I pull my friend out of the cold water and wrap her in towels. She hands me her wet nightgown and asks me to have the hotel have it cleaned and back in her room by tonight. “Done.”
As we walk up to the path together, Sophie says, “Don’t sleep with him. It’s one thing if you lose the bet—which was the stupidest bet ever—but it’s another to give him your heart, you know? Don’t do it, Sky.” She’s worried about me. I can see it in her eyes and I don’t want today to be about me at all. I’ve been selfish as it is. She’s getting married tonight and I’ve been blathering about me all morning.
“I won’t.” I give her a hug and hurry her inside, but the lie burns my tongue. I didn’t mean to fib, but it’s one of those things that you realize is false only after you say it. Nick already has my heart. He took it when he gave me that kiss.
CHAPTER 25
I’m running late. The bride’s brunch is going to start in less than an hour and I’m not dressed yet. Nick is still in the shower. Banging on the door, I yell, “Hurry up! I need to get in there, too!”
“I slept on mud because of you. Wait your turn.” His voice is sharp, so I back away and pad over to the dresser. He’s left a watch that cost more than my car, his wallet, and the change from his pocket, all spread over the smooth surface. I can’t help it. I pick up the coins one by one and flip them over, looking for a double-sided coin.
Nick comes out, shrouded in steam, with only a towel around his waist. His dark hair is tousled and his chest is perfect. It leads up into a perfect pair of shoulders and down into a firm waist. Each ab is defined like he does sit-ups all day long. How can he look like that? Nick notices my wandering gaze. “Soon, Sky. Just wait.” He winks at me with that Ferro grin and I want to kick him.
I toss his change at his chest. “Jackass.”
“Flirt.”
“Bastard.”
“Siren.” That one makes me flinch. God, the words he chooses are too much. They’re exactly what I want to hear.
I step closer to him and smell his aftershave. The scent could make me orgasmic. What is that? Pheromones of Ferro? “Rat bastard.”
He smiles softly and looks down at me. “You said that already.”
“No I didn’t. It’s an entirely different level of bastard. You’re king of the bastards.”
He maintains eye contact and leans so close to my mouth that our lips brush, “It’s good to be king.”
I shove his chest. “Of all the stupid things to say.”
He grabs my waist and pulls me close. “I’m a guy, Sky. I have balls, not breasts. What’d you think I was going to say? That you’re my shadow and I had no idea how lost I was without it? Do you think I’ll ask you to sew it on so we can fly away together? Is that what you want to hear?” Holy shit. It feels like he sucker punched me in the stomach. I tear myself away, refusing to show how much his words affect me. Nick watches me with those cold blue eyes. His gaze narrows as he reaches for his shirt. “I’m not that guy, stop looking at me like I am.”
Screw it. I’m saying whatever I want. “You don’t know who you are, so I can look at you however I damn well please. Right now, this look means I’m disgusted.”
“Disgusted? Really?”
“Truly. You act like you’re this giant asshole, but I don’t understand why. To what means? Why do you think you have to be somebody else?”
“I don’t. This is me.” He jabs his thumb into his chest.
I’m wasting time fighting with him, but I don’t want to stop. Shaking my head, I lower my lashes to the floor. “No, it’s not, but you’re right about one thing. You have no shadow, no anchor holding you down so that when the darkness comes you’re totally fucked.”
“There’s no such thing as a soul.”
“Yes, there is. There’s good and evil, right and wrong. You’re still young enough to decide what kind of man you want to be. You don’t have to become your father. No one is holding a gun to your head.”
Nick’s shoulders stiffen and he stops breathing. Bull’s-eye. I hit the man’s sore spot and he’s refusing to acknowledge it. “You have no idea what kind of man I am or what kind of hell I had to go through to get here.”
“I’m sure, poor little rich boy who doesn’t have to pay rent.”
“It’s not like that.” He grabs my arm and pulls me toward him. “Don’t assume you know me, because you don’t. If I rip your business to shreds it’s because you were too weak to fight back, so don’t blame me when the whole thing falls apart.”