Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 56378 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 282(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56378 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 282(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
“Makes what, okay?”
“I’m sure it would make it okay,” I snap, correcting myself. “I’m done with this conversation.”
We eat in silence for the remainder of the meal. My thoughts straying to Arria. If Dominic is suddenly interested in me again, he might send people after her, too. He’s going to twist his way into our lives, grip onto us, and refuse to let go—that’s how he works. I could only disentangle last the time because of my reputation for honesty—a reputation based on truth.
If Dominic learns I took Lucy on based on a lie, nothing will stop him.
“We should’ve let him take her to court,” Lucy mutters.
I glare at her. “Now, you tell me that?”
“I didn’t know you would develop feelings for her, did I?”
“Who said I have?”
“You don’t need to, Nico. Let’s call this, us, what it is—we’re best friends who live together. There isn’t a day that goes by we don’t speak. We discuss everything. I’ve seen you almost every single day for over a decade. Something’s changed in you.”
I grind my teeth, refusing to answer.
“You need to control it,” she says softly. “Control this, the entire situation.”
“I will,” I tell her.
But it’ll be a miracle if I can get through this without getting hurt, without Arria getting hurt, or without the mob taking drastic measures.
CHAPTER 9
ARRIANA
“Is everything okay?” Dad asks over breakfast.
I usually love eating breakfast with my parents. We’ve always been a tight family unit. Despite Dad’s long hours, he’s always found ways to spend time with me, often taking me on trips so I can snap photos. Mom has always been there, too, a rock through the good and bad times. But ever since this stuff with Nico, I find it difficult to be myself around them.
I imagine saying, Not really. I keep fantasizing about your brother-in-law, Mom.
“I’m fine,” I say with a forced smile.
“Do you miss California?” Mom asks tentatively.
I shake of my head. “I like it here. Strangely, I like the cold. Blue and gray shades appeal to me. I like… the change.”
I pause before saying ‘the change’ because I was dangerously close to saying ‘my uncle’ like some sort of freak. No self-control, no shame, no common sense. All of that’s behind me now, anyway.
“You must be happy to be home,” I tell Mom. “You get to spend more time with your sister.”
“Yes, Lucy’s the best,” Mom replies.
I think about her cheating on her husband and passionately kissing her business partner in the guest bedroom of our home. I don’t enjoy feeling that I resent my aunt. She was always so loving and supportive when we lived on the East Coast. But now it’s messed up. I can’t ignore that brutal fact. She found a man as handsome, selfless, and interesting as Nico, and she’s throwing it all away.
I wonder if they’ve had problems in their marriage. Did the rifts start a long time ago? Has their marriage been pulling apart at the seams for a long time? None of this is even remotely my business, of course, but it doesn’t stop me from wondering. It doesn’t stop me from wishing I was in her place, just for a day, to know what it felt like to belong to him.
After breakfast, I head upstairs, open my laptop, and look for jobs. I’ll need to work for roughly three more months until I have enough savings to begin my travels. I plan to produce a portfolio of work, hopefully something impressive and substantial, that will launch a career.
My phone vibrates. It’s him. I don’t even bother to question the way my heartbeat picks up speed this time. It’s expected.
Nico: I need to ask you a favor, Arria. It’s related to the case. This is going to seem strange. It’ll make you suspicious, but I need you to trust me and do what I say.
Me: Okay…
Nico: Does that mean you agree?
Me: How can I agree when I don’t even know what you’re talking about?
Nico: That’s the whole point. You need to trust, not understand. I will not hurt you. I’d never do that.
I stare at the word ‘never.’ It produces those same tempting tingles that ended up with me touching myself in bed, alone, dreaming of him. I should tell him I won’t agree to anything without more details. That he’s freaking me out. He’s my uncle, and this is getting intimate and way too private.
Me: I trust you.
Nico: This evening, there’s a photography seminar downtown. Attend it. Stay until the very end. Then, walk two blocks to the park. I’ll be waiting on the corner in a sedan with tinted windows. Climb into the back seat.
Me: Are you serious?
My heart is almost jumping out of my chest. Okay, that’s more melodrama. But that’s what it feels like. My mouth is dry. I lick my lips, which makes me think of what it’d be like to kiss him, taste him. Something is wrong with me.