Wild Nights With My Brother's Ex-Best Friend novel Chapter 54

NICOLE

"I'm in a hurry—I have to find my friend," I tell Garith dismissively in one last attempt to free myself, but he doesn't budge and his grip is relentless to the point where it scares me.

Esmeralda's words are swirling around in my mind. He's dangerous, and right now, I don't feel safe.

God. I should never have come here.

"Do I make you uncomfortable, Nicole?" he asks with a tilt of his head. He's never looked more psychopathic than he does now.

"I'll be honest—you do," I admit through gritted teeth. "Any man who forcefully makes a woman listen to him is bound to make her uncomfortable."

"I'm sorry," he says as his eyes search my face. He doesn't sound sorry at all. "It's just that when I'm around you, I don't think straight. There's something about you that drives me mad, Nicole."

I'm not flattered by his words. Not in the slightest. I start looking around for an escape instead. "I've never given you a reason to hope that there would ever be anything between us."

"But Esmeralda is your friend, is she not?" he questions. He sounds so calm and unbothered that it's unnerving. "My father used to say: show me your friends and I'll tell you who you are."

"I don't care about what she does in private," I spit, irritated by his insinuation. "What matters most to me is the kind of friend she is to me. The rest has nothing to do with me."

"So, what you mean to say is that you'd never get involved with a married man?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. Now, please let go of me."

Thankfully, he actually listens this time around. I don't like how the spot he just touched tingles. I suppress the urge to rub it just to get the feel of his hand on me away. "Alright. Fair enough. You've proven your point. But I could do a lot for you, Nicole. A young woman like you deserves the best that life has to offer. I could make all your dreams come true."

"I'm fine where I am," I declare. "I don't need anything from you."

A small smile tugs at the corners of his lips and he takes a step toward me once more. I keep my eyes on his face, refusing to back down. I can't and won't show him that he's intimidating me—in some ways, he is, but not to the point where I'd avert my gaze.

"I always get what I want, Nicole," he says eerily before turning away from me. I only relax when his fine white linen shirt is out of sight. Dammit, what the hell was that? This was just what I needed to make this night even shittier.

Though his words felt more like a warning than anything else, I brush them off for the time being and focus on finding Esmeralda. I'm so worried about her. What if she and Armand both lose their temper and the worst happens?

I should never have let Garith distract me the way he did.

When a hand suddenly closes around my arm, I whirl around, shocked, assuming that I'll find Garith staring back at me. My shock only grows when I find myself staring at Roman's face. For a few moments, I question my own sanity and wonder if this moment is even real.

I never assumed that I'd see him here of all places. Then again, Garith is his future father-in-law, so I suppose it makes sense after all.

"Nikki," he says. This word is enough to snap me out of my trance and I blink before stepping back and tearing my eyes away from his painfully familiar face. "What was Garith talking to you about? What did he want?"

I give my arm a shake so he'll release me, and he does. Then, I proceed to walk away from him and act like I never saw him in the first place. I'm embarrassed to say that it takes some time for me to recall exactly what he did and why I should stay away from him, but I won't talk about that.

"Nikki—"

I whirl back around angrily, once again forgetting the fact that I have to find my best friend. "Stay the hell away from me! How could you!? How dare you!?"

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