“Oh, I plan on taking real good care of her.” He and my brother laugh as Denver steps into my apartment, out of sight.
I slap his stomach. “Do you have to be so crude?
“I was just being honest. I do plan on taking really good care of you.” To prove his point, Nico spins me around and kisses me again. He shoves his knee between my thighs and presses it into my clit.
A zap of lust flows through my body like a shot of oxytocin, further bonding us on a molecular level.
My knees wobble, my brain goes fuzzy, and my limbic system shifts into overdrive from his drugging kiss. When we break apart, I’m a panting, needy mess.
“So beautiful.” My cheeks flush at his compliment. Nico pats my butt and nudges me towards my apartment. “Go spend some time with your brother. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow,” I rasp.
He kisses me one more time before walking away and slipping into hispenthouse.
When I walk into my apartment, I’m greeted with the same Cheshire Cat grin plastered across my brother’s face as he lies on my couch.
I point at him and growl, “Don’t you dare say a word to anyone about this. Not to Charlotte, not to Dad, and especially not to Mom.”
He rubs his hand over his chin and lowers his voice. “Someday, I will come upon you for a service. Until then, consider this in the vault.”
“Did you just poorly quoteThe Godfatherat me?”
“Caught that, did you?” he asks.
“You made me and Charlotte watch that movie a hundred times when you were a teenager.”
“You can thank me for turning you into a cool chick because of it.”
“Definitely not. But I will thank you for keeping this quiet for now.”
“You’re welcome.” Denver sits up and pats the cushion beside him. “Now tell me everything.”
My big brother might drive me insane, but he’s also one of my best friends. I have always been able to tell him anything. He was there for me and had my back when I told my mother I didn’t want to be a surgeon. Denver was there when Josh Daniels broke my heart in the tenth grade and took me to get ice cream, and then took me to egg Josh’s house.
I take a seat and drop my head onto his shoulder. “Where should I start?”
“At the beginning.”
When I’m done spilling my guts, there is no judgment, just silence. My heart beats so quickly I’m afraid it’s going to fly out of my chest. “Say something.”
“I’m happy for you, Savvy. And Charlotte will be too.”
“You think?”
“Charlotte is the best person on the planet. Why wouldn’t she be happy for you?”
We spend another hour chatting before I head to bed, with a thousand scenarios running through my head. Each one ending with me breaking my sister’s heart.
twenty-nine
Nico
“Phonesonthetable,gentlemen.”
The team groans as Gwen Montgomery, the Evaders’ marketing assistant, leads today’s philanthropy meeting.
The Evaders require its players to donate a certain number of in-person hours to the community. I love this about our organization. Years ago, I became an investor in a nonprofit. One that hits close to home. Since I invested in the organization, it has grown to help even more kids and families.
