He’d evaded, answering by asking her the same question. She could press the point, but given how invasive her question was, she decided to answer in hopes it would result in a quid pro quo answer from him. “I have obligations and commitments that impact my romantic relationships.”
Gus’ brows rose. “That sounds almost ominous.”
“It’s…” She was about to say complicated, then realized how that would sound.Complicatedwas the word of choice for people who didn’t want to admit what they were doing.
The problem was she didn’t, couldn’t, tell him the truth about what her marriage would someday look like.
Time for a new topic. The question around his understanding Romanian had been answered, but that still left the more tricky conversation—what happened that night in the bedroom?
Had he left when she accidentally called him Eric? Her memory said he’d stayed for at least a while after that. How far had it gone sexually? Had he seen her naked? Had he helped her put on pajamas?
The potential answers to those questions made her stomach curl with embarrassment and unease. Well aware that the awkward silence from her unfinished statement was dragging on too long, Nikolett steeled herself to just ask him what happened.
The bedroom door opened.
Eric stood in the doorway, taking up most of the space. All the bedroom lights were on, so he was slightly backlit. It highlighted both his height and the breadth of his shoulders.
Gus went utterly still, but only for a moment. A second later, he was on his feet, stepping away from the seating area so there was nothing but clear floor space between them.
For a moment, they faced off, two equally matched titans. Eric was a bit taller, blond, and pale. Gus was slightly shorter, but still well above average height, with darker coloring. Eric hadon a collared knit long-sleeve shirt that hugged his shoulders and hinted at the muscles in his chest and arms.
She knew, because she had seen and touched him, exactly how strong he was. Gus, she hadn’t really touched, but in the workout shirt every muscle was on display. Enough for her to definitively decide that they were equally matched when it came to brute strength.
Wait, did she have a type?
She hadn’t thought so, but looking at them…
Looking at them made her blood heat, even as she held her breath. The air grew thick with the odd sense that this was the calm before the storm. The moment before a battle.
Gus was to the side and slightly in front of where she sat and she could see the muscles in his back and shoulders flex and tighten.
She needed to do something, but she had no idea what that something should be. Eric hadn’t exactly gone against the plan by revealing he was here, because there was no plan. She’d been so sure that Gus wasn’t who he said he was that she hadn’t bothered to organize a plan with Eric around what they would do if he showed up. She assumed that Gus would text her back to let her know if he wanted to come over for a drink. That would in turn give her time to come up with a plan.
Since she didn’t have one, it appeared they would be using Eric’s.
Eric’s plans usually involved violence and chaos.
As Eric would say: Fuck.
The tension was now vicious. Nikolett wasn’t even taking full deep breaths as she waited for one of the titans to move, since she seemed incapable of taking the situation in hand.
Eric moved first.
Stepping forward, he held out a hand, lips curving into that disarming grin he used to put people at ease and pretend he wasn’t the violent control freak that he actually was.
“Hello. I’m Eric.”
Gus stared at Eric’s outstretched hand as the blond man closed the distance between them.
Gus slowly put his hand in Eric’s.
An odd expression flashed across Eric’s face as they shook. Were they squeezing one another’s hands? Nikolett studied the handshake, but it looked normal enough and ended a moment later.
“I’m her boyfriend,” Eric said.
There went normal, right out the window. Nikolett’s mouth dropped open. What was Eric doing?
“You’re her…” Gus turned to look at Nikolett.
