Page 41 of What Happens This Christmas
“We were just heading out,” Nick informed him, nodding at him dryly.
Leaning into Nick and holding on tighter to his arm, I asked, “Where is Lisa Marie this evening?”
“She’s here somewhere,” he answered calmly, not making a bit of an effort to look around and see if he could spot her himself.
He weaved his fingers together, his thumb toying with his gold and onyx pinkie ring and drawing my attention there. With the way he spun it, the light hit the diamonds that formed his initials. I wouldn’t make the mistake of thinking it was an endearing maneuver. No, something told me it was more so another thing he used to make sure people knew who he was and where he came from.
I narrowed my eyes as he directed his next words to Nick. “We should talk sometime. I have plans for the business and think you would want to be involved.”
Nick stiffened at my side. “I haven’t worked in the corporate world in a minute.”
“I know,” he assured him, his expression unchanging from its stoic one.
“Okay, then. We’ll set something up.”
“I trust that will be the case.”
They shared a wordless glance before Vito turned to me and nodded, a sly grin spreading across his face. “You have yourselves a nice rest of your evening.”
I followed Nick’s lead, finding our way through the crowds of people and to the door so we could grab our coats and exit.
“I don’t know what it is about that man, Nick, but I don’t think you should be doing business with him. In fact, I think you should stay away from him at all costs,” I said, my voice low as he stood behind me, slipping my coat on me. I threaded my arms through the sleeves, then shrugged into the rest of it and swiveled on my heel so we faced one another. “Promise me you’ll have your guard up around him.”
He tipped his head back and let out a laugh. “I know what I’m doing.”
Maybe so, but something told me that Vito was not only heartless, but an expert at pulling the wool over people’s eyes.
As we walked out of Irina’s house, I shuddered, my muscles relaxing and body thawing from the ice storm she caused to circle in that house of horrors. Irony was that at one point during the night, it’d actually felt stifling.
Retrieving my purse from Nick’s hand, the straps barely hanging on the edge of his fingers as he held it out for me, I pushed it up my shoulder and let the soft texture of the luxurious chinchilla fur coat heal me from the outside inward. “Just because we’re not going to be—” I swallowed, and my heart rioted. “We’re not going to be—”
He took a step forward, but stopped a breath away from me, the back of his hand ghosting over my cheek.
My eyes fluttered as though I could feel his touch.
“It’s probably good that you can’t say it anyway.”
I rolled my lips, quirking a brow.Has he changed his mind?
“This isn’t the place.”
Of course not.
His breath smelled like brandy, but mixed with his cologne that wafted in the air with the light night breeze, my senses were on overdrive. I brought my hands up between us, letting my purse fall down to the crease of my elbow. “Thank heavens we didn’t wear red. We would have looked like everyone else,” I said, studying the way his suit fit him like a second skin. Everything about him was…
Well, it didn’t matter what it was because it wouldn’t be mine for much longer.
It would serve me best to enjoy it, but not too much.
“Come on. We should call it a night,” he replied, his deep, velvety voice like music to my ears.
In my chest there was a dull throbbing sensation that made me want to clench my hand over it. It was undeniable and wouldn’t quit.
Not so long as I knew Nick would be serving me with divorce papers. My heart would never stop aching.
Chapter 19
like a bucket of COLD water
