* * *
Ben didn’t return until lunchtime.Jackson had arrived half an hour after Nikolas’s summoning phone call and was now well read into Nigel and Justin’s profiles.
Nikolas had recruited Jackson to ANGEL to silence him about events in Russia two years previous when they’d survived a plane crash together.But he’d proved his worth many times over since that initial, hasty hiring.Effectively, he was Nikolas’s CEO, if such a private organisation had such an office.He ran ANGEL, taking the day-to-day mundane work off Nikolas’s shoulders.If anyone had to guess which of the ANGEL team was gay, Jackson would be top of the list.Which would be wrong—but then they’d probably put Nikolas and Ben at the bottom.Jackson appeared to model himself on a character in an American television series who’d been ferociously gay.Once Tim had pointed this resemblance out, Squeezy had seized on it to give Jackson his nickname.
Jackson was cold-hearted; he spent all his free time in the gym; he was obsessed about his looks, impressed by money, and spent more on suits and accessories than Nikolas.But unlike his role model, Jackson wasn’t gay.Nikolas claimed this was only because Jackson would never risk going out with someone who was better than him at anything.
Ben had been surprised when Nikolas hired Jackson.Theirs had been a rocky relationship in Russia.He’d been even more taken aback, therefore, that Nikolas and Jackson appeared to enjoy each other’s company now.They even, and he found this quite incredible, often went out together.Nikolas claimed they went to a gym, but Ben knew this was a lie.He hadn’t spied on them, of course—that would be beneath him, and not worthy of his trust in Nikolas.He’d had Squeezy follow them.They’d gone to a casino.
* * *
Jackson and Nikolas were discussing tactics when Ben came into the kitchen.Nikolas dropped his tea, which then splashed over the files.He snatched them up, but kept his eyes on Ben—wide, astonished eyes.He swallowed and closed his mouth and tried to say, “What have you done?”but by the time he had found enough saliva to make a sound, only thedonewas audible.Ben knew what he meant.He shrugged.
Jackson just stared, his eyes also wide, but then he glanced uneasily between Nikolas and Ben.Without saying anything, he slid around the standing figure and left the kitchen.
Ben’s long hair had been shaved off to an inch of standing buzz, which was now white-blond.His eyes were husky-blue with hints of their natural green turning them turquoise around the rims.His stubble had been trimmed to a goatee that framed his mouth.This was also blond-white, more than startling on his deeply tanned skin.The overall effect was…utterly transformational.Nikolas might have walked past him in the street.The overall effect was…utterly stunning.Blue eyes, white hair…Ben turned his head slightly to one side.He had a diamond stud in his ear and curling up from the neckline of his T-shirt and covering his neck on that side was a tattoo of the letter N.
“When are we leaving?”
Nikolas had to lick his lips again before he could summon speech.
“Saturday.”When this came out correctly, he added, “Early.”He came closer.He put out a hand tentatively, his thumb brushing over the white stubble around Ben’s lips.
* * *
Ben could read Nikolas’s thoughts as if he were actually speaking aloud, and opened his mouth, taking the thumb in, moving close, embracing him, letting Nikolas’s lips and tongue explore everything and discover that he hadn’t changed anything other than the superficial, which would change back soon enough.The tattoo was temporary.The hair would take a while to grow back out again, but he’d shaved it once before.No harm done this time.So precisely did Ben know Nikolas’s thoughts he wasn’t even surprised when Nikolas murmured,
“No scabs this time.”
Ben nodded, hugging him tighter.“I couldn’t let you go without me.”Then he added with a slight huff that betrayed the fact he wasn’t quite so sanguine about Nikolas’s friendship with Jackson as he appeared, “I couldn’t let you go withKinney.”
Nikolas held him off, eyeing Ben speculatively, especially the hair, then gazing with an annoyed look at his new eye colour.He turned him round to examine the back of the hair then spun him once more to face front.“As you would say, Benjamin—fuck me.”
Ben grinned.“Okay.”He kissed Nikolas and ruffled his hair.“So, you’re okay with this?”
“Okay isn’t the word I’m currently thinking, but what I’m thinking doesn’t have an equivalent in English.”He couldn’t seem to take his eyes off Ben, just kept watching him with a bemused shaking of his head.“You still look like ex-Special-Forces-Expert Ben Rider, you know.”
Ben nodded, unconcerned.“Looklike.I’ll play on it.Say, yeah, I know, poncy git.”
Nikolas appeared to want to say more but for the first time in their relationship, he seemed utterly at a loss to find words in any language to say anything.Unconcerned, Ben went to put the kettle on and was about to ask Nikolas what he and Kinney had been discussing when the doorbell rang.
Ben went to answer it and was…overwhelmed with flowers.He staggered back into the kitchen, followed by Kate with still more flowers in her arms.She dumped her load on the table and indicated for Ben to do likewise.Nikolas frowned deeply as if he’d thought his life couldn’t get any odder that day.“You’re bringing Ben flowers now?”
* * *
Kate was staring at Ben, but answered, exasperated, “They’re not for him.They’re for you.”She hoped he got themoronshe mentally concluded this with and suspected he did.She addedwanking tosspot—one of Squeezy’s favourite Nikolas expressions when they discussed him in private—and suspected he’d heard that, too.She was fairly sure people had said worse to him in his life out loud.Possibly just before he tortured or murdered them.Or fucked them.
“You’re bringing me flowers.To bribe me to let you f…?”
She shifted her study to Nikolas for a moment with a frown.“Bribe you?These are for you to practise on.”Her attention drifted back to Ben, her head tilting to one side and then the other.It was incredible.Simple things, but the transition from Ben Rider, to being almost another man entirely was impressive.He resembled the old Ben, but this new Ben only served to emphasise just how beautiful, how perfect the original version of the man was.Kate felt a distinct stirring, and not necessarily the sexual one she always felt around Ben.This time it was more maternal.She wanted to remove the ear stud—tell Ben he didn’t need it, that perfection didn’t need enhancement.She wanted to change the hair back to the luscious black shine with chocolate and vanilla highlights that he seemed so unaware of.
Perhaps not so motherly after all.
Then an annoying thought occurred to her—she had probably just had a similar reaction to Ben’s transformation as Nikolas Mikkelsen.Nikolas must also think about Ben’s hair—onlyhestill got to smell it and run his fingers through it.He possibly also gazed in awe as the summer sun created edible highlights—or perhaps not.He didn’t seem the type.Fuck, who was she kidding?She saw the way he watched Ben when Ben didn’t know he was being observed.Yeah, he thought about the highlights.
She tried to fix her gaze on Nikolas, who was still questioning her about the flowers—but it was impossible—it reverted to Ben as if drawn by an irresistible force.
She felt a tingle of something down her spine.Not so pleasant.A shiver of warning.Nikolas was a jealous rival.She’d discovered this many times when giving Ben what her boss clearly thought was too much attention.He monitored Ben like a hawk watched prey, which was a trite but very apt analogy, when she thought about it.She knew a great deal about this man who called himself Nikolas Mikkelsen.Killing and eating what he desired wasn’t off his agenda at all.
