Page 5 of Raw Deal

Chapter Three

Fully dressed in yesterday’s outfit--a pretty floral print dress with huge pink flowers, a heart neckline, and a hem that almost reached her knees—she sat on the edge of Nik’s bed. The dress was cute and flirty. She wished she was wearing body armor instead, since she had to spend the day with him. Her bakery meant the world to her, and she wouldn’t let him sell it. That was why she planned to do whatever he asked... within reason.

Tremors shook through her body, and she had to rapidly blink to keep the tears at bay. Seeing him after six long years hit her hard. Still handsome, Nik had a haunted look in his eyes that wasn’t there before. He seemed almost vulnerable.

The way he looked at her now with bitterness and hostility hurt. She hadn’t wanted his money; she had just wanted him. He could have denounced his entire family and left town without a dime in his pocket, and she would have gladly gone with him. They could have lived a life filled with happiness instead of cold, hard cash.

Chloe grabbed her purse on her way to the bedroom door. She stopped long enough to open her wallet and check for Mia’s picture. Still there. It didn’t look tampered with in any way. Dread filled her heart. Part of her wanted to blurt out the truth to Nik and introduce him to his child. But she knew him too well. If he found out that she had kept his daughter from him, he would make sure she never saw Mia again.

It wasn’t worth the risk.

She opened the door and stepped into the large living area. A gasp parted her lips. She went straight to the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows, instantly captivated by the incredible view. A beautiful blue sky hovered over the long line of hotels and casinos on the strip. There wasn’t much traffic below at the moment. That would change later.

Nik came up behind her. For a large man, he moved quietly like a jungle cat. He looped a muscular arm around her to offer her a cup of coffee. She took it with trembling hands. In another reality, this would have been her life. After a long night of making love, they would wake up to a Las Vegas morning and drink coffee together before having breakfast.

As if reading her mind, he asked, “Do you want to eat something? I usually just have coffee, but I can have room service bring you whatever you want.”

She turned, and her breath caught in her throat. No other man in the world looked as good in a suit as Nik. He was born to wear them.

Her stomach turned over in protest at the thought of breakfast. “Thank you, but I couldn’t eat a thing. My head is pounding, and I feel uneasy just thinking about... food.”

“We can make that coffee Irish. That always helps me when I have a hangover.”

“No, thank you.” She tried to keep her voice low and calm, even though she wanted to scream. Maybe later. After her head stopped hurting, she could yell at him for stealing her bakery. “Do you have any aspirin?”

“Coming right up.”

He left the room, and her muscles relaxed. She sipped the hot coffee. Her eyes widened in surprise. He remembered how she drank it: cream and two sugars. For a moment, she pondered the fact.

Then she realized it wasn’t that crazy. She remembered how he took his coffee: black and bitter. He had tasted hers once by accident and made a face that threw her into a fit of giggles.

After drinking from her cup, he’d kissed her passionately. The silky feel of his lips left her weak in the knees. “Much better,” he had said. “If I have to have that awful taste in my mouth, I at least want your silky tongue to be part of the deal.”

The memory brought a wave of emotion that threatened to wash her out to sea. She blinked away the tears trying to fill her eyes. Nik would probably laugh himself silly if he knew she hadn’t been with a man since him. She could say it was because she was too busy raising their daughter and didn’t have time to meet anyone. But the truth was, she hadn’t wanted anyone since Nik. She couldn’t go from an all-consuming, burning, passionate love like theirs to something less significant.

He returned with the aspirin and a glass of water, which she gratefully accepted. After she swallowed them, he motioned for her to join him on the long sectional sofa that was shaped like an ‘L.’ She would have refused to sit, but her legs didn’t want to hold her.

And she was still trembling.

She waited for him to sit. Then she picked the cushion farthest from him and sat with her hands beneath her thighs to keep him from noticing how badly they were shaking. With his ego, he would get the wrong impression and think she still wanted him.

“What do we do now?” she asked. “What’s the first step of your plan?”

“I want a trial run.” He gulped his coffee before setting it on the end table next to his arm. “In case you aren’t a good actress... anymore... and can’t pull it off, I want to give you a rehearsal.”

“What does that mean?”

“We’re going to tell your sister first.”

The blood drained from her face as she remembered Kristina didn’t know where she was or what she’d done last night. She did not want to introduce her sister to her new husband without warning. Kristina had trouble keeping secrets, and she often blurted out things without thinking. What if she mentioned Mia in front of him? It wouldn’t be out of character for Kristina to ask if he was Mia’s father.

She swallowed the lump building in her throat before asking, “Can I at least have a moment with Kristina to ease her into this? I want to prepare her.”

She wanted to warn Kristina to keep her big mouth shut about Mia.

Nik’s eyes slowly narrowed on her face. “I don’t think so. You and I should go in together as a couple, and there isn’t any reason to ease her into this. If we were a love match, you’d be excited to tell her. I want to see that excitement. If you can’t fake it for your sister, you won’t be able to fake it for my people.”

Chloe felt the walls closing in on her.

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