Daisy. His blood ran cold, putting out the fire that was raging in his veins.
“I can’t, Kat. I want to. I won’t lie to you about that. You’re like a fantasy come to life. An angel. But you need to find yourself a nice, normal guy who cares about you and who’s gonna look after you. And that’s not me.”
“Girls like me can’t be with normal guys.” She toyed with the button on his shirt. “I’m ruined, Ben. I’ve seen what the world is really like and it’s not all sunny days and happy smiles; it’s not all black and white. Good people do bad things and bad people do good things, and whether they are right or wrong depends on your point of view.”
“You’re wrong about that.” He covered her hand with his, gently drew it away. “There’s a line that you don’t cross no matter what.”
Kat laughed. “There is no line for us. It’s just infinite shades of gray.”
Ben pushed off the couch and grabbed his jacket. “Any man would want a beautiful, sweet girl like you. But what you’re offering me is something you want to keep for a special guy—someone who wants to get to know you first, who’ll treat you right, and appreciates all that you’ve got to give. You want to find someone who’s gonna protect you above all things. Someone who loves you. I promise you, there are guys like that out there.”
“Like Nico,” she said.
“Yeah.” Ben nodded, not unaware of the irony of holding a Mafia boss up to be the paragon of goodness. “Someone like him.”
“Or someone like you.” She pulled on her shirt, refastened the buttons.
“I’m not good, sweetheart.” The thoughts he was thinking right now were definitely not the thoughts of a good man, nor were the thoughts he had every time he walked into Ginger’s house and saw Gabe near his little girl.
She looked up and smiled. “Like I said. It depends on your point of view.”
TWENTY
Nico woke to the smell of burned bacon and the worst hangover of his life. He scrubbed a hand over his face and sat up, last night as much of a haze as the smoke that filled the room.
He leaped up, stumbled over the clothes and computer equipment strewn across the floor. Where the fuck was he? He blinked, clearing his vision, took in the riot grrrl posters, on the walls, the sea of silver chains and bracelets on the chipped white dresser, the black lace-up boots sitting on a dismantled hard drive. Ah yes. He had spent the night at Mia’s place.
Memories came back to him in a rush.
The wedding. The awkward hour at his hotel. The dive bar …
Fuck. The dive bar. He’d engaged in some X-rated activities he wasn’t sure if he wanted to rehash right now, or he’d have a fire to put out of another sort.
The earsplitting shriek of a fire alarm filled the room and he waded through the debris to the open-plan living space of the tiny apartment. “Mia!”
“Sorry.” She hurried toward him and pushed the button on the alarm, plunging the room into silence. “I wanted to make breakfast for you before I leave for work, but as you can see, I’m not much of a cook.”
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.”