But instead of fear, something else bubbles up in my chest.
Laughter.
I bite my lip to contain it, but a small sound escapes anyway. Nico's eyes narrow.
"Something funny?"
"You." I shake my head, unable to stop the smile spreading across my face. "God, you really think that works, don't you?"
His jaw tightens. "What?"
"The whole..." I wave my hand vaguely at him. All of him. The intense stare, the low voice, the crowding into my space like he owns it. "This. The 'I'm dangerous, don't mess with me' routine. Does that usually make women swoon? Fall at your feet?"
He looks at me like nobody's ever called him out before.
Probably nobody has.
"I'm serious, Kristen."
"Oh, I know you are." I tuck my legs underneath me, settling deeper into the couch cushions. "That's what makes it so entertaining. You're acting like a high school quarterback who thinks he can snap his fingers and have any girl he wants."
His nostrils flare. "I'm not?—"
"You absolutely are." I'm grinning now, full and genuine, and I can't remember the last time my face did this without forcing it. "What's next? You gonna tell me you're not like other guys? That I should be careful because you're bad news?"
Nico stares at me like I'm speaking a language he doesn't understand.
And honestly? Good.
Because Jack spent years making me feel small. Making me believe I was too much and not enough, all at the same time. Too loud, too opinionated, too fat, too ugly, too everything that wasn't exactly what he wanted.
This? Watching Nico Sartori fumble because I'm not reacting the way he expected?
This feels amazing.
"You should be scared of me." His voice is rougher now. Less controlled.
"Maybe." I shrug. "But I'm not."
"Why?"
I consider lying. Playing it off with another joke. But Nico's watching me with those dark eyes, and suddenly the playfulness drains away, leaving something more honest in its place.
"Because you had every chance to hurt me, and you didn't." I meet his gaze steadily. "All you did is to help me instead."
Nico's throat moves as he swallows.
"Dangerous people don't scare me, Nico. I lived with one for five years." My voice doesn't shake, and I'm proud of that. "I know the difference between someone who can hurt me and someone who will. You're the first kind."
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Nico
She's not afraid of me.
She should be. I've given her every reason.
"You're wrong about me." The words scrape out of my throat before I can stop them.
