32. Nikolai
32
NIKOLAI
T he moment Jane stepped out of her car, I wanted to throw her right back in it and kick the driver to the curb. She’s an absolute vision, and my heart stopped when I first saw her. The photos she sent me while getting ready didn’t do her justice.
She’s in a form-fitting red, silky dress that drapes across her hips and tucks in the waist, giving her an hourglass figure its moment to shine. It stops mid-calf but has a slit up the right side that sits in the middle of her thigh. With each step she takes, she flashes her long legs that are further accentuated by her black heels. I’m not sure how many inches they are, but she’s almost my height in them.
It’s fucking sexy.
Her hair falls in loose, glossy waves around the thin straps of her dress and down her back. The color on her lips perfectly matches the dress, and I just know she took immense pride in getting that shade match. Her lashes are long and full and the dark shadow brings out the green of her eyes.
The sight of her makes me want to fall to my knees and worship her, but also bend her over the nearest surface.
She bats my hand away playfully as we ride up the elevator, and I try to squeeze her ass.
“Play nice, now,” she warns.
I nip her ear, causing her breath to hitch. “You like it when I don’t.”
She melts into my side even as she tries to steel her spine. I smirk, loving the effect I have on this powerful woman of mine.
The elevator dings, and the doors open to a rooftop ballroom. I keep my hand on Jane’s back as we walk into the party, which, judging by the volume of raucous laughter and chatter, is well underway.
Modern chandeliers with exposed light bulbs hang from the ceiling, along with long lines of greenery and vines that dip and hang overhead. Tables covered in dark linen with floral centerpieces are scattered around the room. Multiple bars are stationed around the space and waiters walk around with trays of drinks and food.
“This is nice,” I say.
Jane snorts. “Chester doesn’t do cheap. I wouldn’t have expected anything less.”
Windows surround the room, creating a 360-view of Boston every way you look. There’s a patio wrapping around the outside of the building as well and a few people mingle outside.
I scan the room of unfamiliar faces who look at me with familiarity. A few do a double take, as if they aren’t sure if I’m really me.
Yep, it is. I can practically taste the hunger in the gazes from both the men and women. The men likely want to try to schmooze me and get my business. The women’s stares are more feral and I know they couldn’t care less about who I employ for legal representation. I hold Jane tightly, wanting them to all see exactly what I’m here for. And it’s none of them.
A blurry figure charges toward us and Jane is yanked out of my grasp. I open my mouth to shout, but Jane squeals excitedly.
“God, I missed you!”
The woman who pulled her into a bear hug steps back and says, “Holy shit, look at you! Whatever the hell kind of water LA has, I need some of it.”
Jane’s cheeks flush, and she waves her off. “Please, you look incredible. The color is amazing.”
The woman does a little spin and smiles at Jane. It is a beautiful color, the pale blue a stark contrast to her deep skin tone. “And you must be her roommate,” she says, extending her hand toward me. I take it, and she shakes it with surprising strength. “How nice of you to accompany your house guest to her work party. I’m Hallie.” She gives me a saccharine smile and I immediately like her.
“I’m Jane’s landlord, Nikolai,” I say, giving her a shit-eating smirk back. Hallie drops her head back in laughter and Jane rolls her eyes at the both of us.
“Nikolai, this is Hallie.”
“Her best friend,” Hallie adds.
Jane chuckles. “My best friend. And Hallie, this is Nikolai.”
“Her boyfriend,” I pipe in.
Jane brushes that off. “He wishes.”
Hallie’s eyes dart back and forth between the two of us, face alight with entertainment. “Well, it’s nice to meet you. Is it weird that I’ve had a sleepover at your house but have never met you before?”
“Nah,” I say, snaking my hand around Jane’s hip again. “I’m glad you could fly out to keep our girl company. Plus, Jane told me you showed her how to use the popcorn machine.”
“I would’ve figured it out myself,” Jane mutters. “I just hadn’t needed to use it yet.”
Hallie puts her hand up to cover her mouth as she fake-whispers to me, “Sure she would’ve.” I put a mocking hand over my heart in gratitude, and Hallie snickers.
Jane playfully pulls her hand away and says, “Fuck off. Is this going to be a two against one thing with you guys?”
I’m about to answer, but Hallie catches me off guard by saying, “No, this one still needs to atone.” She points an accusing finger at me. “There’s some conversations to be had between you and me.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you. You’re not off the hook yet. Not with me. As far as you go, Janie…” she trails off, eyeing my hand on Jane’s hip. “It looks like you’ve sufficiently let him off yours and you’re going to need to fill me in.”
I bite my tongue as Jane mumbles something to her I don’t catch. They clearly need to catch up a bit, so I lean in and say, “I’m going to go grab us a drink,” in Jane’s ear. She pats my chest and smiles, turning toward Hallie. Their chatter follows me until I near the bar. A few people mingle around it and they try to catch my eye.
I nod in greeting but keep my attention fixed on the bartender. While I can make small talk, I don’t really feel like it tonight.
“Can I get a glass of cab sav and a vodka soda, please?”
The bartender nods and works on the drinks. I lean against the bar and look at the windows behind him. This city looks so different from LA. Does Jane miss it? She always dreamed of living here when we were younger. I know she hasn’t been happy at work here, but would she potentially return here if Arun doesn’t offer her a full-time position?
I can’t even stomach the thought.
“Well, I certainly didn’t expect to see Nikolai Brooks’ signed NDA across my desk this morning,” a hearty voice says next to me. I turn and immediately know this must be Jane’s boss.
He’s mid-fifties and fighting a losing battle with his hairline. But his suit is sharp and fits him well, but the smell of his cologne is cheap.
I keep one elbow leaned on the bar as I extend the other. “Thank you for allowing me at the last minute.”
“Chester Ford.” He shakes my hand and his hand is clammy. I discreetly wipe my palm against my pants. “Pleased to have you join us tonight. I have to say, I was surprised when my assistant said you reached out. I thought, what would bring Nikolai Brooks out to Boston and to our firm's party?”
The bartender slides my drinks across the bar. Chester puts his rocks glass next to them and makes a motion for another.
“And then I realized that Jane must’ve actually been doing her job out there in California and has been spreading the word about our expansion.” He puffs his chest out as if his name is the one that drew me to this party tonight. “Now, you didn’t need to fly all the way out here to arrange a meeting and it is a party after all”—he chuckles and it grates on my nerves—“but we can carve out some time tomorrow morning to talk.”
I grab mine and Jane’s drinks, pushing my shoulders back so I tower over the man in front of me by a few inches. He seems like the type who’d be bothered about that kind of thing.
“I’m not here for business,” I say politely because after all, this is Jane’s boss. At least for the time being, and I don’t want her to get repercussions for my rudeness. But I also really don’t want to entertain this dude. “I’m here with my date and to enjoy the evening. Thank you for the party. It’s…expensive looking.”
With that, I leave Chester stunned behind me and make my way back to Jane. I feel his eyes on me the entire way and I hope he sees that I’m here for her, not him. The comment he made about her actually doing her job sets my teeth on edge. If only he knew and appreciated how hard she worked.
But then she likely wouldn’t have come out to LA seeking new opportunities and I wouldn’t have had my chance. So I guess in a way, I should be grateful.
But eh, I don’t want to be toward him.
Jane is like a beacon, calling me and luring me into her orbit, as I make my way through the crowd. It’s filled in more and I side-step a few groups until she’s in my eyeline.
She and Hallie aren’t alone anymore.
A man, about an inch shorter than Jane, stands in the mix. His dull hair is pushed back with far too much product and the watch at his wrist is far too flashy for an event like this. Jane’s arms are crossed as he talks at her, while Hallie’s glare could melt flesh as she watches him.
I don’t even need to ask. I’d recognize his pompous face anywhere. I saw it way too many times whenever I stalked Jane’s social media over the years.
I clear my throat as I approach, and the relief of Jane’s face is palpable as I hand her the glass of wine. “Here you go, babe. Your favorite.”
I slip my hand around the front of her waist and pull her in close. Liam’s eyes drop to my protective hold, and when he meets my gaze, I harden my stare.
Yes, you see it. She’s not yours.
I want to yell out that she was never his, but I don’t need to stoop low. Don’t need to make a scene in front of Jane’s co-workers. And he’s not worth my breath.
“Thank you,” Jane says and takes a cool sip of her wine. That’s it, baby. Show him how unaffected you are by him. “Liam, have you met Nikolai?”
Her ex’s jaw clicks but his tone is even as he says, “I don’t believe so.” He extends his hand, but I just smirk at him. One of my hands is taken by my drink, and the other is around Jane’s waist. I’m not dropping either of them.
“Nice to meet you, Levi.”
“Liam,” he corrects me.
“Right.”
A vein bulges in the side of his neck and Hallie hides her snort with a cough. “I’m going to run to the restroom,” she says, excusing herself. “I’ll catch up with you later.” She places a gentle hand on Jane’s arm, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Her eyes flick to mine and I give her a small nod.
I got this.
She walks off and Liam shifts. His eyes dip to Jane’s heels and he regards them with thinly veiled disdain. He hates that she’s taller than him in them rather than appreciating how well she wears them.
A small, small man, this guy.
“So, Nikolai,” he says, turning his attention to me. “I was sorry to see the news about your band's demise. But at least it looks like you’ve found something new to preoccupy your time.”
He makes it sound like Whisper Me Nothings, my life work, was a failure. Something to be written off and shoved away, something to be embarrassed of. But I know he’s looking to pick a fight with me and I refuse to give it to him when he’s so insignificant.
“I’m currently working on an album actually, so yes, that does preoccupy quite a bit of my time,” I say, planting a fake smile on my face. Jane wraps an arm around me and squeezes my waist. The reassurance of her touch isn’t lost on me in this moment. “But I’ll always make time out for those who are important to me,” I say pointedly. Jane told me how he often chose his friends over her, leaving her to go to work dinners by herself or watching TV on her own at night.
Liam snorts and darts his beady eyes to Jane. “I didn’t realize that you two were hanging out. You said you drifted apart from your brother's friends over the years.”
Brother’s friend. Trying to reduce my significance in Jane’s life to simply a friend of her twin.
“I don’t know why you would’ve known that we were. It’s not like we keep up with each other’s lives anymore?” She pops a hip out, pushing it in me, and I pull her closer.
“And you didn’t want to bring your girlfriend to the event because you were coming with Jane?” he asks me, a gleam in his eyes, thinking he pulled some sort of trump card on me. Does he expect Jane to whip around in surprise? Like she wouldn’t know about Kerra?
“Well, clearly, you’re not caught up on your ex’s life, but you’ve been keyed into mine,” I say coolly.
“I just think it’s interesting how you used to be disgusted by everyone bringing their side pieces to these things, and yet, here you are,” he bites out.
I don’t even realize I take a step forward until Jane pulls me back. She places a reassuring hand on my chest but her eyes could spit venom as she turns them on Liam.
“First off, you have no idea what you’re talking about, and I wouldn’t expect you to. You’ve always been one to talk out of your ass.”
I choke and take a sip of my drink to cover the laugh.
Jane continues before he has a chance to butt in. “At least with him, he was upfront with his situation on his own accord. With you, I had to find out on my own.”
Liam sucks on his teeth, looking down at his feet. She got him there.
“And it’s really none of your business.” She lifts her chin, looking down at him. “Nothing that I do is any of your business. I don’t need to explain our situation to you and neither does he. So I ask that you, for once, give me the respect I deserve and keep your thoughts and opinions to your fucking self. Does that work for you?” She cocks her head to the side in a predatory way that makes me simultaneously want to cheer her on and ravish her right here. I tuck my face behind her head and chuckle softly. Her sweet shampoo fills my nose, and I inhale, squeezing her tightly.
In my peripheral vision, I notice a few people staring, and I wonder how many of them know their history.
Sensing the attention, Liam shifts and straightens the cuffs on his navy jacket. A navy suit? Seriously? This is a fancy party and that’s the best he could do? “I won’t take up anymore of your time,” he says, running a hand over his jaw. “It was nice to meet you.” He nods at me. “And it was good to see you again, Jane.” His eyes linger on hers as if he’s waiting for her to reciprocate or to apologize or something.
But she doesn’t. She gives a small dip of her chin in acknowledgment and the poor bastard’s knuckles tighten around his glass as he storms off.
“Well, I could’ve gone without that interaction this evening,” I mutter, and Jane pulls out of my hold and spins to face me.
“Was that for me, or for him?”
I rear back. “What do you mean?”
She steps closer, keeping her voice down as she glances side to side. “I mean, you putting your hands all over me like that, practically groping me in front of him. Was that for me because you wanted to, or for him? To try to prove something to him?”
I grab her hips and pull her close once again. She places her hands on my chest.
“I haven’t given that asshole two seconds of my attention this entire night. You are all I see in this room and all that matters. I touch you because I can’t keep my fucking hands off of you, Jane.” And sure, it doesn’t hurt if her shitty ex sees her being held and appreciated the way she should. “I don’t have to prove anything to him and neither do you.”
Jane’s fingers tighten against the lapels of my suit. “Okay,” she sighs. “I’m sorry, I just…seeing him again, it just brings up some stuff for me. Not unresolved feelings or anything,” she rushes to reassure me, “but old wounds I’ve healed.”
“I understand. And I’m not threatened by him. You don’t have to reassure me of what I already know.”
A small smile slants her lips at my arrogance that I know she secretly loves. “And what is that, exactly?”
My voice is low, only for her, as I say, “That I don’t have to worry about him, or any other man for that matter. He may think he lost you and is kicking himself right now for it, but you were never his to begin with. You’ve been mine since we were teenagers and while he may have had you for a few years, he never truly had you. You’ve always been mine, just like I’ve always been yours.”
She swallows thickly. “You keep saying that.”
“I’m just waiting for you to catch up.” I tuck her hair behind her ear and she leans into the touch as she bites her full lip. I wait for her to say it, to tell me it back, but she keeps holding back.
It’s alright. I’ll wait as long as she needs.
“You’re absolutely breathtaking, Jane, and I’m not just talking about tonight.” I kiss her softly, carefully, knowing she won’t want me to ruin her hard work she put into her makeup. “Although I do appreciate the vision you are wrapped in red.”
“I picked it out with you in mind.” She smiles and presses another kiss to my lips.
I let my hand drift from her hip down the slope of her ass. It’s full and plump and so fucking smackable that if we were around our friends and not her colleges, I would.
Well, actually not around our friends either. Fuck, we need to talk to Walker. But I push the thought aside. I don’t want to think about him right now.
We make our way around the party, chatting to her various co-workers but mostly just Hallie. I enjoy sitting back, listening to the two of them catch up, and watching the way Jane lights up talking to her friend. I keep their drinks restocked and dodge any talks of business with the few partners that try to approach me. Liam steers clear of us.
After a while, Jane and Hallie include me in the conversation and we make our way outside on the terrace. Hallie tells me stories of Jane in college and I smile at the embarrassment that heats Jane’s face with each one. It’s good to hear she had so much fun in the years apart. It eases something in me slightly that I didn’t take all of the light out of her eyes that night in my backyard like I had feared.
It was a stupid fear to begin with. Jane is the strongest woman I know and she’d never let anyone, not even me, take that from her.
Jane perches on my lap as we sit around one of those fancy fire pits with the rocks instead of wood. She wiggles her hips every now and then, teasing me. My fingers dig into her thighs in warning, but she just continues to give me that same, flirty smirk each time she looks over her shoulder.
I twirl her hair around my fingers as time passes. Finally, she and Hallie seem to have exhausted every possible topic for conversation and Hallie yawns.
“I better get home,” she says. She stands and stretches her arms above her head before plopping them back at her sides. “My parents want to go to brunch in the morning, so I have to be up and at ’em.”
Jane looks at me. “Are you ready to go too?”
“I’m ready when you are.” I’ve been ready since I she stepped out of the car in this fucking dress, but I keep that to myself.
She stands, and instantly, I miss her weight and warmth on my lap. Before I join the two of them, I discreetly adjust myself because having Jane’s ass perched on my lap for the last hour has made me painfully hard.
We make our way down the elevator and Jane and Hallie say their goodbyes. She promises to fly back to LA soon.
Hallie goes in for a hug. I reciprocate, surprised by the gesture, but when she whispers in my ear, I realize this wasn’t out of affection. “If you hurt her again, I swear to God, there won’t be a place on this earth that I won’t track you down and castrate you. Understood?”
She pulls back with an innocent smile, so at odds with the threat she just issued me. Her lashes flutter against her cheeks as she waits for my response.
I’m speechless to do anything else but nod. Jane watches the two of us curiously. I’m not even offended that she would threaten me like that after a night where we seemed to be cool. If anything, I’m happy that Jane has a friend like her. I know the guys would do the same for me.
The two of them say goodbye once more before Hallie ducks into the car waiting for her. We’re exposed out here by the valet, waiting for our car to be pulled around, but the streets are empty. It’s late, or early depending on how you want to look at it, and Boston doesn’t have the same pap situation that LA does.
So I feel comfortable enough to pull Jane in for a hug as Hallie’s car drives off and we wait. She wraps her arms around my shoulders and tangles her fingers in my hair. We’re content to hold one another, comfortable in the silence.
“Thank you for coming tonight,” she murmurs into my shoulder. Her eyes shine when she lifts her head, and I rub my thumb across her cheek.
“I wouldn’t have missed it,” I whisper.
The thing about Jane is, I can tell when the gears are working overtime in that head of hers. It’s written all over her face from the way she chews on her lip to the slight frown that mars her forehead.
“What’s wrong?”
Jane gives the smallest shake of her head before her expression relaxes. Actually, her entire body softens in my hold like butter, and I tighten my hold.
“I’m caught up,” she says and slams her mouth to mine.
Fucking finally .