Wild Nights With My Brother's Ex-Best Friend novel Chapter 83

NICOLE

Roman closes his hand around my upper arm and tugs at me. "Could you not? Just stop and listen to me, Nikki. Why would I tell you she's here if I weren't trying to be honest?"

"Oh, you're telling me this now?" I ask angrily. "Now that I'm stuck with you and have no place to go? Are you kidding me? Let go of my arm!"

When I try to pull away from him, he gives me a sharp tug that sends me crashing into him. He holds me tightly and fiercely so that there's no chance of me escaping his clutches.

It enrages me to see that he's smiling.

"This trip was with her family," he explains calmly. "I wouldn't have been able to come here without them. It was the only chance I had to see you, baby. I took it with both hands."

"Of course, you'd say that," I say accusingly.

Roman chuckles. "I don't give a rat's ass about Carmen, Nikki. I slept with her one time and her father was on my case about marrying her. The rest is history. I haven't touched her since our wedding day."

"Must've been really good sex," I say dryly.

Roman's smirk broadens. "Not better than ours. And before you ask—no, it wasn't worth it. Not in the slightest. I wish I'd never done it. What I hate the most about myself is how long it took me to realize that."

"You're such a jerk."

His hand caresses my cheek. I feel a lot calmer even though, inside, I'm still raging about this whole thing while questioning my decisions.

I want this to be the right one. But is it?

"He's got a lot of evidence against me," Roman claims. "Shit that could get me behind bars for a long time. But I got the best lawyer in the city working on this case, and he's bound to find a loophole or anything I can hold onto to avoid a sentence. I don't know."

"What if it's unavoidable?"

"Then I'll just have to do my time and try not to drop the soap," he jokes. I don't find it funny in the slightest. "It's either that or I'll be Carmen's prisoner for the rest of my life. I can't have that. I'd rather have something to look forward to than nothing at all."

"You're being so casual about this!"

He shrugs. "I'm just hoping for the best. If I reveal some of Garith's crimes..."

My eyebrows shoot up. "You can do that?"

"I can. I've gathered some shit on him. Plus, Carmen isn't necessarily organized. She's in on the whole operation. Most of what I got was through her, but I don't know if it'll be enough for Garith to grant me a divorce."

"But he could have you killed for revealing his secrets!"

Again, he shrugs. It's so infuriating. I can't believe how nonchalant he's being about putting himself in danger. "Roman!"

"Let's not talk about this, alright?" he asks gently. "I don't have concrete facts, so for now, all of this is hypothetical. What I want you to know is that I'm working on it, and though I'm married to Carmen legally, she's nothing to me. Nothing. I wouldn't dare to lay a finger on her, not when you're with me. It's only you in my life, Nikki. You don't know how fucking ecstatic I am that you're here."

We share a brief kiss, but he pulls away first. "Now, I want to know—what does he want from you?"

"Who? Garith?"

"You've spoken to him before. I've seen it."

"He...I was introduced to him by a friend, and ever since, he's shown interest in me. I always turned him down."

"But he's been insistent."

I remember the convention I went to with Sebastian and remember the way he looked at me. I nod. Roman curses.

He asks, "What were you even doing at that festival that day?"

I nod. So, now it makes sense. I knew that even if his vasectomy had been successful, there'd always be a tiny, sliver of a chance. It's extremely rare, but not impossible. This explanation makes a lot more sense.

Roman cups my face, drawing my attention. "I want you to know that I think about it every day, Nikki. Every single day of my entire existence. If the authorities didn't get to that guy, I would."

I place my hand over his warm fingers. "It's over, and there's nothing we can do about it. I think reliving that moment over and over again isn't going to do us any favors."

"No," he agrees.

"Did you correct it? The recanalization?"

"No," he admits.

"Why?"

"I don't know. I guess now, there's a lot more for me to think about. It's a serious decision. I didn't care about any of it before, but things are different now."

I can only stare at him. It's a good thing I'm on the pill, because if I weren't...

"Why?" he questions, holding my face. "You wouldn't want to have my children?"

My mouth is agape. "I can't believe you're seriously talking about that, Roman."

"Why not? I told you we'd have the talk."

"Well, this conversation's boring."

He chuckles. "Boring, huh?"

"Really boring." He presses his lips against mine, and as always, I lose myself in the heat of his proximity and the intensity of his kiss.