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ChapterTen
Tatum’s dark eyes locked on my face. Arms crossed over his broad chest, he loomed near the head of my bed. My gaze shot right to Nina.
Yup, there she was, sprawled naked on her belly beside me with my arm securely wrapped around her waist. Not only did I wake up with her in my bed, but I hugged her protectively into my body. I shot Tatum a glare over my shoulder. Did the bastard take my hint and look away? Not fucking likely. Instead, a big ole snarky grin spread over his arrogant face.
Fucker.
The sheet barely covered the curve of Nina’s ass. Her long back was on full display, and it made me want to tear the eyeballs out of his head. Grasping the edge of the sheet, I slid it up until she was completely covered. The movement caused her to wiggle her ass as she shifted on the mattress, which had the unfortunate side effect of making my stiff morning wood twitch in interest. Letting out a little sigh, she settled back into her dreams. Goddamn, I wanted to stay there and wake her up with my tongue on her clit. That was the way she should wake up every morning.
I waved Tatum off, silently ordering him to exit my bedroom. That garnered a nice glare from him, but I didn’t miss the gleam of humor in his black eyes.
“You locked me out for her?” He swept his hand back, gesturing to Nina. “Seriously?”
Pressing my index finger to my lips, I gestured harshly toward the bedroom door again. I needed to get him out, out, out. Even after what we’d done last night, I already wanted back into that sweet cunt. Tatum could be the biggest cockblocker when he chose to be. Even without the possibility of sex, I just wanted him out. Out of my bedroom, where my woman was peacefully sleeping, and out of my apartment. Out of my space, period. Plus, I just knew I’d get an earful from him. The impending scolding was practically vibrating off him.
An intense desire to smash his face hurtled through me. With effort, I stuffed it down, reminding myself that it wasn’t his fault. He was only doing what he’d always done. Amazing how a habit built over years suddenly needed to be disposed of ASAP. Nina was here to stay for now, and my apartment should be a safe space for her. For us.
Flashing me one final glare, he stomped out of the room as I slid out of bed. Grabbing a pair of sweats, I put them on and pattered out into the living room. Following the banging sounds to the kitchen, I leaned against the doorjamb as he pulled out the ibric, a small, long-handled pot used to make Turkish coffee. I preferred espresso, but Tatum was as old school Romanian as they came, and old school Romanians drank Turkish coffee exclusively.
Christ, I didn’t want him in my kitchen, brewing up coffee. His mission was to torture me. His purpose in life was to sit on my shoulder like a devil’s advocate and advise me, but the only thing I wanted was to be alone with Nina. Preferably, in bed. I could already see the mixture of disapproval and pity on his face. My shoulders bunched up to brace myself.
“What the fuck, Alex?” he started in without missing a beat.
And there it was. Normally, I wouldn’t put up with that kind of questioning from anyone, not even my brothers. But Tatum was not only my oldest friend from childhood, but he was also my consilier. As my advisor, he had more leeway to speak frankly to me.
On more than one occasion, I’d prayed for Tasa to crush on my friend so I could marry her off to him. But when I mentioned it to Tatum, he only gave me a long-suffering sigh. Knowing me well, he first ticked off a list of reasons why I would desire such a union. Then he’d flat out denied me with a slew of counter arguments. He ended his diatribe by begging me to let it go because he knew how stubborn I could be when I got an idea in my head. I should’ve known by the way they squabbled that they were nothing more than siblings at heart, but I had to try. Hell, if I were a woman, I’d marry him in a heartbeat. He epitomized the qualities of calmness, rationality, and stability.
“The whole point of locking the door was for you not to see my woman half naked. Should’ve known you’d ignore a direct order, you ingrate,” I griped.
He abandoned the ibric on the stove and threw his hands up in exasperation. “Your woman? Let me clarify here, you’re speaking of Nina, right? Nina? Tasa’s best friend who’s twenty-fucking-years old?”
“For now, yes.”
“Christ, Alex. I’ve never taken you for an idiot. You do realize Nelu is going to insist you marry his precious daughter to make this fucking mess with Tasa right?”
“Don’t blame Tasa,” I cautioned him, choosing to ignore the greater problem he’d brought up. Of course, it had crossed my mind, but I already planned to avoid that at all costs, even before I hooked up with Nina. The thought of Cristo being linked to my family was hard enough to swallow. At least Tasa would’ve moved in with the Popescus. But to have one of them on my territory? In my home? No, that was too much.
“Yesterday, you were practically cursing her name,” he fired back, shock lacing his tone.
“Tasa may have run away, but she didn’t create this situation. I made the arrangements…without realizing the impact it might have on her.”
“And now you realize it?” he remarked, amazed.
I stared past him, out the window. Nina’s words from yesterday reverberated in my head and guilt dug its claws deeper into me. “Yes, I do.”
“Well, at least you got something right. I’m assuming this has to do with Nina. No other way you could make such a quick about-face. I should thank her when she wakes up. If you had listened to me ages ago, this whole situation might’ve been avoided.”
“Alright,” I offered. “I fucked up. I get it, but don’t act like you don’t know why I wanted this. Tasa was getting wild, going to sex clubs.” I waved toward the bedroom. “Dragging Nina along with her. Part of my reasoning for getting her married was that once she had a man and a regular sex life, she’d settle down. Cristo’s girl brags about his cock, so at the very least, he knows how to use it properly. The marriage plan clearly backfired. Can we move the fuck on now?”
“Sure we can move the fuck on, but that doesn’t change the fact that Nelu is going to bleed you dry of everything he can get. He’s going to want you to make it up to him by taking Tasa’s place. Why should he settle for a sibling when he can have the big kahuna and put his pretty little daughter into your home as his spy?”
“That’s not going to happen,” I gritted out. “No man will force me to do anything I don’t want to do.”
“You’re a sef, boss man. You aren’t your own man,” he oh-so helpfully pointed out. “You have a family. A clan. And an empire that crosses continents. Your job is to protect those three, regardless of what you want.”
“Like hell, I’m not my own man,” I ground out. Again, I felt the walls closing in on me. The burden of what was expected of me was pressing down on my shoulders like a ton of bricks. How far was I willing to go out on a limb?
Pretty damn far, I decided.
