Times Square was blocked off, but several separate stages were set up inside it. All three of the rockers Nova had been translating for were performing, and each one of them was at a different stage throughout the night. The crowd was so thick, it took forever to walk from one stage to another for her to translate for the host who interviewed each rocker before they performed their most recent single.
Pietro and Nardo stood with me as we watched over her all night, but I was so utterly transfixed by her that I
was little help at being vigilant in protecting her. Nothing short of a bomb going off could have pulled my gaze from her—and even then, it was questionable. Her confidence and the sheer kindness of her huge heart only added to her physical beauty, and everyone who set eyes on her couldn’t tear their gazes from her.
A mixture of jealousy and pride warred within me. I wanted to show the world the woman who owned my heart, but at the same time, I wanted every part of her for my eyes only. Every smile, every bat of those long lashes, every sway of her hips and flick of her fingers. They were all mine, along with those precious giggles that eased the darkness that tried to tear my soul apart every moment she wasn’t near.
As Rossi’s performance started and Nova stepped off the stage with my hand at the small of her back, I felt more than heard her heave a heavy sigh. “That was fun, but not something I want to do regularly,” she confessed as we started for Broadway.
“Good,” I said as Nardo cleared a path for us, while Pietro stayed at our side. “I wouldn’t have stood in your way if you’d decided to make a career out of this, but I will admit I am relieved that you don’t want to make this a full-time thing. I dislike sharing your attention.”
She laughed as she glanced up at me. “Really? I didn’t notice. It must have been someone else doing all that growling each time Garik winked at me.”
“I did not growl when he winked,” I muttered. “Because I didn’t see him wink at you. The growls were when he tried to touch you. They were a reminder of the warning I gave him earlier today about keeping his hands to himself.”
“You warned him not to touch me?” she asked with an amused twist of her lips. “Did this warning include the promise of broken bones?”
“I believe the promise was a slow and painful death,” I answered honestly.
“Ah, of course.” She nodded gravely. “And what would the punishment have been for catching him winking?”
“The removal of his cock from his balls.”
Her giggle caused several people nearby to stop and look straight at us. Shooting them a cold glower, I tucked her closer and increased our pace. Once we reached the Renaissance Hotel, we went straight up to the R Lounge on the rooftop where we could watch the ball drop. I had to pull some strings, but I was able to get the place to ourselves with just a few handshakes and the right amount of cash.
While Nardo stood guard, Pietro ensured the space was secure before the two of them stepped back into the shadows. Still there, ever-vigilant and protecting us, but giving us the illusion that we had complete privacy.
A table had been set up with hors d’oeuvres and champagne. Taking a glass for each of us, I crossed to where Nova was already looking out over the crowd far below. Portable heaters kept the area toasty, but the wind still blew her hair into her face as she leaned over the railing.
“Thirsty?” I asked as I offered her one of the crystal champagne flutes.
Taking the glass, she sipped at it slowly. It wasn’t the first time she’d had champagne to celebrate something, but I never let her have more than one glass. Tonight was no different. Now more than ever, I wanted her to remain clearheaded.
“Ryan, seats at this lounge for this night alone are over sixteen grand. I’m not even going to ask how you got us a private party up here.” Her eyes sparkled like the diamonds threaded into her dress. “But I do want to say thank you. When I agreed to do this for Lyric, I didn’t imagine I would be spending New Year’s Eve like this.”
Taking her glass from her, I placed it and my own on the ledge and pulled her into my arms. “The ball hasn’t even dropped yet, and this is already my favorite New Year’s Eve that I have ever experienced.”
I cupped the side of her face with one hand, my thumb skimming over her full bottom lip. Fuck, it was so soft. I now knew how good her mouth tasted, and all I wanted was to drink from it all day long.
“I want this every day, not just tonight,” I breathed against her ear. “I want to see you smile, hear you laugh, and know that I’m the reason. And then I want to fall asleep with you in my arms and wake up to do it all again the next day and the next and the next. I know I’m not the first man to say that, Nova. I know I’m not the only guy in the world who feels this way about the woman he loves. But not a single damn one of them comes close to meaning it like I do.”
Her hands went under my coat and jacket, wrapping around me. “I know you love me. You don’t have to prove that to me over and over again. All I need is you. Not all of this.” She glanced around the rooftop, then over the side of the building at the hundreds of thousands of people below us. “Every smile, every laugh, those are always because of you. Not the things you buy me, but you, Ryan. We could have been sitting back at your apartment, eating ice cream straight from the container in our pajamas, watching all of this on TV, and I would have been just as happy as I am right now. Because you would be beside me. You would be the one holding me.”
A lump filled my throat, and I pulled the box from my pocket before I forgot about it. Offering it to her, I tried to get my tongue to work so I could speak. “This is your birthday present.”
Eyes wide, she pulled her arms from around me and accepted the long box. “Ryan, I just told you—”
“I know.” I tucked a few locks of hair behind her ear that the wind kept playing with. I was so fucked over this girl, I was even jealous of the wind touching her. “You might not need the things I can buy you, but I like giving them to you. I enjoy seeing you wear the things I choose for you. I don’t just want to see you in them, Nova. I need it. To mark you, to show the world that you are mine.”
Her teeth sank into her bottom lip for a moment before she released the tortured flesh and opened the long, velvet-covered box. When I’d bought her birthday present, I had no idea Elias planned on giving her a necklace as well.
The two overlapping Russian rings were platinum and engraved with RYAN’S HEART in a bold, all-cap font so no one could mistake what they said.
Her fingers trembled as she brushed them over the rings, then along the platinum chain. “This was for my birthday?” she whispered.
“Things were so crazy that weekend, and I was in such a rush to get to you, I forgot it on the plane. I didn’t even realize it until we were finally alone.” I touched her bare neck. “When Elias put his necklace on you, I wanted to kill him.”
She lifted her lashes, and I was gutted by the tears in her eyes. “I wish…”