He plopped down across from her, and his plate of steaming eggs and waffles made her grimace. How anyone could eat something that heavy first thing in the morning was beyond her. Just gross.
“Soooo…”
Lily grimaced, and he laughed, but then his face got serious. “Adam got so drunk last night, I thought he might have alcohol poisoning.”
“Is he all right?” she asked, alarmed. She might be mad and hurt, but she didn’t want him hurt too. Well, not much.
“Sleeping it off, but he told me some stuff,” Mike said. “I’m sorry for what he said, Lils, and so is he.”
She sighed. “Sorry doesn’t cut it this time, Mikey.”
“I know, but you realize he only said those things because he was jealous, right?” Mike shoveled eggs in his mouth and swallowed. Man didn’t even chew. Lily screwed up her face. “All he could go on about was you and Nikoli. He wants to beat the crap out of him.”
“Yeah, well, it’s none of his business, especially after what he said to me.”
“Janet said you left with Nikoli last night.” Mikey put his fork down and stared at her. “Lily, Nikoli…”
“Is none of your business either,” she said bluntly.
“I just don’t want you to do something stupid out of spite.” Mike turned his full attention on her. “You’re like a sister to me, Lily, so I have to put my two cents in. Your eyes are bruised and hurt, so I don’t know if you’re thinking straight. Nikoli is, he’s…”
“I know all about him. I’m going to tell you the same thing I told Adam. Stay out of it. I’m a big girl. I know what I’m getting into.”
Mike stared at her for a long moment. “Lily…”
“I mean it, Mikey. Leave it alone.”
“Leave what alone?”
Lily groaned at the sound of Nikoli’s voice. She groaned again when he sat down right beside her. He scooted until only an inch separated them. Her palms started to sweat, but she forced herself to sit still.
“Nothing,” she said and sat up. Nikoli was dressed in a pair of faded jeans and a Metallica t-shirt. His hair looked rumpled, and his black eyes twinkled. Those full lips of his were turned up in a half smile.
“Dushka…”
“What does that mean?” she asked suspiciously.
He grinned wolfishly. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“I know what it means in English.” Her eyes narrowed.
“But it doesn’t mean that in Russian.” Nikoli popped a grape in his mouth.
“Why is your English so good?” Mike asked curiously. “Didn’t you grow up in Russia?”
Nikoli nodded. “Yes, but my father spoke English. I speak it as well as I do Russian. Now, dushka…”
“No,” Lily interrupted. “Stop right there. Do not call me dushka. Ever.”
“You don’t even know what it means.” Nikoli laughed.
“I know what everyone else will think it means, and that’s more than enough for me. No dushka. Promise!”
“No more dushka. Katyonak instead.”
“Note to self, pick up a Russian to English dictionary.”
Mike shook his head, barely containing his laughter. Lily shot him an annoyed look, which only caused him to cough to try and hide his choked laugh.
“What’s up, guys?”
Lily closed her eyes as no less than three of Adam’s football buddies took a seat at their table. They leveled a look that promised pain at Nikoli, which he ignored completely. Instead, he focused on Lily, and she tried to scoot farther away from him. He only followed. She frowned at him and he simply smiled in response. He did warn her he was going to push her, but she thought he’d give her at least a day to come to grips with it. She should have known better.
“Breakfast?” she replied, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
“Milka, you are going to fall off the bench if you scoot any farther.” Nikoli laughed.
“Maybe you should back off then, Nik.” Menace laced every one of Brian Greggory’s words.
“No, it’s fine.” Lily waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it, Brian.”
“If he’s bothering you…”
Nikoli lazily plopped another grape into his mouth. “I’m not bothering her. The fact is, she and I are going to be spending a lot of time together, so get used to it.”
Brian narrowed his eyes, and Lily could see they’d never believe she’d willingly go out with Nikoli. “He’s right,” she said. “You see, we have a bet.” She felt Nikoli go completely still. He had no idea what she was up to, but a plan was forming, and she rubbed her hands together gleefully. This could turn out in her favor after all.
“A bet?” Mikey asked curiously, still shoveling food. She caught a glimpse of waffle and made a face.
“He wants in my pants, and I want his car.”
Six pairs of shocked eyes gazed at her.
“Never going to happen, Lily Bells.” His car? She’d lost her damn mind!
“Never say never, Kincaid.” Lily grinned impishly up at him, and Nikoli almost laughed with her. Almost. His baby was going nowhere. She could get that out of her pretty little head right now.
“You want the ’Cuda.” Luther sat down next to Nikoli, rubbing his eyes.
Lily nodded, and Nikoli wanted to throttle her. No way in hell was she getting his car!
“He looks worried,” Mikey observed.
“He does,” Luther agreed. “I have a hundred bucks that says she gets the car.”
Nikoli sent Luther a glare hot enough to singe what little hair was left on his head. They were betting on his car? His baby?
“So what does this bet entail?” Mikey asked.
“I personally don’t think our manwhore here can go without sex,” Lily said casually. “If he slips up during the next three months, he forfeits his car.”
Nikoli focused on the woman next to him. He zoned out all the people around him and looked directly into her laughing blue eyes. She was going to pay for that. “And as I said last night, Milaya, I won’t need to slip up with you in my bed.”
Mike growled something unintelligible, and the other guys got pissed off looks. Nikoli ignored them. “That’s the second half of our bet. She has to keep out of my bed for three months, or I win.”
“I want the car more than I want you,” Lily told him.
“We’ll see, Lily Bells.” Nikoli grinned. “Speaking of our bet…are you ready to go?”
“Go?” She frowned. “Go where?”
“You’ll see.” He stood up and waited for her.
“I’m not dressed.” Her eyes were wide and slightly fearful when they looked up at him.
“You look fine for what I have planned.” He couldn’t keep the evil grin off his face. Time for a little payback. “You won’t be keeping those clothes on for long anyway.”
She narrowed her eyes and shook her head. “I want medical reports. Who knows what you might have.”
She did not. He narrowed his own eyes. “We discussed this yesterday, dushka.”
“And I told you not to call me that!” she yelled. The guys sitting across from her were chuckling, and she turned her furious gaze on them. “The next person who laughs will not get tutored this year.”
That wiped the smirks off their faces.
The girl had more fight in her than she realized. It was what he was banking on. She just needed to keep her fingers off his car. Seriously, where had that come from?
“Ready?” He kept his expression as mild as he could, but from the look of irritation on her face, he knew he’d failed and let the smirk out.
She stood up and grabbed her bowl to dump off at the bins. “I really need to change…”
He shook his head. “Nope, no time. I might even let you drive my car if you get your butt in gear.”
Mike snorted milk through his nose at the look of excitement on Lily’s face. “What’s with you and his car?”
“Ohmygosh…it’s a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda!” Her blue eyes lit up like Christmas. “Do you even know how rare that car is?”