Read Nick and Lilac for Free Online Page B

“But I could be persuaded to another alternative---”
    This time, no one was able to stop Nick from trying to strangle her.

 
     
    Third Encounter
     
    Pens dropped, papers shuffled, camera phones clicked, and chairs scraped against the floor. The sound of the entire library coming to a standstill around Lilac was starting to become familiar, a fact of life since her existence became intertwined with Nick Christakos’.
    “Lilac.” The rare unsteady note in Nick’s unusually loud voice made Lilac look up in confusion. She couldn’t understand why he was courting everyone’s attention in such a way. But the questions died in her throat when she saw his face.
    He was still gorgeous and sexy, still elegantly dressed in a way that no other MBA student could aspire to match. He was every inch the arrogant and powerful billionaire he was, but he was not… all right .
    Nick waited for Lilac to speak but she did not, instead choosing to quickly and efficiently gather her things and putting them back into her bag. She wore a large sweater this time around, paired with an even larger-than-life skirt. It was as if every day Lilac was aiming to win first place in a reality show that was named something like The Ugliest Dresser.
    Lilac looked up at him only when she had all her things neatly packed in her bag.
    He stilled, realizing she looked like she was about to go somewhere. “Where are you going?”
    She frowned before inquiring quietly, “Didn’t…you come here because…you needed…a friend?”
    It was his turn to blink, finding Lilac’s constant ability to surprise him more than a little disconcerting.
    “Yes,” Nick said finally, doing his best to match Lilac’s serious tone.  The way she spoke very carefully was too adorable, tempting him to smile. But at the same time it was a turn on, making him want to just pull her close for a kiss. “I did.”
    In minutes, they were inside his car, its luxurious interior starting to feel familiar as well. The blast of air-conditioning was the only sound that broke the silence after Nick slammed his door shut, followed by the rumble of his car engine starting.
    She tried not to be so very stiff but it was hard. Her mind was still reeling from the fact that he had sought her out when he was feeling troubled – and he had not denied it.
    Nick Christakos needed her.
    The thought was very, very unreal.
    “Where should we go today?”
    She tried thinking of a place that a billionaire who had seen and done everything would find refreshing, a place where he could just be Nick and not one of the world’s youngest CEOs.
    Lilac bit her lip. “There is something…I like to do…when I feel down.”
    Shop? Dine out? Fly abroad? Nick tried not to let his innate cynicism show as he said, “Whatever it is, I’m down with it.”
    Half an hour later, Nick was wondering if he had made the right decision. He wasn’t sure either if he was appalled or amused because Lilac’s choice of place was one of the few wherein he was the one distinctly out of place.
    Lilac had brought him to one of the city’s most popular gaming stations, with its second level lit with neon overhead lights, windows darkly tinted, and the sounds of cyber war filling the place. There were about fifty stations, all equipped with wide screen monitors, wireless keyboards, fast computers, and leather armchairs. To say the place was cramped was putting it mildly. His security team was no doubt already suffering from paranoid visions of worst case scenarios and strategizing like crazy about the safest possible exits.
    The people around him were mostly men dressed in shirts and jeans. About half had dorky-looking glasses. The other half had goatees. All of them had their necks craned, heads swinging back and forth between him and his security team.
    Nick had to ask. “You really like it here?” Before she could answer, people had already started shouting their greetings, some calling her name while others called