“So…” I leaned my head back, enjoying the feeling of the alcohol flowing through my veins like warm liquid. “Shopping for real estate in Istria?”
He rubbed the back of his neck, kneading one particular spot. I noticed he did that a lot. And it was always the same spot. “It’s no big deal. Just figured it would have been a waste if I hadn’t checked out the market while I was there.”
He couldn’t have downplayed it more if he tried. “Your parents seemed pretty happy about it, if not surprised.”
“What’s your point, Lexi?”
Something told me I shouldn’t put too fine a point on the matter because he’d balk at any praise I’d offer. “Nothing. I just meant it was a good call. Cris seemed almost relieved.”
“He’s got a lot on his plate right now, with the wedding and the Esposito trial. Taking this over was the least I could do.”
“It seemed like he’s used to having a lot on his plate.” Careful, Lex. Don’t overstep your bounds. “Is that because you’re always traveling for work, and you can’t be as involved in family matters?”
His jaw hardened, his fingers choking the steering wheel. “Cris likes to be in control. Always has. So what?”
“It’s just that where I come from, there are certain expectations of the first-born so—”
“We’re not talking about this,” he snapped. “Ever.”
Yep. Touchy subject.
We didn’t say another word for the rest of the drive. My thoughts and emotions were spinning around inside my head like a whirlpool.
Could just be the fruit punch.
Nevertheless, I’d witnessed another version of Nico tonight. He’d acted…differently around his family. He’d smiled and laughed and behaved as if he actually knew how to have fun. In fact, everyone had acted shocked that he’d been working non-stop ever since I met him.
And the stories they’d told …
I hadn’t been able to believe them at first. That sounded nothing like the man I knew. But the mischievous sparkle in his eyes as his tales were recounted indicated the playful, troublemaking side of Nico was still alive and well inside him.
But how to make that side come out was the real question.
Then there was this other side.
The boyish side that wanted to please his parents, make them proud of him. He’d acted as if he had something to prove to everyone sitting at that table. That side certainly called out to me. The need to live up to the expectations set before him. Living by the standards others had put in place for you, or at the very least, the ones you had put in place for yourself.
As Sergei Kozlov’s daughter, I’d always felt I would never reach the heights a man of his caliber would expect from his child. The fact that I wasn’t even biologically his made that pressure feel suffocating.
Modeling hadn’t been enough. Not that Batya had ever said as much. But it wasn’t like I’d earned my good looks. I hadn’t achieved them through hard work and sacrifice. I had my real parents—whoever they were—to thank for my face and metabolism. Giving back some of what I’d been gifted in life felt like a better use of my time, and nonprofits had seemed like a good place to start.
After whipping the car into the empty space in the oversized garage, Nico shoved open his door and blew inside the house without waiting for me. I didn’t want to deal with his surly attitude tonight, but I wasn’t quite ready to go up to my room either. Something was going on that I just couldn’t ignore, no matter how hard I tried.
Nico had taken some kind of step today at lunch. One that had been difficult for him. I felt the vulnerability pulsating from him.
I wanted to eliminate it for him.
His evening shouldn’t end in uncertainty.
I followed him inside the house. But before I could act, he said in a clipped tone over his shoulder, “Goodnight, Lexi,” and disappeared down the stairwell that led to his gym and booze bunker. And I highly doubted he was going to work out.
I knew what was likely to happen if I followed him down to his booze bunker.
I knew what it might lead to.
But there was no way I’d be able to sleep without alleviating Nico’s insecurities.
On a fortifying breath, I slowly made my way downstairs. With each step, it felt like I was descending into a forbidden world—one of lust, temptation, desire. Like I was blowing through roadblocks and ignoring all the warning