RISK(24)

"It suits you." Crew cups her hand in his. "Ellie can bring a bottle home from work for you. No charge."

"Seriously?" She holds his hand to her chest. "Thank you."

"No thanks necessary." His smile widens as he stares at her. "You ready to head out?"

"Absolutely." She abruptly lets go of his hand. "I'm going to Axel NY."

"Good choice." Crew gestures toward the door. "I've been. Great food."

Adley launches into a story about the last time she was at Axel. I hear her say something about her ex, Leo, as the door shuts behind them.

"Time for me to get to work." Nolan slides his shirt from his shoulders. "There's a gallon of your favorite ice cream in the freezer if you're hungry."

I smile in spite of my resolve not to. I didn't expect him to show up tonight. I was shocked when I turned to see him and Crew standing in the entryway of my apartment. "Cookie dough?"

"That's what your friend got for you at Cremza. I assumed it was your favorite."

"It is." I draw in a breath. "What flavor were you buying the other night?"

He hesitates briefly before a grin pulls at the corner of his lips. "Blue bubble gum."

I cover my mouth with my hand to shield my broad smile. "I would have pegged you for more of a vanilla or strawberry type."

"Oh really?" A bead of sweat rolls down his muscular chest. My gaze follows.

"Yes, but I was wrong. The secret is out. The owner of Matiz Cosmetics likes blue bubble gum ice cream."

His hands drop to his pants. He loosens the belt and then unfastens his slacks. "The owner of Matiz Cosmetics likes many things. Bubble gum ice cream is right up there with a certain blue-eyed redhead."

"Are you taking your pants off?"

"If that's a request, the answer is yes." He draws in a deep breath. "It's so damn hot in here. I'm just trying to get comfortable so I can fix your air conditioner before I pass the f*ck out."

I bite back a giggle. "The only tools we have are in a drawer in the kitchen."

Cocking his head to the side, he looks directly at me. "Show me what you've got, Ellie."

***

"There's an empty furnished apartment on the second floor with a working air conditioner." He pushes his phone back into the front pocket of his pants. "It's a two bedroom. You can stay there tonight and the new unit will be installed here first thing tomorrow."

"So that strange smell that was coming from it was a fried motor?"

"That's the culprit." He looks over at the dismantled air conditioner on the floor near the window. He had the problem diagnosed within minutes, and it took even less time for him to call someone to arrange the delivery and installation of the new unit as well as accommodations for Adley and me for the night. "It's not worth trying to fix it. Someone from the repair crew will have the new one installed in no time."

"Will it be River?" I ask quietly.

His arms cross over his chest. My eyes fall once again to the skin that is exposed right where his pants hang open. I can see the barest hint of his black boxer briefs and the trail of dark hair that disappears beneath them.

"No." He narrows his eyes. "You don't actually like that guy."

"Are you asking me if I do or telling me I don't?"

"I'm stating a fact."

"I might like him."

"But you don't," he says assuredly.

"You don't know that, Nolan."

"I know you like me." He straightens his stance. "River and I are nothing alike, so it stands to reason that you don't like him."

"Am I anything like the woman who wrote on your hand?"

His gaze drops to his left hand. He flips it over to reveal a now bare palm. "Who said it was a woman who wrote on my hand?"

I did. It was an easy assumption to make. An uneven heart was drawn near his thumb. It was a sweet accent to the phrase I LUV U which was scribbled in black ink across the middle of his palm. "A man wrote it?"

"Strike two. You have one last chance before I get to ask you a question."

"You wrote it for someone or maybe to yourself?" I joke.

"If I wrote it I'd take the time to write out each letter. I'm not lazy when it comes to those three words." He studies me, his expression softening. "But no, I limit the self-love to messages written on my bathroom mirror. I try to keep the ego in check in public."

I laugh. "Do you think you're doing a good job with that?"

"Fair." He half-shrugs. "I'd say I'm doing a fair job with it. It's my turn to ask you a question."

My eyes flick over his body. It's now dotted with sweat. I follow the path of his chest, to his neck and finally to his face. His hair has morphed from styled perfection to damp tousled mess. Somehow he looks even more handsome than he did when he first got here. "What's the question?"

"Can I call you Bean too?" His eyes soften as he smiles. "Say yes."

"No." I shake my head quickly. "You can't."

He leans forward until his lips are almost brushing mine. His voice is barely a whisper. The movement of his mouth, so close to my own, drives my pulse to race. "Can I call you my date for tomorrow night?"