“Are you coming?” the sales lady asked from the back of the store, with some concern in her voice. She was most likely worried about losing the huge commission he’d promised her.

“Yes, we are,” Ryan said and literally dragged Nicole to the back of the store. Before she knew it, the lovely woman had her stripped from her clothing, standing in nothing but her bra and panties, taking her measurements.

Ryan sat there, cool as ice, as he watched her. She turned her face away and had to fight tears, she was so angry. The sales woman, whose name was Barbie, very fitting, Nicole thought snidely, was bringing different items out for Ryan’s approval.

Nicole refused to comment on a single item so Ryan picked everything. She didn’t need to try anything on, as the clothes were chosen from the measurements the woman took earlier. The entire ordeal lasted a few hours and by the time they were done, Nicole had a raging headache and couldn’t have described a single item Ryan chose. He had all the clothes boxed, then had his driver come and haul them all out to his vehicle.

She figured he’d just wasted an incredible amount of money because she wouldn’t wear one single thing he’d picked. He could save them for his next mistress. She wouldn’t be bought.

They reached the office and she gladly left his car and headed over towards her own. She was done talking to him and wanted to go back to the house, have a hot bath and forget the day had happened. If she stayed around him too much longer she would end up smacking him in his gorgeous face.

Chapter Seven

Ryan had the opportunity to work on an amazing historical site. It was the first time in his life he wanted to turn the project away but in the end, it was simply too great of an opportunity to let it go. He couldn’t believe he was even considering not doing it but Patsy wasn’t ready to leave the country and there was no way he could take Nicole. She would be miserable, wondering how her sister was doing.

Things had been much better over the last month. She still fought him every step of the way and his hunger for her was still as strong as it had been from the first day but he would wake up many mornings to find her gone. She didn’t try climbing into another bed but he would find her on the sofa, watching a movie, or out in the garden. He couldn’t complain and keep her locked to his bed twenty-four-seven but he’d like to do that.

He decided to force himself to go on the trip. He refused to let her alter his lifestyle, especially since she wasn’t giving him anything of herself emotionally. But even beyond that the trip would be good. Maybe when he was gone she’d miss him and start appreciating the things he did for her. He was happy and hopeful about her possibly missing him. He was also afraid he was going to be the one aching and miserable.

He could swear she was a witch and had him under some kind of a spell. She even got along spectacularly with all of his family members. He seemed to be the only one who ever got under her skin. He hadn’t once in his adult life, lasted so long with any woman. He couldn’t seem to get enough of her, even when she was snapping at him. It figured he wanted more than anything the one thing he should cut ties with.

“Hey, where did you go?” Derek asked him.

“Sorry, my mind drifted off,” Ryan told his cousin.

“Yeah, I remember those days. I bet your thoughts were filled with a dark haired beauty,” Derek said with a waggle of his brows.

“No, of course not. I’m thinking about my upcoming trip,” Ryan lied smoothly.

“When are you leaving?”

“I have to take off tonight. I won’t be back for at least a month, maybe longer. Hopefully by then I’ll have some more control over myself,” Ryan told him. Derek actually had the gall to laugh, which caused Ryan to glare. That only made Derek laugh even harder. He guessed he deserved it, as he’d pushed Derek’s buttons when he’d been miserable.

“I have a trip next week in that direction so I’ll stop by and see what you’re working on. I haven’t been able to take Jasmine out in a while and I think she’d really love Rome,” Derek told him with a sappy look in his eye.

“Seriously Derek, you’re disgustingly pleasant now. What the hell happened to the corporate powerhouse?”

“Jasmine happened. I didn’t know I could be so happy but man, if I’m away from her for even a night I feel empty,” Derek said. Ryan’s gut clenched at those words. He was forcing himself to be away from Nicole for much longer than one night. He wasn’t his cousin though and wouldn’t allow himself to think about it. It was a good thought at least.

“I feel like a freaking third wheel around you and Drew now,” Ryan said, feeling a little bit sorry for himself. He loved his cousins’ spouses but both of them were over the moon in happiness. He felt like they were sharing some great secret he couldn’t possibly understand.

“I’ll see if Drew and Trinity want to join me on the trip. I don’t think Trinity’s ever been to Rome either. I don’t know if I can drag them away from the kids, though.”

“Yeah, yeah you guys can all come and throw your happiness in my face,” Ryan grumbled. He may have been complaining a bit but he would be really happy to have his family show up and see one of his projects.

“All joking aside, I think you have something special with Nicole. Take my advice and let down your defenses and maybe you’ll get that same sappy look on your face,” Derek told him.

“I’ll pass on that.”

“Yeah, that’s what I said too. Let’s see if you last as long as I did,” Derek said, with a knowing look on his face. Derek took off and Ryan tried to put Nicole out of his mind, while he started focusing on his project. He really did enjoy Rome. It was a beautiful place and the project he was taking on was the biggest and oldest he’d worked on yet. It would consume him wholeheartedly, which was a good thing.

Ryan slammed the hammer down with far more force than was needed. He’d been at the job for over a month and sitting at a desk, behind the scenes, wasn’t even enough to quell his bad mood. He couldn’t believe he was still unable to get Nicole out of his mind. He’d even called her several times, making up excuses but the real reason was just to hear her voice. He was going home that day. He couldn’t take being apart from her any longer. He still reassured himself he simply needed to get her out of his system.

His family had shown up and been suitably impressed with his project but even the normal joy he felt in restoring a historic site was gone. He’d taken a few days off, to tour the city with his family but his smile had been fake and his joy had been subdued. He continued to hammer away his frustration and when he bent yet another nail, he decided to call it a day.

He was ready to head home and take back what was his. He couldn’t get her off his mind, so the next best thing was to go home and see where things were going to lead. He had a real problem though because he’d gotten really attached to Patsy. Hell she was still a kid, even if she was a teenager.

The first time she said ‘I love you’ to him, so casually, his heart had jumped in his throat. There was no way he wanted to kick her out of his home. She seemed to be doing so good and her grades were thriving. He refused to think about any of that right then. His only thought was getting home and taking Nicole to his bed, where she belonged.

Nicole stretched as the sunlight filtered through the window, waking her up. She’d been living at Ryan’s for three months and she’d fallen in love with the place. He’d been gone over the past month and she would never admit it but she missed him like crazy. He’d called her a few times and she would get off the phone aching to be held by him again. She was angry with herself for being so weak.

Her room was a dream and larger than her old apartment. She lay there, enjoying the softness of the mattress and yet filled with an emptiness to be in it alone. She couldn’t believe how attached she’d gotten to Ryan again in such a short amount of time. She figured she’d never really stopped loving him in the first place and being around him again was like a knife through her heart.

Nicole jumped from her bed, quickly showered, got dressed and headed outside. She spent every moment she could outside, when the weather allowed. The morning was starting off beautiful and warm, which was highly unusual for Seattle, home of the rain.

She took off down one of the trails on a jog, enjoying the little bit of heaven, not far outside of the city limits. When she jogged along the trail, she felt like she was in a park, instead of a yard. She ran out of steam quickly, which was normal lately and she didn’t understand it. She was used to going and going day in and out and didn’t know why her energy levels had been so depleted lately.

As Nicole walked along, she thought about her baby sister. She loved how well Patsy was doing. She was back in school and healthier than ever before. She’d fallen in love, at the better high school, which Derek had insisted she attend. She had new friends who’d been at the house a lot and was even getting ready for her first dance.

Nicole had felt guilty about spending more of Ryan’s money but when he’d found out about the dance, he’d insisted she buy Patsy the best dress out there. Jasmine and Trinity were far more knowing of the latest fashions than she herself was so she’d asked them to come along with them and they’d enthusiastically agreed.

Pasty had the best day ever, as the girls not only picked out a dress but new shoes and accessories and even a small tiara to wear. The girls had then dragged them both from shop to shop, where Patsy had been loaded down with an entire new wardrobe. The girls had snuck several items in there for Nicole as well and she was cringing to think what the final bill had tallied out to.

She hadn’t had the heart to say no to Patsy though as she hadn’t seen her little sister’s eyes light up with pleasure that intense ever. The day hadn’t been completed until they all went in for pedicures and manicures. Patsy had even gotten fake nails put on for her dance. She’d been prancing around the house ever since.

That night when Ryan called, Patsy jumped on the phone and talked to him for about fifteen minutes. She went through her entire day and all the amazing clothes she’d gotten. She didn’t have any clue he was the one fitting the bill. As she got ready to hand the phone over to Nicole, she told him she loved him, as only a teenager could and Nicole had to fight back the tears.

She knew she would be considered the most evil person ever if she tried to take Patsy away from the home where she’d made new friends. But wouldn’t she have to leave eventually, when Patsy was done with school, if not sooner. Whenever Ryan was sick of her, they were out. She had a feeling he would allow Patsy to stay though, as he seemed attached to her.

Nicole felt a stinging in her leg, which snapped her back to the present and looked down to see red running downward. She panicked for a moment, thinking something had bitten her and she was pouring blood but as she looked closer she realized it was paint. She smiled, as she realized the kids were out having a paintball gun fight again. She’d run into them several times.