Chapter 57

“You deserve it… Although you don't seem very thrilled for someone who got promoted,” she let down her guard,” What's wrong Nick? And don't say nothing because we both know that's a lie. You've never been like this before. Why are you so angry at me?”

He glanced away from that beautiful face and sensual mouth. Either that or risk letting Michelle glimpse the secret he’d managed to keep hidden for so long. It wouldn’t do to reveal that he was in love with her.

Unrequited love.

His hold tightened on the glass, matching the constriction squeezing his chest. Such a fancy, completely inadequate way to describe the hell of having your heart broken day after day when the person you crave more than air looks at you with wholesome...affection. It killed a part of him.

And every time she brushed those soft, almost too-full lips over his cheek in a platonic kiss, or pressed her sexy, lush curves against his body in an amicable hug, another piece of him died another death.

“So tell me—” Michelle nudged him with her elbow “—what did I do to upset you this much?”

He inhaled, taking in her earthy musk of cedarwood, roses and the shea butter she’d massaged into her skin for as long as he’d known her. If he was blindfolded and shoved into a warehouse filled with thousands of open perfume bottles, he would still be able to select her erotic, hedonistic scent. It teased him when he was awake and haunted him in his sleep. He couldn’t escape it—couldn’t escape her.

And, God, sometimes he did pray that he could exorcise this damn love for her from his heart, his soul. Somehow he'd gone this long without letting his feelings out, but lately it'd come to the surface, threatening to spill. He couldn’t hide it any more, especially after she found out about Emma. He was not only embarrassed by that outcome… He was also angry.

At himself…. And at her.

He'd tried other women. Went out on dates he never told her about, but Michelle was incomparable. Hell, today he got a promotion for god's sake, one that he'd wanted for a while, and because of her he couldn't even be happy about it.

He bowed his head over hers, adopting a smirk. Pretended he wasn’t affected by this fragile dance of innocuous conversation and friendship. He was a pro, after all. “I’m not mad at you,” he lied, “And why do you care so much anyways?”

She looked shocked. “Why do I care? Nick, I can't believe you just asked me that. You're my best friend and I love you,”

Her response was meant to make him feel better, but the ‘best friend’ part was like a bee sting he couldn’t dig out from under his skin. Because it was her. Because she had no fucking clue.

More unreasonable anger stirred within him, goading him to push, to sting back.

“Best friend, huh?” He leaned farther down until their foreheads nearly brushed, until he could almost taste her wine-flavored breath. Could feel the hitch of her swift intake of air on his lips. He dropped his voice to a murmur, narrowed his eyes on her mouth and studied the plump, ripe curves, before lifting his gaze back to her eyes. “Go home, Michelle.”

Silence and a tension that damn near hummed sprung up between them. She didn’t move, and neither did he. They were like statues, the world disappearing around them as they stared at each other.

His words echoed in his head, over and over. He was being mean to her, and an ugly part of him—the part of him that resented her for not seeing him, not wanting him— rejoiced at the shock that parted her lips, darkened her eyes.

But, God... His cock thickened, hardened behind his pants zipper. Lust and wonder, one a demanding howl, the other an awed whisper, twisted and purred inside him. Clawed and petted. Left him struggling not to reach out and stroke the tender skin beneath those beautiful eyes.

Eyes where something glinted.

Was it… Desire?

For...him.

Fuck.

He was probably seeing things.

Yearning pumped through his veins, piping hot like the strongest coffee, and it shot through him with the same kick of adrenaline. “Michelle...” he murmured.

“Hey, Nick… Michelle!”

Nick stiffened at the intrusion of the voice that doused him in a frigid wave of reality. Slowly, he stepped back from Michelle and turned to face his brother. Forcing a smile to his face, he refused to glance back as Stoner greeted Michelle—couldn’t.

Not when he grappled with the truth and couldn’t risk allowing either of them to glimpse the pain tearing into his chest before he managed to conceal it.

Because with Stoner's appearance, he got it. That desire in Michelle’s eyes just now hadn’t been for him. God, how could he be so stupid, so foolish, to forget?

The only thing worse than being secretly in love with his best friend was for his best friend to have a crush on another man—his brother.

“Mi-ch-elle, you look beautiful,” Stoner said.

“Thank you.”

Nick didn’t have to peek down at her to catch sight of the pretty blush that undoubtedly painted her graceful cheekbones, or how the fringe of her lashes would sweep down and hide the adoration in her eyes. He’d witnessed her reaction to his brother’s presence the last time they saw each other and they were branded in his brain like scar tissue.

Bitterness, hot and caustic, crawled through him. And he hated himself for it. Especially since he should be used to it by now. Stoner went to get himself a glass for the wine, and once again he turned to Michelle, “I'm sorry I've been an asshole lately, but I'm just dealing with some stuff I'm not ready to discuss right now. Can we see each other some other time?”

“Nick and I are going to a party tomorrow. You should come with us,” Stoner's voice cut into their conversation again.

Nick winced. Sometimes his brother was just so damn frustrating. He stared at Michelle as she struggled to find the words to respond to Stoner's invitation.

“Oh, well. I mean, that would be nice…If it's okay with you, Nick,”

What the hell was he supposed to say? No, It's not okay? I don't want you there? He shrugged, “Yeah, sure. It's okay,” he replied.

Stoner grinned as he poured wine into his glass, “I guess we'll see you tomorrow then. Nick will send you the details… I'll make sure of it,”