“That’s my job, Joe.” Nikoli’s voice came out low, hard, and cold.

“And did whomever did this answer for it?” Joe turned his attention to Nikoli.

“Yes.”

That one simple word satisfied Joe, and his smile returned. “Bueno. Now, I have a special today, something that isn’t on the menu normally. Would you like to try it?”

“What is it?” Nikoli asked suspiciously, which caused Joe to burst out laughing.

“The last time I convinced him to try something, it burnt his mouth so badly, he drank three gallons of water,” Joe explained when he saw Lily staring at them curiously. “He doesn’t trust me now.”

“So what are you wanting us to try?” she asked, smiling at Nikoli’s disgruntled expression.

“Es estofado de carne.”

“Beef stew?” she asked.

“Well, it’s more complicated than a simple beef stew.” Joe winked. “Think beef stew, but Cuban style.”

“Bring it on.” She laughed. “I’m willing to try it.”

“Excelente.” Joe grinned. “I’ll bring you both a bowl of it.”

Nikoli muttered something Lily didn’t quite catch, but it made her laugh, which earned her a glare. She smiled all the more at his exasperated expression. She was feeling more like herself now. Her muscles had relaxed, and she wasn’t ready to run screaming for the door. Nikoli had kept his word too. He hadn’t attempted to touch her in any way. He never lied to her. Maybe that was part of why she trusted him, part of why she never had a panic attack when he touched her. It was weird, and she didn’t really understand it, but as Adam always said, it was what it was.

“So, Luther said you guys were gonna work on the Mach 1 this week. Your race is coming up soon, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it’s about a month away. It doesn’t need much work, but we want to modify the engine just a little more than it is.”

“Do you want some help?”

Nikoli’s eyes snapped up and he saw her smiling at him. Was she serious?

“You really want to get all dirty and greasy?” he asked.

She laughed. “I’m more comfortable under the hood of a car than anywhere else. My dad taught me, and I just kept learning even after he died. Adam has had enough junkers over the years to keep me on my game.”

Nikoli grinned at the image of Lily under the hood of his car, her ass sticking out for him to admire. He started to get ideas about lessons he could teach her involving his car.

“Love to have you help,” he said with a grin that had her narrowing her eyes. Before she could say anything, Joe brought their food. He set it down with a wink. “I also brought a carafe of cold milk just in case it’s too hot for Niki boy there.”

Lily snickered, and Nikoli gave her a menacing look. His mouth was not meant to be scorched so bad all his taste buds were burned off. “Go ahead. Take a bite, dushka.”

“How many times do I need to tell you not to call me that?” she asked, irritated.

He only nodded toward the bowl of soup. It smelled delicious, but he knew better. He could see the chilis floating in it.

She scooped up a bite and shoved it in her mouth. He watched her for the first signs of the hot chilis assaulting her tongue, but she only closed her eyes as a look of intense pleasure came over her. His eyes widened when she took another spoonful into her mouth and said, “Mmmmm…this is delicious, Joe.”

Nikoli frowned and took a bite of the rich stew himself. It was delicious, but no sooner had he swallowed than the fire ripped through his mouth. He glanced at Lily and saw her taking another bite. She hadn’t touched her drink or her milk. He turned a suspicious look on Joe. Had the man added more chilies to his bowl than he had Lily’s?

“Something wrong, Nikoli?” Lily looked up and watched him curiously.

He shook his head, refusing to admit he couldn’t handle the stew when Lily was scooping the shit up like it was ice cream. His brothers would never let him live it down if they found out about this. Damn Joe and his spicy Cuban food.

Once Joe left, Nikoli took a small sip of the cold milk. Lily picked up her glass of cherry Dr. Pepper. Nikoli had asked Joe to stock it for her, and the man had complied readily. Lily ate here a lot, more than even Nikoli did.

“So now, my little prude,” Nikoli said, deciding to rankle her, “where did you learn to dance like that?”

She wrinkled her nose at him. She hated the word prude as much as she did dushka. If she only knew it meant sweetheart. He suppressed a grin.

“Watching music videos,” she told him. “I spent hours in my room growing up, and I danced and sang along to my favorite bands and singers.”

He could just imagine her dancing around in her room with a hairbrush while she belted out whatever song she listened to. It was definitely something she’d do.

“You’re really good.”

She shrugged. “I’m all right. You’re not eating your food.”

“I’m not really hungry. I wanted to feed you. Food relaxes you.”

“It does not.”

He laughed. “Yes, Lily Bells, it does. Don’t look so horrified. I love watching you eat.” He held up his hand before she could spew whatever was forming on her lips. “It’s not what you think. No fat jokes. You savor food like you do life. It makes you happy, and anyone around you can see it. Here, you can have the rest of mine. You ate every drop of yours.”

She frowned, but didn’t refuse. He figured the girl had a hell of a metabolism. She didn’t eat a lot, she just ate at odd times. She took a bite of his food and her eyes widened. He watched sweat break out across her forehead, and she reached blindly for something to drink. He handed her the milk, and she gulped the entire glass down at once.

“What the hell is in that?” she gasped once she could talk.

“I knew it,” Nikoli growled. “The bastard. He filled mine with extra chilis.”

“Is he trying to kill you?”

“His idea of a joke.” He knew something was off. Joe was nowhere to be seen either. Bastard. “Are you ready to go?”

She nodded and reached over to grab Nikoli’s milk while he got the check. Her mouth was on fire and tears burned her eyes. She’d never eaten anything so hot in her life. When Nikoli stood up, she followed him to his car and tried to think if she had anything to drink in the dorm. She needn’t have worried, though. He stopped at a convenience store and got them both a gallon of milk, saying it took an entire gallon to calm his mouth down the last time Joe pulled that stunt.

When he pulled up to her dorm, he didn’t try to kiss her or even touch her. He’d kept his word all night and had been a true gentleman. Maybe she was more than attracted to Nikoli. Rebekha had made her think about him and her relationship with Adam in an entirely new light. What was she going to do about this man and the things she was starting to feel for him?

She still had no answer three hours later when she finally fell asleep.

Chapter Fourteen

The next two weeks flew by for Lily. Her classes this year were harder, and she found herself struggling to find time for much of anything outside of studying. When she wasn’t in class or tutoring, she was with Nikoli. Which still felt a little odd, only because she found she liked spending time with him. The manwhore was interesting, funny, and she found herself becoming as comfortable with him as she was with Adam and Mike. Nikoli said she would, and she was getting there. He never pushed her too far, gave her breathing room when she panicked, and they talked shop for hours. Cars were her thing, and he was the first guy who got how much she adored them. Nikoli was as big a car junkie as she was.

Not that she’d ever admit anything to Nikoli. Give him an inch and he’d take a hundred miles. No need to inflate his already oversized ego. He wasn’t nearly as bad as she’d pegged him for, though. He had a very sweet and caring side he didn’t show to everyone else. Said it was bad for his reputation. Lily was constantly reevaluating her opinion of him. It irked her too. She preferred him the slutty manwhore who only cared about himself. Nikoli wasn’t as selfish as she’d thought. He was almost a great guy when he wasn’t around other people. Almost. His ego kept getting in the way.