Page 49 of Taming Nikki

I lifted my hands in surrender. “Alright. I’ll keep it to myself. The huge bitch routine can stay in place for everyone else.”

She sucked her teeth. “You’re an asshole.”

“There it is. Right back where it should be.”

She lifted her hand like she was going to punch me, but at my raised eyebrow, she froze with a glare. It wasn’t a genuine threat. She was still trying not to smile. She shook her head and leaned back against the counter again.

“Nothing I can say to convince you to leave us alone, is there?”

I stood in front of her and trapped her against the counter with a hand on either side of her. It brought our faces closer together, and she leaned away with a grimace.

“No. By now, the entire city knows you’re engaged to me. That means you’ve got your enemies, your papa’s, and now mine to worry about. You need security and one isn’t enough anymore. I’ll go to the game and I’ll be bringing back up.” She looked away from me again, frustrated, so I tipped her chin back to face me. “But I can promise you no one will say shit about your brother. I don’t care if he’s Cosa Nostra or not. He’s important to you and it’s your birthday. If anyone says shit, I’ll shoot them.”

She let out a startled laugh, her eyes wide. “Shut up, no you wouldn’t.”

I shrugged and straightened. “It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve shot one of my cousins.”

“You’re insane, you know that?”

I tugged her hand to pull her towards the stairs. “So I’ve been told. Come on, I’ve had a long night. Time for bed.”

She followed me, but jerked her hand away. “I’m not going to bed with you.”

“We’ll see.”

* * *

I woke up to voices downstairs. It wasn’t uncommon for my cousins to come inside when they arrived in the morning. Some had updates about any night time jobs they had, some were there for security. We generally went through a rundown of what was happening that day each morning. All of them were smart enough not to wake me, though, so I had to assume Nicole was up early.

I pulled on a pair of sweats and tucked my gun into the waistband before I headed downstairs. Sure enough, Nicole was on the counter again, her legs swinging as she talked to Gio.

“You owe me a new computer.”

Nicole snorted. “I don’t owe you shit. You were the dumbass who plugged an unknown device into your personal computer.”

Gio lifted his chin in greeting while he sipped his coffee. He was leaning against the counter opposite Nikki while he talked. Her back was to me. She was taking a drink of her own coffee when she glanced over her shoulder at me. She choked on it and stared wide eyed at me.

“You have a tattoo?”

I glanced down before raising an eyebrow at her. “Obviously.”

She gaped at me, which made Gio chuckle. I hadn’t bothered with a shirt and didn’t realize that until now, she hadn’t seen me in anything other than a suit. It did a lot to hide the full sleeve that spread onto my chest and back. I stepped up to her and knocked her chin closed with my knuckle. She looked flustered and was actually blushing when she realized she was staring.

“For someone with her own bevy of tattoos, you seem surprised to see them on others.”

She shook her head like she was trying to clear it before she glared at me. “I’m not surprised other people have them. I’m surprised you do. You don’t really seem the type.”

Gio tipped his head. “What type is he?”

Nikki leaned back on her hand, her other still cupped around her coffee. She pointed a finger at me. “Uptight asshole.”

Gio chortled and shook his head. “Mikey said you were a ball buster. Glad I came over to see for myself.”

I reached for her coffee, and she hugged it against her chest with a scowl. “Stop stealing my caffeine. I’ll kill you.”

Gio’s eyebrows went up. He wasn’t acquainted with Nicole’s attitude yet. He slid his gaze over to me, but I ignored her. Last night she was an actual human being, so I knew most of it was just an act to protect herself.

“Why are you up so early? Your papa said you sleep until noon most days.”

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