“Getting into fights with the curling iron?” I teased, plucking half a pipe cleaner off the floor and wrapping around my middle finger like a ring.
“Here, add some sparkle.” Arabella handed me a bead from the same pile on the floor. She held the shiny crystal orb out to me. “No, the hot glue gun.”
The sweet innocence of this girl put a chink in my armor. It was impossible to be grumpy in this bright, glittering mess. There was actually glitter spilt on the side of the space. In the perfectly polished, curated life, this individual had a chaotic secret that instantly humanized her.
I made a mental note to be less grouchy to her. I slid the pipe cleaner ring, now with the shiny bead, back on my finger. “If you ever need help cleaning up in here, just ask.”
“Oh, no, I never clean this space. Just push the mess to the side to start a new mess,” she smirked. “But you’re welcome to join me. Anytime!”
That was where the friendliness clouded over. I was the hired help, and my hours were bogged down with scrubbing and grinding. She was still the privileged princess in a mafia family where she had the luxury of whiling away her days tinkering with tubes of glue, sheafs of paper, and reusing designer shopping bags.
Still, so as not to seem cruel, I thanked her as I picked up the trash bag from the bathroom and left.
Chapter 14 – Nico
If a donkey’s bray could sound sweet, that was the noise coming from the other side of the bedroom door. I frowned, hand outstretched, and listened. The words were about being drunk and waking up on the wrong side of a truck bed, and…
Shooting a bird with a .45?
What kind of idiot wasted that heavy caliber on a bird? It would obliterate it.
I remained stuck in limbo as the song continued. There was only one person in this madhouse who would know lyrics like that. When Rae stopped to catch her breath, I waited. And sure enough, she began another song. This time about being drunk on a plane.
There really was nothing else to do in the sticks but drink.
Smothering my laughter and schooling my face, I opened the door to the bedroom that was permanently designated for my use. So far, I hadn’t needed to stay over. But my grandfather pushed for me to be here more, which meant using the space was becoming an occasional necessity.
The music stopped, the final note a yelp. Rae dropped the pillow she’d been tucking into a clean case on the floor.
“Sorry!” She shook herself. “I thought you were out for the day.”
“You’re comfortable here,” I observed.
The strange look she gave me was comical. “I beg your pardon?”
Beautiful. The flush on her cheeks, the way her chest strained against the soft blue uniform. She was stunning. And she was right there. Standing besidemybed.
“That’s good.” I shut the door behind me, watching her closely, enjoying the small reactions play over her face. When I clicked the lock, her eyes snapped wide. I leaned back against the closed door and crossed my arms over my chest. “I want you comfortable…in my space.”
Rae shifted. She stepped to the side, then back. She seemed scrambled, caught in indecision. She looked around as if for explanation—or help. There was neither.
There’s no one to save you here, my sweet cherry. You’re in my lair now.
“Nico,” she warned.
The way my named sounded on her lips was a sweet summons to that darker place in my soul. “Rae.”
Flustered, she picked up the pillow and slapped it hard. My dick twitched to life with each slap. I wanted those hands on me. What would it take to make that happen? She’d already seen how easily I could kill. My sins didn’t scare her.
Rae fluffed the pillow once more and dropped it on the bed. Then she smoothed the cover, pulling it tight. The forbidden fruit was right there. It would take no effort at all to shove her onto the mattress, rip off the uniform, and lay her bare beneath me.
My voice turned husky. “You shouldn’t be here.”
It was a warning to both of us.
“I’m just doing my job,” she stammered. Dio mio, she was trying so hard to be cool and unaffected, but we were both caught in this moment. And I was going to drag it out for all that it was worth.
“No,youshouldn’t be here. Touching my things.” I clicked my tongue. “Now tonight, when I lay down, I’m not going to get the image of you touching my bed out of my mind.”
