Chapter 12
She was drowning in him, and it was exquisite.
Her skin was hypersensitive, every nerve raw and sizzling at his touch.
Niko’s mouth hovered above her navel, the faint scrape of his stubble drawing a helpless shiver down her spine.
Her fingers ran through the silkiness of his hair as she stared into his eyes and watched that smile, that wicked, lazy smile of his, and dipped lower, a heat and hush so decadent she arched up, desperate to keep him there forever.
He moved lower, and her thighs spread wide as his shoulders edged her apart.
She arched her back, greedy for more, his hair tangled in her fists, and he made her wait, teasing, drawing slow circles with his tongue until she was gasping, needy, mindless.
The world outside the bed was a myth, all that existed was the relentless glide of his hands, the rough velvet of his voice, and the way he kept her on the edge until her bones liquefied and even the sheets seemed to melt.
She was about to tumble over the edge, thighs quaking, moaning his name, when a sound was blaring and—
She woke with a start, the echo of her own moan ringing in her ears, heart thundering a frantic counterpoint to the hush of morning.
And for a split second she didn’t know where she was.
She didn’t know who she was, either, or why there was a foreign but familiar weight pressed against her hip, warm and real as a living thing.
The dream clung to her, sticky and electric, but as she blinked, the sharp sunlight made the world resolve itself into something real, and the pieces began to click into place.
The first thing Tiana noticed was the ceiling was not her own.
It was smooth and white and slightly industrial, with recessed lights like little coins along the perimeter.
Then there was the plush feel of a mattress that was at least three times as thick as hers.
The sheets were cool and faintly smelled of citrus, and the blanket had been kicked off sometime in the night.
She grabbed her phone to shut off her alarm and saw her duffle bag, and she remembered Niko carrying it in from the car.
The entire night flash flooded back to her.
She remembered that she’d agreed to stay at his house because it had truly freaked her out that Brock had not only been to her residence, so he knew where she lived, he’d left flowers and clearly been inside.
She never left her door open, and she knew he could pick locks.
He’d bragged about it to her on more than one occasion.
If she’d stayed at the cabin, the truth was she wouldn’t have gotten any sleep at all.
She would have lain awake all night worried about him showing up again.
It wasn’t that she was scared of Brock, at least not physically.
He’d never laid hands on her. Or at least he hadn’t hit her.
He’d grabbed her arms, blocked her from leaving, and intimidated her.
It was psychological warfare that was his weapon of choice.
A judge had seen it, which is why she’d walked away with twenty million more dollars than the three hundred thousand she’d originally asked for that Brock’s Aunt Bernice had left her just because Tiana had liked her and visited her often, which apparently none of her other family ever had.
His psychological warfare was why Brock Bartlett was in Hope Falls.
She took a deep breath and sat up in bed. Her eyes were blurry, but she saw that she had thirty minutes before her first class. Niko’s Airbnb, while still in walking distance, because everything in Hope Falls was walking distance, but it would take her an additional five minutes on foot.
After forcing herself out of bed, which was much more difficult to do since she felt as if she was sleeping on a cloud, she went into the en-suite bathroom and felt as if she’d been transported to a high-end spa that was easily as big as her cabin.
It was like stepping into a private oasis, a world away from the chaos of the outside.
The space exuded a sense of luxurious relaxation, with its spacious layout and a rainfall showerhead that mimicked the soothing sound of a gentle summer storm.
The large standalone bathtub beckoned, promising a tranquil soak amidst the opulent marble and gold accents, but she had no time to answer its call.
She quickly rinsed off in the shower that had walls lined with oversized heated marble tiles surrounded by frameless glass.
It was so tempting to luxuriate beneath the hot water pelting on her body.
The cabin’s water took ages to warm up, and the pressure was abysmal.
With much more self-discipline than it should take to get out of a shower, she stepped out and grabbed the plush towel hanging on the heated rack, which was thick enough to wrap around herself twice and still warm from whatever heating element ran through the chrome bars.
She quickly and efficiently pulled her hair up into two space buns and threw on several layers of clothing so that she could shed them like a snake as her body temperature adjusted after her walk.
Once she was dressed, she pulled out her gloves, scarf, and jacket.
A quick double check of her tote revealed she hadn’t forgotten anything that she’d need for the day, and she made her way out of the room.
She crept down the hallway as quietly as humanly possible so as not to disturb Niko.
She had no clue which room he was in, but all the doors were open.
A voice in the back of her head was telling her to sneak a peek as she passed by each to see what Niko Costas slept in.
She had to admit to herself she hoped it was nothing.
She almost made it to the front room, showing the restraint of a saint, but curiosity got the better of her, and she turned only to find an empty bed.
Disappointment and relief flooded through her in equal measures.
She was disappointed she hadn’t seen him but relieved she hadn’t been caught looking.
“Morning.” A deep voice sounded behind her.
“Ahh!” Tiana screeched as her feet jet propelled off that floor like she was wearing Hydra Flight boots.
When she landed, she’d done a one-eighty and was facing Niko, who was standing in front of her looking even sexier than he had the night before. He’d clearly been up for a while, it was obvious he was showered and dressed for the day and was holding a travel to-go mug that he was offering her.
Tiana lifted her hand as she shook her head. “Oh, no. I’m sorry. I don’t drink coffee.”
“It’s not coffee, it’s a spiced chai latte.”
“What? How did you…Where did you…?”
Niko leaned down and whispered against her. “You’re my girlfriend, of course I’m going to know your go-to drink of choice.”
Tiana barely heard or comprehended what Niko had just said to her.
All she’d been able to concentrate on was the heat of his breath fanning down her neck and the feeling of his five o’clock shadow that grazed the cusp of her ear, it had been the same sensation in her dreams against her inner thighs.
When he straightened back up, he handed her the to-go Stanley.
“Thanks.” She blinked up at him for several beats before whatever voodoo magic spell he’d cast on her finally broke. “Sorry, I…I have to go, I’m, um, I’m gonna be late,” she stuttered.
She started to move around him, but he turned and walked with her. At first she thought he was following her to the door to lock it behind her, but when he stepped out onto the porch with her, she was confused.
“Where are you going?” she asked bluntly. As soon as she had, she realized it was none of her business. “Sorry, that sounded rude. I didn’t mean to—”
“I’m taking you to the studio,” he explained matter-of-factly as he locked the front door.
“No,” she protested. “No. That’s too much. Just go back to bed.”
“No girlfriend of mine is going to walk to work in the dark in freezing temperatures.”
“I’m not—” She caught herself again before she’d blurted out that she wasn’t his girlfriend. Although both times, she’d honestly wanted to say it not despite the consequences, but because of them.
Knowing that would only make the situation a thousand times worse for herself, she bit her tongue. This man was making it nearly impossible for her to stay immune to him. Any more kisses, and she feared she’d be in serious danger of her heart not coming out of this in one piece.
She wanted to argue with him, to refuse the ride, but she had a feeling that would get her exactly nowhere. So instead she said, “Thank you.”
The next five minutes, as he opened the passenger side door and helped her in, sang songs along with the radio on the short drive to the studio, waited for her until she got inside and then texted her saying she needed to lock the door until her class started, she realized no man had ever treated her as well as this man had in the three days he’d been her ‘fake’ boyfriend.
Niko Costas was setting unrealistic expectations for other men when the bar had been set so low it would be impossible to limbo under, and yet men still couldn’t even meet it.
It made her wonder, if he was treating her like this and the relationship wasn’t real, and he didn’t actually have feelings for her, what would he be like if it was real, if he loved her…
She didn’t know, but for someone who told herself she was done with men, she was really starting to wish she could find out.