And no stone-cold princess there.

Nick’s body started shaking.

She turned and glared at him, unlatching the arm she had wrapped around his back so she could smack his shoulder blade.

His amusement came low but audible.

“Shut up,” she muttered under her breath.

“She can be cute,” he told Knight.

Knight was staring at Nick’s woman, his lips quirked up, and Nick reckoned his brother already got that.

“And a fuckin’ nut,” Nick went on.

“Nicky, shut up,” she hissed.

Knight’s brows rose and his gaze cut to Nick.

“Nicky?”

“Now you shut it,” Nick replied, still laughing low.

Knight smiled at him then turned that to Olivia.

“Nice to meet you, Olivia. And sorry I’m doing it when I gotta go.”

“I…me too, nice to meet you that is. As well as sorry you have to go,” she said swiftly and with obvious nerves.

“We’ll get together soon, you meet my Anya and my girls, yeah?” Knight suggested.

Olivia tensed against him but nodded and said, “Yes. That’d be nice.”

“Right, gotta go,” Knight murmured and looked to Nick. “Got the door, brother. Stay warm. Thanks for the news and later.”

“Later, Knight.”

Knight nodded to him, gave another smile to Olivia then turned and walked out.

“Oh my God, I tripped in front of your brother and said fuck,” Olivia whispered in horror the minute the door slid closed.

He pulled her to his front and shared the obvious, “It was cute.”

“I said fuck,” she repeated.

“Baby, he’s heard the word before.”

“Undoubtedly,” she returned. “And undoubtedly it’s not a surprise coming from me considering the fact his brother’s girlfriend is a gangster’s daughter.”

Fuck.

He finally got it.

He pulled her closer.

“He doesn’t think dick that’s bad about you.”

“You sure, you know, considering you called him earlier to ask him over in order to report his nemesis is dead at my father’s hand?” she asked sarcastically.

“He was born in your world. There’s shit he gets about you that I’ll never get about you. I don’t give a fuck about it. He sure as fuck doesn’t give a fuck about it. And he is who he is and you know who he is. So bein’ who he is, he doesn’t judge,” Nick returned resolutely.

That shut her up.

“Unless you’re an asshole or a twat, then he judges,” he continued. “And you aren’t either.”

She pressed her lips together.

“You were cute,” he repeated.

She looked to his shoulder.

He gave her a shake.

She looked to his eyes.

“So shake it off,” he ordered.

“Okay, Nick,” she said softly.

“Now, I think the challenge you issued my digestive system has been bested so I can fuck you without passing out or throwing up.”

She frowned.

He ignored that and decreed, “Time to do that.”

“Just to share an important tidbit as we figure our stuff out, your ridicule of my cooking is not amusing to me, Nick Sebring.”

“Babe, you emptied a bottle of French dressing into ground beef seasoned with taco seasoning, fried flour tortillas, dumped mac ‘n’ chees on that, the beef on that, sour cream, cheese and guac on that and set that shit in front of me. It was the best thing I’ve ever tasted. And if a nutritionist saw it, they’d be apoplectic.”

“Life is short and it mostly sucks so who cares what a nutritionist thinks?” she shot back. “You have to have some things you enjoy. I eat fruit. I eat veggies. I do Pilates two times a week. I walk on a treadmill for an hour four times a week. Every once in a while you have to treat yourself to such as taco extravaganza. It makes life worth living.”

“How about we find other ways to make life worth living, like orgasms and mindless TV?” he returned.

“Is there a limit to things that you can have that make life worth living? Because if there is, I’ve got you, that’s a huge boost, but I still don’t think I’m even close.”

I’ve got you, that’s a huge boost.

Fuck, that felt good.

Really good.

“Totally fucking you now,” he declared, grabbing her hand and dragging her toward the bedroom.

“Sebring, the dishes aren’t done.”

He pulled her up the steps, “Shade, don’t care.”

“Sebring—”

He stopped and yanked her around.

“Get naked,” he growled.

She glared at him stubbornly.

He knew how to break through that so he did it, taking off his shirt.

Her glare wavered as her eyes dropped to his chest.

His hands went to his belt.

Her hands went to her tank.

He beat her to naked.

In the race to orgasm, she beat him.

But with that, Nick never minded finishing second.

Chapter Twenty

Wade Through Shit

Nick

6:13 – The Next Morning

Just after coming, instead of collapsing on Livvie, he rolled, bringing her with him.

She gave him her weight, her thighs gripping his hips, her face in his neck, her breathing heavy, her soft body fluid in his arms, still coming down from her orgasm.

Christ, weeks he’d had her and every fuck was better than the last.