The Salvation of Vengeance (Wanted Men #2) by Nancy Haviland Page B

bottle.
    “Who was that?” she whispered to Eva as casually as she could.
    “Tegan has known the boys since high school. She’s nice. She and Maksim are friends, like me and Caleb. Really close. In fact, she has her own room upstairs and seems to spend more time here than she does at her apartment in Brooklyn. Quan caved and is a permanent fixture around here, too.” Eva glanced at the men. “So believe me—I’ve appreciated the female company.”
    Nika nodded weakly and took another drink from her glass. She felt very much out of her element. Awkward in a way she never used to feel in social situations. Before Kevin, she’d have enjoyed all of this, meeting everyone who was becoming a part of Eva’s life, verbally sparing with Maksim, putting him in his place for his suggestive comments. Now? She just felt anxious and in need of a breather.
    “I’m going to get some air before things get going,” she said to no one in particular as she made for the open doors on the other side of the room.
    “I’ll come with,” Caleb announced.
    Knowing her brother was pretty much going to mimic Velcro all night, and not minding that in the least, she didn’t protest and led the way out into the mild night. She inhaled the fresh air mixed with the faint scent of chlorine from a huge, beautifully lit pool.
    “Oh, wow.” She went over and squatted to dip her fingers in, sighing at the warm feel of the water on her skin. “What I wouldn’t give to strip and dive right in,” she murmured to her brother, who’d come to stand beside her.
    “Feel free. I’m sure no one here would mind.”
    Oh . . . shit.
    Vertigo hit her at the sound of that deep, rough voice, and before she knew it, Nika’s equilibrium took a vacay and she started to tip. Caleb grabbed her arm and saved her from fulfilling her wish of dunking in the calm waters. He yanked her back and into a stand.
    With her heart hammering, Nika peered around her brother’s shoulder and looked straight into those near-obsidian eyes she saw every night in her dreams.

    So much for escape , Vincente thought from his seat in the shadows as he held Nika’s round gaze. Holy shit. World rocked. With just a look.
    He’d gone into the main room a few minutes ago, only to spin and come right back outside when he’d gotten a load of the eye-fucks Vex and Maks were leveling on his redhead.
    No, not his.
    His inner Fan Boy’s.
    “Hey, V.”
    He nodded at Caleb’s absent greeting, his attention still glued to the guy’s sister.
    “You okay, Nik?” Caleb snagged the wineglass from Nika’s hand and came over to plunk it onto the table Vincente was sitting on the other side of, dragging her along.
    “I—I’m fine, Caleb. I was just . . . startled. I didn’t know anyone else was out here but us.”
    Vincente forced his eyes away from hers, settling them somewhere to the right of her ear. Okay. He could handle this. Be casual. Act normal. “Good you made it, Red. How was your flight?”
    There was a slight pause, and then her voice hummed into his bones with every word out of her lush mouth. “Uneventful. A little long, but I caught up on some reading.”
    He nodded once, figuring the coast was clear for him to head inside again—when had he become such a pussy?—and got to his feet just in time for his muscles to seize. A light breeze had blown from behind Nika, and he had to cough to hide his groan as oranges and jasmine slammed into his nostrils, the scent surrounding him, wrapping him in an erotic tangle of lust.
    Hell’s fucking bells. He needed to get good and gone.
    “Vex with you?” he growled at her brother.
    “He’s inside. You need him?”
    “Yeah. I wanted to compare notes.”
    “I’ll go get—”
    “I’ll get him,” Vincente barked, cutting off the offer. There was no fucking way he was going to survive being out here alone with her. Not without making an idiot of himself.
    “I can go get him if you guys need some alone time,” Nika