Page 118 of Take What You Want

Nikolai clears his throat, ready to jump in and defend his friend. “Reid keeps his word, Jane. Did you forget that he’s known about us for years and never said anything?”

“That’s one thing.”

“And he’s never told anyone aboutthatnight.” Nikolai rubs his hand across his jaw.

“As he shouldn’t.”

“There’s more,” Nikolai says, “but we don’t particularly need to run down a list.”

“Some secrets I even know and have kept to myself so as to not embarrass the person I know them about.” Reid arches a brow, challenging me.

“Are you saying you know something about me that you’ve been keeping to yourself?” Nerves prick the back of my neck as my mind races through anything I can possibly think of that might be embarrassing in my past.

“Maybe,” he says, playing coy.

I dart my eyes to Nikolai, whose face is carefully blank.

“Would you care to enlighten me?” I ask Reid, my tone cool. “Because I can’t imagine what you might have on me considering we have not spent much time together in recent years.”

“Oh, this isn’t recent. You’ll have to use that brain of yours to think a while back.” His voice is dripping with arrogance but I’m used to it. I even kind of like it. Reid’s always had a cocky air to him, before all the money and fame.

I sit back, gears turning, trying to figure out what he’s alluding to because I don’t want to give him the satisfaction. But after a minute goes by, he can’t stand it anymore.

“C’mon, Little Walker, I know you were looking for me at that party years ago. That you thought maybe I could help solve yourproblem.” He puts air quotes around the last word and watches me in amusement.

I gasp, whipping my head toward Nikolai, who smirks, leaning back with an arm slung over the top of his chair. “He told you?” I ask Reid, embarrassment heating my cheeks. Not only that he knows I was trying to lose my virginity that night, but that I also considered him as a potential option.

Reid nods, his lips pulling up the corners. “We share everything, don’t we?” He slips his eyes across the room to Nikolai who shifts in his chair and nervously glances at me.

What’s he suddenly got to be nervous about?

Wait…

I sputter and blink at the two of them. “Have you?—?”

“Shared women?” Reid asks casually. “You didn’t tell her, Nik?” Nikolai shoots him a look I can’t decipher and Reid continues, “See, I told you I’m a locked vault. A few times over the years. Nothing serious ever, just a little bit of fun.”

Well…that’s news. Not that I guess I’m necessarily surprised. I’m well aware of their reputations and as they rose to fame, it’s not hard to imagine that women wouldn’t be willing to sleep with the both of them.

“Jane,” Nikolai says and when I look at him, he’s nervous. “Look, it’s in the past. I haven’t?—”

I wave him off. “I’m not mad.” His shoulders sag in relief. “What you did while we were apart isn’t my business. And c’mon, it’s not like it’s that surprising.”

He licks his lips and rubs a thumb across his jaw. “It’s not?”

I laugh. “Not really. I’m aware you’ve been a little slutty in your past.”

“A little?” Reid pipes in.

“Okay, a lot.”

Nikolai flips us off.

“And you,” I say to Reid, “definitely not surprising. I mean, why do you think I ever considered you to be an option all those years ago? I knew you could give me what I want and walk away without a glance back. I mean, not like it would’ve ever happened, but, you know.” I take a sip of wine and settle back on the couch, my mind flashing through images of the idea of the two of them together…

“It wouldn’t have?”

I blink. “What?”

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