Page 76 of Diamond Don

He’s right, I realize. I’m going to be okay.

Here’s this gorgeous man who drives me wild and who wants to share this moment with me, even after I broke his trust the night before. I can either dread the entire experience or let go, taking it as it comes.

“Just let go,” he says, his brown eyes ablaze.

With a deep breath, I do. And just in time—as Yuri takes us through a complete loop. I scream in surprise, my stomach dropping to my feet. Somehow, I manage to glance at Nik, and the pure joy in his face takes my breath away.

Yuri rights the plane, and Nik asks me breathlessly, “Not so bad, right?” I shake my head, and the enthusiasm on his face starts to get to me. “Ready? Here we go again.” He laughs, not letting go of my hands.

This time, as Yuri wills the plane into a spiral of turns, my attention is focused on Nik. A laugh bubbles up inside my chest until it bursts its way up as the plane flips us up and down. His laughter joins mine, and I get lost in the moment.

As we float through the blue sky, I feel the same carefree joy I saw on Nik’s face earlier. Our gazes never disconnect, our hands never let go, and soon, I can no longer tell where my delight ends and his starts. I feel completely at ease and weightless—not a worry about anything clouding this beautiful moment.

Once the plane starts to come down to prepare for landing, I catch my breath, stealing glances at the man in front of me. He’s still smiling, and his hair is a mess. No one’s ever been this handsome. And to think that I could’ve missed the opportunity to witness him like this if I hadn’t trusted him, if I hadn’t let go of the need to control the uncontrollable. I file that thought for later.

When we get out of the plane, my legs feel like Jell-O, and I almost stumble over. Nik catches me right away before I hit the ground, and we laugh.

“You okay?” he asks, mirth still glinting in his eyes.

I nod, smiling when I realize he still hasn’t let me go. I stay in his arms, gazing at his face, not daring to break the spell of this moment.

“Maxim and I used to do this all the time,” he says. “It was one of his favorite things to do.”

Surprised that he would share that tidbit with me, I wordlessly stare at him, unsure of what to say.

“Thank you,” I tell him, finally. For sharing it with me. For letting go of the previous night.

Nik nods.

“This was fun, right?” he asks.

“It was so much fun. I can’t remember the last time I had such a blast.” I laugh.

He smiles, and it’s unlike any of the other smiles he’s ever shown me before. This is a gigawatt smile—a take-no-prisoners smile. He’s never been this happy and carefree near me, and he’s never shown me so much of himself before. Unable to stop myself any longer, I rise on my toes and, wrapping my arms around his neck, I plant a fast, hard kiss on his lips.

It only lasts a second, and when I break it, I grin at his surprised expression.

“What was that for?” he asks me curiously but not angrily.

Still smiling, I shrug. After untangling myself from him, I take his hand, and we walk back towards the car.

Nik and I drive back mostly in silence, the only conversation being his good-humored complaints and comments about my music choice. Shockingly, pop bops are not his thing.

When we return to the penthouse, I feel almost sad to part from him. But I also don’t want to ruin a perfect moment. And the day we spent together was as perfect as it gets.

Hoping for the best, I carefully ask, “So, what’s the plan moving forward, boss?”

With his swoon-worthy smile still in place, Nik sighs and closes his eyes for a moment. “How about we worry about that tomorrow?”

“Sounds like a plan to me.” I smile back at him.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, then, kiska,” he says as he departs.

28

NIK

The following morning, the unexpected invitation catches me by surprise.

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