“Don’t worry. I don’t think you’re a gold digger.” He leaned closer, capturing me in his intense gaze. “In fact, I wish you were more interested in allowing me to sweep you off your feet.” His handsome face fell into a dramatic, crestfallen expression. “You wouldn’t even let me take you to Bali. We could be on the beach right now.”
“It’s Monday,” I reminded him, my voice lilting with a genuine laugh. Niko was undeniably charming. “We both have work tomorrow. Bali will have to wait.”
“I know, I know.” He sighed. “We’re still set for our Central Park date next. How about this Saturday?”
Part of me marveled that he was so keen to see me again. I hadn’t even kissed him. Surely, he was accustomed to women immediately falling into his bed? His interest in me was deeply gratifying and a little confounding.
What if he’s only here because his father is making him date me?
“Are you avoiding my questions about your family?” I asked, managing to keep a teasing note to my tone.
His mouth took on a wicked tilt, and his eyes flared with predatory pleasure. His hand firmed around mine, and he leaned closer.
“Hmmm, you’re more dangerous than I realized.” That hum went straight to my core, rumbling low in my belly. “You’re supposed to be charmed into agreeing with whatever I say. Do I have to answer your questions to get you to go on another date?”
The butterflies in my stomach beat their soft wings. “You make me sound much more conniving than I am. I’m just curious. Isn’t it normal to ask your date about their family?”
He kept me pinned with those flashing eyes, glinting like sharp steel. I resisted the urge to squirm. “No, you’re not conniving. You’re just as innocent as I thought. Aren’t you?”
My breath caught. Was he really implying what I thought? Was he asking about my physical experience with men?
“You’re just trying to distract me again,” I said breathlessly, desperately seeking to take back control of the conversation. I’d spontaneously combust otherwise.
His thumb traced my knuckles. “My father and I aren’t all that close,” he admitted. “I’d much rather talk about you.”
I blushed all the way down to my chest. “We’ve already talked about me for hours. I’m not that interesting.”
“You’re wrong. I find you utterly fascinating.”
He was looking at me like he meant every word. There was a dangerous, hungry edge to his intense new energy. He liked that I was pushing back against his carefully crafted boundaries. I got the sense that people didn’t often bother to challenge him, either blinded by his charms or intimidated by his wealth and power.
I ducked my head, evading his shockingly blue eyes. “You don’t have to tell me about your dad if you don’t want to. I was just wondering about your Russian background. I’m sure it’s very interesting.”
He shrugged, but he kept me trapped in his intent stare. “My dad inherited a lot of his wealth from his father. My grandfather made his fortune in the aluminum industry in the nineties, with my father’s help. So no, my father is not solely a self-made man. But he did move us to America and made us richer. Does that answer your question?”
So, it seemed he had been intentionally evading me. But why? The answer was innocent enough.
Niko had admitted that he wasn’t close with his father, but maybe there was more to it than that. Several times, I’d caught glimpses of resentment and possibly even anger when his dad was mentioned. Niko effortlessly controlled the people around him with his devastating charm, but he’d also told me that his father had a superiority complex. Mikhail liked to micromanage Niko, and he’d pushed his son into joining the family business despite his own wishes.
I turned my palm against his and laced our fingers together more tightly. “We don’t have to talk about your dad. Sorry if I was being pushy.”
Niko’s eyes glinted, daring me to challenge him again. “I think I like it when you’re pushy. I didn’t expect it from you. I should’ve known that you’d be dangerous to me. You’re so small and shy and innocent. You slipped right under my defenses.”
There it was again: innocent. He said the word like it was delicious and a little forbidden. And he was looking at me like he wanted to devour me.
The butterflies in my stomach multiplied, filling me with a strange, sickening sense of giddiness. He’d called me dangerous, but the man sitting across from me was pure predator. I’d provoked the beast, and now I’d captured his full attention.
“That blush is very pretty.” His smirk might’ve been mocking if it weren’t for the heat in his flame blue eyes. “I like it.”
My cheeks heated further, and I forced myself to maintain his fiery gaze. “I think you like making me uncomfortable.”