She marched across the lobby without looking at anyone, but she detoured away from the elevator doors into a hallway I hadn’t noticed before.
There, she slammed open an office door, stuck her head in, and announced,“Ryan,your doorman needs his eyes checked,” before she turned on her heel and marched back toward the bank of elevators.
My presence had probably confused the doorman. Even thoughLazulihad painted my face with professionally applied makeup, I was still wearing jeans and a blouse I’d bought at Walmart. No matter how much paint they’d applied, I still looked like I didn’t belong, and I knew that.
Clementine twiddled something on her phone as we rode the elevator up and yet managed to lecture me on the care and handling of my newly dyed hair without even looking away from her screen. “Only wash it when you have to, and of course, you don’t have to wash it nearly as much as you think you do. Only use those sulfate-free products that Lazuli selected for you. You can go for two or three weeks before you need to start using the color-refreshing rinse. I’ll see you at the event tonight. Don’t mess with anything or even touch your face if you can help it. And don’t let Nico mess you up. He doesn’t understand how important these things are.Men.”
Ueli was talking on his headset as we exited the elevator, and the door to Nicolai’s suite opened as we approached it. The doorman downstairs should take lessons from Nicolai’s security guys.
Nicolai was pacing just beyond the entry table inside, his hands clenched behind his back and scowling.
His long legs covered the room in a few strides.
Images had curled at the edges of my mind the whole time Clementine and I had been in the spa: shadowy assassinswaiting in darkened rooms, hands and weapons reaching from cars as Nico walked toward his SUV, monsters under the bed.
I wanted to throw myself at him, to splatter myself across his chest and hold on. Seeing him hale and whole if a little agitated splashed me, and my shoulders drooped as I sighed.
My apologies flew as I reached toward him. “I’m so sorry we're so late. The spa staff did their best and did my makeup while they were pinning up my hair. We tried so hard to be here by five o’clock. I’m so sorry we’re late.”
Nicolai flipped one hand in the air, dismissing my worries. “When Clemmy said five o’clock, I told the lawyers to be here at six. You’re not late.”
Clementine looked him up and down without expression, but I’d come to understand that that downward-upward flick of her gaze meant derision. “I am never late. Your lawyers were notmyappointment.”
Nicolai started arguing with her over my head. All these people were so dang tall. “Yes, I know that, and I know how you prioritizeother people’sappointments.”
“You should be glad I prioritize making sure my cousin doesn’t make a fool of himself.”
“Don’t you need to get dressed for the cotillion tonight? Because Lexi does, and she and I still need to have a talk before we meet with these lawyers.” He very gently slipped his hand around my fingers and started walking back into the suite. “Dusha, make sure Clemmy gets back to her hotel safely.”
When I looked back, Dusha was holding the front door open for Clementine, but his jaw and other hand were clenched.
Did Nicolai really not know those two either deeply detested each other or were two banters away from jumping each other’s bones?
Either way, I wondered whether Nicolai really was that oblivious, or whether he was a little bit of a sadist who wantedto see what would happen if he kept throwing the two of them together in a car.
Because the end result might be a murder.
Nicolai towed me through the suite, past the living room seating area where three of the lawyers, including Victoria, were already congregated and waiting.
That overly smart guy on Nicolai’s team was there, too. I needed to watch out for everything he said.
Victoria raised her finger in the air at me as we crossed the room. “I need to confer with my client in private.”
“In just a minute,” Nicolai said. “I need to talk to my wife first.”
“Yourwife?That’s exactly what I need to talk toherabout!” Victoria yelled after us.
Nicolai slammed shut the bedroom door, and we were alone.
I started apologizing because that was my default reaction to everything. “I’m sorry if you don’t like my hair. I can bleach it back tomorrow if you want me to.Whoops!”
Before I even blinked, Nicolai had spun me under his arm like we were dancing and then my back was against the door and then his mouth was on mine, kissing me.
I was going to get the wrong idea if he kept doing this. I might think he liked me instead of wanting me to get the heck out of his life.
His palm slid from my jaw so that his fingers were in my hair, and he cradled the back of my head as he bent to devour my mouth. I was breathless and absolutely dying. I wanted this kiss to last forever, and I wanted him to throw me backward onto the bed and doeverything else.
Instead of whateverIwanted, Nicolai stopped kissing me and lifted his head. His eyes held that haze of passion like his eyesight was unfocused, that wildness everyone had told me wasso dangerous in a man, and yet it made me want to shimmy up him like a tree and kiss him some more.
