Nico (Ruin & Revenge #1)(76)

Nico pushed open the window, drew in a breath of thick, smoggy air. Still, it was better than the smoke that charred his lungs.

“Uh…” Her voice thickened. “You might not want to do that?”

“Why?” He turned to face her, watched her blush.

“You’re … um … naked. And my window is very visible from the street, and also to my elderly neighbors across the way. That’s why I usually cover it.” Her eyes widened and her blush deepened. “The window, I mean. I cover the window.”

Nico became semi-erect under her scrutiny, aroused by her interest and the memory of what they’d done last night.

“You like what you see, bella?” He put his hands on his hips and gave her a full frontal view, proud that he was in no way lacking in size or girth.

She swallowed hard, and her voice thickened with desire. “I just … I’ve never seen you completely naked before. I didn’t realize that dagger went all the way down. Last night, when we went to bed, it was … dark.” She reached out and traced the dagger inked onto his stomach, following the lines down to his groin. He was ready for her before her fingers finished the journey, his cock rock hard, jutting against the soft cotton nightshirt she wore that barely skimmed the tops of her bare thighs. So cute. He liked the T-shirt paired with oversized socks. She looked soft, vulnerable, and very fuckable.

“Commitment to protect my family.” He caught her hand, drew it to his cock. Mia smiled and wrapped her hand around his length.

“You feel very committed.”

“And you look like you’re wearing too many clothes.” He reached for her shirt, tried to pull it over her head.

“No.” She released him, and backed away. “I’m … How about I try breakfast again? Do you like cereal?”

Puzzled, Nico reached out and caught her wrist. “Why are you afraid to show me your body? There’s very little I haven’t seen already. There’s nothing I don’t like.”

“Do you like burned bacon?”

He understood the question for what it was. Defensive. An attempt to hide. “I like finding out about you,” he said softly. “I like knowing you can’t cook, that your apartment looks like a bomb went off in it, and that you wear a Calamity Jane T-shirt to bed. I like listening to your music and fucking you in a filthy office and an even more disgusting dive bar. You’ve awakened the beast, bella. I won’t be denied.”

“Promise me you won’t overreact.” She nibbled on her bottom lip. “You do have a tendency to overreact in certain situations.”

Overreact? He was always in control, prided himself on remaining calm in difficult circumstances. “What situations?”

“Kidnapping me. Beating up the Wolf in my office, fucking me in a restaurant just because I mentioned I was interested in what you were like in bed.”

Nico gave an irritated huff. “You don’t tell a man you want to get him into bed, and expect him to spend the rest of the evening thinking of anything else.”

She glanced down at his cock, now fully erect. “I guess that means I’m in big trouble now.”

“I want to see you. I want to see everything, your body, your ink, and your sweet curves. Show me who you are, or yes, there will be trouble.” Part of him hoped she wouldn’t undress so he could wrestle her into sweet submission, earn the reward of a body made for sin.

“Everything?”

“Now.”

“Fine.” Mia pulled off her shirt and toed off her socks. Nico drank her in, from her slightly tanned skin, to her beautiful breasts, the curves enhanced by the beautiful ink to the soft down of curls between her thighs. His gaze dropped to her long, lean legs and the flowers inked across her foot.

“Feet too?” He kneeled down to press a kiss to her instep. But what he saw made him recoil. “Dodgers fan?”

“Stay calm,” she warned. “I saw the Giants’ pennant in your office.”

Nico lifted an eyebrow. “Of course the Giants. They lead 1210 wins to the Dodgers’ 1184, eight World Series and twenty-three pennants versus the Dodgers’ six and twenty-one. You’re rooting for the wrong team.”

“Am I?” She tried to pull away but he held her foot fast. “The Dodgers have won the National League West fourteen times compared to the Giants’ eight.”

“I’m taking you to a game,” Nico said. “I’ll convince you to cross over to the dark side. You’ll find it’s the more profitable side to be on.”

She laughed, a soft throaty sound that made him feel warm all over.

“I already crossed over to the dark side when I got involved with you. And why do I think your interest in baseball isn’t entirely because you have a love for sports?”

Unabashed he laughed. “I might know a bookmaker or two.” He also knew some players, not just in baseball but in other sports as well. He had a couple of fixers on his crew who bribed young college basketball players to shave points by missing baskets to yield the greatest profit for their Toscani family fans.

“Such pretty feet totally ruined with Dodgers’ ink,” he teased. “We could have it removed.”

“You touch that ink, and I’ll remove something you are definitely going to miss.”