4. Lily
CHAPTER 4
LILY
I slick on some lip gloss and run my fingers through my freshly washed hair. A thumping in my chest makes my lips curl upward and I look at my reflection in the bathroom mirror.
Spots of pink color my cheeks as the memory of Zeno’s demanding touch sends tingles throughout my body. If I close my eyes, I can conjure up the hungry look in his eyes, and it makes me want to curl up under the covers with my vibrator. His breath fluttering against my skin, his deep-set eyes boring into me, his lips…mmm…everywhere…
A shudder ripples through me and I hug my arms around myself, letting the delicious chill command my body.
I haven’t felt this way about a guy in…well, long enough that I can’t remember the last time.
Too bad he made a beeline for the exit once the girls got back. They totally cockblocked us, dammit. I flip my hair over my shoulder as I tuck the last of my toiletries into my overnight bag. Kazimir got us our own rooms so we didn’t have to worry about getting home after our big night out.
I suspect Nico had something to do with that.
My iPhone blares and I run over to the bed, flinging myself onto it as I click to accept the FaceTime call. Speaking of the devil himself…
“Hey!” I say in a cheerful voice. “How are you?”
Nico grins at me and runs a hand through his dark, wavy hair. He’s dressed in workout clothes and it looks like he’s just come from the gym. “I wanted to see how things went last night, but I didn’t want to call too early because I figured you’d be sleeping.” He lifts an eyebrow. “You’re up earlier than I thought.”
I shrug, not wanting to divulge the fact that fantasizing about a certain sexy stranger kept me awake for most of the night, and the shred of hope that I might casually run into him again on my way out had me out of bed and in the shower almost two hours ago. “I guess I was just too excited to sleep in.”
He snickers. “The Lily I know would have been buried under the covers for the better part of the day.”
The Lily he knows also never got off while grinding against a guy in a club.
But there are always first times for everything.
I smile. “Thanks for arranging everything.”
He fakes a look of shock. “I had nothing to do with it.”
I tilt my head to the side. “Really?”
“I just wanted to make sure you had a chance to relax with your friends. The Severinovs made the arrangements.”
“They closed down the private room for my soirée.” I bite the inside of my mouth, swallowing a gleeful smile.
Thank you, Nico…
“Yeah, well, I wanted to make sure you had the place to yourselves.”
“It was amazing. And so is the suite they put me up in.”
“You deserve it, Lil. We’re all so proud of you.”
“Thanks, I’m still beside myself. I can’t believe it’s happening, just the way I planned.”
Nico’s smile fades. “I know. And I’m so happy, but I miss you, kid. We all do.”
My throat tightens. “I miss you, too,” I whisper. “But, Nico, you know I have to do this. I want to make my own way, my own future.”
He nods. “This life was never for you. You know, I still think back to that night. Jesus, Lil. We could have lost you.” He rakes a hand through his hair. “If the cops hadn’t shown up when they did, if those guys managed to get you into that van…”
“I know, but you can’t keep focusing on what could have happened. I got away from them, remember?” I say, remembering Kat’s whispered words the night before. I am stronger than I realize and I really need to remember that a little more often.
“I know,” he says slowly. “And we took care of them.”
“See? The threat is gone. Now you can move down the list of your enemies and figure out who’s next in line to battle,” I quip, trying to make him smile.
But my weak attempt at humor doesn’t work. “Do you know how conflicted I get over my work, Lil? How much I hate that I dragged Shaye into it, how much I hate that I made our kids targets, too?”
“Nico, you didn’t drag Shaye into marriage kicking and screaming,” I remind him. “She adores you and always has. She grew up in the same life you did. And when she tried to distance herself, she always came running back because of you. You didn’t drag her into anything, so stop beating yourself up over that.”
He sighs. “I’m just always waiting for the other shoe to drop, and I hate that I can’t watch over you.”
I giggle. “That’s a joke. I feel like you have more surveillance on me out here than you did when I was back in New Jersey, between the Severinovs and Kat. I’m fine!”
“Just do me a favor,” he says, his expression darkening. “Keep your eyes open, okay? Have Kat give you a few more self-defense lessons, her way.”
“Oh, you mean the way where she cuts open someone’s jugular?”
Nico snickers. “Yeah, that’s her signature move. Learn it, love it, live it.”
“Okay,” I say. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, Lil. Say hi to the girls for me. We’ll see you in a couple of weeks.”
“Right, the meeting you told me about to discuss working with that syndicate something or other,” I muse. “So that’s happening? You decided to move forward with it?”
“Looks that way. We needed to feel out one of the families, and Dad seems happy with work they did.” He sighs. “I don’t know if I love the idea. Too many cooks in the kitchen fuck up the meal, you know what I mean?”
“Or maybe it’ll be an even better, more delicious meal because of what you all bring to the table.” I snicker loudly. “You get it? Table?”
Nico rolls his eyes. “You’re hysterical.”
“I try.”
He grins. “Okay, I’ve gotta run. Be safe and I’ll talk to you soon.”
I blow him a kiss and click to end the call.
Talk about ‘big brother’ watching.
I bet he got a full report from Kat earlier this morning.
And I have to ask Kat about that signature move, too. I’ll have the scalpel, may as well learn how to use it like a ninja assassin.
My phone rings again, almost immediately after hanging up with Nico.
“Morning, sunshine! Come and meet me for breakfast! I’m at the Café Metro,” Kat sings out. “And I already ordered you a Bloody Mary so you can start your day right!”
“One for you, too, I hope?” I ask.
“Hell, no! I don’t pollute my vodka with fucking tomato juice!”
“Okay, let me call Chloe?—”
“No need. She’s already here and one drink in!”
“You guys are crazy. I need coffee!” I giggle, butterflies in my belly awakening at the thought of walking through the lobby.
You never know who you might see…
“I’ll make sure both are waiting for you.”
“Great, I’ll see you in ten.” I click off the phone and grab my handbag, sliding my feet into a pair of sandals.
A few minutes later, I’m in the elevator, sailing to the lobby, anticipation coursing through me despite the fact that I haven’t had a single sip of caffeine this morning. I step into the lobby, greeted by clanging slot machines. I shake my head. I guess slot jockeys have no concept of time.
I walk through the casino, grinning at the jingling bells and excited cheers coming from the gamblers I pass. My heels click along the polished marble tile floor and my eyes dart left and right, searching, hoping to catch a glimpse of Zeno. He didn’t say how long he’d be here. Actually, he didn’t say much of anything, come to think of it.
But it was what he did that has him front and center in my mind.
A hot flush spreads over my prickled skin at the same time a delicious quiver ripples through me. My God, even the mere thought of him has every nerve ending in my body alight.
But as I get closer and closer to the Café Metro, my shoulders sag more and more. He’s either not an early bird or worse, he’s just…gone.
With a quick twist of my head, I look to my left, almost as if some unknown force is pulling my eyes in that direction. I slow my gait, my eyes narrowed at a guy sitting at a slot machine alone. He’s wearing a faded, navy blue sweatshirt, the hood pulled over his head.
Weird. It’s not cold in here…
He absently slips coins into the machine, staring at the screen as the wheels spin and he loses…again and again. And then he just stops, pulling his card from the machine and standing up, his tall, lanky form stretching to his full height. When he turns to face me, his dark brown eyes flicker in my direction and a sharp chill cuts through me.
I swallow hard as his hardened gaze rakes over me, seemingly taking in every detail from my hair to my shoes. His mouth twists like he’s just sucked on a lemon, and a sinister expression shadows his face.
I take a quick look around me to see if the look is directed at someone else, but I’m alone standing on the shiny tile floor.
Nico’s words echo in my mind.
Keep your eyes open…
But he also said the threat was eliminated, that the men who tried to grab me were handled.
But a nagging feeling in my gut warns me that no matter how hard they try to keep me out of their business, I’ll never be truly separated.
I’ll always be a target.
I clench my fists.
But I won’t ever be a victim again.
I take a deep breath as I twist toward the creeper, my jaw tight. I blink fast, my eyes sweeping over the area where he’d just been sitting and losing. I stand on my tiptoes, but his hooded head is nowhere to be found.
It’s like his creepy ass just vanished into thin air.
I furrow my brow, nibbling at my thumbnail as I round the corner leading to the restaurant. I stash away the sense of unease, my mind back on Zeno. Thoughts pop between my ears like firecrackers. I don’t know why I’m so obsessed with the idea of seeing this guy again.
Last night was a celebration, and whatever happened was part of it. Period. I was uncharacteristically brazen and flirtatious and threw caution to the wind at the prospect of hooking up with a guy in a public place, regardless of how secluded it might have been.
That wasn’t me at all. That was my drunken, slutty alter ago. The reality that could have turned into more the morning after is just plain preposterous.
Besides, I have too much going on in my life right now…the future I dreamed of is within my grasp, and I can’t have any sexy and mysterious foreign strangers blow my plans to shit because I can’t ignore the incessant tingling sensation taunting me from between my legs.
I let out a huff and shift my handbag as I sidestep an elderly couple with coffees in their hands. Aww, they look happy. I flash a smile at them over my shoulder. Someday I’ll find the right person, under the right circumstances, who isn’t a?—
“Ow!” I yelp, my shoulder slamming into a wall right outside of the café. I stumble, the force driving me backward.
I twist around, rubbing out the soreness as I look up at the wall which wasn’t actually a wall.
Not in the traditional sense, anyway.
A broad, muscular chest can be mistaken for a wall, right?
A gasp gets caught in the back of my throat. “Zeno,” I croak.
His blue eyes darken, his fiercely dominating gaze rooting me to the spot, much like it did last night when I was writhing on his lap.
I avert my eyes so he can’t see the unbridled lust flickering in the depths. I know it’s there. I can feel it everywhere, and even though I’m sure it’s etched into my expression, too, I don’t need to give away the whole farm.
Especially since he willingly walked away from it last night…
Ooh. Right. That hits me like a sledgehammer to the chest.
My spine stiffens and I grip the handle of my handbag tight, clearing my throat.
“You’re still here,” I finally say. Brilliant opening, Lily. I mean, Academy Award-worthy.
“Not for long,” he grunts and my eyes drop to his side where a leather duffel bag hangs off of his shoulder.
I pull myself up to my full height, not that it even comes close to his. “Did you have fun after you left us last night?”
“It was never supposed to be more than what it was,” he says, narrowing his eyes.
“Oh,” I say, my throat tightening. “So staking out girls to mess around with in darkened clubs is your MO, then? Just like a ‘get ’em off and then get out fast’ kind of thing you do to…for what reason, exactly?” I lift an eyebrow. “To give yourself blue balls so you have to rub one out on your own? Doesn’t sound like much fun to me.”
The words dripping from my lips are foreign to my own ears. I can’t even believe I’m saying them, in public no less.
Then again, dry humping a guy on a nightclub couch isn’t exactly my MO.
“Trust me, it’s not fun at all.”
I fold my arms over my shoulders. “You’re the one who left. It didn’t have to be that way.” Oh my Lord. What the hell is possessing me to say this crap to him?
“Yes, it did,” he hisses, his jaw twitching.
“Lily!” Kat’s voice floats through the air and I look up to see her waving at me as she jogs toward the entrance. “We’re waiting!” She flashes me a smile, but I don’t miss the grimace she directs at Zeno. He turns in her direction, and the menacing eye standoff between them is more than a little unsettling, if I’m being honest.
And I have no idea what the hell it all means. It’s not like she knows this guy. Kazimir introduced him to us all last night. And I didn’t tell her what happened between us, so it’s not like she has to defend my honor or anything.
I look between them, confused as hell as to why they’re trying to kill each other with their minds right now.
“Wanna tell me why?” I press. I should tell him to just screw off, that I’m not going to melt at his feet just because he gave me, sad to admit, the greatest pleasure I’ve had from a human in a really long time.
“Oh, you mean you haven’t heard?” He whips back around toward me, his lips stretched across his god-like face. “It’s because I’m a fucking thug.” He says that last part a little loud, enough for Kat to hear. She gives a little nod when he tosses one final glare at her before pushing past me toward the hotel lobby.
“Good luck, Lily,” he murmurs as he passes. “I hope shit works out better for you than it did for me.”
My jaw drops, his musky scent still lingering in the air, just like my next words.
Wait… what ?