Page 87 of Girth (Marked Skulls MC 1)
I whipped around to look at him and Nico wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
“What the fuck have you done to me, Kennedy!” he grunted. He was glaring at me with heavy drooping eyelids. His shoulders were heaving.
I stared at him, nervous about what he was going to say next. I thought he wasn’t pleased. That I had pissed him off somehow.
But then he lunged at me, pulling me into his muscular strong arms again. Softly, he kissed the tip of my nose and then my lips.
“I’m not myself when I’m around you. It’s like I’m addicted to you or something,” he said and shook his head in disbelief.
I batted my eyelids with joy. He wasn’t pissed with me! He was just realizing how deep his feelings were.
Maybe he was falling in love with me too? Just like how I’d already fallen for him.
I threw my arms around his neck and he held me tightly. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt this happy.
“I’m starving. Are you?” he asked and I laughed.
“What are you going to cook me?” I said.
Nico shrugged his shoulders and released me from his arms.
“You’ll just have to wait and see. Maybe we’ll have to end up eating out,” he replied.
***
“I don’t know why you were worried. This is really good!” I exclaimed, as I tasted my first bite of the spaghetti and meatballs Nico had prepared.
We were sitting at my kitchen table, eating. Nico was wearing nothing but his jeans, while I’d put on a silk robe to cover my nakedness. Every time he looked at me, I blushed.
We’d spent the past hour in the kitchen together. I watched while Nico cooked. It was obvious that he wasn’t a regular cook but it seemed like he knew what he was doing.
“Thank you. It’s my mother’s recipe, passed down in our family for generations,” he informed me as he ate.
I was surprised to hear him admit it. This was the first time he was really talking about his family.
“Well, I’m sure she’ll be proud to hear you cooked her recipe tonight,” I told him.
Nico’s eyes darkened and he looked at his plate while he ate. There was a sudden silence between us and I was worried that I’d said something wrong. I didn’t want him to shut himself off to me again.
“My mother died when I was fifteen,” Nico revealed, in a low sullen voice.
“Oh, Nico…I’m so sorry to hear that. I didn’t know…” my voice trailed as my fork fell with a clank on the table. I wanted to reach out and stroke his hand but I wasn’t sure if he wanted me to.
“It’s okay. It was a long time ago and we don’t really talk about it,” he replied.
I knew I shouldn’t have asked him anything else, it was enough for the night. But curiosity got the better of me.
“Nico…I’m sorry for intruding, but I was wondering if it was really because of your granddad that you dropped out of high school?”
I was staring at him, searching his eyes for an answer. We’d had a lovely night till now. I was hoping that I wasn’t in the process of ruining the evening.
Nico breathed in deeply, like he was deciding whether to tell me the truth or not. Ava hadn’t told me much…she hadn’t exactly spelled it out for me but I could sense there was more to that story than what Nico told me.
He finally fixed his deep gray eyes on me and I gulped.
Did I want to hear what he was about to say?
“I’m sorry, Kennedy. I lied to you earlier. I couldn’t exactly be truthful because we didn’t know each other,” Nico replied.
I shook my head and smiled encouragingly at him.
“I understand. I’m not concerned about what you said earlier. I want to know the truth now,” I stated.
Nico dabbed the corners of his mouth with a paper napkin. It seemed like he was taking his time with it. This was a difficult conversation to have for him. I’d decided that whatever he was going to tell me, I would listen to it with an open mind. I trusted Nico now. I knew that he wouldn’t do or say anything to hurt me.
“The truth is that my granddad was sick and dying. But there wasn’t much any of us could have done to help him. He wasn’t the reason why I dropped out of high school,” Nico said.
I knew it wasn’t, and yet, it made my body stiffen to actually hear the words. I nodded my head. I was too afraid to ask him what the real reason was.
“I had to leave school because my father wanted to involve me in the family business. I’d always been involved in it, but he didn’t care much about an education. He needed me on the front lines. I’m his only son,” Nico explained.
I was staring at him with confused widened eyes.
“Front line? You make it sound like your business is some sort of war,” I laughed nervously, but Nico wasn’t even smiling. He was dead serious.
“It is. Something like that, anyway,” he replied.
My throat had gone dry. I couldn’t eat anymore.
My biggest fears regarding Nico were being revealed. I’d made a mistake. I shouldn’t have asked him anything. I didn’t want to know more.
“Okay, well, we don’t have to talk about it now,” I smiled weakly at him and rolled my fork in the spaghetti.
“Kennedy,” Nico said my name too sharply. I had no other choice but to look up at him.
“I need to get this out. You need to know everything before we move ahead,” he stated.
“No, I don’t, Nico. I’m happy right now. With you and with the baby. Everything about my life is good…I’m not going to ask you any more questions about your work,” I said.
My voice was sizzling. I was trying to convince him to stop talking, but Nico was on a roll.
“Kennedy, you need to know just how dangerous my line of work is. My family is…it’s…” he continued and I shook my head.
“Please, Nico, please just stop talking. Don’t ruin this for me!” I tried, but he wasn’t going to listen to me now.
“They’re not good people. My father is not a decent man. I don’t come from the same world as you. I’ve done a lot of things in my life that I’m not proud of,” Nico continued.
I stood up from my chair with a jerk and it fell back, crashing to the floor.
I swerved away from him, heading out to the living room. This couldn’t be happening. I wasn’t hearing this. The perfect little world I’d created for myself in my head was coming crashing down.
Nico followed me out to the living room, and he was trying to make a grab for me.
“Can we please just talk about something else?” I pleaded with him.
Nico caught me and pulled me to himself. He was forcing me to look up at him.
“I wished this wasn’t true either, Kennedy. But it is and you need to hear it. I’m not going to mislead
you. I’m not going to make you do something you’re not prepared for,” Nico said. I could see he was trying to be calm but there was a sudden terror in his eyes.
“I’m prepared to be with you, Nico!” I squealed and he wrapped his arms tightly around me. He stroked my back, my hair…trying to calm me down.
“I know you are, Kennedy. I know you are,” he whispered.
I pulled myself away from him. There were tears brimming in my eyes. Was he trying to break up with me?
“I know. I know because Ava hinted at it. I can guess the kind of work your family is involved in,” I said.
Nico shook his head and closed his eyes. I stepped away from him and watched as he ran a hand through his hair.
“I don’t think you understand, Kennedy,” he murmured.
“Maybe I don’t! So, what? I’m not involved in your business. You don’t have to tell me anything about your work. Don’t you see that what we have here is perfect the way it is?” I cried.
Nico was staring at me with sullen eyes. It was almost like he was feeling sorry for me. I rushed towards him and took his hands in mine.
“This is fine. We are good…” I breathed hotly. Was I trying to convince him or myself?
Nico placed his hand lovingly on the back of my neck and drew my head towards his. He knocked our foreheads together.
“Right now, Kennedy, the best thing for us to do would be to leave town. You me and the baby. We could just disappear somewhere and start fresh,” he said, in a deep low voice. Like it was a secret.
I yanked myself away from him.
“Disappear? What are you talking about, Nico? I have my whole life here. I have a job and my friends and family. I can’t just up and go. And you don’t have to either!” I exclaimed.
Nico clenched his jaws and breathed in deeply. I rushed back towards him, throwing my arms around his neck.
“I know you’re worried about the baby. Ever since you found out about the pregnancy, you’ve been on edge. Nico, you don’t have to worry,” my voice had softened now and I kissed his chin tenderly.
