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THEO
Nic was acting strangely tonight.
There was a new tension in the firm set of his jaw I didn’t like. Also odd was that Ilya had joined our group for supper. Before this, Nic and I always dined alone.
I was trying hard to keep the mood light as the five of us ate, but I wasn’t a magician. And it was exhausting. There was something going on here I didn’t understand.
One of the crew came in and whispered to Nic, who then rose from the table and buttoned his suit jacket. Cazzo, he was handsome. The silver at his temples glinted in the light of the chandelier. An evening scruff adorned his face, making him look even more dangerous. He came toward me and I wanted to get close to him, touch him. Crawl inside his skin and stay there. I couldn’t get enough.
Nic draped his heavy palm on my shoulder as he addressed the room. “Please excuse me. I’m sure you all will have fun this evening without me.”
I was disappointed he wasn’t staying, but I would not beg. “We will certainly try, mon grand.”
Nic’s expression softened and I could see the satisfaction in his gaze as he bent toward my ear. “Do not worry, luchik. I will fuck you mercilessly later.”
Then he was gone and I grasped for my wine glass. Was the room on fire?
When we were alone, Giulio said, “I can see you are smitten.”
“Basta! I’m smitten with his dick, bello. You know I don’t do relationships.”
Giulio pushed away from the table. “Let’s go on deck for some air and more wine.”
Once outside, I stretched out on a deck chair and toasted them both with my wine glass. “To good friends and good wine.”
Giulio put his feet up, then gestured to my kilt-like skirt and distressed black shirt. “Are these pieces yours?”
“Of course. Do you like them?”
“I do. They’re very you.”
I’d spent years developing a signature look for my brand, so this pleased me enormously. “Thank you. So . . . .” I poked his shoulder and nodded toward Alessio. “You most definitely have a type.”
Unbelievably, my friend blushed ever so slightly. “Stop. He’s right here.”
“And he’s listening,” Alessio said dryly.
I laughed. “You two are cute together. Which is surprising, considering he was hired to kill you.”
“It makes for an interesting ‘how did you meet’ story,” Giulio said.
“This is true.” I grinned at my friend. “You never do things the easy way, bello.”
“And Nic? I saw the way you looked at him tonight.”
I swallowed a flippant remark. There was no pretending with Giulio; we’d known each other for too long. I smoothed my already-smooth skirt. “I think I might like him. It’s disgusting.”
“You are allowed to be happy. For longer than a few weeks, I mean. What do you know about him?”
I knew Nic kissed me as if his life depended on it, and that he liked to fall asleep wrapped around me. I also knew he often suffered nightmares.
And I knew something was happening between us, something I wasn’t sure I could handle.
“Not much. We met at a private event in Paris and I couldn’t take my eyes off him. There was an instant spark. He trailed me outside onto the balcony and we drank champagne while talking about our love for old Hollywood movies.” Nic said those films were how he learned to speak English while growing up in Russia. For me, those movies were all about Edith Head and her designs.
I waved my hand. “Anyway, one thing led to another and I swear I’ve shed five pounds in sweat alone these last few weeks.”
Giulio chuckled. “I know the feeling.” Alessio made a choking noise in his throat, and Giulio blinked innocently at him. “It’s true and you know it, assassino.”
