Page 19 of Touch Me Not

“What exactly are you proposing, then, Nikoli?”

Tricky, tricky. How to do this?

“I’m not going to lie to you, Lily. I want you, very badly. But I don’t stand a chance if I can’t touch you. I want you in my bed, and I’m willing to be patient and teach you to trust me, to let me touch you, for a price.”

“And what exactly do I get out of this deal of yours?”

“You get Adam,” he told her bluntly. “You get to drive him crazy and make him see you for the beautiful, intelligent, and desirable woman you are.”

“What’s your price?” She sounded belligerent, outraged, and suspicious all at once.

“You, of course, Lily Bells. The chance to seduce you into my bed, to be more exact. I’m not a gentleman. I will get you naked, and then I’ll use every trick I have to get you to say yes. That’s my price.”

She was staring at him like he’d lost his mind. Nikoli needed her to think about this seriously. He could help her, and he’d get to touch that beautiful body whenever he wanted to. Once she felt safe enough with him, he’d be able to seduce her. First, he needed to understand where her fear came from, but that was going to be a conversation for later. He’d shocked her enough for one day.

“Don’t give me an answer right now. Go home, think about it, and then if you’re willing to do what it takes to steal Adam from the blonde, call me. It won’t be easy, and you’re going to have to be honest with me, but I will help you.” He signaled the waitress for their check. “Can I see your phone?”

“Why?”

“So I can put my number in it. You’ll need it so you can call when you’re ready,” he explained patiently. She was wary, and he expected that. He just had to be patient and wait her out. Patience, however, was not a virtue he possessed. He was a child of the times. He grew up with the “I want it now, now, now” generation. It was going to be a test of his own willpower to do this, but he had a feeling she’d be worth it.

She begrudgingly handed her phone to him. He let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. That was new. He’d never been nervous about a girl before, but with Lily, he’d been afraid she’d say no and walk away.

First, he dialed his own number so he’d have hers, and then he stored his number in her phone. “Come on, Lily Bells. Let’s get you home.”

Tonight certainly hadn’t gone like he’d planned. He’d taken Lily out with the simple plan of seducing her and instead found a woman who held his attention for more than five minutes, one he actually wanted to get to know. He wanted to help her, to see her succeed. As much as he wanted all that, he was slightly terrified. He didn’t do the whole girlfriend scene, and that was exactly the position he’d put himself in.

How the hell had he gotten so far off track?

CHAPTER EIGHT

After dropping a shell-shocked Lily off at her dorm, Nikoli drove back to his apartment. The lights were on, so he assumed Luther was home. Rubbing the back of his neck, he geared up for the ribbing he was in for. He’d gone to dinner expecting to have Lily for dessert, and now he had to face Luther’s laughter.

Not that he was in the mood to listen to Luther crow. He couldn’t really put his finger on how he felt at the moment, though. Lily had thrown him from the minute he met her, and she continued to keep him off balance with every moment spent with her.

He regretted his offer to help her now, in hindsight. What if he didn’t have the patience to do what needed to be done? The problem was hewantedto help her. Those blue eyes of hers haunted him when he remembered the terror and the panic in them. Something bad had happened to her, and the experience scared her so badly she couldn’t bear to be touched by anyone. Someone as beautiful and innocent as Lily shouldn’t be afraid. People loved her, which told him she was special and had a huge heart. His mother would adore her. Which only served to terrify him more.

Manwhore. He shook his head. He had no idea people thought of him like that. Sure, he’d slept with a lot of women, but not nearly as many as everyone believed. He heard girls bragging about sleeping with him who he’d never touched and had no plans of ever getting naked with. He just never bothered to correct the tall tales and rumors. It only enhanced his reputation. Or so he’d thought. Instead, it made him appear like the male slut of Boston University.

There were reasons he didn’t attach himself to anyone. He and Luther worked hard to make sure no one knew they were millionaires. There were several who did know, but they were the ones who read the gaming magazines or the magazines likePeopleandTimethat had interviewed them before. Most of the BU population read magazines specializing in celebrity lives.

Nikoli didn’t want a woman clinging to him for his money. When he decided to settle down with one woman, he’d damn well make sure it was for him and not the millions sitting in his bank account. He was so paranoid about it he refused to go past a single encounter with anyone.

Luther sat glued to the TV playingCall of Dutywhen Nikoli opened the door. Why Luther loved that game, Nikoli had no idea. He’d played it and won and never had the urge to play again. He’d rather spend time working on their new zombie game, one that would make theResident Evilfranchise look like child’s play. They’d employed a graphics team to design the game to look as real as possible. He and Luther were the only ones working on the coding, however. It was groundbreaking work, and they were keeping it as hush-hush as possible.

“No, no, no, no…dammit!”

Nikoli glanced at the TV to see Luther had been the victim of a sneak attack and was now cussing enough to make even him raise his eyebrows. It wasn’t until Nikoli heard him muttering about a grand that he understood the outburst. Luther hadmoney riding on the game. Whoever had taken him out must be very good. Nikoli never bet against Luther in gaming.

“Bad luck, there, man.” Nikoli tossed Luther a beer. “You going for a rematch?”

“No,” he snarled. “Little fucker refused. He knows he’ll lose.”

Nikoli held back his laughter and joined Luther on the couch. He cracked open his beer and took a long draw from the bottle. Ah, he’d needed that.

“So,” Luther drawled. “How did your…date…go?”

“We talked.”

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