Boston Avant-Garde: Impetuous (25 page)

“I’d welcome you to the family.” Erik slung his arm around Nicolai’s shoulders and sagged as if he were on the verge of collapse. “But I’m a little worried you’d refuse the offer at this point.”

“Are you kidding?” Nicolai gestured to the ruined cake and the groom huddled in the fetal position in the grass. “This is better than reality television.”

“This is bullshit, Aasen.” A man dressed to the nines in a custom suit approached. The term “spitting nails” didn’t even cover the anger in his expression. “My son was just assaulted by your sister at his own wedding! You’ll be hearing from our lawyers come tomorrow morning.”

“Oh, I don’t think so,” Joshua drawled as he and Seth approached with Leslie snug between them. “Per the terms of the prenuptial agreement your son signed, cake would not constitute a deadly weapon. She would have to try and kill him in order to violate the terms of the agreement, although it does cover infidelity. There seems to have been plenty of that going on today if you want to discuss it.”

“We even have several witnesses to the infidelity here this evening,” Seth continued. “Of course, that means your son not only forfeits any claim to Aasen funds, but has to pay a penalty to his bride.”

“Screw the prenup!” Jackson’s father waved his hand to indicate Desiree, and Nicolai’s stomach clenched in anticipation of a fight. “I’m talking about the other sister!”

“Oh, you don’t want to go there, Patrick.” Joshua’s voice dropped an octave, turning to iron. “Bringing suit against Desiree would force us to examine exactly why she would hold a grudge against your son, and I think you know her behavior is justifiable.”

“Bullshit and lies. It’s all bullshit and lies.” Patrick continued to mutter but said nothing more about Desiree or Selena.

Nicolai met Joshua’s gaze. “I owe the two of you again. More than I can say.”

“We live in a fucked-up world, Nicolai.” Seth hugged Leslie. “Family is what we make of it.”

Desiree appeared beside him, slipping her arms around his waist and staring up into his face. “And you are part of my family.”

She was so beautiful, tucked in beside him. Dynamite in a pretty package with dark hair, green eyes, and curves in all the right places. “How’s your sister?”

“Coping. I think this just flipped her worldview on its ass.” She looked at their tiny gathering. “Which, as all of us have discovered, is not really a bad thing.”

They headed back to Jack’s once the reception guests finally dispersed like rioters threatened with jail time. Desiree stayed down in the bar with Nicolai. Midweek nights at Jack’s were filled with regulars and college traffic. Nicolai would’ve taken the night off, but Flynn was already scheduled off. She didn’t seem to mind. She spent the evening charming the pants off his regular crowd and inventing new drinks, sometimes with disgusting results. She’d changed into a little black dress that showed off her curves. He was content watching her sashay around. It was enough just to be near her, to know she was there for him.

The shift was nearly through when she looked up and caught him staring like a love-struck teenager. The crowd had dwindled to the four guys who had been stopping in every night since the first week Nicolai had opened the bar. Leaving the regulars at the other end of the bar, she headed his way.

“What are you doing over here all by yourself?” She snuggled up to his back and wrapped her arms around his waist. Nicolai could feel her breasts pressed against him, her nipples growing firm at the contact.

“I was checking the taps.” He threw her a look over his shoulder. “With all the beer you’ve been spilling on the floor, I thought the kegs might be empty.”

“Are you calling me messy?”

He turned and picked her up. The light material of her dress made it easy for her to lock her legs around his waist. He could feel the heat of her crotch through the denim of his jeans. “I was just thinking you could use a shower.”

“Mmm, that sounds heavenly.” She drew her nails lightly over his bare scalp, raising chills. “Which reminds me. I can’t wait to show you the bathtub in my new place. I was thinking it was big enough for both of us to sit and relax.”

“Okay, okay!” Mason Fox slammed his beer glass on the bar top. “We get the message. It’s midnight and you want to close up.”

Desiree flung her head back and laughed. “That’s right! You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here!”

Mason tossed cash on the bar for his running tab. “Better go, boys. The lovebirds need to try out all the tables.”

“So that’s what they wash ’em down with?” His cousin, Eddy, added his money to the pile.

The other two joined in, making ribald jokes as they laughed their way out the door. Desiree watched it close and then turned back to look at Nicolai. “Does their teasing bother you?”

He set her gently on her feet. “No.”

Donal stuck his head out of the kitchen door. “I’m done for the night, Nicky. I’ll be back to mop in the morning.”

“Thanks, Donal. Lock up on your way out.”

Donal offered Desiree an awkward smile. “Glad to see you back. Have a nice night.”

She beamed at him. “Thank you.”

Coming from Donal, it was an unprecedented stamp of approval. Nicolai shook his head and chuckled.

“What?”

“You’ve managed to charm everyone, just like Erik did when he first started here.”

“At least we Aasens can do something right.” The smile slid from her face, and she picked up a damp cloth, wiping down the bar with vigorous strokes.

“Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

He pried the cloth from her hand and tossed it aside. Lifting her arms, he pulled her hands around his neck and took her mouth in a long, slow kiss. Her lips were soft, pliant, molding to his as if made to do so. She made a little noise in the back of her throat, and her lips parted, allowing his tongue to slip inside her mouth. Slick and hot, she tasted like heaven.

She pulled back, breaking off the kiss before he was ready. “I’m sorry you had to deal with all my family drama today.”

“I’m not.”

“How can you say that?” Her chest rose and fell quickly, her breasts brushing against him with each exhalation. “How long before you get tired of the three-ring circus?”

Nicolai had been expecting this at some point. She’d been more than gracious about his refusal to set parameters and “label” things. But their word game could only go so far to assuage that all-too-human fear of being left alone and vulnerable. He thought of Katie, of his proposal, of the disastrous end result, of everything since—everything that had led him to this moment and this woman.

God, he loved her.

So for her, he’d do it right.

“Please don’t think I’m hung up on labels and all that bullshit.” He could tell from her tone that she was backpedaling.

“Then just tell me what you want.”

She’d been about to apologize for something else, a habit he fully intended to break at some point in the future. Although it didn’t really matter when, since he intended to keep her with him forever. His words made her change her mind. She was working it out in her head. He could practically see the thought and emotion playing out behind her pretty green eyes.

“I want you, Nicolai Anastas. I want to be a permanent part of your life. I want to be part of the bar. I want to help you. I want you to teach me how to run it, not because I think I can do it better, but because it’s important to you and anything important to you is important to me. I want to wake up next to you every single morning. I want to share my condo with you. I want you to promise me forever and mean it. You don’t have to label it. I know you don’t like labels. But I’m so tired of waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

He placed two fingers against her lips in case she decided to get another breath and keep going. “I want to marry you, Desiree Aasen. Your family is friggin’ insane and they belong on a daytime talk show, but I don’t care. I’ve never been much for weddings, but if you want one, you’ll get one.”

Shit, she was crying. He hadn’t intended to make her cry.

“You’re the most amazing guy on the planet, but I’d rather shave my head and poke out my eyeballs than go through another wedding.”

He couldn’t help but laugh at her vivid imagery. “Under the circumstances, I think that’s sound reasoning. So how about this?” He took her hand and placed her palm over his heart. “I, Nicolai Xavier Anastas, take you, Desiree, to be my wife, my lover, and my friend. I promise to be faithful because no one else could ever hold a candle to you anyway. I will love you to distraction, tell you when you’re being stubborn, argue with you, and be willing to engage in makeup sex whenever necessary. I agree to let you fight your own battles unless you ask for my help, in which case I will kick ass wherever I deem it appropriate. I’ll teach you whatever you want to know about the bar, and let you redecorate when you think it can’t be avoided. I will allow you your independence but will always be there when you need me. And I will love you until the breath leaves my body.”

Tears streamed down her cheeks, but she was smiling, so Nicolai figured they were the good kind. Taking a deep breath, she placed his hand over her heart. “I, Delia Desiree Aasen, take you, Nicolai, to be my husband. I promise not to ignore your calls even when you’re being overbearing. I promise to never go looking for trouble without telling you first. I swear to be faithful even though I could never want anyone else anyway. I swear to never redecorate your bar without asking your opinion first, and I promise to never become my mother. Most of all, I promise to love and care for you as long as I live.”

His heart was hammering, and he felt almost light-headed with excitement. “Now, I want to do a lot more than kiss my bride.”

High society had dedicated a lot of time and thought to wedding protocol. Nicolai figured it was all wasted. He was just glad he didn’t have to sit through a silly reception before bedding his bride. There would be plenty of time to take it slow later. It had been a hellish day. The only thing that mattered right now was showing Desiree how much he wanted her.

He kissed her hard. Their tongues tangled together, teeth clicking as they tried to get as close as possible. He cupped her round bottom, pulling her up against the erection bulging behind the fly of his jeans. She stabbed her hands beneath his T-shirt, running her fingers over his stomach and up his chest. When she plucked at his nipple piercings, Nicolai thought he might come then and there.

She made soft noises of pleasure, her moans mingling with the harsh sounds coming from his throat. He picked her up and set her on the stainless steel countertop behind the bar. She gasped when her sweet ass rested against the cool metal. The sound made him want to give her more. He wanted to hear her cry out when he parted her thighs and entered her pussy.

“Too many clothes.” She tugged at his shirt, and he pulled it over his head, tossing it aside.

She yanked her dress up and off, flinging it away. He groaned at the sight of her full breasts half-hidden by the lacy black cups of her bra. Gathering them in his hands, he buried his face in their softness. Kissing her petal-soft skin, he popped the front closure and exposed her nipples. Taking one in his mouth, he suckled hard.

“More!”

Her demands shredded his control, and he used his teeth on the taut bud before giving the other one the same attention. She held his head in her hands, pulling him closer, begging for more. Suckling deeply, he was rewarded by her throaty cries.

His cock was ready to burst out of his jeans. Reaching down, he freed it, the hot length spilling into his hand. Her eyes opened, her gaze skating down his torso toward his erection.

“Touch me.” He ground the words out, though he wanted to clench his jaw against the need to come.

She took him in her hands, stroking his length, running her fingertips through the clear fluid leaking from his tip. He bucked his hips against her hold as she pumped his shaft. He braced his hands against the counter on either side of her body, willing himself to remain standing.

“You’re so hard for me, Nicolai.” Her whisper burned his ears. “Do you want to fuck me?”

How could she wonder? His skin was ready to split open from the pressure. His cock was like an iron rod burning from the fire.

She leaned forward until her lips were beside his ear. “I’m not attached to these panties.”

He ripped one hand away from his death grip on the counter and twisted his fingers into the narrow strip of fabric on her hip. The lace gave in one snap. Once both sides were free, she shifted and he pulled the scrap out from beneath her body.

Her bare pussy was spread before him. The pink contours glistened with her cream. She lounged back, giving him an even better view. “Touch me, Nicolai. Please?”

She was killing him with the pretty begging. A tremor shook his hand when he lifted it to trace the folds of her pussy. She quivered at the contact, a spurt of moisture dampening his fingers. Sliding them inside her body, he rubbed the sensitive spot just inside her opening until she was moving in rhythm, her breasts bouncing gently with each thrust.

“Come for me, wild girl.”

Her eyes closed, her muscles tensing as her pussy clamped down on the fingers he slid in and out of her channel. The scent of her arousal grew heavier, and his cock twitched in agonized anticipation. She cried out, so close he could feel her perched on the edge. Nicolai slid the pad of his thumb across the spread hood of her clit, pressing lightly on the bundle of nerves at the tip.

“Nicolai!”

She melted around his hand, her body climaxing before his eyes. His vision swam, senses on overload as he withdrew his hand and positioned her level with his cock.

She met his gaze, her eyes hazy with passion. “Fuck me, Nicolai. I need your cock inside me.”

The head of his cock breached her opening, sliding into her wet heat and spreading her wide. The muscles in his ass cramped with the effort of pressing forward at a steady pace. He breathed in and out in an even tempo, finally sinking balls-deep into her sweet body.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him full on the mouth. Focusing on their kiss, he cradled her body and began moving in and out in slow, even strokes. Wet noises filled the bar, the sound of his cock penetrating her pussy again and again.