Chapter Seven

Nic

FURY beat at the walls of Nic’s veins, pounding in rhythm with his heartbeat. He tried to keep smiling and stay relaxed and friendly with his dinner guests, trying to make it look like he wasn’t stalling, but he couldn’t hold dinner any longer. He would have to try to swing this client solo without the family support.

The children still hadn’t arrived home. Percy had assured him they were fine and out with the manny, so there was no need to contact the authorities, but they’d never not been here. Barring a few rare extracurricular activities, the kids had always come straight home after school and then stayed home. It was unheard of for the nannies to take the kids off the island. Maybe getting out would be good for them, but in this case, they were not only grounded, but also the lack of their presence had wrecked Nic’s plans.

Normally, it wouldn’t matter if he had his family at dinner, but this client was from a large, traditional Italian family, someone referred by the head leather craftsman at the business he’d bought in his trip to Italy. Anselmo De Franco was a powerful man, owned a lot of large successful luxury department stores, and best of all, produced his own family line of high-end fashion products. The man had brought his wife, Rossana, and young daughter, Carina, with them to dinner.

Nic not only wanted to gain this man’s trust and admiration but needed it. This was the big lead that would get Leighton Price the sales contracts required to get the numbers out of the red this quarter and save Nic’s ass. But he was alone. The kids hadn’t shown up, and it was clear they weren’t going to show up in time.

Still, he tried to show no external signs of stress as he led the little family to the formal dining room and signaled his staff for dinner service. No way around it, the entire event was painful. He could speak business with Anselmo, but when it came to getting personal and speaking the language of family life, Nic was woefully lost. He had no life outside of Leighton Price.

Rossana and Carina hardly spoke at all, despite Nic’s attempts to include them in the conversation. The only good thing about this dinner was the excellent food prepared by his personal chef and her staff. Toward the end of the meal, Mr. De Franco declined dessert, explaining that Carina had an early morning for school, so they’d need to get going. That was the final death knell.

Nic’s sales were slipping away like he’d let out his own blood. Anselmo almost never did business with people he couldn’t socialize with as easily as work with, and he socialized best with family men and women who he could consider part of his own extended family. Family bonds were that important to him, and as much as Nic cursed that right now, it was highly admirable.

He never had bonded with his own parents, and watching Anselmo and Rossana interact with Carina could’ve broken Nic’s heart with longing if he let it. He would never have that with his parents.

Before they rose from their chairs, loud Christmas music blasted from the kitchen next door. Dammit. That had to be the kids, though it was unusual for them to be anywhere near the kitchen when they were home. Nic froze halfway out of his chair, an apology ready at his lips, when Carina bolted from her seat and ran right into the kitchen.

“I’m sorry. The kids must be home now. They’re not usually this disruptive.”

Anselmo laughed and then spoke in his deep-timbred, thickly accented English. “I’m sure ‘disruptive’ is included in the definition of kids. Shall we see where Carina got to?”

He didn’t seem the least perturbed by the noise or by Carina’s sudden departure. They rose and, following her toward the cheerful music, walked through the door adjoining the dining room to the kitchen, where it seemed like a flour bomb had gone off. The white powder was all over a few counters and sprinkled over much of the floor. The kids had splotches on their faces and clothes. Mixing bowls and measuring utensils littered the counters. Baking sheets and cooling racks waited on the long island that divided the room.

Nic had stopped inside the doorway, but the De Francos were already across the room talking to their excited daughter. Carina had already met Lucy and Ben moments before the adults had entered—perhaps learning from inclusion in her parents’ social lives, she worked her charm quickly—so she introduced them to her parents.

The kids were perfectly mannered, greeting the couple, but they studiously avoided Nic. He tried to smooth the scowl from his face, but the last thing he needed was their disruption further crashing any deal he could work out with De Franco. And they damn well knew they were supposed to be grounded to their rooms right now, though he couldn’t very well chastise them in front of the guests.

“What are we doing in here, Carina?” Anselmo asked.

“Making Christmas cookies. They said I could help!”

It was the most words Nic had heard from the little eight-year-old all night, and she bounced up and down as she shouted the last ones. Nic cringed, but the most amazing thing happened. Both De Francos relaxed into warm smiles and laughter, even more so than when they’d first arrived. In fact, they dove wholeheartedly into the cookie making, and Rossana volunteered to show them how to make traditional chocolate amaretti cookies.

“I can’t believe how well-stocked this kitchen is, Nic,” Rossana said. And he couldn’t believe she was finally warming up to him enough to do more than stiffly answer his questions.

“Ah, yes. I’m not going to lie about the credit here. That’s all my personal chef’s doing. The secret is to hire someone who’s extra obsessive about their kitchen, especially the pantry.”

The kitchen became a flurry of activity, everyone mixing and measuring, laughing and singing. He’d never seen the kids smile and enjoy themselves so openly. In fact, he’d never seen anything like this kind of display of family warmth in anything but movies. Something in him locked up, holding him on the outside of it. Watching it unfold. Did people really live this way?

He took a step back, right against a solid wall of muscle. Strong hands drifted up his biceps to help recover his balance. At the same time, that familiar evergreen scent surrounded him, sending Nic’s pulse racing.

“Whoa. Sorry about flying in here like that.” Sasha’s deep voice rumbled close to Nic’s ear, and goose bumps rose over his skin in response.

When Nic turned, Sasha was inches away, those delicious lips so close yet so far. A wide smile appeared on his face, his teeth bright and even in his tanned face. Laugh lines at the corners of his eyes spoke to Sasha’s cheerful personality. The man was so magnetic, Nic had to catch himself and move away before he leaned in closer to take those lips with his own or bury his face against Sasha’s skin and breathe in that intoxicating scent.

“Hey, folks, I’m back with more eggs and butter. Looks like our party grew.” Sasha set his grocery bag on the small bit of counter space left open near the sink, approached the De Francos, and introduced himself. Then he threw himself right into the middle of the activity like he’d never been gone. He lifted Carina onto a stool and helped her operate a cookie press.

“I never used this before. What are these, Sasha?” she asked.

“These are butter spritz cookies, and to tell the truth, you don’t have to have one of these gizmos. They sure are fun, though, right?”

As he watched, Nic’s chest grew tighter and tighter until it was hard to draw breath. How did Sasha do this, just jump in as if it were the easiest thing in the world? Was this how normal families interacted? If so, then Nic had been failing Josephine’s memory more than he’d ever imagined.

The urge to join, to be messy and carefree, had never been so powerful, not since he’d been a child on the school playground. Despite that, his conditioning was stronger, so he observed it all at the edges of the fun, adding a snippet of conversation here and there, enough to keep up the illusion of his participation.

Maybe it was because of his intense scrutiny that he noticed Sasha’s smile didn’t quite reach the man’s eyes. If Nic wasn’t mistaken, the manny was faking the fun. Yet he was in the midst of it, driving it and making sure everyone had a good time.

Carina moved over to the next counter to help the older kids roll and cut sugar cookies, but Nic had trouble shifting his attention from the Adonis commanding the kitchen. At that moment, Sasha’s gaze lifted from the baking sheet in front of him and met Nic’s. A shock of energy shot through Nic, followed by a wave of heat.

A real smile crossing his face, Sasha tipped his head, beckoning Nic closer. “Wanna try?”

Nic shrugged and drew nearer until he stood next to Sasha, still relishing the eye contact. “I don’t need to. I enjoy watching them having a good time. It’s been a while. Too long.”

“I’m glad I could help.” Sasha took Nic’s hand and placed the press in his palm. “But you’re not getting out of this scot-free. Press some cookies.”

Taking a deep breath, Nic eyed the cookie press and then the baking sheet. He pursed his lips and aimed the end toward the sheet. Before he could pull the lever to dispense the dough, Sasha reached in front of Nic’s body, his arm against Nic’s abs, and the muscles there quivered at the contact. Sasha’s hand covered his, guiding it.

“Hold it straight.” His voice was low and gruff, his breath warm against Nic’s throat, and Nic tried not to let his thoughts turn sexual. It had been a lost cause before Sasha had first touched Nic. “Make sure the end is touching, right up against the sheet. Then press.”

With that, Sasha put pressure against Nic’s thumb, stroking it down the length. Nic paused and then lifted the press, leaving a perfect spritz cookie behind. As he looked down at it, a burning sensation grew at the corners of his eyes until he blinked it away.

“This is the first Christmas cookie I’ve ever made—the first cookie, actually.”

Sasha’s hand moved to the small of Nic’s back. “I’m glad I could help,” he murmured.

The smile was gone from his face, his friendly expression replaced by a fiery intensity Nic would never have expected from someone as sunny as Sasha. Suddenly, Nic was all too aware of his tight body brushing against Nic’s thigh, hip, and shoulder. Sasha was the perfect height to tuck down right under Nic’s chin, and a momentary fight played out in his head before he finally resisted the impulse to pull Sasha in.

A burst of high-pitched giggles brought Nic’s attention back to his surroundings. When he looked around the kitchen, the De Francos were saying their goodbyes to the kids. Both Ben and Carina had frosting on their faces and clothing in addition to the flour.

Anselmo approached as Nic forced himself to get a few feet of distance from Sasha, who tossed the spritz cookies in one of the ovens and began herding the children to clean up the mess.

“Nic, this has been a joyful night.” The older man’s smile narrowed his almost hawklike golden eyes but in a warm, friendly way. “You were perhaps hoping to talk business before the night ends, but as it’s late, I need to get the little one to bed. Why don’t we just skip the pitch, yes?”

Nic’s eyes widened. “Certainly. Where would you like to go from here?” He held his breath, his jaw clenching in anticipation. Did the man mean what Nic thought he meant?

“Let’s set up a meeting to hammer out timelines and other such details. Have a good night, Nic, and thank you for dinner. You have a wonderful family, and I’m honored to have been included this evening.” Anselmo walked toward the door but turned back as Nic followed. “It looks like you have some work cut out for you with this mess, so we’ll see ourselves out. And there’s no need to bite nails, young man. We’ll set a contract for what you proposed as long as you can handle the volume.”

With a dry laugh, he patted Nic’s arm and guided his family out of the kitchen. After they cleared the door, Nic practically wilted, dropping onto a bar stool at the center island as the tension fled his body.

Sasha squeezed Nic’s shoulder as he passed. “You doing okay there?”

“Sure. A long night, that’s all.” Nic checked his watch. They’d been baking for nearly two hours. Somehow, the time had flown. “Kids, head to bed. You’ve got an early morning.”

They grumbled, but it seemed cleaning the kitchen wasn’t as appealing as going to their rooms. Both kids threw their arms around Sasha at the same time. Nic’s gaze followed them to the door.

Ben sailed through, but Lucy turned. “Good night, Uncle Nic,” she said almost as an afterthought. Ben repeated the sentiment from the hallway outside, reminded by Lucy’s words.

He couldn’t stop staring at the door after they left. They used to hug him often when they’d first arrived four years ago. When had they grown so far apart from him? Why had they?

The clatter of metal pulled Nic’s focus back to Sasha.

“You can leave those. I’ll have house staff clean up in the morning,” Nic said.

Sasha heaved a sigh of what could not be mistaken for anything but relief. “Thank God.”

“But we do need to talk before you’re done for the night.”

“Well, I’m not sure that sounds good.”

Nic shrugged. “I can’t decide either.”

“Maybe start with the problem first.” Sasha leaned against the center island next to where Nic rose from the stool to face him.

“All right. I’m pretty unhappy the kids weren’t home from school on time today. I had plans for a family dinner that were ruined because of it. Where were they?”

Hands moving to his hips, Sasha dropped his chin and shook his head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know about your plans for them. We were at the zoo.”

“The zoo?” Nic frowned. There was no way they could get from school to the zoo and back during Seattle rush hour unless all they did was ride in the car, turn around, and ride back. He crossed his arms as the facts became obvious. “They missed school.”

A harshly spoken statement, not a question.

“Yes, but I called the school so it wouldn’t be unexcused,” Sasha said. He lifted his head and spread his hands as if to entreaty Nic’s empathy. “Ben needed to research endangered species for a report due Monday, so we took a few premier tours. He got to see and learn about several species up close.”

Nic waved a hand as if brushing the explanation aside. “I haven’t given you authority to keep the kids home, and I won’t. They aren’t homeschooled, and their grades are disgraceful. They can’t afford to miss days. I thought Percy shared their grade reports with you.”

“He did, but—”

“I’m sure you have reasons you believe are good ones, Sasha, but it doesn’t matter. I don’t want them missing school for any reason barring health reasons. Do you understand?”

“I do. Really, I understand. If this is what you’ve decided, I’ll follow your wishes from now on. But did you see how happy they were? Ben was actually excited about doing his report. He had half of it done by the time we got back from the zoo.”

“And Lucy? Did she happen to have some desperate need to be at the zoo as well?”

Sasha had the nerve to grin. “Yeah, actually, she did. She has a debate coming up at the end of next week. It’s about the global impact of human activity.”

A burst of laughter escaped Nic. “Fuck, you’re good.”

“More than you know.”

The look of mischief on Sasha’s face and slight curve of his lips sparked a fire in Nic’s belly, and he couldn’t help stepping a little closer to the source of his attraction, couldn’t look away from those deep blue eyes.

“On the other hand, I never could have pulled off that sale with the De Francos if it weren’t for this happy catastrophe in the kitchen.” He cleared his throat. “I guess I could forgive everything today because of that alone. Just this once.”

“Got it. Just this once.”

A moment of silence passed that carried the heavy atmosphere of the air before a thunderstorm. The faint brush of Sasha’s breath on his lips pushed Nic over the edge, and he closed the distance to Sasha’s mouth.

At last. After nearly a week of fantasizing, he now knew how those lips felt—soft and yielding under his. Sasha firmly gripped Nic’s waist, fingertips digging into muscle, pulling him even closer until they were flush. Nic bent his knees slightly, bringing Sasha’s cock right against his.

A loud groan escaped him when he felt how hard Sasha was for him, and he couldn’t help moving against that rigid length. Sasha’s soft moan galvanized Nic. He ground against Sasha, sliding his hands over Sasha’s firm ass and squeezing. Touching his tongue to the seam of Sasha’s lips, Nic pressed in to deepen the kiss. The wet heat inside Sasha’s mouth gave him a contact high of epic proportions. Thoughts departed, leaving only pure sensation.

The sound of their kiss, the rustle of clothing, and seesawing breaths drove his desire even higher. Sasha traced Nic’s spine, making him shiver with need. He wanted to bend Sasha over the counter and thrust into his ass until the man came all over Nic’s hand. The image made him nearly savage, and he bit Sasha’s bottom lip, lightly scraping his teeth over it before sucking and releasing it.

“Fuck,” Nic said, breaking the kiss to drag in precious air. Maybe he shouldn’t have spoken because it broke the spell. Sasha regained his senses, stepping back and turning away from Nic.

“Yeah, fuck is right.” Sasha blew out a breath and braced both arms on the counter as he regained his composure. “That probably wasn’t the best idea.”

Despite a flash of regret for the interrupted passion, Nic had to agree. Sasha was an employee, something of a troublesome one at that. Getting involved, even for a quick tumble, would be a monumental lapse in judgment. But goddamn, it would be one hell of a mind-blowing lapse. A single hot kiss already had him twisting inside with barely contained lust. Who knew how a hard fuck would mess with his head?

“No. You’re right.” He couldn’t bring himself to look at Sasha’s face. “It was a slip. We’ll keep it professional.”

Sasha murmured a vague agreement and slipped quietly out the door. The sudden silence bit into Nic like a burr under his skin. It had never bothered him before, but after the boisterous festivities, the silence seemed like a pointer toward something missing.

Keep it professional. Something told him there was only one way to do that. He’d have to avoid being alone with Sasha. If only it were that easy, though. They were living together, after all.