MIA’S NOT READY when I arrive at her house twenty minutes before seven, having finished work early so I could take her to The Olive Tree for a proper date.
We’ve not had much time together since she woke up in my arms on Tuesday, but now it’s Friday, she’ll stay with me all weekend.
“What happened to baby boy?” I ask Aisha when she greets me with a simple hey.
She purposely rolls her eyes before leading me into the kitchen. I shake Toby’s hand, taking a seat by the breakfast bar, where he’s flipping through a stack of takeout menus.
“You’re with my sister now,” Aisha says, opening the fridge. “As much as I enjoy pissing you off, I think I should stop before I take it too far. You want a beer?”
“No, I’m driving.” The more time we spend together, the more I enjoy our banter. It’s like having a younger sister. “Who’s going to take your place if you stop getting on my nerves?”
“I’ll throw something your way every now and then if you insist.” She winks, pulling out two bottles of Corona. “I just don’t want to get in your bad books.”
“Too late for that. You’re not there for pissing me off, Aisha. You’re there because of how you treat Mia.”
Who knew? Aisha can blush too. Her cheeks pink up, shame spilling down her neck. It’s not as adorable as it is on Mia, though.
“She’s growing on me,” she admits quietly, stealing a quick glance at her boyfriend. “I even invited her to come out to Rave with me for a girls’ night out.”
My back straightens immediately, a jab of anger flaring my nostrils. “She’s not going out with you.”
“Excuse me?” Aisha grips her waist, snapping into defensive mode. Her pink cheeks have turned red, and not due to shame. I think she’s about to bite my head off. “What kind of caveman bullshit are you trying to pull off? You won’t dictate her life. She’s going.”
Jesus Christ. The world these days is madness. One sentence, and I’m immediately labeled a caveman. Fucking sue me for doing what I think is right for my girl.
“Save the righteous lines for your books, alright? You want to spend time with her?”
“Of course I do! She’s my sister. She’s family.” She glances at Toby, checking he’s paying attention to her sudden change of heart. It’s all for show. Toby’s as family-oriented as I am, and I’m sure Aisha’s dismissive attitude toward Mia doesn’t sit well with him. “Why else would I invite her out?”
“Why does it have to be out?” I snap, grinding my teeth. “If you really want to spend time with Mia and not just score points with Toby, organize a girls’ night in. Show me you care about her. That you give a crap about what’s happening in her life.”
“What’s the fun in that? We sit home all the time!”
“You need to be waited on, right? Fine. Take her out for drinks somewhere you can talk. Show me you won’t ditch her at the first opportunity. Show me she can fucking count on you. Then we can talk about Rave.”
Aisha scoffs, pointing her long, manicured nail at me. “Why would I ditch her?! I’m with Toby now. I’m not looking for guys. Clubbing is fun, Nico. Mia doesn’t have fun and—”
“She’s not going out with you!” I bang my hand on the breakfast bar, my patience hanging by a thread. “Either a girls’ night in, or if you want to be waited on, I’ll get you a private room at The Olive Tree. I’ll even cover the fucking bill, but you’re not taking Mia dancing unless I’m there.”
“Don’t argue,” Toby cuts in when Aisha opens her mouth again. “You won’t win with him on this one.”
“Like hell! She’s not his property! What if she says she wants to go, huh?!” She comes closer, little torches swimming in her eyes. “What then? You’ll forbid her? You can’t control her!”
Toby rubs his face, looking between us, the calm mediator. “He’s not trying to control her, babe. He just doesn’t trust you. This conversation would be different if you were one of the triplets or if I were joining you.”
Aisha folds her arms over her chest, visibly hurt. “So what? You think I’ll let something happen to her?” she asks, lifting her chin to challenge me. “I have her back. I’d never let anything happen to her.”
I saw Aisha in Q and Rave a few times during the past few years. Three drinks in, she only pays attention to the guys ogling her from the bar. Maybe she changed now she’s with Toby but maybe isn’t enough to risk Mia’s safety.
It’s been years since I took care of someone. The need to watch over Kaya wasn’t half as intense as with Mia. Kaya was more like Aisha, not letting me do my thing.
Mia gives me room to breathe. Every little thing she lets me do gives an outlet to my protectiveness. I don’t need to suppress my reflexes around her. She doesn’t mind that I buckle her up in the car or tuck her in at night.
I still need to tone down my paranoia, so I don’t get carried away. It wouldn’t take much inattention to cross a line, considering I want Mia on my lap, curved into my chest non-stop, but I can’t smother her like that. I’m here to watch over her while she spreads her wings, not pluck them off.
But that doesn’t mean I’ll risk her safety.
Aisha has to prove she’ll be there for Mia if things go south. A few weeks ago, she didn’t want her little sister playing board games with us, so nothing speaks in her favor.
“You don’t even have your back, Aisha,” I say, massaging my temples. “I don’t know your friends, and I sure as fuck don’t trust you with Mia.”
“Please stop arguing,” Mia says, and we all look to her standing where the kitchen morphs seamlessly into an open-plan corridor. “I don’t want to go.”
“That’s not what you said last night,” Aisha clips. “Don’t let him control you! This is wrong, sis. You’re going.”
Mia shakes her head softly. “It’s okay. I don’t feel like dancing, anyway.” She’s wearing a gray, fitted sweater with long sleeves that partially hide her hands, and a dirty pink pinafore dress. “Do I look okay?” she asks me, twirling around on her ankle boot. “Or not fancy enough?”
“Perfect, baby. Come here.”
Now that I’m sitting on the barstool, we’re almost eye level. I grip her chin between my forefinger and thumb, sinking into her mouth, searching for that addictive low. Nothing calms me down the way having her close does.
She’s an antidote to all the rage coursing through me.
The static and clutter clear enough that I can think clearly. Mia’s young. She should have fun. I know she misses her sister and that it means the world to her that Aisha invited her out.
“Did you say you want to go?” I ask her.
Her face blanches, not a trace of a blush. “Yes.”
I turn her around, pressing her back to my chest, and look over her shoulder to Aisha. “Compromise. Q, not Rave. I book the booth. One of the bouncers will watch Mia all evening, and she only drinks what he gives her.”
“A bouncer?!” she fumes, growing redder. “So he can report her every move to you? Nah-ah. Not gonna happen, baby boy. You need to trust her!”
“It’s you I don’t trust. If you ditch her, at least I’ll know someone’s looking after her. Take it or leave it, Aisha.”
“I don’t mind the bouncer, sis,” Mia says quietly. “Even if he tells Nico what I’m doing, that’s okay. It’s not like I plan to do anything he won’t approve of.”
God, she fits me so fucking right.
Aisha’s pout slips, morphing into a wide, self-assured grin. “So, if there was someone with us you trust, there’d be no need for the bouncer, right?”
I nod, grinding my teeth. She’s got a plan in place, I can tell. She’ll fight me on this to the bone.
Well, she met her match.
“Okay, fine. This is not over. You sure you don’t want one?” she chirps, waving a bottle of Corona.
“I’m sure. How about you come with us to The Olive Tree instead of drinking beer and eating pizza in front of the TV?”
Her mouth falls open a little. “What? Like a double date?” She glances at Toby and beams wider, slamming her beer on the counter. “I’ll be ready in ten minutes!” She rushes out of the room.
Toby smacks the back of my head as soon as the bedroom door closes behind Aisha. “Thanks, man. We were gonna fuck once you took Mia out.”
“I bet you already did today. Mia’s staying with me all weekend. You’ll have the house to yourselves until Monday. When was the last time you took Aisha out to eat?”
Toby shrugs, shoving menus into a drawer. “My girl’s not like yours. She doesn’t need wooing.”
“Won’t hurt, though, will it?”
“Oh, don’t look so sour,” Mia chuckles. “Sex can wait. Aisha won’t tell you this, but she’d like to be more than a booty call.”
“She is! Don’t give me that shit. You know I love her.”
I spin in my chair, one eyebrow raised. “You lost my number, man? Why am I not in the loop?”
Instead of explaining why he didn’t call me, he shrugs like it’s not a big deal. Maybe it wouldn’t be if this wasn’t the first time since I’ve known him that he proudly admitted to being in love.
“Fine, dinner it is,” he mumbles. “Let me get changed.”
I wrap my hands around Mia, my chin on her shoulder. “Tell me you know I trust you.”
“I do,” she admits quietly, toying with my fingers. “I like it when you do that.” She tilts her head back a little, whispering in my ear. “When you hold me like I’m so precious.”
“Most of the time, that’s all I want to do, baby. I know you need to have fun, but you’re mine now, and I need to know you’re always safe.”
She spins on her heel, her fingers back on my cheekbones, and the softest, sweetest kiss on my lips. “I am yours. Your girl. And your girl does as she’s told.”
“In bed, Mia. That applies in bed.”
“Everywhere,” she insists. “If you do something I won’t feel comfortable with, I’ll tell you, but until I do, you can be sure I don’t mind how controlling you are.”
She shouldn’t have said that.
Managing my paranoia is mission impossible on a good day. Knowing Mia will submit to my will makes it much harder to rein in my overbearing personality.
Aisha’s ready within ten minutes as promised, and no more than half an hour later, Mia sits across from me at my favorite table, tucked by the window overlooking the ocean. She tied her hair back on our ride here, leaving a few blonde locks dancing around her face that taunt me as she studies the menu, her lips swollen from my kisses, eyes glassy, happy, relaxed.
She’s gorgeous. So fucking gorgeous.
I catch her hand, brushing my fingers across her knuckles.
“What are you having?” she asks.
“You choose. I want to know what you like.”
Another smile, another tight squeeze in my chest. It’s surreal that I want to lock her up in my bedroom so no one can touch or look at her. We’ve been officially dating for a week, but tonight’s the first time I took her out. It’s the first step of millions I have to take to avoid getting carried away.
The waiter stops by the table, his eyes lingering on Mia one second too long as they sweep between the four of us. That’s enough to make my spine straighten like a metal rod.
“Are you ready to order?” he asks.
“Yes.” Aisha beams, setting the menu down.
She and Toby get their orders in while I focus on Mia’s pretty face to drown out everything else.
“We’ll have the grilled prawns and halloumi for starters,” she says as her turn comes around. “And I heard the souvlakis here are the best, so we’ll take that twice with a side of Greek salad. A glass of Chablis, and…” She peers up at me over the menu.
“Water,” I supply.
“So? What’s new?” Aisha asks once we all have drinks. “I, for one, am writing a new book, and you two…” She points between Mia and me, “…are my inspiration.”
Mia’s cheeks instantly burn bright. “Please don’t. Your books are full of sex. I don’t want you imagining us…”
Aisha squeals, bouncing in her seat. “You had sex?!” she whisper-shouts. “Oh my God! When?! Why didn’t you tell me?” She playfully shoves Mia away. “Was it good? Did it hurt?”
“We are not talking about that,” Mia mutters, kneading the tablecloth. “Tell me more about the book.”
“God, you’re such a prude. Come on, give me something! Anything! Was he good to you? Did he make you come?” She shoots me a pointed stare over the table. “You better—”
“You better stop getting on my nerves.”
She rolls her eyes but changes the subject, complaining about a model she hired for a photo shoot.
“He was hitting on Cass the entire time,” she says, rinsing a bite of food with wine. “You should’ve seen Logan when he walked in with Noah and found the guy leaning over the counter, shirtless, making eyes at her.”
“I can imagine. Logan loses his cool almost as fast as I do.”
“Well, he didn’t hit him, but he took him outside for a chat, and when they came back, the guy didn’t even look at Cass again.”
“He probably threatened to feed him his dick,” Toby laughs.
“Maybe.” She shrugs, and her eyes light up. “And oh my God, how freaking cute is your godson? He’s the first baby I actually like. They’re all whiny, but Noah’s just a cutie pie.”
Looking at her now, at how happy she is with Toby, touching him whenever she has a chance, and watching his every move with awe, I have a feeling this thing between them will escalate quickly. Wedding by the end of the year, and a kid a few months later.
We spend two hours eating and talking before we part ways and I’ve got Mia in my house all alone. Toby and Aisha hopped in a cab outside the restaurant, heading to Tortugo for drinks, and the triplets are out partying as always.
I pour us two glasses of wine, listening to a very distressed voicemail message from one of my ex-clients, then call my assistant as Mia enters the kitchen.
“One minute, baby,” I say, kissing her head and handing her a glass of wine when Jasmine answers. “Jas, I need you in the office tomorrow. Arnold Grey pulled out all his money last week and just called to say he lost everything.”
“Surprise, surprise,” she sing-songs in my ear. “You told him not to do it. Why are you helping him? Should I remind you what kind of shit he said before he banged the door?”
I follow Mia into the living room, where she sits by the piano, wiggling her fingers like she’s been itching for this all day.
“Karma got him back, don’t you think?” I tell Jasmine, taking a seat behind Mia. “He’s coming over at nine with whatever he’s got left. I’ll send you the trades I want set up for him.”
“Yeah, alright. I’ll be there. Send me the trades.”
“In an hour,” I confirm, cutting the call and trailing my lips up Mia’s neck. “Next time you play here, I want you to wear that tulle skirt from the Spring Break party.”
“Why?” Her delicate fingers flit up and down the keyboard, playing “Lucy The Tease” by Allan Rayman.
“I imagined my head under that skirt when I first saw you here. It’s time we turn that into reality.”
She squirms, her breathing hitching, the images my words paint enough to make her wet. Ready for me.
“Sing, baby,” I whisper in the shell of her ear, my hand tracing along her thigh from knee to hip.
She does, leaning back as she sings, every word heavy with emotions. I fucking hope she’s not just singing.
I hope she means every word.
