Nicholas Stone is a Rogue Special Operations Agent with a deep wallet and a hungry dark passenger who has a ravenous taste for blood and a pension for playing the long game. He has chosen his new target, the Cross brothers, Sebastian and more specif...
I had been pacing at this point for what felt like hours. The house was finally ours, and Alex's excitement was palpable, perhaps even more so at the thought of never having to encounter 'Nicholas the Philanthropist Realtor' again.
I wasn't sure how to tell him I wouldn't likely be willing to remove contact from Nick so easily. He had become more to me than just the guy who helped us buy our house. There was a moment of lust-fueled intimacy between us, which was something that I was still thinking about. I did know one thing, however.
Alex and I's wedding would be coming sooner than anticipated with the new house, and I would find myself standing alone at the altar. Meanwhile, Alex would have the unexpected presence of his brother at his side on what would be the biggest day of our lives. I knew that, in a way, I'd have Seb there with me, too. But it wasn't the same as having someone standing beside me. And while I had many friends back home, I would have loved to extend the invitation. I worried for their safety when it came to being near me. They could be watching them for all I knew.
Nick was new. He wasn't affiliated with my previous life or identity. Maybe that's partially why I was so taken by him: that and the fact he is incredibly charismatic. I knew what I was going to do. I raced over to where my phone was located and searched his number in the contacts.
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Meet me at the cafe
The only words needed. It seemed kind of forward to me, I was always such a sucker for ensuring texts were long and conveyed more of the message than one person needs to for a text message, but this one just needed to be short and sweet. I had questions to provide.
Later, when I arrived at the appointed meeting place, Nick was already waiting. I tried to contain my excitement for the moment, though I was sure it was evident in the ridiculous smile plastered across my face.
No matter my situation, I couldn't shake the memory of what had happened between us in his room that night. It made me clumsy, which is evident in the fact that when I sat down and put my purse down on the table, I did much harder than I thought and scattered water everywhere. Great, fuck, look at the mess I've made.
I did my best to try and gesture for help. I could feel Nick's eyes watching me. It looked like there was judgment behind his glance, probably thinking what a clumsy fool I am. He watched as I struggled and used hand motions to flag down a staff member for assistance. I needed to put this moment behind me. I had a reason I'd asked him to join me today.
I asked Nick what he ordered. I still needed to learn to speak Italian and hoped he would help me. I needed to learn, but my focus was everywhere else at the moment, and trying to retain a new language likely wasn't in my immediate forecast.
I was relieved to hear him say wine and asked him to order for me. I wasn't overly hungry; the garden salad was my best choice. My eyes were wide, and I couldn't contain the grin on my face while I stared at him. I could feel him watching me, trying to gauge my motions. I knew I was being excitable, fidgety even. I knew my eyes were likely wide like I'd just discovered a new world wonder.
