Chapter 4
Nico
I pull up to the front of my house, exhausted. It’s been four days since I’ve seen Sophie. I got a call for a run I couldn’t pass up not long after I left her standing inside her house wearing nothing but a tank top and panties, her mouth still swollen from what mine did to it. My phone buzzes, and thinking that it’s her, I look at the screen, but instead, I see that it’s a text from Asher. I groan, opening the message; all I want to do is take a shower and sleep before I see Sophie.
Asher: You busy?
Yes, busily about to pass out, I think.
Me: Why?
Don’t say you need me; don’t say you need me… I chant to myself with my fingers crossed as I wait for his reply.
Asher: I need your help setting up the pool fence.
“Shiiit,” I groan out loud. I scrub my eyes with my fists and let out a sigh before I respond.
Me: On my way.
When I pull out onto the highway and hit dial on my phone, the loud ringing fills my car.
“Hey. Did you make it home already?” Sophie answers, making me smile.
“I did, but then my brother messaged me, so I’m heading to his house.”
“You haven’t slept. Are you going to be okay?” The concern in her voice only solidifies why she is the one.
“I’ll be okay. I was hoping I could see you at some point tonight.”
“Oh,” she replies quietly, making my eyes draw together.
“Oh? Baby, you know you’re a killer on a man’s ego, right?”
“Sorry, it’s just...”
I listen as she takes a breath, but when she doesn’t continue, I ask, “Haven’t you ever dated anyone?”
“Um…”
“What are you, a virgin?” I joke, expecting her to laugh.
“I should let you go while you’re driving,” she says quickly.
“No, you shouldn’t.” I grip my steering wheel tighter.
“I really should,” she argues.
“No, you’re going to tell me exactly what’s wrong with you,” I growl.
“Actually, I’m getting off the phone,” she snaps, and the phone goes dead.
“What the f*ck?” I press dial on the phone again, and this time, it goes right to voicemail.
She’s lucky I have to meet my brother; otherwise, I would be at her house dealing with this shit face to face. I drive the rest of the way to Asher’s with my music on full blast, thinking over our conversation. I have never let a woman affect me, never given a f*ck what they think, say, or do. I have been told the same shit my whole life about the boom and used to think it was a bunch of bullshit. That is, until Asher met November, Trevor pulled his head out of his ass and claimed Liz, and now Cash with Lilly. Then I felt it for myself when I saw Sophie.
“I’m such an a*shole,” I say aloud as everything clicks into place. Her shyness, the way she carries herself, how her body reacts when I touch her— either she’s had very little experience or is a virgin, and I just threw that shit in her face. “F*ck me,” I whisper into my empty car. I shake my head and drive the rest of the way, coming up with a plan. No way am I letting her push me away.
I pull up to Asher’s house twenty minutes later, shut off my car, and hop out.
“Uncle Nico’s here!” July yells over her shoulder before running down the steps straight into me.
“Hey, kiddo.” I swing her up into my arms.
“You didn’t bring Daisy,” she pouts, looking over my shoulder and into my car.
“Nope. She’s at home.”
“Awww! But I wanted to see her,” she whines.
“How about the next time I go out of town, you babysit her for me?”
“Really?!” she squeals.
“Really,” I say, kissing her head before setting her down once we get into the house.
“Thank God you’re here,” November says as soon as she sees me. I raise an eyebrow, and she shakes her head as she gives me a hug. “Those three”—she points out the glass backdoors towards the pool where Asher, Trevor, and Cash are all standing—“have been trying to get the kid gate put up around the pool for the last three hours. I tried to help them, but they refused to listen. Hopefully, now that you’re here, they will stop arguing like a bunch of old ladies and just get it done already.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” I laugh when she rolls her eyes. Then I walk out to the back patio and down to the pool area where—just like November said—Asher, Trevor, and Cash are all arguing.
“You do know that, if you guys stopped bitching for a few minutes, you would probably already be done, right?” I ask, walking up to join the circle.
“You think this shit’s easy? There aren’t even instructions in English! All this shit is in Chinese,” Cash complains, shoving the piece of paper at me.
I don’t even bother looking for English directions; I just look at the picture, glance at the pieces, and immediately start to assemble the fence.
“You have always been a f*cking show-off,” Trevor says in disgust, making me laugh.
“You’re just mad I’m smarter than you.”
“You wish, motherf*cker,” he replies, helping me put pieces together.
“You girls going to stand there and watch, or are you going to help us out?” I ask Asher and Cash, who are both just standing over us in identical poses with their arms crossed over their chests.
Realizing they’ve been called out, they immediate jump into action. It takes thirty minutes to get the last piece attached, but once we’re done, we all stand back to appreciate our hard work.
“That didn’t take long to do once y’all stopped bitching,” I pointed out, just to rub it in their faces.
“We would have figured it out…eventually,” Cash says, smiling—something he does a lot more these days.
“How are Lilly and Ashlyn doing living with you?” I ask him.
“Good. They’re settling in. Never thought I’d be thankful to Jules for anything in my life besides Jax, but she proved to be useful getting Lilly to live with me, even if the situation was f*cked up.”
“True,” I agree; Lilly is the best thing to happen to Jax and Cash. Every time I’m around them as a family, I see the love she has for my brother. In the beginning, I was worried about her intentions, but now, I know she is exactly what Cash said she is—a good woman.
“How’s work been?” Trevor asks. He always asks me the same thing, and I know they all want me to go back to working with them, but I can’t; I love what I do.
“Good. Busy.” I give him the same vague answer I always do.
“Guess there’s never a short supply of criminals. At least you have job security,” Asher says, laughing.
I look at my brothers and chuckle. I’m blessed to have such an awesome family, and I can’t wait for everyone to meet Sophie.
*~*~*
I pull up in front of Sophie’s house a little after ten; all of her lights are out, but that’s not going to stop me from seeing her right now. I’m about to get out of the car when I see movement. It’s dark out, but I can see someone in all black walking around the side of her house. I reach over and open my glove box, grabbing my Glock. I get out of my car and put the gun in the waistband of my jeans at my back. I pull my hoodie down over it before heading towards her house.
I stay in the shadows, watching as the guy walks around to her backyard. I follow but then stop long enough to send a quick text to Kenton with the address, along with a code telling him that I need backup.
I watch the person as they walk from window to window, and I can tell that whoever it is is trying to find a way inside. He tries the last window at the back of the house, and when I see this one open, I pull out my gun and walk up behind the person. Just as they are getting ready to climb inside, I put my hand to the back of their sweatshirt and yank them back.
“What the f*ck?” a male’s voice cries as I place my gun to his head.
Rage like I have never felt in my life consumes me. I feel out of control and know I could kill this guy without a second thought.
“I was just going to ask you the same question, motherf*cker,” I say near his ear. I start to pull his hoodie off, but he turns slightly and I feel a sharp pain in my side.
In sudden shock, I drop to my knees and watch as the guy takes off running. I fight to take back control of the muscles in my body that have been seized by the voltage from the Taser.
“Nico?” I hear Sophie’s voice behind me. I look over my shoulder and our gazes meet before she looks down at my side, her eyes going wide. “What happened?”
“Sophie, go back inside,” I tell her through gritted teeth. I don’t want her out here if the guy is still around.
“But—”
“Sophie, go back inside. Now,” I say, watching as she does what she’s told before I pull out my phone to call Kenton to let him know what just happened.
After I finally get control back, I check around the house to see if I can catch the guy’s trail, but there is no sign of him. I’ve circled the house three times when Kenton pulls up and parks behind my car.
“Cops are on the way,” he says as soon as he gets out.
“Good.” I run my hands down my face.
“How the hell did he get the drop on you?” he asks.
“I wasn’t expecting him to have a Taser,” I admit.
“You know the rules, man. Expect the unexpected.”
“You don’t need to tell me that shit,” I growl, already completely pissed off at myself. Thinking that something could’ve happened to Sophie when I was right here because I wasn’t on my game has me mad as f*ck.
“Is that her?” Kenton asks, looking over at the house.
I turn to see Sophie standing just inside her open front door. “It is.” I take a deep breath as I look at her.
“Where the f*ck did you find her?”
My head turns to him, and I can see the appreciation on his face. “Cousin or not, I will f*ck you up,” I tell him.
“Just a question,” he says, smiling.
I shake my head, not in the mood for bullshit right now.
It takes a few minutes for the cops to show. Luckily for us, we’re in good with the local precinct and know most of the men who show up. As soon as I’ve told them what went down, I head up to the house where Sophie is standing on the front porch, her face free of makeup, her hair down around her shoulders, her legs covered in pajama bottoms with cupcakes all over them. She has a sweatshirt pulled tight around her middle.
“What happened?”
“When I pulled up, I saw someone walking around the back of your house. I followed him and watched as he tried to open a few windows until he got to the last one—”
She cuts me off. “Oh my God! What was he going to do?”
“I don’t know, but you’re safe, baby,” I tell her, closing the distance between us. I pull her into my chest, not giving her a choice but to take comfort from me. “You’re going to have to make a statement to the police about what happened.”
“I don’t even understand what happened,” she whispers, and I can hear the fear in her voice, which only serves to make me angrier. I squeeze her a little tighter, reminding myself that she is here and safe, but my mind knows what could have happened. “How did you know to come?” she asks into my chest.
“I didn’t. I just wasn’t going to let you push me away,” I tell her.
Her body goes tight, and then I hear the faint whisper of her words spoken against my T-shirt as her body relaxes against mine. “Thank you.”
I don’t reply; I don’t need to. She couldn’t have kept me away if she’d tried.
It’s almost midnight by the time the police leave. Sophie is a mess after learning that the person who tried to break into her house had gotten away without anyone having a clue about who he was. I close the door behind the cops and turn to see Sophie biting her lip and looking around her living room.
“You should pack a bag.”
“Pack a bag for what?” she asks, taking off her hoodie, leaving her in nothing but a light-blue tank top. My eyes drop to her breasts, seeing her nipples through the thin material.
“You’re going to stay with me for the night,” I say, watching as she paces around the living room. My eyes and dick follow her every move.
“Yeah, that’s not happening. I appreciate you being here for me, but I’ll be okay,” she says, and I can tell she’s still worried, even though she’s trying to cover it up.
“If you’re not staying at my house with me, then I’m staying here with you,” I tell her firmly.
“Um…no,” she replies, turning a little pink.
“Sophie, I don’t have time to argue with you about this shit. I’m f*cking tired. I just got off the road, dealt with family shit, and then showed up here to talk to you, only to have to deal with some crazy-ass motherf*cker trying to break into your house,” I growl, losing patience.
She looks at me and her eyes go soft, and she takes a breath before looking around her small living space. “What are we doing, Nico? We don’t even know each other.”
“That’s why we’re doing what we’re doing. This is part of dating. We’re going to get to know each other.”
“Nico, this is just…” She pauses, lifting her hands. “It’s just… I’ve never done this before.”
“What part of it haven’t you done, baby?” I question while taking a step towards her.
“I have never done any of this.” She motions between us with a flick of her wrist.
“I have never done this before either,” I say softly, approaching my skittish kitten.
“I’m sure.” She lets out a long breath.
“Have I f*cked women before? Yes, I have. I’m not going to lie and say I’ve saved myself, but this—me pursuing you, wanting to spend time with you in and out of bed, getting to know you and your likes and dislikes? All of this shit is new to me, sweet Sophie.”
“You might regret trying to get to know me,” she mumbles, looking down at her feet.
“I can tell you with one hundred percent certainty that the only thing I would regret is not trying,” I tell her with a finger under her chin as I force her eyes up to meet mine. “Now, are we staying here, or at my house?”
“Nico—”
“Sophie, if we stay here, I need to go get Daisy. I’ve been gone. She doesn’t like to be alone all the time, and I told my neighbor she didn’t need to go over there tonight because I would be home.”
“Fine, but I’m sleeping on the couch.” She breathes out a whoosh of air, blowing some hair out of her face. I smile, and her eyes narrow. “Why do I feel like I just got screwed?”
“Baby, when you get screwed, you’ll know it,” I smirk.
“Nico.” She glares as she says my name, sounding like a warning. I smile, making her growl.
“Sophie, relax,” I say soothingly.
“How can I relax when you say things like that?”
I walk over to the couch, sit down, and then grab her hand, forcing her into my lap.
“What are you doing?!” she cries, trying to get up.
“We’re going to talk,” I say, squeezing her hips.
“I don’t need to sit on your lap in order for us to talk,” she complains, squirming and trying to get away.
“I want you here. Stop wiggling your hot little ass around on my lap or we’re going to end up doing something else.”
Her body stills immediately and she crosses her arms over her chest. “Fine. Talk.”
“Look at me,” I tell her. She doesn’t, so I turn her face with my fingers. “You said you haven’t done this before, right?”
“Yes,” she growls, and I catch myself before I laugh.
“All right, baby. I want you to be honest with me. Are you a virgin?” I ask gently.
“That is none of your business!” she snaps as she tries to get up again.
“I plan on being well-acquainted with your body, so yes, it is my business.”
“See? That’s what I’m talking about! Why do you say things like that?” She wiggles on my lap again, causing my already-hard cock to turn steel under her.
“Because it’s the truth. I want to know you, Sophie, but I need to know what I’m dealing with so I don’t go too fast for you,” I say, looking into her eyes.
“This is too fast,” she mumbles, making me smile again.
“I will never force you to do something you don’t want to do, but I will always encourage you when I know you’re just afraid to try. You can’t let your fears hold you back.”
“What are you talking about?” she whispers, her eyes getting big, making me feel like I just hit the nail on the head.
“I don’t know what happened to you that made you lock yourself away, but I know that’s what you’ve done. I hope you can open up to me about it someday, but until you can talk to me about whatever it was, I need you to be open with me about other things. I don’t want you to be afraid of me, and I’m not going to know if it’s just nerves or something else unless you’re honest.”
“Yes, I’m a virgin.” She pulls her face away from my hand. “Are you happy now?”
“There is nothing wrong with that, baby.”
“Oh, please. What other twenty-three-year-old woman do you know who is a virgin?”
“None, but I’m not going to complain that you are. The thought of another man touching you makes me wanna f*ck something up.” My grip around her hips tightens slightly.
“You’re scaring me.”
“Don’t be scared.” I pull her face towards me and then tilt it down so I can kiss her forehead. “Now go pack a bag.”
“Geez, you’re bossy,” she grumbles, getting off my lap.
I sit in the living room, waiting on her for a while. I’m not really sure how long it’s been, because I start to doze, and my eyes are closed when I hear her enter. I open one eye to see her standing across the room, watching me.
“You ready?”
“Yeah,” she says, walking into the kitchen to grab her keys and purse off the counter. We head out the front door. “I’m going to follow you in my car so I’ll have it there in the morning when I go to work.”
“That’s fine. Now let’s go. I’m ready for bed.”
“I’m not sleeping with you,” she says from beside me as I tug her keys out of her hand and lock the door.
“Not yet, sweet Sophie,” I tell her, leading her to her car and not saying anything else about it. I make sure she’s in before I make my way across the street to my own.
Once we pull up to my house, I pull into the right side of my driveway so she can fit her car next to mine. I hop out, meeting her at the front of her car, where I take her bag from her and then put my hand on her lower back to guide her up to the front porch.
“This is your house?” she asks in awe.
“Yeah,” I tell her, trying to see what she sees.
I live in a 2,2,000-square-foot two-story brick townhouse with a two-car garage at the end of a cul-de-sac. My brothers hate where I live, preferring to have lots of land, but for me, I don’t need all that. I like having neighbors and a sense of community.
“It’s really nice.”
“Thanks,” I say, opening the door, and immediately, Daisy starts jumping around at our feet.
“Oh my God!” Sophie squeals as she bends down, plucking Daisy, who is all too happy to have someone to lick and pay attention to her, off the floor.
I set Sophie’s bag down on the couch before walking into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water out of the fridge. “You want something to drink?” I ask, watching her as her eyes move around the house to take everything in.
“No, thanks. I’m just ready for bed.” She yawns, and Daisy takes the opportunity to lick into her mouth. “Ewww.” She laughs, kissing Daisy’s head before setting her on the ground.
“You finally see me, huh?” I ask, scooping up my dog. I pet her for a minute before grabbing her a treat and setting her down again. “I’ll show you to your room if you’re ready to sleep.”
“Yes, please. I’m exhausted.” She yawns again, covering her mouth.
I walk to the couch, getting her bag before heading to one of my spare bedrooms. I want her to sleep in my room, but I know without even trying that it would be pushing it. “I’m right across the hall if you need me.”
“Thanks,” she says, looking around, seeming a little unsure of herself.
“This is the bathroom,” I tell her, tapping my knuckles on one of the doors. I go to the closet to get down an extra blanket and set it on the bed. Daisy runs in excitedly and jumps up on the bed, looking between us for a second before curling up and lying down. “I don’t think so, girl.” I pick her up, bringing her to my chest.
“She can stay in here with me if she wants,” Sophie says, looking at Daisy with a small smile.
I unconsciously give the pup a peck on top of her head, eliciting wet licks under my chin when I look up and ask, “You sure?”
“Yeah, I don’t mind,” she says, looking at me with soft eyes.
I set Daisy back on the bed, and then pull Sophie into me. “Remember, I’m across the hall if you need me.”
“I remember,” she whispers.
“All right, baby. Get some sleep.” I bend down, kissing her forehead and then her mouth before heading out of the room.
I walk across the hall, take off my clothes, and get into bed. I lie there, hands under my pillow, looking at the ceiling, thinking about my life and what I do for a living, and wondering how that could affect the girl across the hall. It takes a while for sleep to take me even though I am completely exhausted, but when it does, I dream about a brown-eyed girl.
What I didn’t know was that, for the first time ever, the girl across the hall felt something other than fear when she went to sleep.