He’s my male bestie!

CARISSA

"No one," I lie again, trying to sound nonchalant despite the guilt written all over my face.

Nico raises an eyebrow, his expression skeptical. "Oh, really?" He calmly walks over to me, his hands snug in the pockets of his jogger pants. "Hand over your phone," he requests, his tone firm but controlled.

I'm not sure what to do, so I pause. There is no arguing with Nico's expectant stare, though. He looks at my recent call history as I grudgingly give him my phone. "Who's Landon?" he asks in a steady, low voice.

My mind goes blank. "He's...my best friend," I stammer, the first thing that pops into my head.

Nico's eyes flash with surprise, then narrow. "You're not allowed to have any male best friends," he states.

I try to regain my confidence, drawing myself up. "You never said that in the contract," I point out.

"Common sense should tell you not to have a male best friend when you have a freaking husband," he says dryly. "And the next time I see you talking to your 'bestie,' you'll have to block him everywhere. Got that?"

I roll my eyes, snatching my phone back from him before switching it off.

Nico seems oblivious to my anger. "Join me for breakfast," he says casually.

I trail behind him, feeling the crazy urge to stand on my tiptoes and smack the back of his sexy head.

But when we reach the dining room, I look at the mouth watering spread of food in front of us. Crispy bacon strips, hash browns, chorizo sausages, buttery croissants, pumpkin muffins, freshly squeezed orange juice, hot coffee with vanilla creamer, and fluffy scrambled eggs.

How did he...?

I take a seat, trying to compose myself as I begin to eat. "Did you deliberately put all my favorites?" I ask, trying to sound nonchalant.

Nico nods, glancing up at me. "Of course. I never miss any details when it comes to you, Carissa. I still remember how much you love all of these."

I'm taken back to the simpler times. We used to share breakfast or dinner together, sometimes with my brother Ethan, and occasionally even with our dads. How did everything get so messed up? Now everyone hates each other.

I miss Ethan, wishing he was here and awake from his coma. Remembering Nico's role in his accident, I shoot daggers at him.

But Nico appears unperturbed, sipping his coffee. "Stop looking like an old grumpy granny and finish up your food," he advises, his tone teasing.

I drop my fork, feeling that little surge of anger. "I'm not hungry anymore."

Nico's eyes narrow. "Eat before I make you," he orders.

Wow, is he going to force me? I stubbornly cross my arms over my chest.

"You can force me to do every other thing but not to eat. It’s my stomach."

His gaze lingers on my face before he says, "You better eat your food or come eat some other food." His voice drops to a low, husky tone. "And that small, sexy mouth of yours would fit it nicely."

My face flushes hard as I instantly understand what he's referring to. I quickly stuff my mouth with some bacon, catching Nico stifle a small smile.

Later after breakfast, Nico leaves for work and I know he's off to do his stupid mafia shit.

When I turn on my phone again, I discover the voicemails from Landon.

After darting my eyes around to make sure no one is looking, I quickly head for a corner of the room that has the largest potted plant. With my pulse pounding, I duck behind the plant and call Landon.

Landon picks up immediately. "Carissa! Thank God I finally reached you. I've been so worried!"

I swallow hard, my voice all shaky like I’ve been running a marathon. “Please, we cannot talk on the phone anymore."

There's a slight pause on the other end of the line. "What are you on about?"

I pause, unsure of how much to reveal to him. "It's just not safe, okay?" I say, trying to brush it off.

"I'm parked right outside your gate. I just got here," he says simply.

"What gate?" I repeat uncomfortably, furrowing my brow.

Landon describes the massive estate with long black iron gates he is standing in front of.

With a worried tone, he asks, "What are you doing in a place like this? Were you kidnapped?"

My head is buzzing with questions as I gasp. How did he even find me?

His voice cuts through my thoughts. "I was worried sick, and I had to track you from your phone location," he explains, as if reading my mind.

I'm shocked. Landon's always been a computer genius, but this is crazy. "Are you crazy?" I exclaim, trying to keep my voice down. "It's dangerous!"

But he doesn’t seem to be bothered. "I'm coming in to get you,"

I glance around nervously, lowering my voice to a harsh whisper. "Landon, please, you have to go. This place is run by the mafia. If Nico finds you here, he'll kill you!"

"Who the hell is Nico? Baby, I'm coming in. Just hold tight, okay?"

I hear a ruckus outside before I get the chance to complain further.

As I dash downstairs and head for the gate, I witness the security officers addressing Landon. He's yelling loudly and insisting that they bring me out. I run over to where the soldiers are preparing to rough-handle him.

"Stop! He's my guest!"

One of the guards turns to me, fixing me with a wary look. "Sorry, ma'am, but Master Nico never told us you had any guests, so he has to leave."

"I say he's my guest!" I say through gritted teeth.

With a look of relief on his face, Landon rushes to embrace me right away. "I missed you," he says, kissing me on the forehead. "What's going on? We have to leave now."

I try to explain, but Landon is tugging my arm, and the security guards are trying to intervene. Just as things are getting chaotic, Nico's car arrives, much to my horror.

Nico’s eyes find Landon first as soon as he gets out of the car. He takes his gun out without hesitation and shoots, the bullet piercing Landon's shoulder.

Landon grunts in pain, holding his injured arm as blood runs down his shirt. I let out a frightened cry, my hands shooting to my lips.

"Nico, what the hell?!" I yell, my voice harsh from fright.