Nikola massaged her temples. I was going to try to leave her alone tonight and keep my dick tamed. She needed the rest.
“You tired, baby?”
She looked my way. “Yeah, but I still want you to make love to me. If you don’t, I may end up sleep-fucking you.”
“Now, that would be fun.” I wiggled my eyebrows.
She playfully slapped my arm. “Of course, you would think that.”
Sirens blared from behind me. I pulled over to let the fire truck pass. The lights illuminated Nikola’s car in red and white. Soon we were bathed in black again. I merged back onto the highway as Nikola’s phone rang.
She sighed. “It’s Wesley.”
Fuck. He was going to want her to come over. I wanted to help, but anything Nikola or I suggested, Wesley would turn down. He was stuck and wasn’t attempting to get up. It made me sound like a cold-hearted bastard but, as an addict, I wasn’t able to stay down like that. I had to get up and keep pressing forward. It felt like he was trying to drag my girl down with him, and that wasn’t going to happen. I wouldn’t allow it.
I knew Nikola was at her wits’ end. Wesley was a wreck and slipping further and further into despair. She answered, and I could hear him talking before she said anything.
“Hey, Wesley. I know it’s tough. Yeah, I can swing by for a bit. I know. You’re one of my best friends, too. You’d be there for me. Okay, I’ll see you soon.”
She hung up. “Brandt, I don’t feel like I’m helping him. I feel like I’m creating a co-dependent relationship like they talk about in the groups I’ve attended. I don’t know how to break it. I feel like I’m losing my mind.”
Nikola was stressed. I didn’t like her having all these additional pressures on top of Anne’s cancer. She had too much on her plate. “Do you want me to see if Quentin is available to come? He might be able to hook Wesley up with someone who could help him.”
“I’ll try anything at this point. If Quentin wouldn’t mind, that would be great. I’d get to meet him, too.”
That caught my attention. “Have you wanted to meet him?”
Nikola looked down and pulled some imaginary lint off her pants. “You see him a lot. It’d be nice to meet someone you hold in such high regard.”
“If you ever want to meet anyone in my life, all you have to do is ask.”
She kept picking. “I didn’t want to pry. Sometimes it’s good to have that safe place you can go to that I’m not a part of.”
The stoplight turned red and I pulled out my cell phone and gave Nikola a wink.
Me: The buddy of Nikola’s whose girlfriend died of an overdose needs help. Are you up for a house call? He’s become dependent on Nikola and she doesn’t know what to do.
Quentin: Of course, send me the address and I’ll head on over.
Me: Thanks. I’ll send right over.
Quentin: See you there.
I sent the contact to Quentin, then focused on what Nikola had said when the light turned green. A sleek sports car sped off beside us, making the tires squeal. Nikola looked out the window then looked back in my direction.
“First, you pry all you want. I’m an open book for you. We have to be open with each other. And, second, Quentin is on his way to see if he can help. Just so you know, he’ll probably ask us to leave so they can talk about everything. It helps the person to share what’s on their mind.”
Nikola nodded. “I’m good with that. I know Wesley will never forget Diane and he’ll always love her. I can’t imagine how you move on, but he’s sleeping in a pile of her clothes. He calls her cell phone forty times a day to listen to her voicemail message. Wesley won’t turn off her credit cards, because he doesn’t want to stop getting mail with her name on it. At some point, it can’t be good to be drowned in the memory.”
“No, it’s not. Let’s see if Quentin can help, and we’ll go from there.”
We drove in silence. Once I’d been worried about Wesley liking Nikola as more than a friend, but when Diane died, I saw the brotherly-sisterly love they shared. Nikola and Wesley had been united by having loved ones turn into addicts. Now with Wesley regressing, I’d been watching him to make sure he didn’t overstep his bounds because of loneliness or fear. Those two emotions could get strange reactions out of anyone.
We pulled up to the house, and Quentin’s red pickup was parked a few houses down. Quentin got out and adjusted his cap. He had on his trademark flannel shirt.
Quentin patted me on the back. “Hey, man. Thanks for calling me to help.”
Nikola stood me, and I started to introduce her when Quentin stepped in. “You must be the lucky lady I hear so many wonderful things about.”
Nikola extended her delicate hand. I knew Quentin sized her up, but the warm smile on his face told me he approved. “It’s nice to meet you, Quentin. I’ve heard many wonderful things about you, too. I’m sorry we’re meeting under such horrible circumstances, but I appreciate that you’re trying to help Wesley.”
“It’s wonderful to meet you, too. Hopefully I can help.”
Quentin turned to me, and I knew what was coming. I nodded and spoke first. “I’ll wait in the car while you guys talk to him. I’ll be right out here if you need anything.”
Nikola gave me a quick peck on the lips and whispered against them, “Thank you for being so wonderful.”
“You’re welcome. Thanks for being mine.”
We smiled at each other, exhausted, before she turned and headed to the door. I got in my vehicle and turned on the heat as I sat and waited.
An hour later, Nikola came walking out of the house with a small smile on her face. In case Wesley watched from the windows, I remained in the car. There was no need for us to talk out on the street, and I needed to get her home.
She opened the car door and got in. Her back sagged against the seat.
“How’d it go?”
“Hard.” She put her seatbelt on before continuing. “He was in denial to begin with and begged me not to leave him. Quentin kept talking, and finally Wesley was ready. Now they’re talking, and I left. I’m relieved, and I hope he listens to the advice Quentin gives him. Your sponsor is patient and kind. He lets the person come to the conclusion on their own but acts like a guide. I like him. He’s a keeper.”
It was important to me that Nikola liked Quentin. “He’s a good man and will do what he can for Wesley. Let’s get you home. I took tomorrow off. Is there any way you can take tomorrow off, too?”
“Let me check something.” Nikola dug through her purse and pulled out her phone. After a few minutes, she leaned back and closed her eyes. “Yes. Gavin accepted and agreed on all product lines we’ve submitted so far. This is huge. I was prepared for rework tomorrow, but now I can definitely take the day off. Let me text Ainsley.”
We were going to lock ourselves away from the world tomorrow and focus on some much-needed us time.
I WAS IN Brandt’s kitchen making coffee while he got ready for work. I looked at the envelope I’d placed on the counter after checking my mail. My rental agreement was coming due in two months, and I needed to find another place. Lance. His name came to mind as I tried to recall the last time I’d heard from him. There had been no communication since the night Brandt had called to demand he leave me alone. On occasion, his car had been parked in his driveway when Brandt and I would swing by my place. Looked like Brandt’s threats to Lance had worked—or maybe now that I was off the market, the chase wasn’t as fun. Whatever the reason, I was glad it was over. I’d expected Lance to be harder to shake, but I was glad I’d been wrong.
Yesterday had been incredible as we’d locked ourselves away from the world and just spent time together. I felt confident that our relationship wasn’t based on sex—what I’d worried about initially. It didn’t take much to ignite our bodies when we were close, but we talked a lot, too. Brandt had been supportive as I continued to vocalize my fears about Grandmama and, now, Wesley. As the days passed, our relationship only grew stro
nger and my insecurities faded.
My hair was wet and hanging as it drip-dried. I was naked under my white silk robe as I poured coffee into Brandt’s thermal mug. He had an early-morning meeting, and his shenanigans with me in the shower were making him late. I was headed to Grandmama’s this morning to work. Once Ainsley was done with class, she was going to meet me there to start on the last cleaning product line for Livingston: buckets and mops. Technically, it was two, but the company grouped them together since they believed they were synonymous with each other. I disagreed. Ainsley and I were going to pull together our findings to present to Gavin to prove our hypothesis. The payment agreement was four installments. I’d received the second wire yesterday, and today Ainsley was going to get her first check. She’d stepped up beyond expectations lately, so I upped her commission on the project.
I tightened the lid on the black thermal mug and set it back on the counter as a hand grazed my lower belly, under my robe. Brandt’s other hand undid the belt, exposing me. Turning into his embrace, I put my arms around his neck, making my silk robe slip off even more—now it only covered my nipples. His blue eyes glanced down.
“Didn’t you have enough of me in the shower this morning?”
Brandt nipped my lip. “I’ll never get enough.”
His long hair was almost dry, and he was freshly shaved. He was dressed up today in his khakis and button-up shirt.