Page 110 of Touch Me Not

“I’m serious, Lils. You want to be the runaway bride, I’m your guy. You say the word, and we’re gone.”

“Maybe I’ll take you up on that.”

“Nik not treating you good?” The hint of menace in her best friend’s voice brought a smile to her face. Adam was like a brother to her once she realized she wasn’t in love with him like she’d thought for the longest time.

“What’s going on, Lils?”

“Nikoli’s family is what’s wrong. I…I don’t know if I can handle letting that many people hug me. What if I freak out, and they think I’m this weirdo?”

“You are a weirdo.”

“I’m being serious, Adam. It’s bad enough I can barely bring myself to spend more than a few hours with my own mother and the twins.”

“The fact that youcando that is amazing, Lily. Don’t put yourself down. You’ve come a long way in a short amount of time.”

“I just don’t want them to think Nikoli should have found someone who’s more huggy-feely. I’d hate to embarrass him in front of his family…”

“The fuck you just say?”

Lily let out a small scream, not expecting anyone to be bellowing at her.

“Uh, I think I better call you back later,” Adam said, hearing Nikoli’s bellowed question.

“Yeah, I think so too.”

“Love you, girl.”

“Love you too.”

She disconnected the call and placed the phone on the table before turning her attention to the six-foot-three angry man glaring at her, his onyx eyes so dark she couldn’t distinguish the pupil.

Those eyes still affected her like it was the first time she’d looked into them. Her lungs froze, and she got lost in them despite how angry they were.

“Hi.”

“Hi?” He fisted his hands and looked up at the ceiling. “That’s all you have to say to me after that bullshit I just heard you spewing?”

“I…uh…”

“You, uh, what, Lily Bells?” Nikoli asked softly, coming closer. He did not just hear her say she’d embarrass him in front of his family.

“I’m afraid, okay?” Her head bent, and he couldn’t see her expression. Fuck that. He needed to know what she was thinking.

He strode over, stopping directly in front of her.

“Eyes up.” His tone left no room for argument.

Her head snapped up, and those blue eyes of hers were brimming with emotions. It gutted him to think she actually thought she’d ever embarrass him.

“Why do you think you’ll embarrass me?”

“Because…” She bit her lip, and he held back a groan. When she did that, it always set him off, and he usually carried her to the bedroom, but not today. He was getting to the bottom of this and putting an end to it.

“Because why?” He kept his voice hard, commanding.

“Because what happens when your mother tries to hug me and I freak out?” she all but wailed, and he wanted to take her in his arms and soothe the pain he heard reverberating in every word, but if he did that, she’d never get past this.

“Then you freak out,” he told her. “I’ve already told them you have issues with being touched by strangers. They’re not walking into this blind. I wouldn’t do that to you.”

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