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Her fingertips reached out and caressed the muscle jumping in my jaw.
“Why are you mad?” she asked.
My eyes flashed to her, searing her with waves of anger and possessiveness. “Are you for real?”
She didn’t realize, I reminded myself as I felt the adrenaline rush through my veins. She didn’t realize how feral I could get or how I’d lost control in a way I hadn’t in forever. She didn’t realize, but I wasn’t about to divulge any of it to her. The shame crawled up from my gut, but I stabbed it down, like I always did.
She pressed her lips together and replied, a bit more defensively, “Yeah.”
“Because you could’ve gotten fucking raped,” I bit out, barely leashing my fury from spilling over and smearing everything.
Her hand dropped away, and I cursed myself for instantly missing her touch.
A laugh tinkled out of her. “Of course, I wouldn’t have. I was with my friends.”
I let out a low growl of frustration. My gaze scorched over her face. “Yeah? Where were your friends when I waltzed out of there with you in my arms? Nowhere. I heard two little pussies outside, plotting on how to get you in a room alone. What do you think would’ve happened then? Hmmm?”
Her mouth dropped open.
“No,” she replied, shaking her head in denial.
My palm slammed against the steering wheel, a curl bounced against my forehead from the abruptness of my movement.
“Fuck, yes,” I roared. This girl was going to be the death of me. “Answer me, Jewel. What the fuck would you’ve done if I hadn’t interfered?”
Eyes wide with fear, she shrank into the seat.
“Fuck,” I muttered again. I raised my hand to her face. She flinched slightly. Braking at a red light, I turned toward her, my eyes stark with regret. “I’m sorry, baby doll. Didn’t mean to scare you. I was so fucking pissed off when I saw you lying on the couch, drunk off your ass and helpless. Then, when I overheard those little pricks, I was done,” I finished with a shake of my head. “Done.”
“Uhhh…” was her only reply, eyes blinking.
Yeah, I’ve got your back, baby doll.
I bet she wasn’t used to anyone really looking out for her. Although she’d erroneously assumed her friends would be there for her, they were the worst kind of irresponsible. I would’ve trusted Cat to take care of her, but she left campus at the end of the day to be with Luca.
The way she was blinking at me, her dark lashes casting long shadows on her cheeks in the dim light, made my heart stutter. There was astonishment mixed with a vulnerability that had me swallowing audibly. It reaffirmed my decision that it was time to push this thing between us because she needed my love and care as much as I needed hers.
* * *
Luca’s angersliced through my brain fog, jolting me back to reality. I was almost fully aware now. The world had been spinning when I was at the frat party. I rarely drank to excess, but today was one of those days when I just wanted to forget. Of course, in the process, I would’ve opened myself up to a whole world of pain if Nicu hadn’t shown up like some avenging god and hauled me out of there.
I inhaled, his scent filling up my lungs in the small cab of his Bugatti Chiron. Instead of the alcohol, it was his delicious spicy citrus fragrance that made me dizzy. This time, with lust.
I might not have been drunk anymore, but I was still a little tipsy. That, on top of the thoughts of my narrow escape, shed my inhibitions, allowing my lust to came roaring to the forefront. Like an insistent drumbeat, it was hammering at me to take, take, take. I’d been good for so long, pulling back like I did at Cat’s tasting for the wedding. The reserve of my self-control and my reserve of good intentions were swept aside in an instant.
He turned into the underground parking of a tall building I recognized from visiting Cat. We were at the Time Warner Center, where Nicu shared a floor with Luca, and now Cat, who’d moved in with his brother.
I gulped. “Is…is this where you live?”
Placing an arm on the back of my leather seat, he glanced backward as he pulled into the parking space. “Don’t worry, Cat and Luca are away this weekend.”
I exhaled audibly. That’s right, I remembered now.
My tense muscles visibly relaxed. I was done fighting whatever was between us, at least for tonight. I was doing this. We were doing this. Unlike my almost disastrous outing, this had nothing to do with throwing myself into another distraction. This was all Nicu.
He was out and moving around the hood of the car to open the door for me. I gripped his strong, warm hand and let him help me out. It took a moment to stabilize myself on the heels I was wearing, and then he was leading me toward the elevator. Once inside the gold and mirrored box, he tapped a fob on his key chain and activated the penthouse floor.
The elevator shuddered slightly as it ascended, and I was done waiting. Grabbing his tie, I yanked to bring him closer. At first he resisted, as immovable as a boulder, but when I tugged more gently a few times, he came to me with an impatient sigh.
