Page 145 of My Sweetest Temptation

Nico held my gaze, his intense and unwavering. “Winter, what is it that you want from me?” His tone was challenging. “Do you want me to pretend that I’m a law-abiding businessman, working a nine to five job? Is that who you want me to be?”

“Well, yeah!” I cried. “I thought you were a successful condo property and club owner.”

“I am a successful condo and club owner.” Nico’s jaw tightened, a muscle ticking. “You’d prefer I lie to you? That I sugarcoat the truth so you can sleep at night?”

My heart was pounding in my chest, and my eyes squeezed shut, as if by blocking out the sight of him, I could deny the reality of the situation and go back to our little toxic bubble.

Nico remained silent, his presence looming closer.

“Winter.” His insistent and sharp voice snapped my eyes open to find him standing a few inches away from me, his intense blue eyes searching mine as if he expected me to bolt at any second.

For a moment, I wished I could be anywhere else. But I forced myself to stay.

“So, Liam was telling the truth,” I murmured, the realization hitting me with the force of a physical blow.

At the sound of Liam’s name, Nico’s eyes darkened dangerously, and his face contorted with anger. He took a menacing step forward, causing me to flinch and retreat. “What did Liam say to you?” he demanded, his voice like a snarl.

I backed away some more, my heart hammering in my chest. “N-nothing,” I stuttered, my voice shaking.

“Don’t you dare lie to me, Winter!” Nico’s eyes flashed with fury. “What did he tell you? Why were you speaking to him after I told you to stay away?”

“He came to me,” I tried to explain, but Nico cut me off with a bitter, cynical laugh. “And he’s my friend, Nico.”

“So naive, Winter. That man has a hard-on for you.”

“No,” I protested weakly, my mind reeling. “It’s not like that.”

Nico’s eyes narrowed, his gaze piercing. “You’re here because of him. Because of what he told you. Right?”

A heavy silence settled between us before Nico spoke again, his voice tight with restrained emotion. “Ask me anything. I’ll give you the truth.”

“Really?”

He nodded. “Really.”

“Did you... kill Michael, Preston, and his friends?”

“Yes,” he replied, his expression unreadable.

“What did you do to them?” I asked, my heart galloping wildly.

“You don’t want the answer to that question, Winter.” Nico took a deliberate step forward, closing the distance between us to a mere two steps. “I will kill anyone who dares to harm the people I care about, and that includes you. I won’t apologize for that. If you can’t accept that, then tough shit. I will do everything in my power to protect you.”

His words, delivered with conviction, cracked the shell of denial I had built around myself. My heart, which had been frozen in fear, began to thaw, and I felt a surge of conflicting emotions.

Shaking my head, I looked away, unable to meet his eyes. “This is insane. I... I don’t know what to say,” I whispered.

He stood silent for a moment before lifting my chin with his finger, forcing me to meet his gaze. “This is my world, Winter. I’m not going to disappear just because you don’t approve. You need to understand that.”

“I don’t want you to disappear,” I said without thinking, and he smiled.

“Good. Because you will never escape me. You—” He kissed the tip of my nose. “Are.” He kissed the side of my mouth. “Mine.” He sucked on my lower lip and tugged it, then gave me a wide mouth kiss and devoured me like he was licking the leftover cake batter from the bowl.

My hands flew to his wrists, holding him in place so I could feel his tongue in my mouth and savor his taste of whiskey. My god, this man could kiss. He made me feel weak in the knees, and I just wanted to melt into him. When he pulled back, oh so slowly, I wanted to cry.

“Can I have you tonight, Angel?” he asked against my lips in a deep voice that had me leaning forward until our bodies touched and I could feel how hard he was.

Right as I was going to respond, a sultry voice called Nico’s name. He stilled and straightened to his full height, removing his hands from my face. When he looked over my shoulder, his jaw ticked.

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