Wild Nights With My Brother’s Ex-Best Friend novel Chapter 66

NICOLE

“Nikki, talk to me.”

I shake my arm angrily to free myself from his grip. I’m trying to get away from him while attempting to process all this shit l’ve just heard.

Roman couldn’t have faked the video of her entering his building.

“I’ve got the video of her in my apartment saying this shit,

” he continues. “I wanted to be on the safe side. I planned all this. If you want to see it, I can show it to you, too.”

“Let go of me, Roman.”

He pushes me against the railings and grabs both my wrists this time around. “Dammit, Nikki. Why are you doing this to me? I’ve gone through hell to try to prove to you that I wasn’t lying about Haley.”

Mason. He doesn’t even know…he can’t even begin to imagine that the woman he’s with is a lying bitch. She’s been using him this whole time. This whole time.

“And you knew it, yet you didn’t do a thing to stop it!” | exclaim. “Is this supposed to make you a hero or something? You could’ve told Mason the truth!”

“Oh, I tried to. Once. But he didn’t listen, and you know what? Fuck him anyway. He was my best friend, and hechose a fucking woman over me. I was by his side through thick and thin. We were like brothers! I don’t think you ünderstand that Mason’s the one who betrayed me. He stabbed me in the back, not the other way around! My mistake was involving you. That I take full responsibility for!”

I try to push him off me, but he traps me with his body and makes sure I have no space to even think about running. A desperate cry escapes me. “Let me go, Roman! You’ve proved your point!”

“You believe me, then?” he asks tenderly. The look in his eyes is one of yearning. “I would do anything for you, Nikki. Anything. You’re my first thought in the morning and my last one at night. For the past three months, you’ve been my sole obsession. I don’t think about work.

Money. Fucking. None of that. Because nothing matters if I don’t have you.”

A sound that’s half a scoff and half a breathless laugh escapes me. It sounds like I’m choking, and maybe l am.”

Says the married man.”

“I’ll get rid of her,” he replies with a viciousness that scares me a little. “Carmen and I are fucking done. I should’ve never married her, but at least now I’ll have the time to bring her and her father down. Once and for all. I don’t care what it takes. I’ll do it even if I have to do jail time.”

I search his eyes. “What are you talking about?””ve messed up, but that’s not what matters.”

I scoff. “You’re…I’m so sick of you, Roman! Are you really trying to make me believe that you’ll leave her now that you’ve married her?”

“I didn’t marry her for love. I only love you.”

“Yeah?” I ask as hot tears snake down my face. “Then why didn’t you realize it before? I was right there the whole time. I would’ve never left you if you didn’t break up the engagement, you lying fuck. I was crazy about you and I would’ve held onto anything-even if it wasn’t the full truth! Why didn’t you end things with her before if you love me so much!?”

Roman inches closer to me, and the world around me stills when he brushes his nose along mine. “Because I didn’t know what after you would be like. I didn’t know what it would cost me to lose you. But now I do.”

I suck in a breath when his tongue darts out of his mouth and he licks a path along my face, from my jawline to the spot right beneath my eye.

He’s licking my tears.

“I would do anything. Just tell me what you want from me.

Tell me what it’ll take and I’ll do it. I want you back. You’re the only woman who’s ever made me feel alive. I was a better fucking man when I was with you. You’re the only woman l’d ever be with.”His words sing to me. Deep down, there’s a part of me that’s melting right now. His lips inch closer to mine and our breaths mingle. I get a little dizzy. His scent. This closeness. It’s all starting to get to me.

Roman’s mouth settles over mine and everything fades away. Our tongues find each other and I shudder.

Goosebumps spread across my skin like wildfire. I’m burning up.

A feral sound leaves his throat. He releases my hands and they move to the back of his neck, pulling him closer. His hard-on digs into my belly. I’m turned on, too. More than I’d like to admit.

“Nikki,” he says against my lips. “You’re going to be the fucking death of me, you know that?”

Moments later, I’m pushing him away. My heart is slamming against my chest and guilt almost chokes the Life out of me then I remember Sebastian.

I just kissed another man.

“None of this matters because I’m with someone else now,

“I remind him as I try to step away from him.

Roman’s anger burns right through me. I feel it even in the way he grabs my wrist to stop me. “Come on, Nikki. I thought this whole thing was about us being honest with each other. He’s not the fucking man for you. Only lam.”

“Yes, he is!” I spit. “You don’t know anything about us, sodon’t presume to know!”

“I know plenty,” he replies, his voice low and dangerous. “I know he doesn’t have the balls to stand up to his stuck-up mother for you. if he can’t fight for you and stay by your side, does he really love you as much as you think?”

“How do you know any of this?”

A slow smile spreads across his face. He looks like a deranged man —his eyes have this crazy look in them. But he’s never looked more gorgeous.

And this is exactly when I realize that I’m not out of trouble. Not in the way I thought I was.

“Your body is an instrument only I know how to play, Nikki,

“he whispers. A shiver races down my spine and I get so cold that my nipples harden and press against the material of my dress. Thankfully, the bra I’m wearing is padded enough to hide that fact. “He doesn’t know you, not like I do. He doesn’t know what you like.”

“You don’t know that,” I argue breathlessly. “I come plenty.

Anger fleshes across his eyes and he grabs my arm. “Don’t make me commit murder on this damned ship in the middle of the fucking ocean, Nicole. His blood will be on your hands.”

“Criminal!” I hiss, fighting off his grip. “You’re out of your mind!””Yeah? And whose fault is that?”

I manage to free myself, or maybe he releases me. I don’t know. I stumble away from him and put as much distance between us as I can.l practically fly down the steps.

“You’ll come back to me!” he yells after me. “One way or another, Nikki. We both know how this ends!”

ROMAN

Watching Nikki walk away from me stuffs me with all sorts of negative feelings that get my feet moving before can even stop myself.

I’m going after her.

I take several steps toward the stairs and even charge down them. My fists are clenched and I have this desire to hammer my words into her body, one stroke at a time.

Why can’t she understand? Why isn’t she listening to me?

“What do you think you’re doing, hm?” he asks in a low, vicious tone. “Have you lost your senses? Shag gives you the right to treat my daughter like shit?”

“Like shit?” I echo. “You and I seem to have very different ideas of what treating someone like shit is. I married her.”

“And?” he asks loudly. “Don’t you think that means you owe her more respect!? How dare you treat my daughter like she’s one of your whores!?”

“Because she is,” I reply, unbothered. The look on his face is fucking priceless. “Or rather, she was. I married her and that should be enough. I did what you all wanted. Played along in this pathetic game that’s only a waste of time for me. She has my name, doesn’t she? That’s what she wanted, that’s what she gets. I don’t owe her anything else.”

“You’re playing a dangerous game, Roman,” he warns through clenched teeth. “Forgetting what I’m capable of?

What’s at stake here?”

I give him a cold stare, smile a little, then turn away.

Naturally, he doesn’t come after me. I glance at my watchand decide that it’s time for me to check on Nikki.

I stop by the Sea Star and surprisingly, she isn’t there.

Sebastian isn’t either. They’re always here. Concern gnaws. at me and I backtrack, trying to remember where else l’ve seen them.

Could they have gone to a new place? Or is Nikki in her room? If that’s the case, then where’s Sebastian? His obnoxious family?

Someone clears their throat next to me and I whirl around and find one of the ship’s attendants staring back at me with a pile of pamphlets in her hands. “Excuse me, sir, may I show you to an exclusive show being held at the main theater right now?”

She hands me a pamphlet and I start to decline it before something hits me. A show? What if they’re there? It can’t be a coincidence that they’re not here while there’s this event going on?

“Thank you.”

I scan the pamphlet, then head to the main theater. It’s some kind of musical performance—l can just see Sebastian attending this. A singer’s onstage, making a hell of a lot of noise, and there are quite a few people gathered in front of the stage. Some seated. Some are standing.

I spot Nikki in one corner of the room. Sebastian has an arm around her shoulders and she’s leaning into him, andby God, does it hurt.

It’s like I’m a teenager all over again, feeling the pain of betrayal.

Only, this time, I have the maturity to understand that I’m the one who pushed her into the arms of another man.

I keep watching, growing more and more agitated. The music isn’t helping. I think of turning away, but something keeps me rooted to the spot. Maybe it’s the fact that though she’s here, her mind is in a faraway place, and that’s a good thing. That’s great. Her eyes are spaced out and she’s not paying attention to her surroundings.

Sebastian’s mother approaches them, and he immediately takes his arm off her and turns his full attention to his mommy. Pathetic fuck.

And Nikki hasn’t noticed a thing. Not yet.

But then, she turns her head to look at him, sees him talking to her, and this look crosses her face that lets me know that my time has come.

A smile stowly spreads across my face.

Here we go.