Wild Tendy (IceCats 2)

“I promise I won’t lie ever again about anything, even if I think I know best. I’ve known for a while that I can’t just jump into things like that, but I didn’t care. Now I care because I refuse to do anything to lose you. I never meant to make you feel like a charity case, and I never saw you as one—”

“I know that, Nico. I do,” I say as my voice breaks. “I know you only did it out of love, but you can’t blame me for my pride being a bit stung.”

He nods. “I know, Aviva, and I’m sorry for dinging it. The last thing I want is to hurt your pride or anything on you.”

I nod slowly. I believe him totally. “I know.”

“I can’t lose you. I won’t lose you, Aviva. Never in my life has anyone understood me or been so patient with me. I’m usually terrified to be myself, but you accept me for who I am.”

“Because I love you.”

He points to me. “Exactly. Just as I love you. We do really crazy things when we love people.”

I cock my head. “What crazy thing have I done?”

“Loved an autistic guy,” he says with a shrug.

I shake my head, scrunching up my face. “Nico, really. Using that as a line?”

He grins. “It’s not a line.”

I hold his gaze. “Then, Nico, that’s not crazy. That’s natural for me.”

His eyes get misty as he exhales. “See? I would legit buy a billion sub shops just to hear you say that. Just to know I’m enough for you.”

I shrug. “I’d say it without the endless sub shops.”

He nods. “Which is why it was so easy for me to give you everything you deserve.” He reaches out, taking my hand and pressing his thumb into my palm. “The best part of me is you,” he says, and my heart takes flight. “And I need that part. So, tell me what to do. Beg? I can beg.”

I laugh softly because I know he would beg. He doesn’t care what people would think as long as he made this better. “You wouldn’t beg.”

He scoffs. “For you, I would, and I’m not ashamed of that.” He steps closer to me, and I don’t move. His cologne hits me in the face, making me dizzy, but still, my eyes stay on him. “Do you want me on my knees?”

“No, Nico, you don’t have to beg.”

“I don’t?”

“No, but you do have to promise never to do that again.”

“Never. I won’t buy you any more shops.”

“And I want you to let me pay you so you can make a profit from the shop.”

He looks intrigued. “In blow jobs?”

“Nico—”

He holds up his palms. “Fine, free subs and endless kisses.”

I quirk my lips. “Or the rent I’m paying.”

He shakes his head before snaking his arm around me. “Or we take that money and send it to that YMCA thing you like supporting. And I get my subs and kisses.”

He brings me in close, and I let him, my chest resting against him. “Only if I get my triple zero sub.”

He curves his lips slowly, his eyes darkening as he slides his nose along mine. “Since I made it only for you, it’s yours. Along with my heart, my soul, my life.”

“Wow, the lines are real tonight.”

He nods. “I watched a lot of romantic comedies when you weren’t speaking to me. I wanted to pull out all the stops.”

“Without me? Rude.”

“You eat all the candy.”

“And you love it.”

He nods. “I love you.”

Without another thought, Nico cups my face and drops his mouth to mine. I lean into the kiss. I should have known I couldn’t stay mad at this man for long. His heart is too pure, and it’s all mine. I’m sure he’ll do more things in the future with zero impulse control, and the crazy thing is, I’ll still love him.

When he pulls back, he kisses my nose as I whisper, “I love you more.”

With a smirk that is unstoppable, he nods his head. “I know. I am pretty amazing.”

Yeah. Yeah, he is.

Epilogue

Nico

“I don’t know how I feel about buying a house when we’re also buying two sets of boobs.”

I glance over at Aviva with a dry look. “I feel like if you guys get boobs, I get a house. I’m tired of sharing a bathroom with crazy-pants back there.”

Callie scoffs. “Hey, you aren’t easy to share with either. You shave entirely too much, and your hair is everywhere.”

I roll my eyes and notice that Aviva is looking at the houses I sent her as she starts to speak. “I don’t know. With you about to start the top plays—”

“Top plays?”

She glances over at me. “The championship thingy.”

“The Cup finals?”

“Yeah, that,” she says offhandedly, and Callie lets out an annoyed sigh.

“Can you pay attention, or do you like that Nico corrects you?”