Sweet as Sin

46

Oh. I hadn’t been expecting that. But he wasn’t finished yet.

“As for the anger, I don’t have an excuse for that. Never felt possessive about a woman before. Or jealous, either.”

Not even Avery? Not even that beautiful train wreck whose picture you keep beside your bed?

“Never,” he insisted, reading the look in my eyes. “And I’m not gonna stand here and lie to you that it’s not gonna happen again, ’cause it might. Hell, it probably will.”

When I made a noise of frustration, he reached out and grasped my wrist, pulling me nearer. “But I get you don’t like it. So I’ll do my best to curb that s**t. If . . . ” he wrapped his arms around me and spoke into my ear, “you do your best not to compare me to every other fuckin’ douche bag you’ve been with. I don’t compare you to anyone else. At least give me that.”

I settled my head on his chest, listening to the steady thumping of his heart. He brushed my hair off my neck and trailed his lips across my shoulder and up my throat, pressing soft kisses as he went. My arms, having a mind of their own, wound around his waist.

I didn’t know what to think, or feel. Or do. What he’d said about his secrets unsettled me, and while I wanted to know what they were, at the same time I didn’t. I decided that, for the moment, it was enough he’d offered to share. There was only so much my brain could deal with in one day.

I sighed, defeated. “Okay. Deal. No comparisons on my end, and you keep a leash on King Kong.”

He cupped his hand around the back of my neck, nuzzling my throat. “Don’t sound so put out, baby. This is a good thing.”

I raised my head and gave him a disbelieving look. “Exactly how is what just happened a good thing?”

His blue eyes shone. “Got our first fight outta the way. Now we don’t ever have to do it again.”

I shook my head. His ability to transform from fire-breathing dragon to teddy bear was almost mutant. Time for a subject change before the dragon woke up again. I trailed my fingers over his skin. “What’s this tattoo on your back?”

He bent his head to my neck again, breathing me in. “Nyx. Greek goddess of the night. According to their legends, she was so powerful she was feared even by Zeus himself. She was the mother of death.”

My hands on his back faltered. The mother of death? Seriously? That’s what you have tattooed on your body?

Secondarily, because I wasn’t always the sharpest tool in the shed, came the realization that the man in my arms shared his last name with a mythical figure accredited with giving birth to death. Which made no sense at all, if you thought about it. But the point was: how could that be a coincidence?

Was Nico’s last name not his real one?

I knew celebrities did that kind of thing all the time. Marilyn Monroe’s real name was Norma Jean Baker. John Wayne’s real name was Marion Morrison. But, and this was a big but, if Nico’s last name wasn’t his real one, why the hell would he choose Nyx, goddess of the night, mother of death? Creepy much?

Holy s**t, I thought, suddenly breathless. What if his first name isn’t real, either? What if it’s, like, Eugene? I examined his gorgeous face in a whole new light.

“What?”

“I need to ask a question.”

“Shoot.”

“Is Nico your real name?”

He looked surprised. “Yeah. I’m Italian on my mother’s side, Nico was my grandfather’s name.”

Not Eugene. Thank God.

Nico cupped my jaw, his eyes searching mine. “Why? Your real name isn’t Kat?”

I burst out laughing. How could I not? “Yes, silly, Kat’s my real name. And so is Reid,” I added, subtle as a hammer.

But Nico was too busy being enamored to take the bait. His eyes went all hot and steamy, as did his voice. “Christ, Kat. That laugh. Gives me fuckin’ goosebumps.” He bent his head and took my mouth, sucking greedily on my lips like they were candy.

Would I ever tire of that amazing tingling his kisses sent winging throughout my body?

“Whoa, cowboy.” I pulled away before my hormones could take over. “The band, remember?”

He closed his eyes. “Yeah. How could I forget.” His tone was so sour I had to laugh again, which brought a smile to his face. He gazed down at me, smiling brilliantly, his dark hair falling into his eyes, golden light from the windows haloing his head. In that moment, something happened that I thought only happened in the movies.

My heart—literally—skipped a beat.

“There it is,” he whispered, going from lighthearted to intense with whiplash speed. “There’s that look I love so much.”

The L word. He’d just said the L word! Faint now, or wait until he leaves the room?

Slowly, as if magnetized, our faces drew together. The kiss started out tender, but quickly turned greedy. His hands were greedy, too, shoving aside the towel to rove over my naked hips, bottom, waist. I rose up on my tiptoes. My arms tightened around his shoulders. When he began to walk me toward the bed, I had to intervene before I lost myself completely in him.

“The band, Nico.”