?”

  She shook her head. “Nothing.”

  “No, you said oh, so that means something.”

  She sighed. “You’re in love with her.”

  Not a question, but a statement. “You know of our arrangement?”

  She nodded. “I was probably the only person she told.”

  “Of course you were. That woman holds onto secrets. Especially when talking about her past.”

  “You’re talking about Oliver?”

  He nodded.

  The kettle whistled, and she hurried over to it. After filling a French press with coffee, she poured in the water. Then she grabbed him a mug.

  “I can’t tell you anything, because it’s her story to tell. But, I think you should ask her about it.”

  He wanted to, but he was also worried she would refuse to tell him. She was habitually secretive about that part of her life. If he asked now, and she said no, it would be like she was trying to hide something from him. As if he were just another man in a long line of men.

  “You take your coffee black, right?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  She handed him the mug. “She’d tell you.”

  “She hasn’t in the past.”

  “It’s different now.”

  He shrugged as he sipped his coffee.

  “Also, the fact that she is involved with you now, that makes a big difference.”

  “How so?” he asked.

  She sat down at the kitchen table and motioned toward the other seat. He sat and waited.

  “Nicola tries to keep men at arm’s length. She might spend more than one night with them over a course of years—”

  “Don’t need to know that.”

  She smiled. “So cute that you’re jealous. Those men, they weren’t important. Not to her.”

  “You talk in riddles.”

  Instead of taking offense, she laughed. He had spent time with Serenity through the years, but never one on one. As Nicola said, it was really hard to stay mad at her. When he had first met her, Jensen had expected the former child star to be more...well, Hollywood. Instead, she was warm and open, without the artifice so many people in show business never seem to shake.

  “What I mean is that her time with each man was short. She might hook up again with them, but she never truly builds anything substantial past the sex with them.”

  “That’s a good thing?” he asked, irritated that Nicola’s sex life sounded close to what he usually insisted on.

  “And I can see it there. You know that she insists on it too just like you. But this is different, for both of you. You have never been this close to one of your subs, have you?”

  He shook his head.

  “She has also never been particularly close to any of her Dom’s. Friendly, yes, but she rarely has experiences outside of the bedroom. Well, I mean, except for Micah.”

  He blinked. “Come again?”

  “I said Micah. He was her first Dom, so that makes sense.”

  Serenity’s tone told him that she thought Nicola had told him. Bloody hell. Neither of them had told him. Jensen had known there was something more than just friendship between them. Her first fucking Dom, and she was still friends with him. Well, not for much longer.

  Dammit, he couldn’t do that. She’d get huffy and kick him to the curb, and he wasn’t ready for that. Would he ever be ready for that? Probably not.

  Jesus hell, he was a mess.

  “Jensen, is something wrong?”

  “No, sorry. So, you were saying?”

  “You both have never had a real relationship outside of the bedroom. You two know each other now, better than some spouses probably. It’s going to be harder to walk away.”

  “I never said I wanted to walk away.”

  She nodded. “Good. Because I think you both could be happy if the relationship continued.”

  “It is my intention, but I knew I had to agree to some kind of end date. Nicola wasn’t going to let it go on forever.”

  “Yeah, Nicola is big on plans.” They shared a smile. “What are you doing for her birthday tomorrow?”

  He said nothing.

  “Please tell me you didn’t forget about it.”

  “You just informed me I was in love with her. How would I have forgotten?”

  “Good.”

  “I wondered if you could do something to help.”

  She gave him the blinding smile that had made her a child superstar.

  “Anything.”

  Nicola walked through the Aloha Tower Marketplace, her mind still whirling with what the guys had asked her. They dropped it in her lap and then said they had to run. Jeff hadn’t changed since their years on the ice. He always threw out grenades and then ran for cover. At least they had paid for her lunch.

  “Nicola?” she heard someone call out.

  She turned and saw Alfie jogging toward her. He was the same age as Jensen but looked older. That said a lot because Jensen had been a user for a few years, while Alfie apparently had been into clean living. He wasn’t as fit as Jensen, or as tall,
but she knew women liked him. He always seemed to have one by his side at every function.

  “Alfie. I didn’t know you were on the island.”

  He gave her a lopsided smile she was sure worked on most women. It had always left her cold. “Not much to do while the Johnson family squabbles about the negotiations. Jensen told me to take some time to enjoy the islands. Is he around?”

  She shook her head. “I was just having lunch with friends.”

  “Oh, I was going to ask you if you wanted to grab a bite.”

  Had he stepped closer? She wasn’t sure, but she always felt off balance with him. Alfie was harmless, yet he always struck her as a user. If he thought she could do something for him, Nicola was sure he would be even nicer to her. That told her he wasn’t a good study of human behavior. She never hid the fact of how she felt about users.

  “So, how about dinner?”

  She shook her head and tried to give him a sympathetic smile. “Sorry, I can’t.”

  “Jensen can’t have you working at night.”

  “Of course not. Besides, I had the day off. I already have plans.”

  She hoped that would be enough to discourage him. He had never shown much interest in her throughout the years. Still, she always thought he saw her as some kind of glorified secretary. Their last exchange had been him ordering her to get him coffee, and her ignoring him. Which begged the question, why the interest now?

  “Shame. Maybe later this week? That is if the Johnson family doesn’t call us back to Maui to discuss the deal again.”

  “Maybe. Why not text me and we’ll try and set something up?”

  He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Instead, it chilled her blood. “Sounds like a great idea. Thanks, Nicola.”

  At that point, he did something completely out of character for him. He leaned in for a kiss, but she turned her head and took it on her cheek. When he pulled back, she thought she saw a flash of anger, but it vanished so quickly, she was sure she was mistaken.

  “Talk to you soon,” she said, doing her best to move away from him.

  “You can count on it.”

  She said nothing else as she walked away from him. As she did, her phone buzzed. She saw Serenity’s face on the screen and clicked it on to answer.