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“Nothing like what you’ve faced,” I said. “I can’t imagine having reporters shoving microphones in your face and asking such personal questions—like it’s their business who you’re dating or anything like that.”
Niko shrugged, his gaze returning to the lake. His handsome face looked nothing but serene.
“It hasn’t always been easy. There are some issues where my home country isn’t as… progressive as yours. But that’s exactly why it’s important to me to always be upfront about it. I’ve made a reputation where being different from what’s considered normal is part of my character. It’s my—what’s the word for it…?—trademark. So it’s expected rather than shocking now. For the most part.”
“It mustn’t have been fun getting to that point.”
“We all have our struggles.” He nudged me with his elbow. “Focusing on other people’s opinions doesn’t do anything but hold you back.”
I wished I believed that as fully as he clearly did. How did this man manage to keep such an upbeat attitude regardless of the pressures heaped on him about everything from his sexual orientation to his fashion choices?
The media portrayed him as a playboy and a daredevil, but I saw nothing but an incredibly resilient man who was playing the best game he could with the hand he’d been dealt. The best game he could while still beinghimselfrather than conforming to anyone else’s expectations.
Wasn’t that why I’d come all this way too? I wished I could soak up his confidence until it became my own.
Maybe I couldn’t absorb all of his self-assurance, but I could certainly get closer to him than I was right now.
I peered at him sideways, evaluating my next move. My pulse thumped faster, but I’d never been the type to take the coy route.
How much longer would I even get to revel in his company? The future felt so uncertain.
The one thing I knew for sure was that I wanted to enjoy his presence in every possible way while I could.
The swell of emotion in my chest was something I’d never really felt before. My hookups back home had been totally casual, burning off pent-up energy, never putting my heart on the line.
But Niko was different. Niko wasn’t looking for anything from me or trying to prove a point. Hesawme like no one else ever had—not even Rafael, as loyal as my bodyguard was.
How could I not want even more?
I scooted closer to him and slipped my hand back around his. “In the interests of not holding back… what do you think about picking up that ‘to be continued’ now?”
Niko met my gaze, both mischief and hunger flaring in his. “I think that’s the best idea I’ve heard all day.”
I pushed onto my knees and around to meet him as he dipped his head. Our lips collided with a giddy rush that swept through me from head to toe—and had my panties dampening in an instant.
His tongue twined around mine, his lips soft but steady. I groaned, wanting him more with each passing second.
My fingers found their way into his hair, tracing those black and pink strands as if I could permanently commit the feeling to memory. Niko let out a faint groan and wrapped his arm around me to pull me even tighter against his toned frame.
I couldn’t resist sliding my hands down his body to the hem of his shirt. The dip of his abs was screaming to be touched, and there was nothing I could do but oblige it.
I knew I was right when he arched beneath me, a perfect cue to keep going. My fingertips trailed upward over his chest.
At the thudding of his pulse against my palm, a spike of excitement surged through me. I raked my nails softly against his shoulders and the slender curve of his neck.
He didn’t protest when I tugged the tee right off him. I tossed it into a crumpled ball on the forest floor and took in his exquisitely sculpted torso with a sharper pang between my legs.
I only had a few seconds to appreciate the new view before Niko drew me into another kiss. He slipped his hand beneath my shirt and locked the peak of my breast between two of his lithe fingers.
I gasped at the jolt of pleasure, and he smiled against my mouth. Then his tongue swept between my lips again, stoking the flames already blazing inside me even higher.
Niko cupped my breasts, thumbing over my peaks. He teased me gently, bringing me to the brink of pleasure with only his deft hands.
It wasn’t enough. I wanted more.
Taking the initiative, I tossed my shirt and sports bra after Niko’s tee.
Niko murmured something in Japanese that sounded awed before switching back to English. “You’re stunning.” He dropped a kiss to my shoulder and then the crook of my neck before his fingers traced the top of my feathery tattoo. “An angel in every way.”
