Chapter 32 #2
I can practically see the thoughts forming, the betrayal he’s been conditioned to expect.
But he doesn’t give me a chance to tell him that he’s wrong before he laughs bitterly.
“Right,” he mutters. “Of course. You played me again, didn’t you?
Because she couldn’t do it.” He points at Novalee.
“You made me do it. And I was so fucking stupid I did it.” His eyes blaze as his words tumble faster and faster.
“And now that you’ve got what you need…” he gestures wildly toward the sticky note, “… you’re cutting me off again. ”
“Yeah, why the hell not?” Levi scoffs from behind me. “Why shouldn’t we let you go down with your mother? When all the Harringtons are in jail, this city might finally have some damn peace.”
Nicholas flinches like the words physically hit him. His face twists, not in anger, but worse. Hurt.
And something inside me snaps.
I move before I think, cutting between them and turning to face my twin, jabbing a finger toward Levi’s chest. “Shut the fuck up.”
Levi’s eyes widen, stunned. He looks at me as though he doesn’t recognize who I am. “Ko—”
“Don’t you fucking dare.” I snarl. “Don’t talk to him like that. He is not his mother. He’s part of this. He chose our side. He’s helping us. He’s risking everything to stand against her!”
Levi’s jaw tightens. “He’s a Harrington.”
“And he’s my fucking best friend.” My chest feels like it’s about to cave in, but I hold his gaze. “Don’t make me choose again, Levi. Because I wouldn’t be so sure it’s you this time.”
Levi’s face crumbles for a heartbeat, his walls breaking before he quickly rebuilds them. But I saw it. The stricken look in his eyes cuts deeper than I expected.
The silence between us stretches taut, and I can feel everyone watching, feel the weight of what I’ve said hanging in the air like a guillotine.
Ezra moves in and pulls Levi back into his chest. “Koen.”
“No.” I shake my head. “Don’t even start, Ezra.” My eyes lock onto Levi’s. “You know I fucking love him to death, but I’m not going to let him take my best friend from me again. Not because of a misunderstanding. Not because of his damn pride.”
Ezra doesn’t argue. Instead, he gives me a slow nod and pulls Levi another step back while his shoulders sag as he looks away.
When I finally turn back to Nicholas, his wide eyes meet mine. There’s a mess of emotions in his gaze—shock, guilt, confusion. But beneath it all, there’s something that looks a lot like hope.
“Nico.” I take a breath, steadying my voice.
“Get in the car, please.” He hesitates, his eyes flickering back to Levi, then to me.
Slowly, he nods and turns toward the driver’s side door.
I step forward and grab his shoulder, stopping him and holding out my hand.
“Keys. To my fucking car.” There’s a beat of silence, and Nicholas lets out a soft, shaky laugh.
Tired, but real. He digs into his pocket and drops the keys into my hand.
“Thanks,” I mutter. “And now get in the passenger seat, dammit.”
Novalee steps up beside me, tugging lightly at my sleeve. “Can I come?”
I glance over the car at Nicholas, who catches my eye. He gives a small, almost imperceptible nod before he gets in the back seat.
“Sure, Little Thief.” Some of the tension eases out of my chest. “Get in.”
She flashes a faint smile and slides into the passenger seat. As I slide in, I glance at her. She’s holding her bracelet between her fingers, but her breathing is steady.
“You’re coming on a drive of your own free will?” I tease.
“I don’t trust you two not to start bickering again.”
Nicholas snorts from the back. “Fair.”
I start the engine and glance in the rearview mirror at Nicholas. “You okay?”
He meets my eyes in the reflection and nods. “I am.”
“Are you?” I turn to Novalee again.
“Thanks to you.”
I give her a peck on the mouth. “Glad to hear that.”
We drive off, the hum of the engine filling the silence. At first, it’s tense—none of us speaking. But the longer we’re on the road, the more the tension unravels, like the weight pressing down on us is finally lifting, piece by piece.
Novalee leans back in her seat, her fingers still brushing the bracelet. Nicholas is staring out the window, the rigid set of his shoulders easing with every mile.
For a while, it’s peaceful.
Then, the car in front of us slams on its brakes.
“Shit!” I hit the brakes hard, the tires screeching against the pavement. The seat belt locks across my chest as the car jerks to a sudden stop, and my arm flies out instinctively across Novalee’s chest like I’m the only thing keeping her from flying through the windshield.
I turn and scan her frantically when we come to a stop. She blinks up at me, wide-eyed but calm. “I’m fine.”
“Like the seatbelt wasn’t enough protection,” Nicholas comments dryly from the back seat.
I glance at him in the rearview mirror, raising an eyebrow. “You know, I could make you walk.”
He leans back, folding his arms with a smug grin. “That threat lost its meaning years ago when you never actually did it.”
Novalee snickers, and some of the leftover adrenaline drains away. I lean over and press a quick peck to her temple.
“Where are we even going?” Nicholas asks after a beat. “What are we doing?”
“We’re on a drive to calm your nerves. Just like we used to.”
“What, are you gonna take us on a race down the Strip?”
I laugh. “No way. Like I’d risk speeding with you and her in here. I grew up at least a little over the last decade.”
We leave the busy streets behind and head toward the open stretch of desert. I flick on the radio, scrolling until I land on “Truck Bed” by HARDY.
Nicholas snorts from the back. “You still have no fucking taste.”
I crank the volume louder. “Deal with it.”
The music fills the car, but after a few more miles, I hear something that doesn’t belong. The sputtering, uneven sound of the engine struggling.
I frown and cut the music, listening as the engine coughs and wheezes before I pull over to the side of the road. “What the fuck did you do to my baby?”
“Drove it.” Nicholas raises his hands, mock-offended. “You’re the one who only ever kept it in the garage.”
“How the fuck would you know?” I get out and pop the hood, Novalee and Nicholas following to stand next to me.
“Because I never saw you driving it. You were always in that Bronco.”
I sigh, running my hand over the edge of the hood. “Yeah. Because this car… it has too many memories.”
“Agreed.”
I peer in and quickly spot the problem. A vacuum hose has popped off its connector. No wonder the engine was sputtering. The hose dangles uselessly, so I reach for it but immediately pull my hand back, hissing under my breath. “Damn. It’s too hot to touch.”
Nicholas watches me with a smirk. “Fate’s way of telling you I should’ve stayed behind the wheel.”
“More like your heavy foot shook it loose.”
“Heavy foot? I drove it like a saint.”
“Sure.”
“Guys.” I glance over at Novalee, who’s watching us with amusement. “You done with the bickering?”
“Who knows.” I smile, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “We’ve gotta wait a few minutes for it to cool down.”
She leans into my touch. “How long is a few minutes?”
I’m about to answer when her phone rings. She pulls it out and glances at the screen before swiping to answer.
“It’s Belle. Hey, babe.”
The phone is loud enough in the still desert air that we can hear Belle’s voice clearly.
“Girl, how are you? God, you never text back. What’s happening? When’s the show going down?”
“Sorry. I was a little… occupied.”
Belle’s laugh crackles through the phone. “Occupied? Sure. Four dicks are a lot to handle. I mean, you could handle them all at once. It’d save some time.”
Nicholas chokes on a laugh, and I can’t help the grin that pulls at my lips.
Novalee shoots us both a glare. “Belle.”
“Yeah, yeah. Tell me later. I’m guessing you’ve got at least one of them with you.”
I like the girl.
“The show is going down in two days.” Novalee gets back on topic. “Will you come?”
“Of course,” Belle replies without missing a beat. “Markus and I will be there…” She pauses. “Damn, that’s soon. So… no last night as a stripper for you?”
“Nope. Doesn’t look like it.” Novalee’s face falls slightly. “We’ve got to finalize some stuff, and after the show, we’ll have to leave. I know… it’s kind of sad, but at least we celebrated your last night.”
“Where are you even going? You texted something about Italy, but…”
Novalee turns and walks a few steps away, lowering her voice. “Tuscany. Or at least I think…” Her words drift out of earshot as she moves farther away.
I watch her, thoughtful.
She wants one last night as a stripper?
Maybe a way to close this chapter of her life?
Even with everything we have to do, if my girl wants a final night on stage before stepping into this new life with my brothers and me, we’ll make it happen. No matter what.
I get back to fixing the vacuum hose—the engine bay now cool enough for me to reach into without burning my hand. I press it back onto the fitting and twist it until it’s snug, grease smearing across my fingers.
Nicholas turns and leans against the car, crossing his arms as he watches me. “You took my side.”
“Like I should have done thirteen years ago,” I reply, not looking up. The words sit heavy in the air like they’ve been waiting to be spoken for years.
“No, you shouldn’t have had to pick a side. I’m sorry we made you.”
I lean my palms on the car, glancing at him. “Let’s be real. Levi will be over it by tomorrow.”
Nicholas’s mouth quirks, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “I don’t think so. He can hold a grudge.”
I laugh, wiping the sweat from my brow with the back of my hand. “Yeah, well, not with me. Don’t worry. He can’t live without me.”
“And you can’t live without him either.”
“Fact,” I admit, stepping back. “But I had to live without you. And that fucking sucked.”
He presses his lips together, his expression cracking just enough for me to see the pain behind it. “Yeah,” he murmurs. “It fucking did.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry too.”
I glance down at the engine, then back at him. “Can we… I don’t know… be friends again?”
Nicholas’s eyes soften, and his smile this time is real. “Only if we’re best friends.”
I grin. “That never changed.”
Before either of us can say anything more, Novalee comes back, slipping her phone into her pocket. She looks between us and raises an eyebrow. “And? Are we able to fix this, or should I call a tow service? Is there, like, a millionaire car service?”
“Billionaire, precious.” I chuckle. “But no. I fixed it.” She gives me a slow smile, her gaze flicking to my oil-covered hands.
“Who would have thought that the billionaire baby can get his hands dirty,” she teases, and I’d love to pull her in and kiss that smirk right off her face.
But she’s right, my hands are fucking dirty.
“Yeah, looks like Nico has to drive after all.”
“No problem.” Nicholas pushes off the car, smirking. “I can drive your car for you.”
“Yeah?” I shoot him a look. “Can you hold my girl for me too?”
“You mean our girl?” Nicholas tilts his head, his eyes glinting with amusement. “I can.”
“Go ahead, then.”
He reaches out and pulls her back against his chest. She goes easily, her breath hitching when his arms slide around her waist. Her eyes lift to mine, and the way she looks at me makes my blood run hot.
“That’s it,” I murmur, stepping closer until I’m inches away. The space between us practically hums. “Tilt her chin up for me.”
Nicholas does as I ask, lifting her face toward me with care. I kiss her, slow and deep, tasting the faint sweetness of her lip gloss, feeling the way her body softens between us as my tongue slides against hers. Every sound she makes shoots straight to my dick.
Fuck. I want her so bad it hurts.
When I finally pull back, her cheeks are flushed, her lips swollen, and her half-lidded eyes peer up at me like she’s already picturing what’s next.
“Now kiss our girl for me.”
“With pleasure.” Nicholas doesn’t hesitate.
He turns her face toward him and captures her mouth, and I watch as she melts into him, her body arching against his.
His hands drift lower, resting on her hips before sliding up her sides.
She shivers, a soft, needy sound escaping her throat as her thighs press together.
Jesus. Watching them is hot as fuck.
My fingers itch to touch her, to slide over every inch of her skin while she’s pinned between us.
Novalee barely pulls back, whispering, “I want you both.”
Shit.
The image of her, laid out, needy, surrounded by both of us, flares bright and raw in my mind.
And instead of jealousy, all it does is make me even harder.
The way she looks at me, at us, she’s not asking. She’s begging. And fuck, if that doesn’t make me want to ruin her in the best way possible.
“Home. Now. Before I lose my damn mind.”