Chapter 33
THIRTY-THREE
NICO
I look around for the hundredth time, searching for a flash of red lips or blonde hair. I wish I knew what she was wearing.
It’s the night of the gala and I’m standing on the steps of The Glasshouse, surrounded by limos, press, and people dressed to the nines.
I wanted so badly to pick Scarlett up so we could arrive together, but the timing just didn’t work out.
After my fight last week, a lot of PR opportunities have come up, the organization seeing my win as the start of my climb for the top.
I’ve just been too nervous to say the words I’m retiring to put a stop to it.
Even the things I’m tasked with tonight are just me unable to say no to Lucas’s ideas.
So now, instead of picking Scarlett up myself, I’m forced to wait for her at the front of the building, nerves and anticipation roiling in my gut.
And then I see her. And every ounce of nerves, fear, uncertainty…all of it disappears.
I watch, breathless, as she steps out of the black car.
My gaze travels from her heels to the thigh-high slit in her dress that reveals her long legs, up the gold dress to her face.
No red lipstick in sight. Her blonde hair is pinned up to expose her neck and shoulders, her makeup—and dress—all working together to create a showstopping outfit.
Christ. She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.
I try not to bolt across the steps to her, but my impatience must be obvious because there’s amusement on her face when I finally reach her.
“Scarlett,” I breathe, taking her hand as the driver closes the door behind her. “You look…”
She smiles warmly. “So do you.”
I kiss her then. I can’t not kiss her. Especially seeing she isn’t wearing the red lipstick that so clearly became her armor.
Just as quickly, I stand back to look at her again. “Fuck, baby, you could’ve warned me.”
She lets out a tinkling laugh. “What would be the fun in that?”
I spin her in a circle to take in the full dress, and I swear my knees nearly buckle.
“Scarlett,” I breathe.
It’s backless.
She’s wearing a gold, backless dress with a slit up one thigh and a thin silver chain hanging down her spine.
“Do you like it?” she asks in a shy voice.
My eyes shoot to hers as she completes the spin. “Do I like it? Baby, I don’t think I’m worthy of even walking behind you, let alone next to you.”
I’m not kidding, either. How a woman like Scarlett ever gave me a chance is, at this moment, completely beyond me.
Smiling, she steps closer to adjust my tie and smooth down my suit.
“Funny. That’s exactly what I was thinking about you when I saw you in this suit.
” I only get to feel a brief moment of pride before she’s stepping closer and pressing her lips to my ear.
“I also kept thinking about all the things I want to do with this tie later.”
My face drops to her neck with a groan, my hands going immediately to the soft silk of her waist. “Are you going to torture me all night? Because I do technically have some work to do.”
I smile at the sound of her giggle. “I’ll be good, I promise. I just wanted to get that one out.”
Pressing a kiss to her shoulder before I pull back, I tell her, “We won’t stay long. I just have a few people I need to talk to. And then you have the whole weekend to torture me as much as you’d like.”
I love the way her eyes light up at that.
“Okay,” she says with a soft smile. “Let’s go, then.”
I whisk her up the stairs, keeping my arm around her waist as the cameras flash and the occasional question is called out. I’m not a big enough athlete to warrant serious attention, but these reporters are always looking for the next juicy story. And Scarlett has captured their attention.
“Come on, they’re not allowed inside,” I murmur in her ear.
I feel the way she breathes a sigh of relief once we’re inside the ballroom. I quickly grab two flutes of champagne off a nearby waiter’s tray for us.
“So, what’s the plan for this thing?” she asks after taking a small sip. “I know how they usually go, but I wasn’t sure if there’s something different you need to do.”
I down half the glass in one swallow, needing the hydration after seeing Scarlett.
“This one should be pretty easy. We’ll people watch for a little bit, maybe mingle with a few sponsors Lucas told me to charm, and then it’s time for speeches and dinner.
Not that we need to be here for that. I’m only here for the networking. ”
When she looks around, I notice some tension in her shoulders. Is she…nervous?
“Everything okay?” I ask with a small squeeze of her hand.
Her eyes dart back to mine, a smile appearing on her lips. “Yeah. Just…taking it all in.” After a beat of hesitation, she asks, “Is Lucas here?”
“He said he was going to try to make it. He’s working on some acquisition that’s been eating up his time lately, so I wouldn’t be surprised if I got a text at 2 a.m., saying he lost track of the time.”
Some of the tension goes out of her shoulders when she smiles. “And Alexander? Does he have any ties to your career?”
I snort. “Not unless you count using me as a punching bag when we were kids.” Downing the rest of my glass, I add, “He would never come to a place like this. Too fake, too loud, too overwhelming.” I only hesitate for a moment before giving Scarlett another piece of me.
“He has a hard time with crowds,” I admit quietly.
“Ever since he came back from his last deployment, he tries to stay away from loud, large groups of people. He can do restaurants in small doses, but he has to be familiar with the place.” I clear my throat around the squeeze of my chest, the ache I feel because I can’t take my brother’s pain away. “He’s doing better, but…”
I feel Scarlett’s touch on my arm and turn toward her, grateful for the comfort.
“He’s lucky to have a family that cares enough to know him that well,” she says. “Others may have left him to flounder.”
I show off a half-grin, trying to break the seriousness of the moment. “Nah. Lucas is too annoying to let him drown like that.”
She must sense my need for distraction because she slides her arm fully through mine and squeezes me close.
“So, about that people watching… Do you have any crazy stories about anyone in here?"
An hour later, I’m tipsy on the whiskey I’ve switched to.
And on Scarlett’s laughter. The woman hasn’t stopped laughing since I started talking.
I don’t think she’s even buzzed because she’s still nursing her first glass of champagne. I tried to get her something else, but she declined so quickly that it made me wonder if she’s using it as an accessory more than anything.
So if it’s not the alcohol making her laugh, I have to think she’s enjoying herself.
I can’t stop staring at her. She’s radiant tonight. She looks happy.
I find myself once more clearing my throat. I can’t breathe around this feeling tonight.
But when Scarlett smiles at something I say, and then looks at me and that smile grows… I can’t tamp down on this feeling any more than I can stop myself from breathing.
“I have to admit, I’m a little surprised there’s dancing at this party.”
I snap out of my haze and try to focus on her. “What’s that?”
She gestures at the center of the ballroom, where a few couples are swaying together. “I’m surprised there’s dancing. I wouldn’t think MMA fighters would be keen on dancing.”
I sniff. “Speak for yourself, Miss Snooty Booty. Fighting is basically just dancing.” When she lets out a snort of laughter and mouths Snooty Booty? I shrug and say, “It’s a Happy Feet reference in our family. Mostly used to describe Lucas.”
“Ridiculous,” she says with a chuckle. Then she quirks an eyebrow at me. “So, you know how to dance?”
Shit. I may have taken this joke too far.
“I mean, I don’t know the waltz necessarily, but—”
“Great.” She places her glass on a nearby table before grabbing my hand. “Then you don’t mind dancing with me.”
I sigh, knowing the jig is up, even as I let her pull me along. “Scarlett, I was just kidding…”
She stops on the dance floor and spins toward me. “I am fully aware, Nico. You’re not the only one who can read people.”
She must notice my hesitation because she gives me a soft smile and guides one of my hands to her waist and takes the other in her hand.
“I know you were kidding, but it really is similar to fighting,” she explains quietly. We’re swaying before I can even form a conscious thought about I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing. “If I had to guess, it’s closest to judo. That’s the one with the foot sweeps, right?”
My eyebrows shoot to my hairline. “O-kay. How did you know that?”
She shrugs, looking proud of herself. “I may or may not have done a little extra research.”
I look down at her, unable to do anything but admire her.
And that feeling in my chest grows.
I have to swallow around it, as it fights to end up on my lips. I might drown from this feeling.
I try to staunch it with a kiss. Bending down, I press my mouth to hers, reveling in the way her arms wrap around my neck, and she sighs happily into the kiss. I could hold her forever and never tire of it.
When I pull back, it’s only to put the smallest amount of space between us. I clear my throat. Again. “Scarlett…”
She looks up at me with a smile on her lips and stars in her eyes. “Hmm?” she says with the sweetest little hum.
Shit. I need to tell her.
“Scarlett, I—”
“Nico, there you are!”
The moment shatters into a thousand tiny shards of glass.
Startled, I jerk back.
“Sorry to interrupt, my boy, but I might not get a chance to talk to you later,” comes a voice from beside me. Turning, I realize it’s one of the sponsors Lucas sent me to talk to. “Do you mind if I steal you for a few minutes? It won’t take long.”
Blinking, I look down at Scarlett. “Uh…sure. I guess.”
She gives me—and then the man beside us—a polite smile as she steps back. “It’s alright, I can wait. Work is work.”
“That it is,” the man says with a deep chuckle, throwing one arm around me. “And this one is one of the hardest workers of them all.”
Looking around the ballroom, I search for a place to lead Scarlett so I don’t have to leave her in the middle of a gala surrounded by sharks.
When I spot an open spot at one of the bars, I flash an apologetic smile at the man and say, “Just give me one minute. Let me grab her a drink, and then I’ll join you. ”
He waves me off as he turns toward the group I’m assuming he came from. “Of course. We’ll be waiting over here.”
Ushering Scarlett over to the bar, I quickly order her another glass of wine. “So no one offers to buy you a drink while I’m gone,” I tell her with a wink.
She shakes her head with a smile. “Guess I’m not as unreadable as I thought.”
I press a kiss to the corner of her mouth. “Not to me,” I murmur.
When I pull back, I glance around as I ask, “You sure you’re okay here for a minute? I’ll be quick, but…”
“Nico, this is exactly the kind of crowd I can handle,” she says with a light chuckle. Taking a sip of her wine, she waves me off. “Go work. I’ll be waiting right here when you’re done.”
I let out a heavy exhale. “Okay. Call me if you need anything.”
And when I turn away from her, I tell myself the drop I feel in my stomach is because our dance was interrupted.
Nothing else.