Nico pulls his head back slightly, but doesn’t step out of my personal space. “We’re going to try this again.” He searches my eyes before he continues. “Are you seeing anyone Elle?”

“Yes?”

Nico smirks. “You don’t sound so sure of your answer, Babe.”

“Will you kiss me again if I get it right?”

My response amuses him and he drops his head laughing. “A lawyer. Do you negotiate everything?”

I stop and think before answering. “I do.”

Nico smiles at my truthful answer. His eyes close and he leans his forehead to mine. “God you smell so damn good.”

***

I’ve never seen a body like his so close before. It just doesn’t seem real. Both of his arms are covered in tattoos, it looks like he’s wearing colorful sleeves, only he has no shirt on. They intertwine and wrap around his bulging biceps and I get the urge to trace a path from the first splat of ink to the last with my tongue. My body’s reaction to him is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. These aren’t feelings that I’m used to, they seem to come out of nowhere and are uncontrollable.

One side of Nico’s lip curls up slightly, as though he is amused at my staring. He hands me a glass of wine without asking if I want one and I take it because I need it to calm my nerves. I’m here staring at this bigger than life man, and suddenly I’m speechless.

The wine can’t seep into my bloodstream quick enough. Half the glass is gone in one long, unladylike gulp.

“Thirsty?” I look up at him and find a glimmer of amusement in Nico’s eyes, mixed with something else. I think he knows I’m trying to calm myself and I fidget in my seat on the couch as he stands there looking so unaffected.

I ignore his question and set my glass down on the table at my side. I’m trained to steer a conversation. I can regain control here, it’s what I do. I push thoughts of wanting to lick his naked body out of my head and force my eyes to stay trained on his rugged face. “So tell me something about yourself, Nico Hunter. What do you like to do when you aren’t training?”

He cocks one eyebrow suggestively and looks even more amused. I feel my face redden at just his simple gesture. Instead of clearing my head, he now has me thinking about what he likes to do. And I feel the need to fan myself when a visual of him doing those things to me assaults my brain.

Nico laughs and takes the few steps to close the space between us, settling next to me on the couch. He brushes a stray lock of hair from my face, pushing it gently behind my ear. There’s a devilish glint in his eye because he knows what he’s doing to me. He slips one large hand behind my neck, easily cupping it in his palm and his thumb remains in the front in the hollow of my neck slowly stroking small circles.

Without thinking, I lift my hands and touch his bare chest and my eyes drift closed at the hard warm feeling under my fingers. I feel the rhythm of his breathing as his chest rises and falls rapidly and I don’t even realize my hands have slowly begun moving, feeling the hard corded muscle from his pectoral to just above his belly button. There isn’t an ounce of fat on the man anywhere and I get the urge to dig my nails in and score him. It’s totally out of character for me, the feeling comes from somewhere deep within me. A place I’ve cut off access to a long time ago.

Nico puts a finger under my chin and forces my gaze up to his eyes. My knees feel like jelly and my mouth is parted when I look up into his beautiful green eyes. I see a reflection of my need and I have to clench my thighs together to stop the tingle between my legs, but I can’t move. No one’s ever looked at me the way he looks at me. I feel a silent rumble in my gut and I know something’s just changed in me forever. I’ll never be able to go back to comfortable and nice after feeling whatever it is burning between us. It scares the hell out of me and draws me in at the same time.

I watch as Nico closes his eyes and reopens them a few seconds later. I can see he’s composing himself, and I feel weak that I don’t have the strength to do the same. But I don’t care. “Did you eat?”

I shake my head no. I went to a restaurant, but I never made it to dinner.

“Come on, I’ll take you out to grab a bite.” Although he doesn’t release the hold he has on me. He watches me for a few seconds longer and then smiles down at me. “What is it about you, Elle?”

It’s a question, but his face tells me he doesn’t really expect an answer.

Chapter 12

Nico

“I think I wanna go back in.” My words stop Preach in his tracks and he isn’t prepared for the shot I land into his sparring gloves. He winds up on his ass.

I extend a hand down to him on the floor and he gets up rubbing his hip. “Do you think you can tell me this shit when I’m not going to get a bruise. A f**king cup of coffee. Maybe we sit down over a cup of coffee and discuss things like normal people for a change.”

I shake my head at the drama of Preach. He’s bugged the crap out of me for over a year and then he complains at the way I tell him I’m ready. Fucking Preach.

“Why the change of heart son?”

“Does it matter? You’ve been up my ass for a year and now I tell you what you’ve been wanting to hear and you start questioning it.”

“How was your date last night?” A voice comes from behind me. I hadn’t seen Lily walk in. I’m starting to regret hiring her to do my books. Her timing sucks and she’s got a big mouth.

“The checkbook is upstairs.” I don’t respond to her question.

“Date?” Her comment gets Preach’s attention.

“Oh, you haven’t told Preach about Elle?” Lily drags out her words. She sounds like my sister teasing me. I’m suddenly glad that I grew up with three brothers who had no interest in gossip or my love life. I shoot Lily a look that says go away, but she stands her ground and her and Preach begin to talk about me like I’m not even there. She tells Preach about Elle and the two of them lap up the shit like two schoolgirls.

I’m stopped, waiting for Preach, and I feel my muscles starting to go cold. There’s a pause in their chatter and I dart into the conversation before they can resume. “Think we can get back to work ladies? I’m not paying both your asses to stand around and talk about me like I’m not even here.”

Lily smirks at Preach, but takes the hint and heads upstairs to get the books.

Preach lifts the pads he’s holding to block my hits back up and I bounce up and down a few times to get the blood flowing again before I swing my leg high into the air and land a strong strike in the middle of the reflector pads, exactly where I aimed the kick.