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“How in the world do you not see this as bad?” she asked, her eyes wide with dismay.
“Because Cat’s in love with Luca. I’d bet my life that she’s in his bed as we speak.” Tasa gasped and slapped a hand over her chest. “Don’t act so surprised. I never cared for her, and it’s mutual. Luca was assigned to guard her for a summer class she was taking up at Barnard College. They’ve spent a hell of a lot of time together, and earlier tonight, she came to the club with her best friend to force Luca’s hand. Cat left with Luca, and if everything goes as planned, they should be blood bonded by now,” I explained.
She looked at me with horror. “You planned this?”
“Don’t look at me like that. It’s more like I got out of the way and let nature take its course. You should see them. It’s downright embarrassing, the way they moon over each other. And they think they’re being sly about it, but I know Luca inside out. He wants her, and Luca gets what he wants,” I elaborated.
“Blood bonded, huh?”
“Yup, perfect for this little Romeo-Juliet situation that’s unfolded. He takes her virginity, and she ends up with the guy she’s supposed to be with. Which, for the record, is not me.”
“Well, damn, I’m missing the soap opera of a lifetime,” she grumbled.
“No, you’re just living your life. As it should be. You’re preparing for a wedding to the man you love. You have two beautiful boys and a life to live. It was just a fuck, Tasa. Nothing more,” I lied.
“Bullshit,” she shot back. “How many times have you spoken the name of a girl you’ve had sex with? Never, that’s how often. Jewel, Jewel, Jewel,” she recited, letting that beautiful name roll off her tongue as if she were savoring a fine wine.
“For fuck’s sake, what are you repeating her name like that for?”
“Because this girl means something to you,” she rejoined.
The back of my neck burned up. She knew me better than anyone and was digging too deep. Regretting my truthful outburst, I tried to put a stop to this.
I snorted. “She does not. I don’t do relationships. You know this.”
“Whatever, Nicu. Go ahead and lie to yourself all you want. I’ve been where you are. I’ve avoided love, and take it from me, you’re only opening yourself up to heartache if you do that.”
“I’m not lying to myself,” I snapped.
I wasn’t. I was lying to her. I rarely remembered a woman’s name while fucking, much less afterward. I was committed to leaving them satisfied, but nothing beyond that. My reputation preceded me. Tag on my addiction to speed and no one thought I’d live long enough to procreate.
My life revolved around risk and family. I took the biggest risks of anyone in my clan. It began with the bloody revenge that followed my father’s death. I’d begged Alex to bring me along and ended the night with my first kill at thirteen. By the end of that summer, when blood ran through the gutters of Queens, I had been forged into a vicious weapon and was inducted into my clan.
Risk and family had kept me sane over the years, but my bullshit engagement with Cat revealed cracks in my shield. It had triggered a bone-shattering sensation of being set adrift, like when my father died. In that moment, Jewel popped into my life like a rare orchid. An orchid that needed cosseting.
The fact that she was my fiancée’s best friend might have stopped a better man, but to me, it only spoke to my predilection for thrill and risk. But first, I had to get Tasa off my tail. I didn’t need to see my sister’s expression of worry. Oh, no, here he goes again. I could practically hear her internal dialogue. Plus, in a big family like mine, nothing stayed secret for long and nothing was sacred.
“I likely won’t see her again,” I continued, attempting to deflect my sister’s attention.
“She’s Cat’s best friend. Regardless of what happens with your engagement, you’ll see her again,” Tasa said knowingly.
I was saved from answering by my nephew, who’d woken up. Thank Christ. His eyes blinked up at his mother as she turned the screen toward him so I could see from my phone propped up in the dashboard mount. I was pretty sure the same dazed look of adoration was mirrored on my own face when thinking back to Jewel’s face as she was coming. A whole new world had opened for me, and I was ready to grab it with both hands. Unluckily for me, her guilt likely meant she’d blow me off. But I wasn’t about to let Jewel’s caginess get in my way.
“He’s hungry. I have to go and get him his bottle.” Tasa swung the phone back to herself. “I’ll talk to you later.” She paused. “And try not to get into any more trouble, yeah?”
I gave her a wide grin. “Sure thing, little sis.”
With a last groan, she clicked off. I turned on my bike and rolled down an empty side street onto Broadway and headed downtown to my apartment.
I always broke what I played with as a kid, while Luca preserved his toys with a preciousness that made me gag. I thought he was priggish. He thought I was a brute. He wasn’t wrong. I got obsessed and played with the same toy until it broke from overuse. That tendency lived in me, and I feared I might break Jewel. Unfortunately for her, that fear had never stopped me before.
