Nicholas interrupted her, “Ria, it’s okay. I like that you’re not bloodthirsty and not just looking to be with the next big name in MMA. It’s why I like you. Thank you for coming to the fight and trying. Knowing you are doing something that is new and uncomfortable for me means more than you’ll ever know.” He reached over and squeezed her hand.
Ria breathed a sigh of relief, smiling and squeezing his hand back, as Nicholas pulled up to her car. She noticed he frowned slightly when he looked at it, but figured he knew it was probably about to fall apart. He always seemed very protective of her, which she couldn’t help but appreciate, even though she knew she could take care of herself just fine.
“Is that car going to get you back to your apartment? Emiliano has a fight scheduled for me tomorrow night. I need to go home and get some rest then get up early to run. I won’t see you until after the fight, if I win.”
“Is there any doubt?” she asked, feeling like she took a punch to the gut. She had been looking forward to spending the night with him.
She looked into his eyes to see if he was trying to avoid her, but he seemed sincere. She decided to believe he was telling her the truth while in the back of her mind she remembered how smoothly he had lied to the reporter.
“No.” His answer was quick, but she felt he wasn’t telling her everything?
“Nicholas?”
“Everything will be fine. I’ll see you after the fight.”
“Sounds good,” she replied, her hand going to the door handle, but then his hand curled around her neck and pulled her back to his face.
“Not so fast.” He leaned in and slid his tongue between her lips, playing with her tongue for several seconds before he pulled back. “Now you can go,” he said arrogantly.
“Christ.” Ria rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help laughing. He had just put her mind at ease, and she was both dreading the fight for him while looking forward to spending time with him afterward.
“Night, Nicholas.
“Goodnight, Ria.”
She was halfway back to her apartment before she realized he was following her. When she pulled into her parking lot, she saw him turn around and head back to the freeway. Nicholas might not come out and tell her he cared about her, but his actions were doing the talking for him.
Chapter 18
Nick gathered his clothes and packed them neatly into his duffel bag. He regretted not spending the night with Ria. His body was taut from the driving need it had been in since he had kissed her last night.
He took a deep breath. He wanted to do right by her and help get her back on her feet, but each time he was with her, all he wanted to do was touch her. She had an effect on him that no other woman had ever come close to. They were so passionate together.
She would never believe him, but just talking to her on the phone had satisfied something that had been missing inside for a long time. No woman had inspired enough emotion out of him to care. When the women became too attached, he was gone.
Damn it, he killed her brother and watched her other brother get shot. She would hate him if she knew the truth. His intent was to help her get a better job and just be a friend once he realized who she was. However, he had been unable to prevent himself from touching her when she had looked hurt at the thought he wasn’t attracted to her.
He sat on the bed and raked his fingers through his hair. God! Attracted? Hell, he was on fire for her.
Nothing was going as planned. He didn’t want to develop feelings for any woman, and now he was in a fucked-up place he had always wanted to avoid. He could finally admit to himself that he had true feelings for Ria. He couldn’t fight his attraction for her. But what the hell was he supposed to do about the fact that he’d murdered her brother?
He heard his doorbell ring, not knowing who would come over at this time of the night. He walked down the stairs and looked outside, finding Zane.
Nick groaned to himself. He was tired of Zane trying to help.
“Hey, man, what’s up?” Nick asked, trying to keep his frustration hidden.
“Not much. I wanted to have a talk.” Zane let himself into the house.
“I was about to go to bed,” Nick replied as he shut the door and followed Zane into the living room. As Zane sat down on the couch, Nick sat down on the adjacent loveseat.
“Nick, what the hell are you doing?” Zane asked.
“I have it under control,” Nick lied. He had been out of control since Ria went missing. Finding her had just made it worse.
“We fucking killed her brothers. How do you think she’s going to react when she finds out?” Zane asked.
“She’s not going to find out,” Nick replied harshly. “The cartel are grateful you killed Alejandro, and the only person that cared about Matthew is dead.”