Compromising Kessen (Vandenbrook #1)(46)

“What do you mean?”

Nick’s gaze fell onto a sharp letter opener in the corner of the room. Oh, she mouthed, then looked down at her hands and laughed.

Nick laughed. “Remember the chocolate chip cookie incident?”

Her stomach coiled just thinking about it. “How could I forget?”

Nick sat down next to her and sighed. “Your mom said you couldn’t have any more cookies, so you took it upon yourself to prove her wrong and eat the entire bag.”

“I threw up for hours.”

“I held your hair.”

“You’re a good friend.”

He snorted. “Yeah, I know. Not many friends would do that for each other.”

Nick grabbed her hand and sighed. Honestly, it was freaking Kessen out a bit. It was rare she saw the fa?ade of “everything’s funny and nothing is serious” Nick fall. It wasn’t that he was faking it; he just did an excellent job of shielding his emotions. It was his one fault, or so Sammy said.

“I’m not letting you marry him if he doesn’t love you back,” he said almost in a whisper. Kessen felt her hand tense underneath his grasp. “It wouldn’t be fair; I would never forgive myself if I didn’t stop you from being stuck in a loveless marriage. You deserve so much more.”

“Then why did you come?” she asked.

“I came to offer my support … and to see for myself what was truly happening over here. Honestly, I could have supported a marriage based on mutual understanding, almost as if it were a business deal. I could handle that. But a marriage where one of you is head over heels and the other doesn’t even care? I couldn’t agree to letting you do that.”

Kessen nodded in understanding. A business transaction was one thing; a heart being involved was quite another. “If you worry about Christian falling in love with me, you’re going to age prematurely, and I know how you feel about wrinkles.” She nudged him in the side.

His gaze penetrated to the depths of her soul. “What makes you think I’m more worried about you than Christian? I told you the chocolate chip cookie story for a reason. You tend to get greedy when you want something; it’s what makes you a good businesswoman. It can also get you into trouble. Don’t make this a competition. If you do, only one of you can come out a winner. And that, my dear, will put an end to your nuptials for sure.”

“What exactly are you saying?” she asked, still confused.

He took an agonizingly long breath. “Kessen, I’ve never met a man more perfect for you in my entire life. If you screw this up, you’re an idiot.”

She punched him in the arm. “Then what was with all the talk about a loveless marriage and you being worried and stuff?”

He shrugged. “I wanted a reaction; instead you stared into space as if to give everything great thought. Seriously, you could do without thinking for a while, especially where Christian is concerned.”

Nick kissed her on the forehead while simultaneously slapping her shoulder. “See you later, kiddo!”

The door closed behind him, and Kessen was alone with her thoughts yet again. Nick was trying to lure her into saying she loved Christian, but why? What was the big deal? They were already getting married; they had the paparazzi and her father’s product launch to thank for that. Instead of mulling it over more, she took Nick’s advice and cleared her head of all thoughts.

She changed into her bedclothes and drifted off to sleep, and her last conscious thought was that Nick hadn’t locked her door.

****

A knocking penetrated Kessen’s dream, which upset her mainly because it was filled with Christian’s perfect face—fallen angel that he was. She mumbled a Spanish swear word before padding to the door.

Just as she reached for the knob, it opened, revealing Christian in only his pajama pants. It was like a gift from the sleep gods. She blinked a few times, just in case she was still dreaming.

“What time is it?” she finally asked, when he did nothing but continue to stare.

He shook his head. “Um, I don’t know. Is it weird that I had to see you?”

She wanted to scream no then wrap her body sinfully around his, but instead she managed to shrug nonchalantly as if it was a normal occurrence for devastatingly handsome men to visit her bedroom in the wee hours of the night.

“We didn’t have enough time. No. We don’t have enough time, I mean…” He turned around towards the large fireplace and began building a fire.

“What I mean is…” He cursed. “Sorry, I just can’t seem to articulate what I want to say in a way that sounds remotely smooth and calculated.”

Kessen giggled and put her hand over her mouth when he shot her a menacing glare. “You were saying.”

Christian’s eyes turned black as he walked slowly to where she stood, pinning her between his body and the wall. Her only option would be to pretend to faint and hope she didn’t get a concussion in the process. She decided to stand.

“I want us to be friends,” he said against her face.

She suddenly felt ill. “So you don’t…” It was hard to finish a sentence containing the most devastating blow she had ever received from the opposite sex.

“No, no, no!” he yelled, then kissed her furiously on the mouth and spoke against her lips. “It’s not like that. I want—dear Kessen, you have no idea how much I want more than that. But I want more of you; I want to know you like Nick knows you. To be your friend and more. I want all of it. I don’t think I would ever be happy with just one part of you.”