Page 72 of Who's Saving You
My heart races again. “You need to stop saying that. I did what I had to do.”
“But you stayed.”
“I owed Dante. You asked how I knew him. He was my dad’s bookie, the kingpin, if you will. He had a presence established in Philadelphia. He bailed me out the first time by paying my way to college, but I had to work for him. When dad did it with another crew? I went to Dante; I had nowhere to turn. He promised he’d cleanit up.” I look down. “I didn’t know it meant I’d be changing the face of the game.”
“Throwing the game turned the bets upside down,” she says.
I nod. “We were supposed to blow them out, then go on and win the championship. There was so much money riding on it. So what better way to make it quick and save someone? They had my dad bet against my team; the odds were insane. And when I lost the game, he won. His slate was wiped clean.”
She’s looking at me with the exact eyes I hate. The pity, the disappointment. The look of every reason I buried this lie as fast as I could.
“Where’s your dad now?” she asks.
I shrug. “Not a clue. After the game, I never saw him again.” I shake my head, the emotion overcoming me. I choke it back. “I did it for nothing since he left anyway.”
“And how did Dante end up here in Mistletoe Falls with you?”
“I think he was expecting blowback and wanted to stay close. He moved here, opened up a couple of other businesses, and then we opened Club Trick together. Dante has ended up being the number one person I can count on. That's why I’ll never leave him.”
Quietly, she says, “I’m sorry. I don’t even know what to say.”
I let out a huge breath, not sure how I’m feeling right yet. “There’s your story. You were right from the start. I’m not perfect; I'm the furthest thing from it. I lied to my friends, I ruined their season, and I lied to the school and the coaches. I let them blame someone else. My family knew nothing. Eva and my mom never knew how close to danger they were.”
She moves closer to me. “I didn’t want to be right, Nik. I’m not looking to bury you; I just felt there was more to it. And there is.” She whispers, “You’re this perfect guy to the world, fuckingSaint Nikfor crying out loud, but there’s so much more. I’m just trying to understand it all.” She swallows hard. “Mostly, I’m just trying to understand why you affect me like you do.”
I open my eyes and meet hers. There’s no judgment there; just something dangerous brewing between us. Something I don’t know how to hold onto.
“I don’t know what this is,” I rasp. “Or what you want from me.”
“Neither do I,” she breathes. “But I’m still here. We’re in this together. And if my asking questions brought this back to life, then I'm not going anywhere until it's solved. It’s not about the story anymore. I want to figure this out because something is tying us together.” She’s so close now, I can smell the sugar on her skin. “There’s more here, Nik. Let me help before it buries you.”
Her words wrap around me, and the restraint I’ve been choking on since coming back from Houston?Gone. It’s only been twenty-four hours since I was last touching her, but it feels like twenty-four thousand. I need her. If someone is after me, wanting me to correct my lies, or take the fall for it, and she’s willing to stand by me, then I’ll take that risk every day.
I crush my mouth to hers. She gasps into the kiss, and I swallow it down. My hands slide to her hips, gripping her like she’s the only steady thing holding me in this whole goddamn universe.
She kisses me back with everything she’s got. There’s no hesitation; it’s wild and messy, tangled tongues and low,broken sounds. Her hands search my skin, every touch like a live wire.
I spin her and lift her,fuck, she’s so warm, and set her on the counter like she belongs there. Her legs wrap around me instantly, tight and demanding. She grinds against me, moaning into my mouth like she knows exactly what she’s doing to me, and wants it done to her, too.
“You’re so fucking beautiful,” I groan against her neck, dragging my lips down her throat. “You don’t even know.”
She tilts her head back, letting me taste her skin. “I know you want me,” she whispers. “Ifeelit.”
My hand slides under her shirt, fingers tracing the soft dip of her waist, memorizing her. “Want’s not a big enough word.”
I push her shirt up, and she raises her arms without a word. I peel it from her, drop it on the floor, and take her in. She’s even more stunning than the first time. Her hair is wild, falling over her shoulders, her cheeks are pink, and her eyes are half lidded, just waiting for me to touch her. Her tits are covered in the forest-green lace I picked out for her, and when I drift the back of my hand over the swells, her chest rises and her mouth parts.
“You’re wearing my favorite.”
She pulls back. “You picked this out?”
“Who do you think did? Stone?”
She laughs and shakes her head. “No, when he said you ordered stuff, I just figured the saleswoman did it.”
I shake my head. “Nope, I knew exactly what color I needed to see you in. Don’t think I missed seeing your toenails painted Warriorprasínothe first night you were here. You were already obsessed with me from the get-go.”
“So arrogant.” She reaches for my waistband, undoing the button while kissing me. “Prasíno,” she repeats theword softly, and hearing it leave her lips does something to me. Her eyes flip to mine, “Will you teach me Greek?”
