Wild Nights With My Brother's Ex-Best Friend novel Chapter 4

NICOLE

His penthouse is everything I thought it would be.

It sits at the very top of a high-end glass building, and the view is just...wow. Breathtaking. I can see the whole city from his living room. Well, the best parts of it.

The floor is black and shiny, and his furniture looks like it belongs in a magazine. They're mainly gray, and their colors don't pop, but I mean this in the best way possible. It's a luxurious gray, not standard, too-poor-to-afford-anything-else gray. Everything's spotless and in its right place. Upstairs, there's a rooftop with a pool, surrounded by potted exotic plants.

"Wow," I say out loud. "This is something, huh?"

"Thanks. I'm glad you like it. Want a drink?"

I should probably not have many drinks tonight, but I need something to take the edge off. I don't want to raw-dog this entire conversation while sober.

I'm too nervous around Roman. I have butterflies in my stomach and we haven't even exchanged a proper word yet. I'm still wondering what he meant by the word 'fun'. "Yes. A small one, please."

"Please?" he jokes. "When did you get so polite?"

I raise my chin indignantly. "I've always been polite."

"Not that I remember. What do you want?"

"Whatever you've got."

Roman pours us both champagne and then invites me to head to the rooftop with him. The air is cool and my skin is immediately covered in goosebumps. I take a few sips of the fizzy champagne—it's just the right amount of sour, and it's delicious.

"So," Roman begins, drawing my attention away from the view, "charity work, huh? I never thought you'd go down that path."

"Why not?" I ask, slightly offended by his tone.

"Well, you always seemed like a hands-on, authoritative kind of girl. Sometimes, it seemed like you were older than Mason. Not that I'm trying to make fun of your profession—I'm only noting how things change over the years."

I get his point. "I went into business, but I'm doing this for Ma. I can't seem to let go of it."

Roman nods, watching me with an intensity that makes me feel naked. "And this is what she wanted for you?"

"We never got the chance to talk about it. The doctors gave her a year, and she died in a month. We thought she had more time."

Roman clicks his tongue against his teeth. "I'm really sorry to hear about her passing. She treated me better than my own mother did."

"I just realized I don't know much about your childhood. We were always together, but I have no idea what your family life was like."

"Don't worry about it," he states. "It was nothing special. But tell me about yourself, Nikki. I want to know everything about you."

I take another sip. My stomach's burning. "Like what?"

"Are you seeing anyone?"

"No."

He seems a little too pleased by that answer, and I take another big sip of my drink. My core is tight, and this proximity is doing strange things to me. My body's reacting in ways I never expected it to.

"What about you?" I ask to fill the silence. "Are you seeing anyone?"

"Nope. I'm not that kind of guy."

"Come on. I've read the news. You're in a dating scandal every once in three months."

His smile widens and he leans in closer. "You've read the news, have you?"

Shit. "I never said I didn't know about your fame, Roman. It's hard to ignore the news about you when it's all over the place."

"What I meant is that I don't really see women. I keep it casual."

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