Chapter 5
Five
Nikos sat at a small, corner table near the back, his long legs stretched out in front of him, the toes of his polished shoes nudging the metal base.
The scent of roasted espresso beans and cinnamon filled the compact café, mingling with the low hum of conversation and the hiss of steaming milk.
Overhead, pendant lights with copper fixtures cast a warm amber glow across the room, while indie music played softly beneath the clatter of ceramic cups and laptop keys.
It was the kind of place built for first dates, final edits, and secret glances over foam-topped lattes. Modern. Warm. Slightly cramped. And absolutely packed on a chilled September day.
He had barely slept last night. His mind had been buzzing. Between the tension radiating off Markos last night and the ghost of Kiki Reese’s mouth against his own, he’d spent most of the night tangled in sheets he couldn’t get comfortable in, thinking about things he had no business wanting.
His body had ached for her. Literally ached. That hadn’t happened since he was a teen who had just discovered sex.
What bothered him the most was that the hunger gnawing at him wasn’t just physical. There was an unsettled pull in his chest—a low, persistent thrum—which was something else entirely.
It was a mystery. A challenge.
A goddamned ache I haven’t felt in years.
He rubbed a knuckle against the edge of his jaw before tapping the table once as he glanced at his watch.
Five minutes to noon.
She was cutting it close.
He resisted the urge to check the door again and instead lifted a finger. Ernie, the freckle-faced barista with a mop of red curls who’d been eyeing him since he walked in, had taken the two hundred-dollar bills and agreed to deliver the order when Nikos gave the signal.
Three minutes later, Ernie set a steaming cup of dark roast coffee in front of him, followed by a tall hot chocolate crowned with a swirl of whipped cream and a chocolate muffin still warm from the oven.
“Thanks,” Nikos said, slipping a folded bill into the teen’s palm. Ernie’s eyes widened slightly when he saw the additional tip, but Nikos only arched an eyebrow.
“If you need anything else, just say the word,” Ernie offered, grinning as he backed away.
Nikos nodded once, but his attention was already back on the front window—watching.
Waiting.
The bell over the café door jingled every few seconds, heralding new arrivals bundled in scarves and jackets, all seeking warmth in the crush of early autumn. He scanned each figure absently… until one made every muscle in his body go taut.
Faded blue hoodie.
A mess of curls peeking from beneath the edge of the hood.
Lips moving like she was arguing with someone—and losing.
His lips curved before he could stop them.
That had to be her.
His entire body came alive as if someone had flipped a switch.
A sudden rush of adrenaline shot through him, chasing away the last threads of fatigue.
He leaned forward slightly, watching her approach the door, her mouth moving in animated protest. He could practically hear her grumbling, and when their eyes met through the glass—just for a heartbeat—he caught the exact phrase she said.
“Think of Alaska.”
He nearly laughed out loud. God help him, she was unlike any woman he’d ever met.
The door swung open with a gust of wind, tugging at her hoodie and sweeping the scent of chocolate and roasted coffee through the room. She hesitated in the entry, her gaze sweeping the café and then locking on him again.
Her expression changed in stages.
Annoyance.
Recognition.
Wariness.
Resolve.
And finally, a flash of pure, unfiltered delight as her eyes dropped to the table and she spotted the chocolate muffin.
He rose slowly to his feet, letting his eyes drink her in.
She wasn’t wearing makeup—at least, none he could see—and the hoodie hung loose over a pair of jeans that had definitely seen better days.
She looked like she’d just tumbled out of a dorm room after an all-nighter—and yet something about her presence commanded the room.
He reached for the hot chocolate and offered it without a word.
She lifted a single brow in mock suspicion before taking it. Her fingers didn’t brush his. She was careful about that. Deliberate.
He noted it.
He also noted the way she sniffed the cocoa with exaggerated reverence, then let out a low, almost indecent moan that made him think of tussled sheets, sweaty bodies, and orgasms.
God.
He could come undone at that sound if he wasn’t careful.
She slid into the seat across from him like a cat slipping into sunlit warmth, her eyes opening slowly as she cradled the drink in both hands like it was the Holy Grail.
He didn’t speak. Not yet.
He just watched her.
The hoodie. The attitude. The invisible shield she wore like armor. Everything she did was designed to make people look away.
But he couldn’t look anywhere else.
There was something about her, beneath the defenses, that was utterly magnetic.
If anything, it made him want to see her even more.
One layer at a time.
One moment at a time.
For reasons he didn’t fully understand yet, the thought of losing her before he knew her filled him with something that felt disturbingly like dread.
He didn’t just want a second date, he wanted to know who she was when she wasn’t braced for impact.
His sixth sense was blaring at him. It was warning him that unraveling Kiki Reese might just be the most dangerous—and most exhilarating—thing he’d ever done.
Nikos opened his mouth to greet her, but she beat him to it.
“Just how much did Harvey and Jim tell you about me?” Kiki asked, her eyes narrowing over the rim of her hot chocolate. “Because there’s no way in hell you got this intel from any background report.”
He lifted a brow, feigning innocence. “What makes you think I had a background report done?”
She didn’t answer. Just rolled her eyes and took a bite of her muffin like he’d asked the dumbest question of the day.
Unease prickled in his chest. He leaned back slightly, studying her. “Did you look me up?”
Kiki gave a snort of laughter, nodding as she chewed. After swallowing, she picked up her cup, took a sip, and grinned. “Oh yeah. It was quite the education.”
The wry lilt in her voice made heat crawl up the back of his neck. For the second time since meeting her, Nikos felt his cheeks flush—and he didn’t like it one damn bit.
“Don’t believe everything you read on the internet,” he muttered, lifting his coffee to his lips to buy time.
“Mm-hmm, sure.” She gave him a knowing look, then rattled off a list of names that made him nearly choke on his drink. “How are the Contessa twins doing? And wasn’t there someone named Bianca with the champagne bathtub photo?”
Nikos pursed his lips and stared at her. “We could play this game all day, but I think you’re enjoying it too much.”
Kiki smiled sweetly and took another bite of muffin.
He decided that a subject change was in order.
“What would you like to do today?”
She licked a crumb from her lip and shrugged. “Since it’s too chilly and windy to do much outside, I made us a reservation somewhere fun. Inside.”
The slow, sensual curve of her lips sent a jolt of heat through his blood.
His voice dropped slightly. “What kind of fun?”
She tilted her head, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “It’s a surprise.”
He glanced at his watch. “It’s a quarter-past twelve.”
Her eyes went wide. “Crap—we’ve gotta go or we’ll be late!”
Before he could respond, she popped the rest of her muffin into her mouth, grabbed her hot chocolate, and stood.
He grabbed his coat and followed, motioning subtly to his guards as they exited the café. They peeled away from the entrance, blending into the sidewalk crowd a beat behind them.
Outside, Kiki pulled her hoodie up and quickened her pace down the street. Nikos caught up easily.
“Where are we going?”
“Not far,” she said, glancing up at the sky. “Three blocks, give or take.”
“I can have the car brought around.”
She snorted. “You do not want to park that luxury yacht where we’re going.”
His steps slowed. “I beg your pardon?”
She didn’t answer. Just cut down an alley like she’d done it a hundred times before.
His eyes narrowed, but he followed. The farther they went, the rougher the neighborhood became. The graffiti was older here. Faded. Layers upon layers of messages, warnings, and art. Shuttered buildings flanked them, windows boarded or barred.
Nikos’s alertness ticked up a notch. “You sure this is safe?”
Kiki paused in front of a metal gate attached to what looked like a gutted auto shop. “Trust me when I say I’m the most dangerous thing around here.” She released a snort of laughter before she shook her head and lifted an eyebrow. “You aren’t afraid of a little color, are you?”
“No, why?”
“Good.”
“Hey, Pedro!”
She twisted away from him without explaining further and called out a greeting to two men lounging outside a partially cracked door. Their voices rolled back to her in a dialect that sounded like English but wasn’t—not quite. Street slang layered thick and fast.
Nikos caught enough words to recognize admiration. Respect. Familiarity.
She turned and gave him a half-smile. “They said your bodyguards can come in too, if they want.”
“They’ll wait outside,” he replied.
She frowned and looked at the two men hanging back. “We’re going to be awhile, and it’s cold out here,” she said with concern.
He didn’t know why he wasn’t surprised that she had noticed the two men following them. Turning, he signaled for his men to come forward.
“Yes, sir.”
“You can leave. I’ll call you when I need you,” he instructed.
One bodyguard scanned the area, looking around with concern before he turned back to him.
“I’ll protect him,” Kiki said with a cheeky grin. “Cross my heart.”
The man didn’t look too reassured, but orders were orders, and both men melted back the way they had come.
“You ready, Kiki?” Pedro asked, opening the gate and motioning them through.
“Yeah. How’s it been going?”
“Oh, you know. Some think they are hotshots. Twenty minutes in the tank and they are crying like babies,” Pedro joked.
Nikos listened as Kiki and Pedro continued chatting. His gaze swept over the graffitied exterior of the building. Colorful scenes representing different facets of life and beyond were painted across the brick and mortar building.
“Artists throughout the city and beyond change out the murals almost nightly. The building never looks the same from day-to-day,” Kiki said, sighing with pleasure.
“How do they reach some places?” he mused, looking at some of the artwork three stories up that looked like someone would have had to hang from the roof to paint.
“I know, isn’t it incredible?” she breathed.
Luis, the other man with Pedro, opened the door for them. Kiki murmured a thanks before she disappeared inside after Pedro. The moment Nikos stepped over the threshold, the sound hit him.
Thap-thap-thap!
Paintballs ricocheted off barriers behind a thick plexiglass wall. Inside, a war zone raged—neon-bright paint splattering across black walls and padded suits as players dove, ducked, and fired at each other with wild, gleeful abandon.
Kiki grinned like a kid on Christmas morning.
Jose, the man behind the counter, lit up when he saw her.
“Kiki! Finally back to teach the rookies a lesson?”
She winked. “Thought I’d bring you some fresh meat.”
Jose looked Nikos up and down, taking in his sleek black wool coat, expensive cashmere sweater, designer trousers, and polished shoes.
“Oof,” he said, grimacing. “You sure you wanna traumatize him? This is… high-level pain potential.”
Kiki tilted her head, her eyes gleaming with a silent challenge. “He can always sit it out and watch a pro from the observation deck if he’s afraid of a few bruises.”
He crossed his arms. “Pro, huh? You might be surprised at how good I am.”
“Mm, I do love confidence.”
He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. “If you offer to kiss every bruise I get, I’ll be happy to reciprocate.”
She looked away with a scoff, but the color that rose to her cheeks gave her away.
Jose cackled. “You’d better be prepared for a lot of bruises, bro. Kiki is wicked on the floor.”
Nikos grinned and pulled out his wallet. “I look forward to discovering just how wicked she is.”