by Kant, Komal
“I’m hanging up now,” I cut in.
“No, listen to me!” Her tone was slightly panicky now. “I mean it. You can’t pull this independent woman crap on me! You need to date. You need to get laid! One of Stravros’ friends is moving to L.A. for business. I’ll hook you up. He’s really sexy; kind of hairy, but still sexy. Like a gorilla.”
Sexy gorillas didn’t sound at all appealing.
Stavros was Erin’s gorgeous, wealthy boyfriend of six months who was also the heir of a Greek shipping magnate. She was completely smitten with him and was already sure he was “the one”. Erin was also a little impulsive, too.
“I do not need to get laid by gorillas, Erin! I need to focus on work and saving up money.”
“Sky, only people who really need to get laid try to justify it by saying work is more important,” Erin said in a reasonable tone of voice. “You definitely need to get out there and socialize with people. And by people, I mean Nick.”
“I have no interest in Nick! I’m really going to hang up now,” I threatened.
“No, wait! You haven’t even told me anything else about Nick yet!” Erin was relentless. “Stavros said he met him at a charity dinner once and the guy had women all over him. I hear he’s pretty hard to resist.”
“Don’t give him that much credit. I don’t get what the big deal is with that guy.”
“Are you freaking kidding me He’s filthy rich and I bet he’s filthy in bed, too!” Erin sounded way too enthusiastic about this. “I wonder if he has a closet full of dirty toys for all those one night stands he has.”
I gagged.
Erin laughed at my repulsion. “You should get in on the action. God knows you need to broaden your horizon a little.”
I wasn’t going to lie; Nicholas was very attractive and I could see why girls dropped their panties for him, but I wasn’t about to admit that to her. “The only action I need is from my vib-”
“Please, God, please let her finish that sentence,” a husky voice said from behind me.
A thrill shot through me, and I spun around to find Nick watching me with those eyes of his. The ones that were bedroomy and so hypnotic that you lost yourself a little. Yeah, those eyes.
He was dressed impeccably in a dark grey suit and tie, and had an irritating smirk on his mouth that was doing funny things to me. On one hand, I was starting to get annoyed. On the other hand, there was a strange sensation rushing through my stomach, like it was doing backflips. That wasn’t a good sign.
“Um, uh…I,” I spluttered.
Gosh, I needed to pull myself together! I wasn’t going to be some bumbling, flustered moron. I couldn’t think of anything to say, so I did what any flustered person would do and hung up my phone.
Yep. I’d just hung up on my best friend. She was going to chew my ass out once she got a hold of me.
“Someone important?” Nick asked, as he casually adjusted his perfectly tailored jacket that was filled out perfectly by his broad shoulders.
His smart way of dressing was incredibly sexy. Honestly, he couldn’t really go wrong. He’d been blessed with killer looks, which he seemed to be well aware of.
“Um, my friend,” I managed to say, my face on fire.
I couldn’t believe I’d just thrown out there that I owned a vibrator. That was something I was not okay with anyone knowing about me, let alone Nick. Ensue mortification.
“Interesting.” He glanced up at me. “Tell me more about your pocket rocket.”
“That was a private conversation!” I snapped, my mortification turning into irritation as I tried to mask just how flustered I was feeling.
“Which you were having loud enough for the kid to hear,” he said, looking way too smug for my liking.
I wanted to smack that smug look clean off his face.
“Yeah, well.” I trailed off because I didn’t have a reasonable comeback. “Don’t you have somewhere to be?”
“I do,” he said, his eyes roaming around the room. “Where’s Mrs. Potts?”
“Doing laundry,” I said shortly, not wanting to engage in conversation with him.
“Fascinating.” His face suddenly clinched as his eyes focused on something, and he loosened his tie like it was choking him. “I have to go.”
Without waiting for a response from me, he turned and retreated out of the playroom like a ghost was hot on his heels.
I wasn’t complaining, but his departure had been kind of abrupt. It wasn’t entirely clear to me why he’d left like that, unless the mention of laundry had instilled some sort of fear in him.
Trying to brush it aside, I turned my attention back to Madeline, thinking we could play a game after her movie finished. To my surprise, I found her studying me with wide eyes.
“Did Nick leave?” she asked, scrunching up her face.
I nodded, taking a seat beside her on the floor. “Yes, he had some things to do.”
“Oh.” She frowned, disappointment in her voice. “He doesn’t play with me ever. He doesn’t wike me.”
“Sweetie, of course he likes you,” I assured her, feeling terrible that she had even come to that conclusion. “I don’t think it’s possible not to like you.”
“Are you sure?” Her bottom lip quivered.
The poor girl genuinely seemed upset by this and I didn’t want to make the situation worse. Of course Nick was too busy being a man whore to spend any time with his little cousin. He probably thought he was too good for that.
“I’m sure,” I said, ruffling her hair. “Don’t worry, I’ll play with you. Now let’s see if Prince Hans and Anna end up getting married.”
Madeline’s expression brightened up considerably at the change in topic. “I already know that part! You know what happens? Hans…”
With a smile, I listened to her chatter on, wondering why anyone wouldn’t want to spend time with this ball of sunshine.
Nick
Sky didn’t know I was watching her, but I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
I’d had to leave the playroom—it was suffocating—but I’d lingered just outside the door watching her.
My eyes immediately fell to her ass in those tight jeans as she crouched down beside Madeline. She had a big, round butt, so it was nice to look at. I was an ass man, and this was definitely an ass I liked.
She intrigued me.
She was completely different to the other girls I was used to. Yeah, my standards weren’t exactly the highest. If a girl was hot and down to fuck, that was my standard.
But Sky wasn’t down to fuck. In fact, she seemed to want to get as far away from me as humanly possible. It only made me want her more; why I felt the need to have her pinned down beneath me.
It made no sense, right?
What could I say? I liked a challenge.
Sky
My damn car wasn’t starting.
Frustrated, I kicked the side of it and slumped down on the hood, feeling defeated.
Now that my shift with Madeline was done, I’d really wanted to get some groceries with what little money I had so I could do some cooking. I really wanted to bake cookies with Madeline, since I was sure every little kid loved cookies.
Even though the Ruggarsons’ kitchen was stocked with most of what I needed, I felt bad using their ingredients so I’d decided to buy my own. That had been the plan anyway, until my stupid car had decided to give up on me.
I really needed an upgrade. Too bad I didn’t exactly have the money for it.
“Car troubles?” a familiar voice asked from somewhere to my left.
My body instantly reacted to his presence—I felt like I’d been zapped by a mild, electric current.
“Uh, yes,” I said, jumping off the hood and turning around to find Nick standing a few feet away from me.
He was watching me with that smug expression that I was becoming too familiar with. I wondered if it was what he looked like all the time or if it was a look he reserved only for me.
“I think I can
help you out.” He stepped closer, scrunching up his face as he studied my car.
“Really?” I asked, surprised that he had any mechanical knowledge. I would never ask him first, but since he was offering I wasn’t going to refuse. “Could you take a look at it?”
“I have taken a look at it.” His eyes glittered as he regarded me. “The only way to fix it is to burn it. I’ve never seen such a piece of crap in my life.”
Fury shot through me. How dare this spoiled, rich boy criticize my ride. Not all of us were born with hundred dollar bills lining our cribs and silver spoons in our mouths. Some of us actually had to work for a living.
“I worked my ass off to buy this car!” I fumed, balling up my fists at my sides.
He barely flinched at the rise in my voice. “Obviously, you didn’t work hard enough if that was the best you could afford.”
I wanted to kick him in the balls. Really hard. “Oh, yeah? That’s ironic coming from the rich boy who was born with everything and never worked a day in his life.”
“I’ll have you know that I work very hard in all areas of my life, Sky.” His expression was calm and composed, but his tone was suggesting something else—something of a sexual nature.
That just made me angrier. How could he stand there even trying to compare us? Where did he come off telling me that I didn’t work hard? And who did he think he was with is sexual innuendos?
“And you think that I don’t?” I cried. Frustration was snaking its way through my body and tightening around my chest. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t work hard!”
It was like what I’d said had barely registered with him because when he glanced back at me, he looked incredibly bored.
“Do you want a ride or not?” he asked lazily.
“No! I’d rather hug a cactus!” I crossed my arms across my chest, silently cursing him.
An amused smile formed on his mouth. “You really know how to hold a grudge, don’t you?”
“This only happened a minute ago!”
It was amazing how cool and collected he was, while I stood here freaking out at him. He had already figured out how to push my buttons. What a jackass.
In an effort to match his composure, I took several deep breaths to calm myself.
“Look, I feel like I owe you for the coffee shop thing, so let me do my good deed.” His expression didn’t change much, but something in his tone—the way he hesitated, almost like he was embarrassed—made him appear genuine.
My anger diffused a little. He did sound somewhat sincere and I did need to go to the store. Maybe if we had minimal communication I could get through it.
“Fine.” I walked around to the side and pulled open the passenger side door, grabbing my purse from the seat. “But only because I’m desperate.”
“Desperate isn’t such a bad thing,” he said, his tone light, as he started walking to the other end of the garage.
Rolling my eyes, I followed after him and then stopped in my tracks as he clicked the remote to unlock his car. It was a sleek, silver BMW that probably cost more than I would ever hope to earn in a lifetime.
He opened up the driver’s side door and stared at me in confusion when he noticed that I wasn’t moving. “What’s wrong?”
“Um, we’re going to Walmart,” I said, as though it was supposed to explain everything. “Normal people don’t go to Walmart in a BMW.”
“I’m not a normal person, Sky,” he said, his eyes serious. “Get in.”
Nick
Offering Sky a ride to the store was a dumb move.
I wasn’t even sure why I’d followed her out into the garage in the first place. Maybe it was because of the way those white, skinny jeans had fit around the curve of her ass.
Man, did she have a nice, round booty that I wanted to sink my teeth into.
If I hadn’t let Sky’s big booty distract me, and had just gone straight to the office to get work done, I wouldn’t be in this situation right now.
The first time she’d ever met me she’d called me obnoxious and inadequate. For some reason, I wanted to prove her wrong. Yeah, that’s what it was. Nothing else. It had nothing to do with the rare smile I’d seen her give me or the way her almost-black eyes glared at me. And it definitely wasn’t that ass.
Now, she was sitting barely a foot away from me, staring straight ahead like she was afraid to move. She looked incredibly uncomfortable; her posture was rigid like a piece of cardboard and she was fiddling with the purse she’d placed on her lap.
Without really thinking, I reached over and covered her hands with mine to stop her from fidgeting. I didn’t want her being so awkward about this. She needed to calm down.
Sky visibly jumped at my touch, and I quickly made eye contact in an effort to be reassuring. “Relax, I’m not going to bite.”
As our skin made contact, something stirred in the pit of my stomach—something long forgotten I hadn’t felt in years—and I quickly pulled my hand away, now the one feeling uncomfortable.
Sky didn’t seem to notice my discomfort though. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed her shoot me a sly smile. “I was more concerned that you’d get my clothes together, call a cab, and hustle me out of your room at the crack of dawn.”
Her commentary on my sex life was spot on, and I couldn’t help but let out a laugh—a genuine one. “Wow, you think you have me all figured out, don’t you?”
“You weren’t much of a mystery to start with,” she said, turning her head to stare out of the window, her shoulders visibly relaxing.
I sniggered under my breath as my I focused my attention back on the road ahead.
Oh, how wrong she was. She only saw what I wanted her—and the rest of the world—to see.
Sky
When Nick had touched my hand in the car, I honestly thought my body was about to combust.
Did he make every woman feel that way or was it just me? It was like I’d taken a shot of liquid fire, that’s how his skin had felt against mine.
But I had to stop thinking about that. I was being silly. I just needed to grab what groceries I needed, get back to the mansion, and steer clear of him.
“I need to get cumin,” I said to myself as I browsed the spices section.
“What are you going to use that for?” he asked, his expression quite serious.
I really hoped he wasn’t being a smartass and was actually interested in what I was buying. I honestly hadn’t expected him to stick around while I shopped. I wasn’t sure what I expected, but it wasn’t having millionaire Nicholas Ruggarson follow me around Walmart with a cart.
“Anything, really. It adds an extra dimension of flavor, but you have to use it sparingly because it’s really strong,” I explained, unable to keep the enthusiasm out of my voice.
Anything cooking related got me excited.
“You know a lot about this stuff,” he commented, shooting me a sideways glance.
I shrugged in response. “I love to cook. It’s kind of a hobby of mine.”
“Interesting.” He turned back to the shelf of spices. “What else do we need?”
I glanced down at the cart. “Nothing else from here. I do need ginger and cilantro, though.”
He shook his head at that as though it was beyond his understanding, and started walking towards where the fresh produce was. “I wouldn’t even begin to know what to do with that stuff.”
“Well, they add an extra kick to your dish,” I said, following him. “I use them so much that I don’t really think about it.”
It was really strange having a normal conversation with him. One that didn’t involve him being a sleazy jerk or me wanting to kick him in the babymaker. I was scared to admit it, but this was kind of nice.
Maybe Erin was right. Maybe I did need to get out there and socialize more. The problem was, it was Nick I was socializing with and I wasn’t sure how to feel about him just yet.
Especially when his piercing blue eyes met mine and I felt myself sinking into
them.
Chapter Five
Sky
“Hi, guys!”
Madeline and I had been so engrossed with our afternoon painting activity that we both jumped at the sound of Emily’s voice.
“Emmy! We’re painting!” Madeline exclaimed, waving around her paintbrush and sending drops of red paint flying onto the floor.
Luckily I’d thought to lay down a large plastic sheet on the expensive carpet around the painting area.
Madeline’s brush wasn’t the only thing covered with paint—somehow she’d gotten red and brown paint on her fingers, face, and hair as well which made her look even more adorable.
“What are you painting?” Emily asked, approaching us.
The two of us were sitting cross-legged on the floor, painting whatever came to mind on a large sheet of paper spread out in front of us. Madeline was excelling at drawing houses and stick figures, while I stuck to my comfort zone of clouds and trees.
“Wots of stuff,” Madeline said, and then started pointing out particular things she’d drawn. “Mine is the house and that’s you.” She pointed to a stick figure with yellow hair.
“Great job!” Emily said, as she crouched down next to me. “And the sheep?”
“Those are clouds,” I corrected, feeling defensive.
“Oh, that explains why they’re blue.” Emily paused and we stared at each other awkwardly before bursting into laughter.
“Yeah, I’m not cut out to be an artist,” I said, putting aside my paintbrush. “Madeline is a lot better than I am.”
Madeline grinned at me, looking proud of herself, before continuing to paint. Apart from being a messy painter, she was a pretty easy kid to look after.
“So, are you settling in okay?” Emily asked, tilting her head so her beautiful hair spilled to one side.
“Yes, it’s wonderful here. Madeline’s great, your dad is such a nice person, Mrs. Potts has been giving me space to do things my way, and-”
“My mother is frustrating,” she finished with a knowing look.
