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After shutting the door, I walked into the kitchen to grab a bottle of wine out of the refrigerator. “That would be my friend, Peyton. She’s also Braden’s sister.” I chose a Pinot Grigio and fetched two glasses out of the cabinet. “She’s been in several popular movies.”
Annika nodded and sat down on the bar stool at the counter. “Oh, I know who she is. I’m surprised with all the money she’s making that she’d live in an apartment.”
I poured our wine and handed her a glass. “The time’s coming. We’ve lived here for two years. Now that I’m making money from competitive fighting, I’ll probably try to find my own place. Peyton’s never here, so it’s like I’m living on my own anyway.”
Annika took a sip of her wine and sighed. “There are so many amazing homes on the beach out here. My brother just bought a place in Santa Monica. That’s where I’m staying at the moment.”
“Are you moving here or just visiting from New York while you fight?” I asked, swirling the wine in my glass.
Annika shrugged. “Not sure yet. I think my father wants me back in New York. However,” she said, smirking teasingly, “the men here are delicious. I never knew what I was missing.” She finished her wine and set her glass on the coffee table. “Is Braden dating anyone?” A laugh escaped her lips and she held up a hand. “Who am I kidding? Guys like that don’t do serious. It’s a good thing that’s not what I’m looking for. Then again, I think he’d fit in great with my family. There’s a darkness to him when he fights.”
Just hearing her talk about him made my blood burn. “I thought we were keeping who you are a secret from him?”
“Oh, we are … for the time being, at least. Who knows what’ll happen, though,” Annika replied with a shrug. “In New York, I’m limited on who I can date, especially with my father around. Here, I’m free; I get to make my own choices. It’ll be nice to be around someone who doesn’t know my family.”
Her sad smile almost made me feel sorry for her. She didn’t choose to be born into a mafia family, but I had a feeling she never had to work for anything in her life. Annika may be used to getting everything she wanted, but Braden wouldn’t be one of them.
“So, tell me about your brother. What’s his name?” I inquired, hoping to change the subject. The more she talked about Braden, the harder it was to keep my composure.
Annika grinned. “His name’s Finn. He’s thirty, single, good-looking, wealthy, and very interested in meeting you.”
My eyes snapped to hers. “Oh no, Annika. That’s not going to happen. I enjoyed training you today, but that’s as far as any of this goes. Nikolai made my sister’s life a living hell and tried to have her fiancé killed. Your family is associated with that.”
Annika balked as if I’d slapped her. “Wait, hold up a minute. My family wasn’t involved with what happened there. Also, my brother doesn’t even like Nikolai or any of the Michelsons, for that matter. My father is the only one who does, and he’s in New York right now.”
Silence filled the air, and I honestly didn’t know what to say. It didn’t matter if her family was friends with Nikolai or not; there was no way on God’s green earth I was going to have any kind of relationship with her brother.
A knock sounded on the door, and Annika jumped off the bar stool. “I got it,” she exclaimed. She straightened her skirt and fluffed her hair before opening the door. I couldn’t see him yet, but I noticed the hungry look in Annika’s eyes as she took him in. “Don’t you look handsome tonight.”
Braden walked in and my heart stopped when his mesmerizing emerald gaze turned my way. He wore a pair of dark, fitted jeans and a crisp white button-down shirt underneath a gray blazer; he was sex on a stick.
His mouth gaped when he looked at me in my dress. “You are …” He stopped and quickly glanced over at Annika. “You both look exceptional tonight.”
Annika’s smile broadened. “Thank you for noticing.”
Stomach clenching, I tossed back the rest of my wine and set my glass in the sink. “All right, let’s go.” I snatched my small black handbag off the counter and followed them out the door. Annika and Braden walked down the stairs while I locked the door. He glanced up at me, and there was a heat I’d never seen before in his eyes.
Tonight, I’d see once and for all if he could resist a beautiful woman’s advances. Annika was on a mission, and I knew what her endgame was. If Braden went home with her tonight, I’d know where I stood with him.
There were a gazillion high-end clubs in downtown Los Angeles, but nothing as spectacular as Sapphire. I went there once with Peyton and met so many celebrities it was ridiculous. We’d gotten so much attention that night it was surreal. But I wasn’t going to lie, it was fun to be noticed. Maybe Braden was right; I did like the attention. It was almost like an addiction.
The entrance into the club was blocked by two bouncers and a long line of people. Annika strolled right past everyone, ignoring the disgruntled comments from the waiting patrons, while Braden and I walked behind her.
She stopped at the two bouncers and smiled. “Annika Sellinger.”
The men wasted no time moving out of the way so we could pass. “Oh my God, that was Braden Emerson!” a woman gushed from the line. I looked up at Braden to see a smug smile splayed across his face.
Rolling my eyes, I decided to keep my smart-ass comments to myself. When we got inside, everything was sapphire-colored, even the chandeliers, giving the ambiance of dark and sexy.
“I need to tell you what Seth said,” Braden advised, his voice low.
I slowed my pace, giving us a little more space from Annika. “What did he say?”
Braden kept his attention straight ahead as we walked. “He told Nikolai to stay away from you. He seemed to think he will.” I wasn’t so sure of that, and I could hear it in Braden’s voice that he didn’t think so either.
Annika walked to a table where a guy sat with his back to us. She leaned down and kissed his cheek, drawing his attention to her. When he stood, I was amazed at how tall and muscular he was. He was just as big as Braden, and dressed immaculately in an expensive suit. The second he turned around, his eyes locked straight on me.
“I don’t like how he’s looking at you,” Braden huffed through clenched teeth.
