He shakes his head quickly. “No. Of course not.”
“Then why?”
“Why, what?”
“Why get all this? Why buy the puzzles? Why let me stay here? Why go through all this effort to protect me when you don’t have to?”
Nico takes a step closer to me. “Because I want to.” He pauses. “Because I want you to be happy. Safe. I don’t trust anyone else to protect you. Not like I would.”
“But why?” I press. “Why would you do it better than one of your employees?”
“Because…” He takes my hands. “Because I still care about you. I tried to shut it away. I told myself we’d both moved on. But seeing you… being with you again. It’s like I found something I lost. I lostyou, Soph. And it’s never been the same without you.”
“Nico.”
“I know it’s stupid, thinking I have a chance to fix things. Not after what I did. But I guess I just hoped if I could make you happy, if I could prove myself, maybe?—”
I grab the back of his neck and pull his head down to mine.
Our lips crash together.
His hand comes to my back, pulling me close.
Sparks burst through my body, lighting me aflame.
My heart pounds so hard I’m breathless from it.
Nico makes a low growl in the back of his throat. His erection juts into my belly, hard and insistent.
His fingers tunnel through my hair as he tilts my head back to take the kiss even deeper.
It’s not slow or gentle. It’s not the tentative kiss of two teenagers still learning about each other.
It’s passionate. Desperate. Hungry.
He teases my mouth open and plunges inside, stroking my tongue with his.
My body is a chaos of sensation. Everything about Nico hits me all at once.
How he smells, like trees and sunshine.
How he feels, his big body pressed so close against mine.
The sounds he makes; deep, rumbly notes that go straight to my core.
The way he looks at me, like he can’t believe I’m here.
How his mouth tastes like honey and cinnamon and mint, a combination that doesn’t seem like it would make sense, but does.
And how I feel kissing him.
Like the broken parts of my heart are healing.
Oh, how I missed him. I didn’t want to. But I did.
I’m lightheaded from lack of air by the time we break apart. Nico wraps his arms around me and holds me to him. His heart is racing, just like mine.
He gazes at me for several seconds, emotion running deep in his eyes. “Was that okay?” he finally asks. “Did I fuck things up by kissing you? I wasn’t trying to rush?—”
