Touch Me Not (Manwhore, #1)(54)
Mike’s mouth dropped open, then slowly closed. He got all bug-eyed and he started to sweat. Nikoli wasn’t playing fair, and he knew it. Mike would want the very best for Janet on the night he proposed. Nikoli was betting his need to make the night special for her would win out against a simple name.
“Don’t do it, Mikey,” Lily said. “Stay strong.”
“It’s Mason’s, Lils,” he pleaded. “Do you know how much that would mean to Janet?”
“I’ll even make sure they do something special for her, a desert or something no one else can order,” Nikoli threw in.
“Not fair,” Lily snarled, and Nikoli laughed. She’d gone from smug, to worried, to outright pissed off.
“Mike,” Adam interrupted them. “Think it through. Do you honestly think he can follow through on that promise? Seriously, unless he’s Mr. Money Bags, there’s no way he can do it.”
“If Nikoli says he can do it, then he can,” Lily defended. “He never makes promises he can’t keep.”
A burst of pleasure shot through Nikoli at her quick defense of him, but it also alarmed him. She was starting to mean more to him than she should. He had no clue how to stop it, aside from walking away here and now, but he couldn’t do that. He’d tried several times, but the thought always made him nauseated.
“Cassia,” Mike blurted out. “Her name is Cassia.” He shot Lily an apologetic look. “You can put him on iggy, Lils, but this is Mason’s we’re talking about. I had to.”
Cassia? Nikoli thought about everyone he knew in-game, and the name brought up a blank. He didn’t remember ever meeting a Cassia. “Do you have me on iggy?” he asked suspiciously. If she had him on ignore, she’d damn well take him off the list.
“No,” she said, her eyes shooting daggers at Mike. “We just don’t hang out with the same people.”
“Well, Miss Holmes, we are going to hang out together in-game,” he promised. “No running, no hiding, and no iggying me.”
“You’re a bigger manwhore in-game than you are in the real world. Why would I want to hang out with you there?”
His eyes narrowed and he started forward, his intent clear. Lily let out a small squeal and ran, laughing as she went. He caught her around the waist and swung her around, coming to a stop when her back rested against the wall. His hands braced on either side of her, palms flat against the wall. There was only an inch of space between them. He watched her pupils dilate, but not in fear. In anticipation. He stayed perfectly still so she could adjust to the situation.
“Care to call me that again?” he asked, his expression hard.
“You mean manwhore?” she whispered.
“Yes, dushka, I mean that.”
“Aren’t you a manwhore?” she asked, her expression innocent.
“No. I. Am. Not.” He closed the space between them, his body pressing against hers. He felt her tense, but he refused to move away. She needed to get used to the feel of his body against hers.
Adam growled behind them, but he paid Boy Wonder no mind. He knew Mike wouldn’t let him do anything stupid. Nikoli focused his attention on the woman in front of him.
“Nikoli,” she said softly, “I…”
“Shhh, Milaya.” He leaned in, touching her nose with his. “Relax, baby.”
Her breathing hitched up a notch and Nikoli let his own out, mingling with hers. She shuddered, and he closed his eyes, feeling it go through him. God, what he would do to bend her over something right now. He couldn’t, though. He took several deep breaths and pulled his head away from hers. Lily’s eyes were glazed and flared with lust. The almost sleepy look she gave him made him hard instantly. Fuck. He needed to get this under control, but hell, he didn’t want to.
He leaned in, letting his lips rest softly against her cheek, letting her feel the warmth against her skin. She whimpered, and he pressed his body harder against hers, his lips trailing butterfly kisses from her cheek over her jawline and up to her earlobe. His tongue swiped the soft flesh, and then he pulled it into his mouth, sucking on it gently. Lily let out a low moan, and he smiled. Yes, she was ready to be touched. He bit down softly, and a full body shudder went through her.
“Time to go, Milaya,” he told her and stepped away from her. He took her arm and pulled her against him, his arm wrapping around her. It was as much to keep her from falling as it was to show Boy Wonder over there who she belonged to. Mostly for Boy Wonder’s benefit, he admitted.
Lily didn’t say a word, just let him lead her out and into his car. The fact that she hadn’t flinched away from him in terror hadn’t been lost on either Mike or Adam. Mike had looked grateful, but Adam had been pissed off. Boy Wonder was starting to see what he had lost out on. It was what Lily wanted, but Nikoli found the thought of her with Adam made him want to punch something.
Yes, he had to get control of this, even if he didn’t want to.
Fast.
Chapter Fifteen
Lily picked at the sheer black lace of the dress. It was so short it barely covered her bottom. A black choker encircled her neck, and strappy black heels made up the rest of her ensemble. Never in her life had she worn something this revealing. It made her uncomfortable, but more than that, looking at herself in the mirror before they’d left, she’d felt sexy for the first time in her life. And all that was due to the man sitting across from her, thanking the waiter for their food. She murmured her own thanks when he set her tilapia down in front of her.