“She’s Sophie. She’s mine and none of your damn business, so take your eyes off her,” Nico growls, and the guy looks at him before smiling big and crossing his arms over his chest while rocking back onto the heels of his boots.

“Shit, you too, huh?” He shakes his head, laughing. I don’t know what he’s talking about, but he seems to think it’s funny.

“Shut the f**k up and go sit down,” Nico tells him again, shaking his own head.

I wonder if he talks to everyone like this. I have seen him talk to not only Kenton, but now Sven too.

“You’re not very nice to your friends,” I tell him when we reach the kitchen.

“What?” he asks, setting the pizza box on the counter before taking the garbage from my hand and putting it in the trash can.

“You’re mean to your friends. You told Kenton he’s stupid, and just now, you told that guy to shut up.”

“Kenton needs a wake-up call, and Sven is the biggest player this side of the Mississippi and was looking at you. Again, as I told you before, I don’t need to be nice to anyone but you.”

“What about your family? Are you nice to them?”

“I love my family. I also love Kenton and Sven, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to hold my tongue. If someone pisses me off, I let them know.”

“Alrighty then,” I mumble, not wanting to piss him off. It suddenly dawns on me I have pissed him off a few times already, and he had never said anything mean to me, so maybe I’m the exception to the rule. “What about your mom?”

“What about her?”

“Do you hold your tongue with her?”

“Hell yes! My mom is the one person on the planet I’m afraid of,” he replies seriously.

“Really?” I ask, surprised.

“Really. She can put the fear of God in anyone.”

“Wow.” I bite the inside of my cheek, not very excited about meeting her.

“When I get back home, you will meet her,” he says, setting his bag down before crowding me against the island, “and when you meet her, she will love you.” His face goes soft.

“How do you know?” I look up into his eyes.

“It’s hard not to love you.” His soft words make my heart beat a little faster. His mouth touches mine in a soft kiss before he pulls his lips away, holding my face gently in his hands. “Now, be good while I’m gone.” He smiles, kissing my forehead.

“Always,” I tell him, getting up on my tiptoes to kiss him again. “But you be careful, and please don’t do anything stupid.”

“I’m always careful.”

This time when he kisses me, it takes my breath away, and I have to unwind myself from him before he can pick his bag up. I follow him to the door, wanting so badly to tell him that I love him but not wanting to sound like I’m saying it because I’m afraid. He kisses me once more before he pulls the door closed behind him.

“I love you,” I whisper, laying my forehead on the cool wood. I tried fighting what I’m feeling for him, and I tried to push him away even when I hurt myself in the process. He’s right; I need to start living again. I don’t want to push him away and one day have him finally give up on me. I know if I did, I would hate myself for the rest of my life.

Chapter 8

Nico

“So, you really done for, aren’t you?” Sven asks as we make our way onto his private plane. Sven is from old money—his father’s father’s father found oil in Texas on their family’s farm at the start of the oil rush. Since then, his family’s role in the oil industry has only grown.

“We’re not talking about Sophie”—I look over my shoulder—“ever.”

“Jesus, it never takes you guys long to get pussy-whipped, does it?” He chuckles, sitting down across from me.

A stewardess in a small blue dress walks up the aisle towards us. Her eyes light up when she looks at me, and I shake my head. Chicks are all the f**king same. They all talk about how men only want one thing from them, but they are constantly throwing themselves at me, yet I never hit on them first. They want the bad-boy experience. Before Sophie, I would have been happy to take this chick into the bathroom to see what she could do with that mouth of hers—hell, I might have pulled out my c**k and let her take me right here—but now, the thought of her anywhere near my junk has my shit shriveling up.

“Hello. Welcome aboard. Can I get you anything?”

“No, thanks,” I tell her dismissively.

“Nothing to drink or eat?”

“No, thanks,” I repeat.

“Are you sure you don’t need anything?” she asks seductively leaning forward and giving me a shot of her breast.

My jaw clenches when I see the smile on Sven’s face. I can’t wait for him to find a woman. I hope when he finds someone that she puts him though hell.

“I don’t need anything,” I repeat, making each word clear.

“We’re good, Stacy. Tell the pilot we’re ready to go,” Sven says, fixing his suit jacket.

She nods and walks to the front of the plane behind a small curtain.

“You’re really gonna to pass up Stacy? She used to work for the circus,” he says, and I shake my head, not even bothering to entertain him with that conversation.

“Tell me about what’s going on with the club and why you need my help when you have bodyguards and people you pay to deal with this kind of shit,” I say, leaning back in my seat.

“I don’t trust anyone right now, especially those I have to pay. I don’t know if someone’s paying them more than I am,” he answers, squeezing the bridge of his nose between his fingers.

“You’ve never trusted anyone,” I remind him.

“You’re right, but you forget I have a good reason. My mother—the one person my dad should have been able to trust—tried to kill him, and then she was going to do the same thing to me.”

“Your mother was also crazy.” I shake my head.

When we were young and Sven and his family moved into the area my parents still live in, his mom would make it her daily mission to come to the school and cause a scene. She was constantly accusing her husband and son of trying to kill her or being possessed by the devil; it was always some kind of drama. My father was repeatedly called to their home to settle some kind of domestic dispute. Then one night, Sven’s mom went completely over the edge and stabbed Sven’s dad six times in his sleep. He was half dead when Sven, who was ten at the time, heard what was happening, hid, and called 911. His dad was in the hospital for six months, and during that time, Sven lived with us. He became one of our brothers.

“You’re right,” he repeats, rubbing his forehead.

“Dude, what’s really going on?” I ask, seeing the stress evident on his face.

“Someone’s bringing drugs into my club. Not only are they dealing, but on seven different occasions, women have been roofied. I don’t want or need that shit in my place of business. The guy I had asking questions ended up dead on my doorstep with a note telling me that they knew he was working for me.” He looks out the window before his eyes come back to me. “Now you—no one knows you, and you sure as f**k look like you could hang with the guys who are dealing in the area. I need you to talk to them and find out who’s behind this.”

“I’m going to ignore the fact you just said I looked like a drug dealer.” I narrow my eyes on him.

“Bro,” he laughs, “you and I both know you look like you belong on the other side of the law.” He shakes his head, looking me over. “That’s why—I have to say—I was surprised to see your girlfriend. She couldn’t be more opposite of you if she tried. Does she even have her ears pierced?” he questions with a smile.

“I’m not going to tell you again. You don’t need to know anything about Sophie.”

“You gonna marry her?”

“Yes,” I state immediately.

“Jesus, you’ve known her for what—a day?”

“A few months, but I knew the moment I saw her,” I tell him, watching his eyes widen.

“Why am I just learning about her then?”

“First, there is not one damn reason for you to know about her. Second, I know you bitches love to sit around and gossip like a bunch of women in a knitting club, but unlike you fuckers, my business is my business.”

“Does Mom know her?” He smirks, and he knows she doesn’t.

If my mom knew about Sophie, the phone chain would have been activated, and everyone and their mothers would know about her. That’s why she will meet Sophie as soon as I get back into town; it would be f**ked up to introduce Sophie to my mom after I’ve already married her and knocked her up.

“She’ll be meeting her soon enough.” I shrug.

“You are so fucked.” He laughs, and I couldn’t agree more.

Ma is going to be pissed that she is just finding out about her. I send Sophie a quick text telling her we’re getting ready to take off in a few minutes and will call her when I land. She sends back a text telling me to be careful, with a small heart and some X’s and O’s.

I know she loves me; I have been waiting for her to figure it out. I have never been known for my patience, but with her, I want her to have time to accept things. Okay, that’s a f**king lie; as soon as possible, I’m planting my kid in her whether she’s ready or not. Shit, she could be pregnant now for all we know. I can see her behind my closed eyelids, holding our son or daughter and smiling down at them.

“What’s that smile?” Sven asks.

I don’t even open my eyes to reply. “Someday, dude, you’ll understand,” I tell him before zoning out and falling asleep.

“So your telling me that one of the biggest pimps in Vegas has been filtering drugs through my club…in hopes of recruiting new girls?” Sven asks, running his hands through his hair.

I have been in Vegas for over a week now. I didn’t think it would take as long as it did to find out what was going on, but I hadn’t realized how big this was. I thought for sure this was just some local drug dealer trying to sell his product in the perfect location.

“That’s what I’m telling you. I also talked to local drug enforcement officers, and they said this has been happening all over Vegas.”

“What do I do?”

“There is not really much you can do. There’s no way to know who is bringing it in. Unless you hire some extra security and tighten that up, there isn’t anything you can do at this point. People are always going to find a way to buy drugs, even if they do it outside the club. All I can tell you to do is keep an eye out and make sure the women who come into the club know what’s going on.”

“It’s not like I can put up a poster saying ‘You may be roofied. Drink at your own risk.’”

“That’s not what I’m saying, fucker. You can have a guy you trust at the door giving wristbands letting people know not to leave their drinks unattended. Until the DEA has enough to build a case against the main guy behind this, there just isn’t much you can do unless you want to close down your club.”

“I’m not letting those f**ks run me out of my own club,” he growls.

“So, you know what you need to do,” I tell him, sitting back in my chair.

“You sure you can’t stay for a few more days?” he asks, sitting down behind his desk.

“Nah, man.” I run a hand over my head and down my face, “Sophie has been on edge ever since someone tried to break into her house. She tries to hide it, but I know it bothers her.”

“Why don’t you just say you’re pussy-whipped and want to go home to your girl?” he goads.

“When you find someone, you’ll understand. Until then, f**k off.”

“Why would I want to settle down when I have endless pu**y at my disposal?” He shakes his head.

“You say that now.”

“Just like you say you’re ready to settle down with one woman for the rest of your life.” He lifts an eyebrow.

“No, man. You think you will be happy banging some random chick every day for the rest of your life, but I can tell you now—eventually, that shit will get old. You’ll start thinking about starting a family and having someone to go home to, someone who isn’t after what you can do for them, but what they can do for you.”

“You start working for Hallmark?” he asks with a smirk.

“Say what you want, man, but I know when I get home, Sophie will be waiting for me with open arms.”

“When I get home, the hot blonde I met today will be waiting for me with open legs,” he remarks.

“You’re lying to yourself if you think that kind of life will satisfy you forever.”

“Whatever, man,” Sven grumbles, but I can see it in his eyes that he knows I’m right, even if he doesn’t want to admit it to himself. “You know you’re a brother to me. Thanks for coming out here on such short notice to help me out.” He sighs, running a hand through his hair.

“I’ve always got your back,” I tell him, meaning that shit. Sven is family, even if it isn’t by blood.

“All right, before you start getting all sappy and shit, let me call and have the plane readied to take you home.”

“That would be appreciated.” I smile, ready to get home to my girl. After I make it onto the plane, I send a quick text to Sophie, letting her know I’ll be home soon.