Boston Avant-Garde: Impetuous (15 page)

“What? How can I have a wedding without a wedding planner?”

“You want my advice? Call Isabel and offer her a ten percent pay raise. Tell her you’re sorry you tried to change things at the last minute and that it won’t happen again. Then sit back and let her do her job and quit trying to micromanage her.”

Selena’s outrage left her mouth bobbing open and closed like a fish out of water. It was extremely satisfying to watch. “If you don’t help me fix this, you can just consider yourself fired from my wedding party!”

It shouldn’t have hurt, but it did. A lot. Not that Desiree was going to let Selena know that. “What are we? Ten? Fine. You don’t want me to be one of your bridesmaids, find someone else.”

“You’re not being very sisterly toward Selena.”

For some reason, the disapproval in Annaline’s voice just didn’t bother Desiree anymore. “And I know you mean well, but you’ve never been much of a mother. Maybe someday you’ll start trying to listen to me instead of talking at me.” She turned away from Annaline and looked at Erik. “I think I’d like to get out of here. Especially since it appears we need to clear up Nicolai’s bogus legal problems.”

“Ready when you are.” Erik was already pulling out his phone as he left the morning room ahead of Desiree.

“You’re making a terrible mistake, Dee Dee,” Annaline called after her. “People like us don’t mix with his kind.”

She stopped walking. After all this time, there was something that really needed to be said. “You kept saying that when Erik wanted to marry Talia, but of the four of us, he’s the only one who’s really happy.”

She didn’t wait for her mother to respond. It was time to choose, and she wanted out.

* * * *

Nicolai sighed and shifted his hands. The handcuffs itched. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a pair on. His last arrest had been during his naval service. These days he was generally on the right side of the law against some poor drunk who’d decided to tear up the bar.

“Sorry, Nicolai.” Officer Smith adjusted the nightstick on his belt and sat back down at his desk. “We’re trying to get this straightened out, but that asshole PI isn’t making it very easy.”

Nicolai gazed at the slender man talking to the captain at the duty desk a few yards away. His hair looked almost white in the light streaming through the tall windows. He’d taken off his expensive sunglasses and was arguing in low tones. His clothes had been picked to blend in, but Nicolai could tell they hadn’t come from a cheap chain store.

Smith followed his gaze. “Someone must have a lot of spare cash if they hired Cade Sorenson to check you out.”

Nicolai ignored Sorenson, shifting in his hard plastic chair. The District 4 Department had undergone some necessary renovations several years back. The new building occupied a nice corner lot and sported an airy, spacious interior. Obviously they’d spent their tax dollars on the high-tech security systems and new computers instead of decent furniture. If he had to sit there much longer, his ass was going to be permanently damaged.

“That jackass should let us at least take off the cuffs,” Smith muttered as he filled out paperwork on his laptop. “Most of us have known you for years. Hell, half of us spend our Friday nights at Jack’s.”

Nicolai wondered for the millionth time if Desiree was all right. Judging from his current predicament, the confrontation with her mother and sister hadn’t gone well. He’d kicked himself a thousand times for letting her go without him. His wild girl was a magnet for trouble. Every time he let her out of his sight, disaster struck. He wanted to believe she’d been able to stand up for herself, but the handcuffs chafing his wrists were making it difficult.

“Charley, take those handcuffs off of Nicolai. He’s about the last person I can imagine causing a scene.” Lieutenant Walker strode into the room with a tall, dark-haired man pacing by his side.

“My client is pressing charges against Mr. Anastas.” Sorenson leaped into action, putting himself between the lieutenant and Nicolai.

“What are the charges?” The dark-haired man’s tone was so nonchalant he could’ve been discussing the weather. Nicolai watched him with interest. He was vaguely familiar, though Nicolai couldn’t put a name with the face.

“Assault with intent to rape.”

“Who’s the victim?”

“My client’s daughter, Desiree Aasen.”

“You do realize your client’s daughter is a grown woman, fully capable of dropping charges against Mr. Anastas, don’t you?”

Sorenson’s confident expression flickered. “Ms. Aasen has the authority to speak on behalf of her daughter.”

“No, she doesn’t. Her daughter Desiree has retained my legal services with the intention of making this all go away.” Something about the sarcastic slant of the lawyer’s smile jogged Nicolai’s memory.

“Release Mr. Anastas, please, Charley,” the lieutenant ordered.

Smith snatched up his keys. “Gladly, sir.”

Nicolai looked a bit closer at his “lawyer.” “Thanks for the rescue, Seth. I owe you one.”

“Don’t mention it. Erik is like family.” He signed a series of forms on Smith’s desk with a flourish. “I’d ask how you’ve been, but I think that might have to wait.”

Nicolai rubbed his wrists to soothe the irritated skin. “Is Desiree all right?”

“She’s waiting at Jack’s with Erik and Flynn. I’m headed that direction if you want a ride.”

“I’d appreciate it. Thanks.” The knot of tension in his gut loosened. If she was waiting at Jack’s, she was safe for the moment, but he wouldn’t be satisfied until he could hold her in his arms and see for himself that she was okay.

“Would you knock off the pacing? You’re making me dizzy.”

Desiree stuck her tongue out at Erik and continued her trek from one end of the bar to the other. If he didn’t want to watch her agitation, he should’ve taken her to the police station. She’d damn near leaped across the gearshift of Erik’s Porsche to strangle him when he had decreed they would all meet back at the bar after Seth filed the necessary paperwork.

“Little sisters don’t ever change, do they?” Flynn tossed back a shot of whiskey.

Erik waved off the offer of a shot. “Actually she’s the oldest.”

“I’ve got all brothers, myself. Our house wasn’t run by hormones and moon cycles.”

Desiree quit her pacing. “You know, having two irritating younger siblings taught me to ignore deliberate attempts to piss me off.”

Flynn howled in laughter just as the front doors of the bar swung wide open. Afternoon sunlight and brisk fall air spilled through the opening and across the stone floor. The silhouettes of two men darkened the doorway.

Desiree’s heart pounded. Even with her vision dazzled by the bright light, she knew the one on the left was Nicolai. Something inside her resonated with each unhurried step he took in her direction. She wanted to run at him, leap into his arms, and apologize profusely for her mother’s insane rudeness. But she didn’t. She was mortified by what her family had done to him. He had every right to tell her he was through with all the craziness. Worse, he might even think she’d had something to do with it.

The door shut behind Seth and Nicolai with a whoosh of air, the light fading enough that Desiree could see their faces. Both wore serious expressions. Tension formed a tight little ball in her stomach. She’d known Nicolai less than a week, but getting the brush-off from him would be far more profound than a lifetime of her family’s drama.

Seth grabbed Erik’s outstretched hand and pulled him in for a rough hug. “Days like this remind me how much I love my job.”

“Thinking about ditching family law for a career defending scumbags?” Erik pulled away from Seth and took the hand Nicolai offered.

“Nicolai only looks scary. He’s about the tamest scumbag I’ve ever needed to bail out. He’s cleaner than most of my divorce clients.” Seth’s phone trilled in his pocket. “If you’ll excuse me, guys, I’ll take this call on the way back to my office.”

“Thank you.” She felt a wave of insecurity. She and Seth had a history of exchanging endless volleys of rude comments.

For once, there was no sarcasm in his expression. “Anytime.”

“I should go inventory the walk-in freezer.” Flynn disappeared into the kitchen.

Erik drifted toward the door behind Seth. “Talia just sent me a 911 food order, so I’m going to go before she adds a dozen more items to the list.”

“Erik.” Desiree called after him without knowing why. The silence had grown uncomfortable, but she didn’t know how to smooth things out.

“If you’re waiting for me to be happy that the two of you are a couple, I’m not there yet.”

“He’s your friend. How can you not approve of the two of us together?” She didn’t want to be at odds with Erik, but she couldn’t understand his reticence.

“It was a fling. It should’ve been over. And I was fine with that. This is different. You can’t have the home and family you want with Nicolai.”

Horrified by the insult in Erik’s words, she turned to gauge Nicolai’s response. If he was hurt, his stone face showed not one iota of his feelings.

Erik pinched the bridge of his nose, a sign that he was through arguing for the moment. “Look, I know the two of you need some time alone. Talia and I will follow your lead on the rest of this wedding stuff. Just let me know what you decide. Everything else will work itself out in time.”

He left without another word, and she found herself standing in the middle of Nicolai’s bar, wondering how to best approach her apology. How did you apologize to your boyfriend when your mother had him thrown in jail and your brother disapproved of your relationship? Was he even her boyfriend? It seemed like such a juvenile word to describe how she saw him, but the last time she’d asked him about labels he’d never really gotten around to telling her whether or not they had one.

“Are you okay?”

His question surprised her. His tone was low and gravelly, but there was no anger in it. His hands hung loose at his sides, his broad shoulders straining against the black cotton of his T-shirt. She wanted him to open his arms and welcome her close.

“Say something.”

“I don’t know what to say.” She thought of Jackson’s clever manipulations and her mother’s and sister’s willingness to believe such awful things about her and Nicolai. “I’m so embarrassed.”

“Don’t be.”

The short distance between them felt like miles. “My family is… I can’t even explain it.”

“Then don’t try, wild girl.” He closed the gap in two strides.

The taste of his kiss was a piece of heaven she’d thought she’d lost forever. His tongue slid along the seam of her lips until she opened to welcome him inside. It felt good to surrender to him, to let him take control. He growled, sending vibrations skittering over her tongue and teeth like a teasing caress.

His hands bracketed her hips before tugging her chiffon skirt up over her thighs. He broke off their kiss and lifted her into his arms. The sheer power in the movement left her breathless.

She locked her legs around his waist and her arms about his neck. “I was afraid you’d be angry with me.”

“Not you. Just this crazy world you live in.”

She gazed into his beautiful dark eyes, her stomach fluttering and her pussy clenching with desire. There was no one else in the world who could melt her with one look. “You told me to choose. I chose you. Now take me to bed.”

HE TOOK THE stairs to his apartment one at a time in a slow, deliberate rhythm. Her lips feathered kisses over his lips, down his jaw to his neck. Reaching the top step, he shifted her weight to one arm and opened his door. He kicked the door shut behind them and crossed the room before setting her gently on her feet next to his bed.

The feel of Desiree in his arms effectively bound and gagged the rational portion of Nicolai’s brain. He didn’t want to mull over the possible consequences of becoming entangled with a woman whose family had just tried to have him arrested. There was time to deal with that later. After he had sated his desire for the wildcat who made his blood sing.

Desiree started to undress, but he caught her hands. “No, let me.”

He knelt before her, capturing her calves and removing her shoes. He caressed the gentle arch of her feet, enjoying the hitch in her breathing at his touch. He unfastened the buttons on her jacket, watching the rise and fall of her breasts as he slid the material down her arms.

He slipped his palms over her satin camisole until he could cup her breasts through the sheer white material. She arched her back when his thumbs found her nipples. The taut buds peaked beneath the camisole, tempting him to finish undressing her and enjoy what lay underneath.

“You are so damn sexy, wild girl.” Nicolai lifted the hem of her camisole and pressed a kiss to the sensitive skin below her navel.

He found the closure to her skirt and gave the delicate zipper a tug. The light fabric fluttered to the floor. Nicolai spread her legs and skimmed the insides of her thighs with his fingers. He hooked his thumbs into the waistband of her white satin panties and shimmied them off.

Pressing a kiss to her mound, he inhaled deeply of her erotic feminine scent. His cock throbbed painfully in response. He wanted to savor the time he had to spend with Desiree, but he wanted her so badly his body was in physical pain. Dragging in a deep breath of air, he got to his feet and struggled to regain his composure.

“This has got to go.” He lifted the satin camisole over her head and tossed it aside.

“Doesn’t seem fair that I’m the only one who’s naked.”

“Not naked enough.” He pulled her into his embrace, taking her mouth in a hot kiss while reaching behind her back to unclasp her bra. It fell to the floor, and he scooped her into his arms, carrying her the scant distance to the bed where he planned to spend the rest of the night making her the most satisfied woman in Boston.

He took his time with his clothes, enjoying her impatient whimpers. Boots neat beside the bed with socks on top. Stretching his back, he pulled off his T-shirt and laid it over the back of a chair, jeans following to make a neat stack. When he was finally naked, he leisurely lay down beside her. Leaning over, he blew a cool stream of air across her breasts and belly. Her pretty pink nipples beaded into hard points, and her stomach shrank reflexively.