Page 49 of Good Girl's Bad Lessons

He withdrew his hand and nodded at her. “This guy. Does he know what kind of awesome woman you are?”

She folded her arms. “We aren’t together right now,” she said, opting to leave out the details. She doubted Simon needed them anyway.

“Then he’s a loser.”

She chuckled at the irony. Wasn’t it the same thing Nico had said about Simon in the beginning?

…

Nico knocked on the door of the hotel suite again. And again.

Adrenaline bubbled in his bloodstream. Shit, his rational side warned him he should wait until later to talk about this with Zaine, but his father—still sounded funny to think about Desmorais that way—lit a fire under his ass, and he couldn’t extinguish it. Not until he’d asked for Emma’s hand in marriage. But first he needed to talk things out with her brother and hope Zaine didn’t throw him out the window.

“Hey, man,” Zaine said, opening the door. “Everything okay?”

Nico rubbed the area between his eyebrows, searching for the right words not to piss off his buddy on his wedding day. “I’ll tell you something you may not agree with right away, but you’re my best friend. You’re like a brother to me, and it doesn’t feel right to be your best man while I’m keeping something from you.”

Zaine adjusted his cufflinks, then turned to Nico. “What is it?”

Nico sucked in a breath. “I’m in love with Emma.”

Zaine perched his hands on his waist, his crisp white shirt still not tucked into his pants. “Emma who?” he asked casually.

Tension hung in the air like cheap perfume. Shit. Did his friend think he met some wannabe actress or top model and wanted to bring her to the wedding? His jaw clenched.

Physically, he and Zaine were in phenomenal shape. He could take on his friend, but did he want to? Guilt filled his chest. He’d had an affair with Zaine’s little sister. He’d screwed her in all kinds of dirty ways then discarded her. He deserved every freaking punch coming his way.

Zaine stopped fumbling with his tie and stretched to his full height. “You mean my sister?”

“Yes, I know you’re probably pissed at me, but—”

Anger flickered in Zaine’s eyes. “No wonder Emma has been miserable. I thought it was because she broke up with Simon, but now everything makes sense. You seduced her, and she broke up with her fiancé.”

“That’s not how it happened. I love her. I love Emma.”

Zaine tilted his head to the side, like he hadn’t heard him correctly. “What? You never said you loved any woman. What makes you think I’ll believe you?”

“Because I’m here, asking you for your blessing. You may not give it to me today, but one day. I love her and want to marry her.”

Zaine prowled the room, rubbing his temples, probably trying to make sense of Nico’s words. “You? And my sister?”

“I know I’m not perfect husband material, but I want to be with her.”

“Does she want to be with you?”

“I hope so. I didn’t want to propose before talking to you first. I understand you may hate me, but I wanted to start this new chapter by doing the right thing.”

“So you jeopardize our long friendship when you could just ignore the whole affair? And you want my approval?”

“I’ll be with her even if you don’t approve. But asking you shows my intentions are good.”

The contours of Zaine’s face softened, and hope expanded in Nico’s chest. “That’s something I never heard from you. Good intentions, Nico.”

Nico bit back a smile. “What can I say? Emma brings it out in me.”

“All right. What do you have in mind? You know Emma’s big on weddings, so—”

“Oh, I have something planned. Are you ready?”

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