Page 22 of Savage Bosses

Stepping into the high-rise condo, my mouth further drops as I take in the beautiful view. Exposed brick and wood, clean lines and an open floor plan. I rush toward the back wall of windows that overlook the city skyline.

“It even has a balcony,” I say as I turn back to Nico.

His hands are tucked into the front pocket of his jeans. “I’m glad you like it. I know it’s only temporary, but I want to make sure you feel comfortable.”

I don’t think I’ve ever met a man as kind and caring as this one. It doesn’t help that he’s fine as all hell too.

“I can’t thank you enough for this. It feels like ever since you’ve met me you’ve been saving my life in some way. I think you might be my guardian angel,” I laugh.

A slow smile spreads over Nico’s face. “I’m no angel, baby girl. I’m just a guy that seems to be lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time.”

He wasn’t lying. Even that night at the club when I first met him, he saved me. Not as heroically as he did at the coffee hut or the kidnapping, but his presence and his words that night pulled me out of the dark spiral I was heading toward.

Until that night, being with Marcus had started to make me feel as if I was losing my mind. With all the crap I was dealing with at the job, I began to question if I truly was the problem. Maybe my nagging and always worrying about the savings account and the bills was too much. I started to question if my way was the right way. Maybe I should’ve been like Marcus and just enjoyed the money while it lasted. However, that night, Nico reminded me I wasn’t crazy.

“Well, Mr. Lucky,” I tease. It pulls a chuckle from him. “How about I cook us dinner tonight?”

His eyes widen. “You can cook?”

Rolling my eyes playfully, I say. “Of course I can cook. What do you have in here?” I walk past him heading to the fridge. I’m a little shocked when I open it and it’s empty.

Looking over my shoulder I spot a red-faced Nico. He rubs the back of his neck. “I uh wasn’t able to get any food before you got here.”

Closing the fridge, I turn back to him. “That’s alright. Let me shower and get dressed and we can go to the grocery store.”

Jesus, the smile that spreads across his face makes my toes curl. It’s something about seeing those gorgeous full lips lift to expose those perfect white teeth that does something to me.

“Sounds like a plan.”

Three hours later, our stomachs are full of Cajun chicken alfredo, cobb salad, and homemade garlic bread.

Nico scrapes the last of his alfredo off his plate before placing it on the coffee table in front of us.

“I guess I don’t have to ask if it’s good. I got that impression after your second plate.”

He grins over at me before licking a little sauce off his bottom lip. Lucky sauce.

“I haven’t had a home cooked meal like that since I was a kid. How did you learn to cook so well?”

Letting out a deep breath, I say, “Growing up, my dad was only good at two meals. Scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast, and barbeque chicken. If I wanted to eat something other than store bought premade meals, I had to learn to cook.”

“Your mom couldn’t cook?”

His question is simple, but I hate talking about my mother. In fact, if anyone else were to ask this question, I wouldn’t even give an explanation.

“She wasn’t there. She left my dad when I was three years old for greener pastures. Apparently, being a wife to a blue-collar worker that loves you to death isn’t as appealing as being the fourth trophy wife to a wealthy stockbroker.”

“What about you? She didn’t take you with her?” he says, those brown eyes piercing straight through me.

“No. Well, not initially. She came back when I was twelve. By then she was married to husband three, the plastic surgeon. He wanted kids, but Evelyn refused to have any more babies. She and daddy worked out a schedule for me to visit. Everything was fine for a while. Bill, her husband, was nice. He enjoyed playing stepdaddy and we both liked sports. Evelyn wasn’t happy about this. She accused me of trying to seduce her man and forbade me from visiting.”

He runs a hand through his gorgeous thick hair. “Fuck, that had to be tough. You were just forming a relationship with her.”

Lifting my shoulders momentarily, I shake my head. “Not really. My mother and I have nothing in common. I have her lips and sleepy eyes but that’s where our similarities end. The last time I talked to her was when Marcus got drafted. She called to tell me to get pregnant immediately and if it were her, she’d have already been his fiancée.” That wasn’t exactly the last time she and I spoke, but I refuse to think about the real last time.

“Wow, she sounds charming.”

I toss my head back and laugh. As angry as I was growing up knowing my mother abandoned me and my father, I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt when I was twelve. I went to spend time with her, not Bill. She just wasn’t interested in me.

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