41

He sighed and scanned the paperwork he was holding, barely sparing us a glance. “What?”

Sebastian looked at us briefly too, before looking fixedly at a device in his hand. He didn’t meet my gaze. Kyle hadn’t even acknowledged our presence, even though he stood like a shadow in the corner.

“Oh, good, you’re all here.” Aimée almost yawned as she spoke. Then she examined her nails.

“That doesn’t tell me why you are here.” Nic’s tone spoke to how busy he was, and his eyes narrowed slightly as he rested his gaze on Aimée, but his gaze softened a little when he transferred it to me. It gentled and his mouth curved in a smile meant just for me.

My stomach fluttered in response, and his nostrils flared.

“Why have you brought Leia in here, Aimée?”

“Why not?” she asked, but her tone was far too innocent, and I shifted uneasily.

“Because she’s a distraction.” Sebastian didn’t even lift his head as he spoke, and Nic rumbled a noise in his chest that sounded a lot like a warning. “I’m sorry.” Sebastian didn’t sound sorry at all. “But it’s true.”

“Yes, well,” Aimée said brightly like she’d hoped that would be the response. “How about I get her out of your hair this evening?”

Nic barked a laugh and shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

“I won’t leave her side.” She made a crossing motion over her heart with her finger.

“No, you won’t, because you’ll both be in this house where I can keep an eye on you.” His tone left no room for argument.

“Okay.” I stepped back. “Thanks, anyway,”

“No.” Aimée grabbed my hand. “No, we’re not giving up this easily. I want to take you out dancing. Nicky. You still own that whole block, right?”

“What of it?” He was back to being disinterested.

“Including the boutique next door to the casino?”

He nodded. Well, I guess that explained why the ladies all loved him in there, anyway.

Aimée probed further, ignoring the dark looks and glowers from the other guys in the room. “And you also still own Vibrer then?”

“Yes.” His tone darkened. “But what of it?”

She flopped into the chair opposite him like I’d been forgotten. “Great. So if you still own those three buildings all in a row, you’ll let us go to your nightclub, right?”

My mouth probably gaped open. Nic owned a nightclub as well as a casino?

“No.” It was a one-word sentence. Harsh and rich and dismissive all at the same time.

“But you can hole up in your office there for the evening. Keep an eye on both the nightclub and your mate. How long has it been since you last checked those books?”

“I don’t need to.” Nic’s voice was still clipped. “I have a manager to do that for me.”

Aimée laughed. “Oh, Nicky. You forget I know what a control freak you are. And now that I’ve mentioned the books, you’re dying to see them, right?”

He chuckled unexpectedly. “Maybe a small urge.” He just barely separated his thumb and forefinger to show how little her words had affected him.

“Please, Nicky.” Aimée seemed to hold her breath for a moment. “What’s the point in all this extra security if Leia needs to stay in all the time? Do you want her to feel trapped?”

He lifted an eyebrow. “How can you even ask after what just happened?”

“What’s security like now?” she persisted. “And why would they come back and hit the same place twice, knowing you’re ready for them?”

Nic glanced at Kyle, and he shrugged slightly, the movement so small I wasn’t sure I’d really seen it.

“Security has been tripled,” Nic said, and Aimée laughed.

“Then that’s perfect. And surely you’ve got some paperwork or something you can do for an hour or so? You can be right there.”

This time, he glanced at Sebastian, who dropped one corner of his mouth consideringly.

Then Nic looked at me. “Do you want to go out with Aimée?”

“Of course she does, Nicky. You can’t keep her here like a prisoner. That solves nothing.”

His mouth formed a flat line as he glanced at his sister. “I was asking Leia.”

“It might be nice,” I ventured, and Aimée scoffed.

“Hell, yeah, it will be nice. Do you really intend to keep your mate locked away, Nicky? How many times have you been out dancing?” She looked pointedly at me, but it was a trick question—she knew exactly how many.

And from Nic’s sigh, he knew the answer too. He glanced at me. “Maybe just for an hour. So Leia can do something a little different.”

Aimée squealed and grabbed one of my hands. “You’ve never danced until you’ve felt the beat of the music coming through the floor. Come on, we need to go get ready.” She spared a quick look for her brother. “Thank you, Nicky.”

“This one’s on you, Aimée,” he murmured, and although there was something dangerous in his soft tone, his eyes betrayed his conflict.

“I know… I know. You won’t regret it. Come on, Leia, before he changes his mind.” She pulled me from his office and along the hallway, laughing like a hyena the whole way. “We’ve got so much to do before we can go. Hair, make-up, clothes. It’s going to take all afternoon.”

She stopped like she could sense my sudden hesitation.

“It’s okay, Leia. Vibrer is Nicky’s territory just as much as La Petite Mort. You’ll be safe there because he’ll have extra security, and I won’t let you out of my sight.” She grinned, flashing plenty of fang. “You have a bodyguard who bites.”

 

   

I’d expected Aimée to be joking about taking all afternoon to get ready, but she made styling her hair and selecting a dress into an art form, and by the time we left the house, we both looked as if we were about to be photographed for a fashion magazine.

Jenkins drove us, and Aimée looked around approvingly as she stepped onto the curb. “Yes, this will do nicely,” she murmured, “And not one sighting of annoying older brothers. Now let’s hope it stays that way and he’s content with glowering from inside his office all night.”