CHAPTER TWELVE

NICK

Three days. That was how long it had been since I’d made the biggest mistake I’d ever made in my career. The mistake that had changed everything and nothing at the same time. The same one that I couldn’t stop thinking about. Alicia’s loud moans and soft gasps of pleasure were the soundtrack of my day and kept me company at night.

Every time I looked at her now, all I could see was what she looked like when she was caught in the throes of orgasm. When she talked to me, the sound of her voice screaming my name as her juices flooded my mouth, was all I could hear.

Three days, and I could still taste her sweetness on my tongue. The memory of every second of that night was tattooed on my brain, and no matter what I tried, it refused to fade.

I wanted her more than I’d ever wanted anyone. No, I needed her. More than I needed to eat, or breathe, or think. And there was still no way that I could have her. Which was why I needed to talk to her.

The hurt on her beautiful face when she’d realized that I wasn’t staying that night tore me up inside. But it was nothing compared to what her hopeful glances every time she saw me did to me. And even that couldn’t compare to the disappointment that flashed in her eyes every time I shut her out.

It was tearing me the fuck up, and I had to put a stop to it. I’d never been more distracted in my life, and there’d never been a more wrong time for it. The FBI was closing in fast on the mobsters who were after them, and the threat level of an attack on Alicia and Warren had risen to an all-time high.

I wouldn’t betray Warren’s trust by telling Alicia what was going on, but I had to make her realize the seriousness of the situation. I had to make her see that it wasn’t the time to be looking at me like I’d hung the moon and then like I’d blown it to smithereens when it dawned on her that I wasn’t budging on my rule again.

What happened between us was a mistake. One that was my fault and that wasn’t going to be repeated. She needed to know that, accept it and move on with her life. It would hurt her, but it was the only way to keep her safe. I’d rather keep her alive than give into the temptation again.

Alicia’s sweet voice drew me back to the present. She was staring at me expectantly, waiting for an answer. “Come on, Nick. Please? Don’t make me have dinner by myself again tonight. It’s depressing.”

“I get that.” I folded my arms across my chest, my mind racing. On the one hand, I really shouldn’t accept her dinner invitation, but on the other, it would give me the much-needed opportunity to talk to her. I let the two sides war it out before finally agreeing. “And because I do, I’ll have dinner with you.”

Alicia clapped her hands, excitement lighting up her eyes. “Yay! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

Damnit, I hated to be the bearer of bad news, and she wasn’t going to like what I had to say next. I never wanted to be the one responsible for stealing away so much joy from her, but it was unavoidable under the circumstances. “On one condition.”

Her clapping stopped abruptly. Her shoulders dropped. “Which is?”

“You and I talk. And I mean really talk. None of that bullshit playing coy game. No avoiding the elephant in the room anymore.”

From my tone, Alicia got my message loud and clear. The excitement in her eyes was replaced by determination and something else. Defiance? She jutted out her chin. “Fine.”

I was going to have to keep my wits about me. Alicia wasn’t going to let this go without a fight. That much was completely obvious. I just had no idea what it was going to take to come out on top of this discussion.

“Good,” I said. “Lead the way then.”

She did. Without another word until we reached the dining room. Emilia had cooked up a storm, lasagna and homemade bread rolls with salad. At least I would be well fortified for the battle that lay ahead.

“Have a seat. You can sit anywhere.” She shrugged, not waiting long enough for me to round the table and get her chair.

Whatever. It was probably for the best anyway. This wasn’t a date. Still, Mama Harden hadn’t raised assholes. I had manners. The best. I just didn’t necessarily use them very often.

“Thanks.” I dropped into the chair directly across from her. This was going to be a standoff. There was no use in pretending anything different.

“You wanted to talk, so talk.” She stared at me for a long second, then started piling lasagna onto her plate.

Shit. How was I supposed to get this ball rolling? I cleared my throat. “I made a mistake, Alicia. I, uh—”

“Alicia, where are you, baby?” Fuck, that was Warren’s voice. Calling from right down the hall. I jumped to my feet, the chair scraping against the tiles as I did so. Alicia gave me an exasperated look, rolling her eyes.

“In here, Dad. Nick and I were just sitting down to dinner. And before you say anything about your archaic ideas about him eating with us, he was doing me a favor. I didn’t want to eat alone again.”

She’d rattled off her little rant even before Warren was fully inside the room. He cast a glance at each of us, then took a deep sniff of the lasagna in the air and shrugged. “Fine. I can understand that you must get lonely here by yourself.”

He motioned for me to take my seat and then sank into his at the head of the table. “So, how’s it going here? Anymore fireworks displays to speak of?”

“Unfortunately not,” Alicia answered, shooting a quick look at me when Warren’s attention went to serving himself a helping of lasagna.

Fuck. I didn’t like the look in her eyes. Mischief was not a good look on her for this situation. “Things have been perfectly boring and quiet,” she said.

Warren grinned at her. “That’s good to hear. Boring and quiet is exactly how I like it to be.”

His eyes turned to me, his expression suddenly cool and polite. Businesslike. “So, Nick, has Alicia here been giving you a hard time?”

If only he had any idea how fucking hard. “Not at all.”

Warren chuckled and glanced at Alicia. Then back to me. “It’s just me she pesters about being cooped up here, then.”

“That’s because you’re the one cooping me up,” she said. “Nick’s just the prison guard.”

I knew for a fact that that wasn’t what she really thought about me, but a part of me wished that she did. Things would’ve been much easier if our attraction wasn’t mutual.

I also knew this because her foot was skating along my leg, rising higher and higher as she continued bantering with her father.

Jesus. This is not good.

It was like the woman had a direct line to my dick, and she wasn’t afraid to use it. If she kept that up, I was going to be hard as steel before dinner was over. Dinner with her father and my clients. I tried to control my breathing and think about the furthest thing from sex that I could.

Taxes. There was talk about upping the sugar tax again. Clubbing baby seals. It was clichéd sure, but that was because it worked.

There. I had my dick back under control. I could do this—

Her bare foot slipped right over my cock, groping at it with her toes. It took everything I had to keep from groaning out loud, let alone stop myself from popping a damn boner. It was completely useless to even try. She had my dick’s complete and total attention, and it felt way too fucking good.

“Weigh in on this, Nick,” Warren said, mercifully oblivious to the fact that Alicia was working me over while sitting right next to him. “There’s no need for Alicia to make her deliveries personally at the moment.”

Must. Find. Voice. “Sure, I can arrange a courier. It’s no problem.”

Alicia gave me a glare that said gee, thanks for having my back. Then she squeezed me harder. Payback, no doubt.

Thoughts were fleeing my brain at an alarming rate. It was the first contact Alicia had had with my dick, and she already knew exactly how to drive me out of my damn mind. And I didn’t even have a foot thing.

She was just working me with the perfect amount of pressure, rubbing against my aching dick torturously slowly, like she knew I loved the tease.

Warren was still talking about deliveries, and I was forced to sit there and listen to him, even to make the occasional contribution to the conversation. All the while hardening and hardening, until I had to keep myself from blowing my damn load right there at the table.

Alicia smiled at me wickedly every time Warren looked at his food or when he checked his phone. She knew exactly what she was doing to me. I’d underestimated her tenacity.

“Are you okay, Nick?” she asked. “You’re very quiet.”

The damned tease. I gritted my teeth. “I’m fine. Just letting you two catch up.”

Unfortunately, that drew Warren’s attention to me. “Alicia’s right. We’re being rude. We should talk about this in private later. Tell me, Nick. Do you agree with the backup plan my security team has put in place? I’d appreciate your opinion of the matter.”

Goddamnit.

I was so fucked.

Alicia, on the other hand, seemed to be having a ball.