Chapter 7

7

NIKOLAI

I sink my fingers into Riley's hair as I deepen our kiss. It tempers some of the rage I felt after seeing Sal touch her. That asshole had the balls to even dance and laugh with her. I'd seen fucking red.

I tried to give her space. I let her hang out with her sister and made sure no little fuckers came near her, but that only lasted for about two seconds.

Riley's fingers dig into my shirt. Her tongue tentatively meets mine. She lets out a sexy little moan, making me momentarily forget where we are. Not that it matters. Sal needs to get it through his thick fucking skull that Riley isn't for him. Hell, she isn't for me either, but I don't give a shit. She's mine. I don't deserve her, but I need her.

When I lift my mouth from hers, Riley's eyes flutter open. Her full lips are even more luscious after what I did to them. In a small way, I left my mark on her. The dazed look in her eyes draws me right back to thoughts of making her come hours ago.

"You kissed me," she says when she starts to get her bearings.

"I did." I'm not going to apologize for it.

Because I'm so close to her now, I can see the subtle makeup she put on. It covers up her freckles, which I love so much. Jesus, what is wrong with me? I helped Church torture someone for an hour three nights ago, and now here I am loving freckles.

"You can't just kiss me," she huffs, her bottom lip puffing out. I want to suck it into my mouth. There are so many things I want when it comes to her.

"I can."

Riley scrunches her nose. "Do you ever speak in sentences that are longer than two syllables?"

"Yeah, fucking let Sal touch you again, and I'll kill him." Her eyes widen. Does she think I'm bluffing? Riley knows what I'm capable of. She's seen a sliver of it before.

"That's rude because Sal is lovely."

"We're leaving." I take her by the wrist again, leading her toward the back of the club. Lovely is not and will never be a word used to describe me.

"Nikolai." Riley tries to tug from my hold like it's ever done her any good before. I push the back door open into the parking lot, not stopping until I have Riley inside my car.

She is reaching for the handle to get back out when I slip into the driver's seat. I bring my hand down on her thigh, making sure I don't brush against her knee. Something we still need to get back to.

"Don't."

"My sister doesn't know I left." She glares at me, her nose scrunching. I like when she shows me a touch of that fire she has inside of her. But I also have this need to make sure she never has to use it. That I could shelter her from all the fucked-up things in our world.

"Trust me. Matteo knows." Or he will when he's done fucking his wife.

"What are you doing?" Her attention drops to her thighs. I realize I'm stroking the inside of one. I can't get over how damn soft she is. All of her is. Even when she attempts to be sassy, her softness remains unwavering. It's always there. "Are you going to—" Riley licks her lips, her cheeks flushing more. Does she want my mouth between her lush thighs again? I know I do. I need her taste.

"Am I going to what?" I lean toward her, knowing I'm playing with fire. Riley's legs part more, making her dress slide up, exposing more of her to me. My mouth waters at the thought of getting a taste of her again.

"What's happening, Nikolai? Why are you touching me so much?"

"I've done more than touch you." I slide my fingers farther up her thigh.

"Why?" she asks again. I don't know how to answer her. "You don't even like me."

"I more than like you, Riley." Her brows furrow together.

"But you're a jerk to me."

"I know, sweetness. I'm a fucking asshole."

"I'm more confused than a cat at a laser show."

I bark out a laugh. Her comment caught me completely off guard.

"Don't laugh at me." Riley smacks my hand. Again, catching me off guard.

"I'm not laughing at you." I shake my head.

"You have a dimple." She pokes my cheek. "I didn't know that." Riley runs her finger from my cheek to my jawline. "You should smile more."

"Not a lot to smile about," I admit. Riley drops her hand.

"What's up with Abby?"

"Abby?" Riley rolls her eyes. "Abby as in the bartender and cocktail manager Abby?"

"Yeah." She glances away, appearing to be shy about the question.

"Why the fuck does that matter?" I pull back, taking my hands off her, because what I really want to do might scare her. Her eyes fill with tears. I hate myself for it, but she clearly knows about Sal and Abby and is jealous.

"You really are an asshole." She tries to open the door again. I grab her.

"You aren't running back in there to Sal. He's probably dick deep inside Abby right now." Her mouth drops open.

"Sal and Abby are together?"

"Yeah, fucking Sal and Abby," I growl.

"Oh." She relaxes back into her seat. "Wait, does that make you mad? Sal and Abby?"

"I don't care who Sal touches, as long as he keeps his fucking hands off you."

A sweet little giggle bubbles free from Riley. "You sound jealous."

"You're just now getting that?"

"Not that you have a right to be jealous or that I need to give you an explanation, but Sal is my friend." Riley plays with the hem of her dress. "I don't have a lot of those." Her words come out in a soft whisper, so light that I almost miss them.

Her words make my chest ache, making me wish I could make it better for her. I want to kick myself in the ass for ever being rude to her.

"That makes two of us."

I want to tell her that she has me now. That I'll be whatever she needs me to be for the rest of her life. But I know she's not ready for all of that yet. To be honest, I haven't even wrapped my head around it. Instead, I reach over and grab her hand, giving it a little reassuring squeeze, letting her know she is not alone.

I make a vow to myself at this moment that the only tears I'll ever put in her eyes are ones of joy from this day forward.