Nico yanked the door open and hissed at me. “West? What the fuck is wrong with you? Do you have any idea how long it took me to get Pippa down so I could take a fucking shower? Jesus Christ, you selfish prick. What do you want?”
His slim, inked fingers clutched the two corners of the towel together, and all I could see were miles and miles of Nico’s body. The muscles, the inked skin, the drips of water making their way slowly along all the angles and curves of his chest and arms, his thighs and calves. Surely the blood in my cock was pounding louder than my fists on the door moments earlier. I felt my mouth water and my tongue flex as if in anticipation for licking the droplets from his skin.
“West?”
“Huh?” I asked. “What?” I felt dizzy and unsure of what was happening. What was I doing there?
“I asked you what you wanted,” Nico grumbled at me. Even his angry voice was like a stroke to my desperate dick.
Your dick in my mouth or your hand on my cock—either way.
It was so clear to me in that moment, but I wasn’t about to say it. I couldn’t want him. I wouldn’t. I had to remember it was his actions fifteen years ago that had led to Adriana feeling incredibly lonely as an adult.
“I… I…” I swallowed thickly. “I just came to see if you were okay.”
Really, West? That’s what you’re going with? Ask him about why he left Hobie. Ask him about Curt. Ask him if he knows about Adriana and Reeve. Ask him if, god forbid, he left because you’re the one who put the fucking idea in his head.
“I’m fine,” Nico said. “But I can tell that’s not the real reason you came, so spill it.”
“Oh, ah. Well… there’s this bonfire thing tomorrow night, and… um…”
Oh my god.
Nico’s glare turned into a smirk. The sexy edge of his mouth turned up in a teasing way that did nothing to help calm my dick down. “I know about the bonfire. A guy named Stevie offered to take me.”
In that moment, I swear to god, I wanted to kill everyone and everything. The day had escalated to a point beyond which I just could no longer maintain my sanity.
“No fucking way,” I snapped. “You’re not going anywhere with that kid. Forget it.”
Nico’s eyes widened, and I noticed his jaw tense at the same time.
“Since when did I need your permission, Dr. Wilde?” he sneered back. “You’re not my mother.”
“No, I’m not your mother,” I growled. “In case you forgot, you decided long ago you didn’t need a mother.”
The minute, the very second, those words were out of my mouth, I knew I could never take them back, even though I would have given anything to do so in that moment. I didn’t even know what possessed me to say it.
The hard smack against the side of my face came fast and furious, spinning me around with its intensity. I deserved it. I knew I did, but at that point, I had no more control over my mouth than I did my feelings.
“Get out!” Nico shouted at me. “Get the fuck out of my house!” His voice was a cross between angry and horrified, and my heart felt like it was going to shatter right there on the floor.
“I’m sorry for what I said, Nico, but I’m not leaving,” I said, pushing my way in and holding up my arms to block his subsequent blows. I was so much bigger than he was I could have easily gotten him in some kind of hold so he couldn’t hit me, but I didn’t want to use my size against Nico.
“Yes you are, goddammit!”
“Nico, wait,” I tried, grabbing for his flailing arms at least. At this point, his towel slipped off and he was completely naked, fighting me. I was both angry and turned on, which in turn made me disgusted with myself.
“Leave! Leave now. You don’t know a fucking thing about me.” His shouting turned to sobbing like the flick of a switch, shocking both of us. “Get off me. Get away from me, West… please.”
The last word was a whimper just as he gave up the fight and collapsed against my chest in a heap. His balled fists went from pounding to clutching at my chest. I wrapped my arms tightly around him and slid us both down to the wooden floor, my back against the front door. The clean, masculine scent of his body wash or shampoo swirled around us in the air.
“Shhh,” I said into his ear. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry, Nico. I didn’t mean it. I’m so sorry.” My words came out over and over like the rhythmic cadence of his hitching breaths.