Page 36 of Nikolai (Kansas City Reapers)

“Can I ask one last question?” I knew I was pushing my luck with Jax, but I had to at least try.

“Possibly? Depends on the question.”

“He told me that what happened between us last night was a one-time deal. That he couldn’t continue with me, even though he wants to. Something about not mixing business with pleasure. Why is he so stubborn about it? We’re both consenting adults, and I don’t understand why we can’t just be adults about the whole thing. It’s not like I don’t understand the situation we are in.” I knew I was being whiny, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. I just wanted to understand. And to be understood.

“I’m sorry, Niko is going to have to be the one to answer that question. But I will say, I hope he does tell you. I hope you two can talk this out and come to some kind of understanding. Mostly because this place will be a madhouse if you twocan’tcome to terms with things. But also because you two sounded like quite the pair last night,” he said, waggling his eyebrows at me with mischievous delight.

“Oh, poor Jax-y-poo! Jealous much?” I teased, throwing him a wink as I stood and returned the chair to its place.

“A little, yeah! What I wouldn’t give to have a pretty girl tied up and hung from the ceiling, making all those glorious sounds you made last night,” he shot right back, leaving me standing there, jaw slack and shocked.

“Jax, you kinky bastard! Tying a girl up and hanging her from the ceiling?! That sounds like you’re trying to kill her.”

“Kill her with pleasure and pain, maybe, but that’s it. Trust me. It’s a rush! Having hung from a ceiling like thatmyself, I can say it’s not for the faint of heart,” he cackled, his eyes losing focus for a moment, obviously lost in a memory of playing out that particular situation.

“Not for me. I can’t imagine being restrained like that. No way.” My face screwed up in distaste. But he only laughed harder.

“Well, then, that’s a limit for you. And good on you for having limits! It’s always good to know your boundaries.”

“I guess I have a lot to learn. Too bad I don’t have my laptop to do some research,” I muttered, hoping that this just might be my way into getting access to a computer or phone soon.

“No can do, dear. No access to the outside world for you. It’s safer that way. But might I suggest an alternative?” Reaching into one of his many desk drawers, he pulled out a well-used book with a yellow cover. “This book will give you more accurate information than some random place on the internet, anyway. It’s my personal copy, so ignore the notes in the margins.”

“Notes in the margins? Jax, how unexpected. I had you pegged for keeping books pristine.”

“Nah. Not me. I like notes,” he shrugged me off as I headed towards the door. “Oh, and Maddy?”

I turned, pausing at the doorway.

“I reserve pegging for special occasions.” He tossed me a wink, leaving me more shocked than before as I exited his tech cave and closed the door behind me.

What the fuck was I getting myself into?

Chapter 10

Nikolai

I hadn’t seenMaddy for more than a moment here or there over the last two days. She had sequestered herself in her room quite diligently, and did not seem to have any interest in talking to me, but what had truly surprised me was her refusal to talk to any of the other guys, either.

That being said, it wasn’t my place to force her to speak to us or force her to come out of her room. If I were being honest, it made life a little easier for me, at least in the short term. With her out of sight, I could keep myself under control. I used the time wisely, reminding myself of all the reasons why not getting involved with her was the right call. I needed to stay focused on the mission.

Knocking softly on the door, I called out to my brother, “Deacon? You have a minute?”

“Come on in,” he called, his voice sounding muffled through the closed door. I entered and closed the door behind me, giving us some privacy.

“Hey, man. I just got off the phone with Quinn.” Sitting in his small desk chair, I sighed heavily. Deacon was not a man of many words or many things. He kept his room far more bare than any of the rest of ours, preferring a much simpler, more minimalist approach to his life. It was refreshing, honestly, especially compared to Jax’s collection of gadgets, Sully’s DVD collection, and my own library of books spread between my room, my office, and the actual library in the house.

“Any news with the case?” he asked, fingers twiddling with the tuning pegs on his guitar, although it sounded fine to me.

“Yeah, sort of. Quinn has been working on gathering additional intel on this Alexei Borovsky guy, but he keeps bumping up against dead ends left and right, apparently. Maddy is still their most promising lead to be able to actually nail this fucker to the wall, but they want to make sure the case is airtight before they haul his ass in front of a judge, you know?”

“That makes sense,” Deacon replied. “When you’ve got as much money as this guy seems to, you can afford some pretty swanky lawyers. With anything less than an absolute slam dunk case, the guy would probably walk.”

I nodded my agreement. “Exactly. And that’s where the news comes in.”

Deacon leaned forward, putting his elbows on his desk and clasping his hands together. “Why do I get the feeling it’s not good news?”

“Because it’s not.”

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