The Fake Boyfriend Fiasco

8. The Greek Thing

Chapter 8

The Greek Thing

N ik took Aria to the best restaurant he knew and wondered why the food tasted like dust in his mouth.

Probably because it wasn’t her. Wasn’t her skin, sweet and sharp like cinnamon. Wasn’t her mouth, soft and inviting. Wasn’t her cunt, whose scent was practically imprinted on his brain despite how many hours had passed since he’d made her come.

He might have avoided those sorts of thoughts—and thus avoided getting hard in a five-star restaurant—if Aria hadn’t spent the entire meal moaning over every mouthful she swallowed. She gasped as she licked creamy dessert off her spoon; batted her eyelashes every time she looked at him; said his name almost as breathlessly as she did when she came. She was doing it on purpose. Which just made it hotter.

“So, what are you going to do now?” she asked, trailing her fingertips over the stem of her wineglass. She’d had it filled with water because “If I drink anymore this week, my kidneys might shank me.”

Nick tore his attention away from the glide of her fingers over glass. “Do?”

“Instead of football,” she said slowly, which reminded him that before the movement of her hands had hypnotised him, they’d been discussing his profession.

“Ah. Right. Well, that’s the question, isn’t it?”

She arched a brow. “You don’t have any ideas?”

“No,” he said, both entirely honest and slightly pathetic. “I, um… I’m not really good at anything else.”

He wasn’t expecting those words to produce such an outraged expression from Aria. She looked personally offended. “What on earth are you taking about? Yes, you bloody are!”

Even though she was wrong, his heart swelled, a smile curving his lips. “You think?”

“Oh, come on. You know you are.” She gave him a suspicious look, as if this were all part of some ploy. Like he was fishing for compliments, or something. But after a moment, she seemed to realise that he was deadly serious.

“I told you before,” Nik said. “My life has been easy. Football is my only skill and I was lucky enough to be able to pursue it.” He shrugged. “I don’t know what I’ll do next. I’m working on it. It’s just taking me a while because every time I try to think about the future, I freeze. I can’t see anything.” Except you. I see you like a light in the dark.

“Ah.” She nodded slowly. “Well, that’s totally understandable. Your career just ended abruptly. You’ve lost your passion. But you’re amazing, Nik. There are a thousand things you could do, related to football or otherwise—you’re the most determined person I’ve ever met. You can do anything. Anything . So, don’t pressure yourself, don’t overthink it, just… take some time to acclimatise. Let yourself breathe. Okay?”

He managed to force out some sort of agreement, even though emotion clogged his throat. She hadn’t said anything that he didn’t know already. But he only knew it logically ; the words had never sunk into his bones before. To have Aria, the person he trusted most in the world, tell him that it was okay? That he could handle this? That he’d be alright?

A tension Nik hadn’t realised he’d been carrying drifted away. He felt suddenly lighter, stronger, more like himself , than he had for weeks. She moved the conversation on, the sound of her voice soothing him even though he couldn’t discern the words. He was thinking too hard. He was considering a new approach, a new plan, a new way to become the person he wanted to be.

Eventually, his whirring thoughts stilled. He didn’t need to work on this now. He had time. Everything would be fine. Aria had said so.

He took a breath that felt as refreshing as cool rain and said, “Thank you.”

She didn’t ask what for. She didn’t point out that they’d been talking about something else entirely for the last five minutes—or rather, that she’d been talking, and he’d been grunting occasionally while staring at the tablecloth.

Instead, she smiled and said, “Any time.”

The rest of the night flowed like water.

Was it odd that taking her out, ordering whatever she wanted, showing her places she’d never been before, soothed the hunger in his chest as much as touching her did? Maybe. Nik was starting to think he’d fallen in love with her. Not now; before. Ages ago. He’d always thought that when he fell in love, he’d know—just like his parents had known, just like his sister had known. But he wasn’t the smartest guy in the world.

As she teased him throughout dinner, as he drove them home with his hand on her thigh, Nik considered the possibility that he’d fallen in love without noticing.

It did sound like something he’d do. The idea bore further investigation.

They parked up and headed into the house in uncharacteristic silence, the razor-edged flirtation they’d kept up throughout the night finally fading. He knew why. For the past couple of hours, a glimmering thread of tension had stretched taut between them, crackling like a live wire. Now someone would have to make the first move. Someone would have to risk a shock.

“No-one’s home,” she murmured as they wandered through the house.

“It’s barely ten. They probably just left.”

“We’ll be alone for hours.” She climbed the stairs ahead of him with a slow, lethal smile.

If Nik’s cock could get any harder, it would have. “You want me to fuck you now, agapi mou? Should I push you to your knees on the stairs, pull your underwear aside and shove my dick inside you?”

He heard her sharp intake of breath and wrapped a steadying arm around her as she faltered.

Pressing his lips to her ear, he murmured, “I could. But I won’t. Upstairs.”

Because he had this weird, old-fashioned idea that the first time he fucked her, it would be on a bed. He’d never cared about that kind of thing before, because it didn’t matter—but this woman. This fucking woman.

He reached out and pulled up her skirt. The tight fabric caught around her waist, and he moved down a step to take in the sight of her arse, the dimpled globes bisected by a strip of blue silk. She arched her back and looked over her shoulder at him, challenge sparkling in her eyes. “I dare you.”

He spanked her, not particularly hard. “Nice try. Up.” He wouldn’t be distracted tonight. He knew exactly what he wanted, and he was going to get it.

She laughed—the best fucking laugh he’d ever heard, like a waterfall of freedom with a stormy edge of lust—and then she moved again, climbing the stairs faster than he’d ever seen, that luscious backside bouncing with every step. On the second flight of stairs, she stumbled again with a giggle. He steadied her from a few steps below, reaching up to put his hands on her waist. Then he bit her thigh, just hard enough to make her gasp.

“You really are impossible,” she accused, but she didn’t sound unhappy about it.

“And you’re irresistible. Here we are together. I wonder what will happen next.”

“Shut up,” she snorted, climbing the stairs again and skipping across the landing.

“You can shut me up when we’re in bed,” he said mildly. “You can suffocate me with all that, if you want.”

“I just might.”

The idea sounded like heaven, actually, filthy fucking heaven: Aria sitting on his face. He’d breathe in her cunt like it was oxygen and die with her thighs holding him hostage. Yeah. That was his new life goal. But maybe he’d save it for sixty years’ time. There were a lot of things he needed to do before he died, after all.

Like marry Aria Granger.

The thought didn’t even faze him. The exact fucking opposite, in fact. A grin slid over his face as he followed her up the last few steps—until he remembered that marrying Aria would be difficult when she didn’t even want to be with him.

Or anyone, it seemed. A couple of hours ago, she’d said the word ‘commitment’ like it was a slug she’d had to pick up with her bare hands. Nick hesitated as they reached the top of the stairs, suddenly worried. And quite disturbingly sure that his earlier suspicions were correct: he was in love with Aria.

He was in love with Aria.

Perfect.

On the landing, he reached out and caught her wrist. She turned back to look at him, those almond eyes wide and questioning, her glossy lips parted. God, those lips.

Nik shook his head, forcing himself to focus on words—actual, useful words. Hopefully some of the blood in his body had remained in his brain, rather than relocating completely to his throbbing cock.

“Listen, Ri, what I said earlier… I meant it. This isn’t casual.”

“Okay,” she said slowly, almost nervously. “So, what is it?”

Love , his ridiculous mind supplied. Like he could say that to her, when she flinched at the thought of a relationship. “It’s us. It’s just you and me.”

The words made not a lick of sense, but something about her seemed soothed, and he saw understanding in her eyes. “Yeah,” she said softly. “You and me.”

That settled, Nik gave into the need heating his blood and pushed her gently back, back, back, until she was walking through the door of their room. He kicked it shut behind them and dragged her close, hands kneading her luscious arse, cock thrust hard against her belly, tongue tangling with hers. And she met him move for move, just as hungry, just as reckless, pouring her moans into his mouth as if she knew how they fed him.

But she couldn’t. She couldn’t possibly know what it did to him, to touch her, to be touched by her. If she did, Nik had no doubt, she’d run.

* * *

Aria loved sex in general and orgasms in particular. Yet, despite her appreciation for bedroom activities, she wasn’t a Rip off my clothes and fuck up my hair kind of girl. Mostly because her clothes were too fabulous to mess up for something as common as dick. Also, because she’d never been swept away quite that badly, never been so high on desire that she forgot to care about anything else.

Until now.

When Nik broke their kiss to drag her dress roughly over her head, it didn’t irritate her; it pulled a gasp from her lips and sent a thrill racing down her spine. When he threw the dress away and looked down at her near-naked body with hunger in his eyes, she felt her pussy get even wetter. Her underwear must be a mess.

He’d probably like that.

Nik grabbed her hips with both hands, little sparks of electricity zinging from each indent of his fingers in her flesh. “You’re so fucking beautiful.”

“And you’re a tease.” Aria leant forward until her tingling nipples brushed his shirt, the cotton rasping against those sensitive tips. When she closed her eyes and moaned, Nik’s teeth caught her lower lip. He bit, sucked, and she felt every taut pull as if he’d wrapped his lips around her clit instead.

Releasing her, he slid his palms up her body until they cradled her breasts. “If you want something, agapi mou, just ask.”

“I’m not falling for that one again.”

He grinned. “Am I not giving you what you wanted?” Before she could reply, he bent his head and gave her nipple a long, wet lick.

She moaned and watched him lap at her breast, his amber skin flushed, his dark brows furrowed and ferocious. Attraction and need coalesced in her core to form something else, something greater, something that had her raking shaking fingers through his hair and panting, “Fuck, yes, please.”

He moved to her other breast, one hand pushing up the small, soft mound until it met his lips. His free hand cupped her pussy through her sodden underwear, the fabric clinging to her folds. A flush spread over her chest at the realisation that she was even wetter than she’d thought, that her thighs had grown slick, too. But it was his fault. He’d made her sit through dinner watching those full lips move, remembering the way they felt gliding over her skin. He’d done this.

He knew it, too. Nik sucked her nipple hard and rubbed her pussy, his palm rocking against her clit, his fingers teasing her entrance. Something sensuous and unrestrained rolled through her, stealing her breath.

He released her breast and straightened up, his hand stroking faster now, his lips slightly swollen. “Are you going to come, agapi mou? Already?” He actually had the audacity to use that teasing smile with her right now. He was awful. She adored him.

“Fuck off,” Aria managed to gasp, biting back yet another moan. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. He was already smug enough. But the way he worked her, his touch so satisfying, maybe he had a right to be.

He bent to whisper against her throat, his stubble grazing her sensitive skin. “I love your pretty little tits. I love your fat nipples and the taste of you on my tongue, and I love the way you’re riding my hand right now like you might never get the chance again.”

She rocked against him harder, the sensation she chased drawing closer with every word. “Ahhhh, Nik, keep—keep—like that—”

“Like this?” he echoed, his tone teasing as ever, but wicked. So wicked. He rubbed her clit in a way that shouldn’t have been enough to make her come, only it was, it was , because she’d been waiting so long, and she wanted it so much—and because it was him. It was Nik’s big hand driving her toward orgasm and Nik’s smiling mouth at her throat and Nik’s arms holding her upright as she gasped out his name, her knees buckling, her body fizzing away from her like champagne from a freshly-popped cork.

“Fuck, Aria. Eísai tóso ómorfi. You’re so beautiful. I need you.”

As the last tremors faded and her focus returned, Aria opened her eyes—when had they closed? —and swatted his chest weakly. “I told you about the Greek thing.”

He pushed her toward the bed. “You don’t want me to be sexy right now?”

“If you get any sexier, I might die.”

“Not yet, love. We’re not done.” He ripped off his clothes as if they were on fire. Aria lay back on the bed and watched, her hand trailing idly down to her still-aching clit, toying with the tight bud through her knickers. First, he stripped away his shirt, revealing that broad chest and the thick trail of hair pointing down his abdomen. His jeans went next, and Aria salivated over his powerful thighs until he finally pushed down his briefs.

At that point, he may as well have been a floating erection. She certainly wasn’t looking at any other part of him, not anymore. Because Jesus, she loved his cock. It jutted up against his abs, veering slightly to the left, the swollen head leaking pearly drops of pre-come. Aria circled her clit faster as her arousal spiked again. Impatient, she shoved down her underwear until she was fully naked.

Nik looked up at her and groaned, his eyes fluttering shut as he tipped his head back. “Oh, fuck.” He wrapped a fist around his length, his features drawn tight. “Aria. You don’t know what you do to me.”

“I think I do,” she murmured. And she liked it. So she spread her legs wide and traced her fingertips around her soft, slippery entrance. “Look at me.”

He didn’t disappoint. Nik’s eyes snapped open and he hissed out a breath, biting down on his fist even as he moved closer to the bed. He sank down until his gaze was level with her folds, and when she eased two fingers inside her pussy, he moaned her name.

She released a soft sigh of her own, her hips rocking automatically, her fingers stroking hyper-sensitive walls. “Ohhh, fuck.”

“Tell me how it feels,” he ordered. “Tell me. Are you tight? Or do you need more?”

“More,” she whimpered, thrusting into herself harder. “I want it deeper, but—”

With a growl, he reached out and grabbed her calf, dragging her down the bed. Down, down, down, until her knees were draped over his shoulders and she could feel his panting breaths against her clit. He wrapped a hand around her wrist and pulled her fingers from her pussy, sucking them into his mouth.

Aria moaned as his tongue separated her digits, lapping up every drop of her wetness. She felt his grunt of pleasure as much as she heard it, the deep vibrations setting off tingles of need that scattered through her body. She felt as if she were coming apart at the seams, as if she’d been taken over by pleasure.

“God, you taste so fucking good.” He dug his fingers into her thighs, forcing her legs wider. “You have no idea how much I’ve thought about this.”

“Since yesterday?”

“Since the first time I saw you. I spent half the night fucking my own hand.” The flash of ferocity in his eyes was raw, almost animalistic. “You’re so beautiful, Aria. Tell me you know that.”

She was happy with the way she looked— very happy, as a matter of fact. She didn’t even mind her boobs, as much as she whined about them. But the way he looked at her sometimes, she wondered what he actually saw. Because no-one on earth could be beautiful enough to inspire that kind of urgent desire, to cause the tenderness and the need that battled in his gaze.

“I know,” she said softly.

He ran his hands over her thighs, sparking a shiver that made her pussy tighten. Parting her folds, he murmured, “And your cunt. Your cunt’s gorgeous too.” The crude words set her alight like a match to dry tinder. She was moaning his name even before he finally, finally slid his tongue through her folds. But when that hot, wet touch split her open, oh, God, it was good, so fucking good. He lapped at her as if she were dessert and he wanted to savour every mouthful. He licked up the juices spilling from her entrance, his tongue dipping inside her with every few strokes.

And then, when she thought she might die with wanting, when her ragged cries and hoarse demands became truly frantic, he licked her clit. The shock of perfect pleasure as his tongue nudged that aching bud made her scream. Actually scream. She’d never even done that before. The sound faded into a desperate, sobbing moan as he closed his lips gently around her clit and sucked.

When he pushed his fingers inside her, she almost came. It was just the barest kiss of that ultimate pleasure, the edge of an orgasm—if that was even possible. Aria had been propped up on her elbows, watching as Nik buried his face in her pussy, but now she fell back with a ragged sigh, her bones turning liquid.

His fingers stroked deeper than hers had managed, but not deep enough to fill the yearning, lustful ache he’d sparked inside her. Still, it was enough to spark tremors in her womb that seemed to shake her bones, tremors that drove every thought but Nik from her head. As she came again, harder than the last time, his tongue moved to lick her growing wetness.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” she gasped, so sensitive now that she had to pull away. Aria dragged herself up the bed, crawling away from him even as she begged, “Nik, God, Nik, come here.”

He kissed her ankle and stood, which was not what she’d wanted. She wanted him on top of her, weighing her down when she felt ready to float away, giving her more of the pleasure she wasn’t sure she could take. Aria watched with frustration as he walked around the bed and produced a box of condoms from the bedside drawer.

“Ri,” he said, sitting down beside her, his voice gentler than it had been all night. “I want you to know I’m always safe. With everyone else, I mean.”

Oh. She nodded silently, tensing as she waited for the rest. The cajoling Soooo maybe I could just fuck you bare because look, I really mean it, which means you can trust me enough to throw these in the bin!

But he didn’t say that, or anything like that. He just ripped open a foil packet and put a condom on so fast, she almost missed it. And then, finally, he rolled on top of her, the heat of his body filling a need she hadn’t known was there.

He tried to rise up on his elbows, but she wrapped her arms around his neck and dragged him back down. “Like this.”

Nik slid one hand into her hair and grasped her thigh with the other, drawing up her leg, opening her to him. The thick head of his cock nudged her entrance, sending currents of electricity through her body. “Aria…”

The expression on his face was almost pained, caught between ecstasy and something else, something too bright to face head-on.

“What is it?” She ran her fingers over his face. Something soft and warm and possessive rolled through her when he nuzzled his cheek into her hand.

“I adore you,” he murmured. “Completely. I adore you.” His mouth caught hers in a searing kiss as he thrust into her, so fucking slowly. Inch by inch, his cock stretched her wide as his tongue caressed hers. For the first time in forever, she felt full in a way she couldn’t describe, a way that had nothing to do with the hard length easing into her.

If he hadn’t kissed her when he did, she might have said something dangerous back.

* * *

This must be what drowning felt like. Not the part where you choked and panicked and struggled to breathe; this was the part where you gave up, where your mind floated away as your body died, and all you felt was warmth and water and weightlessness. Yes, he decided. Aria felt like a beautiful death and the heaven that followed, all wrapped up in one.

Her kisses were sweet and tender and desperate, her hands sliding through Nik’s hair, over his face, his shoulders. Everywhere she touched, she spread star-bright pleasure. He could feel her panting breaths against his cheek, feel her nipples hard against his chest as she arched beneath him. Her hips rocked against his, and his cock—Jesus, his cock was buried so deep in her slick heat, he might never get out again.

That would be perfect; that would be bliss. This, with her, forever.

“Nik,” she moaned softly. “Please. Fuck me.”

He slid a hand under her head, cradling her skull, holding her to him as he kissed her again. He couldn’t speak. If he did, she’d hear the truth in his voice, hear the fact that he loved her in every crack and waver. So, instead, he kissed her, and hoped she wouldn’t taste it on his tongue. Holding her tight, Nik eased out of her pussy almost completely, then rocked slowly back into her.

She gave a long, shuddering moan, and he swallowed the sound greedily. The rampant need that had been prowling inside him from the moment they’d met was, for the first time, satisfied. Completely satisfied. He had her. She was his. He wouldn’t think about the rest, wouldn’t think about reality— couldn’t right now, with her soft, wet cunt clinging to his dick, and her nails raking his back, and her body trembling every time he thrust.

“Yes,” she breathed, breaking the kiss, freeing his reckless mouth. “Yes, oh my God, Nik, like that.”

“S’agapó,” he breathed. I love you.

She sank her teeth into his shoulder for a second, then gave a ragged moan. “I’m going to come.”

“S’agapó. S’agapó. Ti mou ékanes, agápi mou?” What have you done to me, my love?

He watched her expression dissolve into ecstasy as she came with his name on her lips. Felt her inner walls tighten and release around his cock. He fucked her through it, pushed her higher until she finally relaxed beneath him, completely spent. And then he caught her face in his hands, and kissed her, and gave in to his release.

When he came to his senses, Aria was shoving gently at his shoulder. “Sorry,” he mumbled, rolling off of her. To his surprise, she followed, throwing half her body on top of his, burying her face against his chest.

“Goo’night,” she sighed, and snuggled deeper as if he were a teddy bear.

“…Ri?”

No response.

“Aria. Are you asleep?”

Apparently so.

Less than five minutes after an orgasm that had shaken his soul, Nik stared up at the ceiling and laughed.

* * *

Aria spent the next morning thoroughly enjoying herself. Or rather, thoroughly enjoying Nik as he got acquainted with her sex box.

He seemed to like it. A lot.

By the afternoon, they were up and wandering the streets while the rest of the house slept off last night’s excess. As they walked, Nik swung their joined hands with so much enthusiasm, Aria was surprised he hadn’t accidentally thrown her halfway across the street. “You’re in a good mood,” she murmured as they passed cute little stores and cool cafés.

“Of course, I am,” he said cheerfully. “I spent my morning coming on your—”

“Will you shut up ? I don’t think those nice old ladies over there need to know about our deviant activities.”

Nik barely spared the ladies a look, rolling his eyes. “Deviant activities?” he echoed in mock outrage. “I think you mean love-making, Aria. Very meaningful love-making.”

She laughed so hard she almost choked. “I’m pretty sure that would involve less dirty talk. And fewer vibrators. And…”

“Don’t think I can’t fuck the living daylights out of you and make love to you at the same time.”

She’d thought he was teasing—he had been teasing—only now his voice was low and gravelly, his gaze almost hypnotising. She’d had an unreasonable number of orgasms in the last twenty-four hours, but she felt heat stir in her body anyway, her skin tingling. “Oh.”

“Yeah.” He pulled her closer, bending down to kiss her nose. “What do you think about that?”

She thought she shouldn’t read too much into it, or into the soft look in his eyes. As perfect as Nik was, he was still Nik. Still the biggest playboy she’d ever met—which was saying something—still a man who’d paid her to be here, still the guy who’d practically bent over backward to avoid anything approaching a What are we? discussion. When she’d mentioned commitment the day before, he’d practically frozen, and then he’d asked about her ex.

Which was fine! Absolutely fine! Because Aria was off men. Off relationships. Completely .

“I think,” she answered finally, “that you’re a man of many talents.” She rose up on her toes and kissed his nose right back. Then she let go of his hand and headed up the street. “Do you know how to say, ‘India ink’ in Spanish, by the way?”

There was a slight pause before he answered, a hesitation before he fell into step at her side and took her hand again. “I know how to say ‘India’, and I know how to say ‘ink’.

“Good enough.”

* * *

Nik hadn’t been joking on that drunken night when he’d asked Aria to give him a tattoo. And he wasn’t joking now, either, though she was laughing at what he’d just said as if it were top-tier comedy.

“You want me to surprise you?” she repeated, incredulous.

“What, no-one’s ever asked you to do that?”

“Well, yeah. The guys who are fucking covered and don’t give a shit, sometimes they ask me to do that. But this is your first tattoo, Nik! Don’t you know what you want?”

“I think,” he said, with complete honesty, “that you’ll choose something perfect. Because you’re perfect.”

Around them, the kitchen erupted into groans. Half the house had dragged themselves out of bed to watch Nik get a stick-and-poke from his girlfriend—and, as always, Nik was using their presence to say things he couldn’t usually get away with. He could lavish fake-girlfriend-Aria with praise and have her think it was all part of the act. When they were alone, though, he tried to cool it.

He usually failed, but he tried.

“You know what?” she asked with a wicked smile. “If that’s what you want, that’s what you’re gonna get. A surprise.”

“Oh, Christ,” Georgia laughed. “You’ve done it now, Nik. You great ninny!”

Ah, well.

Aria took the whole thing very seriously—but then, he supposed, she was a professional. She’d told him all about her apprenticeship, her many tattoos, and how much she loved her job. She was going to open a tattoo shop with the money she’d earned this week. So, obviously, she wouldn’t want to accidentally poison him with a needle in a Marbella mansion.

He felt a tickle as she outlined whatever design she’d chosen, but he couldn’t see anything. For some reason, she’d decided to tattoo the back of his arm, just above his elbow. He suspected she’d done it to make sure he couldn’t see—or maybe so that, if he hated it, it would be easy to ignore. She was the kind of person who thought about things like that.

He wished he could tell her, as she filled the needle with ink and kissed his shoulder, that he’d never hate any mark she put on him.

So why don’t you? Why don’t you stop fucking around and take what you want? Why don’t you tell her that you’re not letting go?

Because I want her to hold on, too.

The sharp little pokes began, like scratchy bug bites. He felt her hair brush against the small of his back as she bent her head. He remembered how it had felt grazing his thighs that morning as she rode him, as she tipped her head back and told him she’d never wanted anyone like this.

Soon. He’d tell her soon. Because keeping secrets from Aria was starting to feel like the worst kind of sin.

* * *

“Hold still.” Aria twisted Nik’s arm into the perfect position as she snapped a picture of his fresh tattoo. “I’m gonna post this on Instagram.”

“That’s great, chrysí mou, but what is it?”

“It’s the shit emoji,” Varo said solemnly.

The room erupted into laughter. She ignored them and leaned over Nik’s shoulder, holding her phone out for him to see. Her heart pounded as she said, “Look.”

He peered at the little screen, and she held her breath. She always wanted clients to like their ink, but this was different. She couldn’t explain how. It just was. While Nik looked, she studied the image herself, searching nervously for any fuck-ups she’d missed with her naked eye. But all she saw were neat letters inked in fine capitals, spelling out ‘Colston City’—the team he’d been so devastated to leave.

She placed her lips by his ear, aware of the whole room watching closely, and murmured, “If you don’t like it—”

“I love it.”

I love you, she thought, as if it were a natural response. So natural that she opened her mouth and almost let it spill out into the world. Then, thank God, she caught herself and clamped her teeth together. “Great! That’s great! Fantastic!”

It was, possibly, the first time Aria had ever held back those three little words. She threw love around all the time, especially in the messy relationships she’d once cobbled together and clung to for reassurance. She’d told Simon she loved him, for fuck’s sake. The words had never felt heavy on her tongue, had never felt like a spell that, once whispered, could change everything.

They did now. Because Aria had the unnerving suspicion that she might really mean it. That she might mean it the way she did when she said it to Jen, or to her annoying little sisters, only different. Different in a way she’d heard of but had never really understood.

Fuck.

She backed away from Nik as his friends surged forward to see the tattoo. She needed to wrap it up. But Nik wasn’t an idiot; he wouldn’t let anyone touch what was essentially an open wound. She could leave him here for a second while she ran to the bathroom and tried to figure out what the hell was causing these strange feelings in her chest.

No-one noticed Aria leave—except Nik, of course. He always noticed, always found her in a crowd, always watched her from afar. When she scurried out of the door, she felt his gaze on her like a promise. Like the first promise he’d ever made her, one she hadn’t believed in at the time: “I will find you.”

Somehow, in the weeks that had passed, Aria had grown to trust every single word that came out of his mouth. But was that wise? Was it even real ? Or was she doing the thing she always did, the thing she’d tried so hard to stop after learning just how dangerous it could be?

Aria didn’t know. And five minutes staring at herself in the bathroom mirror didn’t help matters. No ghostly breath created condensation on the glass; no secret messages appeared. All she saw was her own face, eyes somehow less tired than usual, skin glowing more than it did back home. Must be the vitamin D.

She kind of wished Nik was here, so she could make that horrible joke aloud and he could laugh as if it were funny.

God, this was worse than any crush she’d ever had—if it was even a crush. It felt like she was falling for him. It felt like she was fucking smitten, but that, Aria decided as she unlocked the bathroom door, was a feeling she couldn’t trust.

“Aria.” Her name, spoken by a voice she barely recognised, was all the warning she had before a big body blocked the doorway, pushing her back.

She was still holding the needle she’d used on Nik, though she’d wrapped it back up in its packaging, ready for disposal. She clutched the little plastic bundle tight as Shenker’s pretty face came into view. He gave her an apologetic look as he shut the bathroom door, closing them in together.

“What the fuck?” she demanded.

He held up his hands. “I’m not trying anything. Swear. I just want to talk.”

“In a fucking toilet ? Fuck off before I stab you!”

“Aria calm down. I just need to talk to you without Nik hanging around.”

“Why?” she demanded. “What could you possibly have to say to me that my boyfriend can’t hear?” Boyfriend rolled from her lips far too naturally, but she was too on edge to worry about it.

“I want to warn you,” Shenker said.

The words cooled the rage in her blood like a bucket of ice. Warn her? About what? Suspicion unfurled in her chest, its taste bitter and familiar, edged in sour panic. She’d been right to hesitate, to question her feelings. Nik had secrets. He’d been lying to her. He’d been hiding something. She knew it.

“What?” she demanded. To her horror, tears prickled at the corners of her eyes. She blinked them back furiously and speared Shenker with a glare. “Go on. Tell me.”

He leant against the door and eyed her with what seemed to be genuine pity. “You know he’s just using you, right?”

“How?” she demanded.

“I can tell you’re a sweet girl.” At her derisive snort, he insisted, “You are! A nice girl. A good girl.”

He was saying girl rather a lot, considering she was close to thirty.

“Obviously, Nik couldn’t use his usual tactics with you,” Shenker went on, his tone earnest. “So, he had to try something new. That’s all this is, this girlfriend thing. As soon as he gets tired of fucking you—”

“Oh, seriously? That’s all you’ve got?” Aria rolled her eyes, the panic in her veins draining away all at once. Shenker didn’t know anything, and he wasn’t here to ‘warn’ her. Clearly, he just wanted to talk crap about Nik, maybe to break up their supposed relationship. Aria didn’t know why the two of them hated each other so much, but she did know shit-stirring when she heard it.

“I’m serious,” the blond said. And he really did sound serious. If it weren’t for the fact that, actually, Nik was paying Aria to be his girlfriend, she might even believe the guy. “He’s never stayed with anyone for more than five minutes. You haven’t seen him in action.” Shenker’s lip curled. “It’s fucking disgusting.”

“Oh, come on. His sex life offends your delicate sensibilities? Grow up. This whole house is shagging twenty-four seven.”

“It’s not the same,” Shenker spat. “He can’t even stay with one woman. Or,” he sneered, “one man.”

Understanding dawned. Aria ground her teeth so hard, a flash of pain lanced through her skull. “So, what you’re saying,” she gritted out, “is that my boyfriend’s a cheating skank because he’s bi. Yeah? Is that right?”

Shenker had the absolute unmitigated gall to shrug . As if the question wasn’t even worth answering. Which is when her temper really snapped.

Slamming a hand against the door, right beside his face, she waved around her little plastic bundle. “Do you know what I have in here?” she asked. “I have a needle. A big fucking needle. And if I put that needle in your eye, it will hurt. A lot. Along with some other unpleasant effects. And you know what, Shenker? I wish I could. I really fucking wish I could stab you right now, more than I’ve ever wanted to stab anyone in my life. And let me tell you, that’s saying something, because I have quite the temper.”

He shifted, his jaw set, his expression a woeful attempt to appear unconcerned. She watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed.

“Get the fuck out of my way,” she whispered, and stepped back.

Without a word, Shenker practically folded himself in half to avoid blocking her path. Aria slammed out of the bathroom and marched down the hall, muttering furiously under her breath.

As she neared the kitchen, Nik appeared, his eyes settling on her with relief. “Hey,” he smiled. “Where’d you go?”

She grabbed him by the hand and kept walking, pulling him deeper into the house.

“Okaaaay,” he laughed. “We’re going somewhere. Cool.”

She didn’t laugh along. “You said,” Aria began quietly, “that you wanted the opposite of casual.”

“Uh… yeah,” he said, his confusion clear. “I did. I do . But you didn’t seem big on the commitment thing, so—”

“Neither did you,” she pointed out.

“Didn’t I?” he asked, his voice a little too mild.

Aria stopped in her tracks, turning to face him. She had no idea what was going on here, not anymore—but she knew one thing with absolute certainty, the kind of certainty she hadn’t felt in a very long time.

She trusted Nik. She cared about him. And she would fuck up anyone who messed with him.

Which meant she should probably put on her big girl knickers and say this.

“I want to be with you. For real.” Her words were barely a whisper, because although the room they were in seemed empty, anyone might be close by.

But she knew he’d heard her, because his face lit up like a Christmas tree—which was not exactly the reaction she’d expected. She didn’t know what she’d expected, actually. Something potentially devastating, bad enough that her palms were still sweating even as she saw the happiness in his eyes.

“You do?” he asked, a bit loudly. And then, again, his voice a whisper, “You do? You do. Aria don’t fuck with me—”

“Oh, come on. I’m serious. Of course, I’m serious.”

He grabbed her, ignoring her shrieked warning about the needle she still held and his brand-new tattoo. “Mine,” he murmured against her lips, wrapping an arm around her. “You’re mine. You’re with me. For real.”

“I mean, I thought we could… date,” she said awkwardly. “I’ll be honest, my relationships are always fucked up. I don’t know what we’re supposed to do, at this point.”

“Well, I’ve never had a relationship,” Nik said, “but I’ve been thinking about this a lot.”

He had? She should probably wonder about that fact, but he was saying lots of lovely things, and their lips were very close. She really had no time for thinking. She was extremely busy.

“You’re mine,” Nik repeated, “and I’m yours, and we’re going to do exactly what we’ve been doing, and it’s going to be great. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Do you trust me?”

She only hesitated for a heartbeat. That barely meant anything, all things considered. “Yes.”

Maybe he’d felt that slight pause. Maybe he hadn’t. Regardless, when he kissed her, she didn’t sense a single reservation from him.

Not one.