Chapter 28
Yes Sir
Kai to Tess: I’m terrified of how much I need you. [unsent]
Tess
“I win!” I squeal, throwing my arms up in the air. The action pushes my chest forward, which Nico obviously notices so I quickly cross my arms in front of me and scowl at him. “Don’t ruin it.”
He holds his hands up in surrender. “Sorry, T.”
We’ve just finished a very competitive game of Pictionary. Winner had the most correct guesses out of a total of ten drawings. I got two right… Nico got none.
He says it’s because I’m “shit” at drawing. I think he’s just stupid. Who thinks a cat looks like a deformed potato with legs? It very clearly had whiskers.
“Alright. Let’s play the storytelling game. It’s more fun.”
I shake my head at him, but secretly I love this one.
We’ve been at the safehouse for two weeks. It was supposed to last less than a week but there’s been some hold up.
It’s not so bad, but I only get to speak to Carina or Kai once a day when Nico gives me his phone, and he’s usually in the room when we do so it’s a little awkward.
Honestly, I’m pretty sure he’s hesitant to leave me with unfiltered access to his phone in case I find his nudes.
Like I’d want to see his shrimp dick anyway.
Ah, who am I kidding—he’s probably hung.
Anyone with eyes can see how attractive he is—I’m just more interested in a certain grumpy asshole.
A grumpy asshole that’s my… boyfriend? Sounds a bit juvenile but I suppose it’s the truth.
“Who’s starting?” I ask, ready to bring my A game. It doesn’t matter that this isn’t a game you can win. I’m competitive anyway, so I like to make my parts the most interesting.
The rules are simple: one person starts off a story, then you switch, and the other person continues it. This goes on until you have a ridiculous story.
“Ladies first.”
I smirk. Then begin.
I clear my throat dramatically. “Once upon a time, in a land ruled by a tyrant king, there was a fearless warrior named… Sir Nico the Stubborn.”
Nico groans. “Oh, come on.”
I ignore him and keep going. “Sir Nico the Stubborn was known far and wide for two things—his incredible ability to get lost in his own castle and his absolute inability to read a map.”
Nico scowls. “I hate this story already.”
“Too bad, it’s my turn.” I flash him a wicked grin. “One day, the king ordered him on a noble quest—to retrieve the legendary Golden Spoon of Eternal Bragging Rights from the Caves of Certain Death.”
Nico leans forward, rubbing his chin as he picks up the thread. “What you fail to mention is that Sir Nico wasn’t actually stubborn—he was brilliant. In fact, he was the most intelligent, dashing, and feared warrior in all the land.”
I scoff. “Feared because he kept accidentally setting things on fire?”
Nico points at me. “That was one time. And totally on purpose.” He grins, settling back in his chair.
“Anyway, Sir Nico set off on his noble quest, but little did he know… he wasn’t alone.
No, lurking in the shadows, following his every move, was a rogue assassin known only as Lady Red—famous for her deadly skill, cutting wit, and, uh…
undeniable attraction to Sir Nico.” He smirks at me.
I roll my eyes but laugh anyway. “Attraction?! More like an unstoppable urge to stab him.”
“Same thing,” Nico says with a shrug. “Love and murder are two sides of the same coin.”
I huff. “Fine. Lady Red had been hired to steal the Golden Spoon before Sir Nico could retrieve it. Because, little did he know, the spoon wasn’t just a legendary artifact—it was also a key. A key that unlocked the Vault of Unimaginable Riches hidden beneath the king’s throne.”
Nico raises an eyebrow. “Ooooh, plot twist. I like it.” He cracks his knuckles and jumps back in. “So, there they were, deep in the Caves of Certain Death, where they had to battle monstrous, three-headed serpents, dodge collapsing tunnels, and—”
“—argue about the correct direction to go every five minutes,” I add.
Nico points at me again. “Because Sir Nico knew the right way, but Lady Red refused to listen.”
I snort. “Or maybe Sir Nico was just wrong. Again.”
Nico gasps in mock outrage. “Blasphemy. I will not stand for this slander.”
I smirk. “Then sit down and let me finish.” I lean forward, getting dramatic. “After a long and treacherous journey, they finally reached the legendary chamber where the Golden Spoon was kept. But just as Sir Nico reached for it—”
Nico jumps in, grinning. “Lady Red snatched it first! But instead of running away like she’d planned, she found herself…
” He pauses, thinking, then his eyes light up.
“Faced with a terrible choice! Because the second she touched the spoon, the entire cave started collapsing. The only way to survive? Team up with Sir Nico and escape together!”
I narrow my eyes. “So convenient.”
“Hey, I don’t make the rules,” Nico says, grinning. “Actually, I do, because it’s my turn.”
I sigh dramatically. “Fine, but you’d better make this good.”
Nico leans forward, his eyes gleaming with mischief. “Oh, don’t worry. This is about to be epic…”
“Did you always want to be this person?” I ask Nico as I plate up dinner.
He smirks, lounging back in his chair. “Devilishly handsome with a winning personality?”
I roll my eyes. “Mafia.”
His smirk falters for a second before he schools his expression into something unreadable. “Wasn’t a choice, really. My dad was in this life—I was born into it.”
I glance up at him as I set a plate in front of him. “Would you change it? If you could?”
For a moment, he doesn’t answer. He picks up his fork, idly pushing food around his plate. Then, finally, he speaks. “No. I wouldn’t.”
He stabs at a green bean but doesn’t eat it. “I’ve always wanted to do something with my life that gives it meaning. A sense of purpose. This lets me do that.”
I sit down across from him, watching as he finally takes a bite, chews, and swallows before continuing.
“Some guys in this world, they do it for the power. The money. The control.” He shrugs. “That’s never been it for me.”
I tilt my head. “Then what is it?”
He exhales, rolling his jaw like he’s debating how much to say. Then, he meets my eyes, his usual playfulness absent. “When I was a kid, I watched my father get beaten to death in the street. Right outside our building.”
A lump forms in my throat. “Nico—”
He shakes his head. “I was too young to do anything. Too weak.” A bitter chuckle escapes him. “But I swore to myself that day that I’d never be powerless again. That no one I cared about would ever suffer because I wasn’t strong enough to stop it.”
I stare at him, my appetite suddenly gone.
He leans back, picking up his drink and swirling the liquid inside. “So, no. I wouldn’t change it. Because this life? It gave me the tools to keep that promise.”
The weight of his words settles between us, thick and heavy.
Diner continues in silence.
After, we settle into the living room, once again playing games together like we do every day.
“Right. If I win Connect Four, I get to use your phone for the whole night. You don’t get it back until morning,” I say with a yawn. We’ve been playing for hours, and my eyes are starting to droop.
Nico narrows his eyes. “You just want to have phone sex with your boyfriend.”
I smirk at him and raise my eyebrow. “And what?”
He fake gags. “Fine. Whatever. Let’s play.”
Thankfully it doesn’t take long for me to win the round, and I grin triumphantly, doing a dramatic bow. “I’d like to thank my family, my friends. Thank you to Nico—AKA Happy, AKA Sir Nico the Stubborn—for being so bad that—”
He throws his phone at me to cut me off. “I’m going to bed. Have fun.” He winks then strides from the room, leaving me still grinning widely.
I take my time getting ready for bed, even though all I really want to do is call Kai immediately. As soon as I slide under the covers (thank God this safehouse has more than one bed) I hit the call button on Kai’s contact.
It rings only once before he answers. “Tess?” The hope in his voice is everything.
“Hi,” I whisper with a smile.
“Is Nico there?”
“Nope! I won at Connect Four, so I get his phone to myself all night.”
“All night you say?”
“What’s that tone for, mister?”
“Just wondering what we could do with all that time, that’s all.”
I snort as I settle deeper into the bed. The mattress is stiff and uncomfortable under me but it’s better than the cot I had in my prison cell with the Russians. “Really? You have no thoughts on that?”
He chuckles, the sound deep and throaty. “I have some ideas.” His voice becomes deep and sensual, and I almost moan from that alone.
Just hearing his voice is enough to turn me on, to make every nerve in my body come to life with anticipation.
“What ideas?” I ask with a breathiness I can’t even attempt to hide.
“Are you in bed, Hurricane?”
“Mmhm.”
“Are you wet for me?”
A low moan escapes me. “Yes,” I murmur, rubbing my thighs together to dull the ache between them.
“How do you know? Are you touching yourself?”
“No,” I whisper.
“Be a good girl and see how needy you are. I want you to take your fingers and slide them between your thighs.” He waits for me to do as instructed. I slip my hand underneath the waistband of my shorts, and I groan as my fingers graze my clit, feeling it pulsing with need. “That good, Tess?”
“Yes,” I whimper as I circle the swollen bud. I bring my other hand up and cup my breast, pinching my nipple between my fingers.
“Did I tell you to touch your perfect tits?” Kai growls and I freeze.
“How did you know?”
He laughs darkly. “Your breathing changed.”
Fucking observant bastard.
“It’s a good job I’m feeling nice, or I’d have to punish you for getting ahead of yourself.”
“Why thank you, Sir.”
Kai groans low in his throat. “You’re calling me Sir from now on when we’re in bed.”
“Yes Sir,” I purr, only half teasing.
He growls. “Slip one finger into your tight cunt, Tess.”
I continue circling my clit with my thumb while I press one digit inside me.