She scowled, throwing herself down on the mattress next to Brad’s tousled double bed. “It’s next door to his.”
“You mean the hot cowboy? I thought you were excited about having him as your next-door neighbor?” He stretched out on his bed. Lying on his side, facing her with his head propped in his hand, he asked, “What happened to change your mind?”
She rolled onto her back with her forearm covering her eyes. “I’m such an idiot.”
“Hey, no you’re not. Why would you say that, hon?”
Nikki smiled, in spite of her foul mood. Brad was the ever-loyal friend, her brother from another mother, as he so often reminded her. “I went to his room to proposition him.”
He leaned forward, his mouth dropping open. “Shut the hell up. You did not.”
She covered her face with her hands, trying to hide her embarrassment. “I told you I’m an idiot.”
“So he shot you down?” He shook his head. “That’s hard to believe. I thought he was going to tear me apart earlier when he thought I was trying to get you drunk so I could take advantage of you.” He leaned into the pillow, laughing. “I told Ron the story. He laughed his ass off.”
She grimaced, pulling the pillow over her head. “So glad I could be the butt of your joke.”
“Come on, honey, don’t be like that.” He tossed a decorative cushion at her. “You know I love you.”
Peeking out from behind the pillow she was using to shield her face, she said, “I know you do.” She rolled over on her side, hugging the pillow against her body. “I slept with him.”
“Shut up,” he said, bolting upright. “When you told me you propositioned him, I thought he turned you down and that’s why you were so upset.”
“No, he went along for the ride.”
He frowned, eyeing her carefully. “What exactly does that mean?”
“He was probably just taking pity on me. He didn’t want to humiliate me by rejecting me, so he screwed me and…”
After a moment of silence, accompanied by a dramatic sigh, he asked, “And? Tell me already; I’ll be an old man by the time you finish this story.”
She covered her face with the pillow again, feeling like a coward, for the first time in a long time. She was used to tackling her problems head-on, not running away like a scared doe that’d spotted a hunter gunning for her. “He gave me this line about wanting me to be his. He said he didn’t want to share me with other men, ever.”
Brad shivered, grinning. “God, there’s nothing I love more than a sexy alpha man. And a world champion bull rider to boot. Hello. If he played for my team, I might have to say adios to Ron.”
Nikki rolled her eyes. Ron and Brad were perfect for one another, partners in business and life. There was no way he’d allow a sweet-talking cowboy to jeopardize what they had found together. “I don’t believe you for a minute. You love Ron too much to even consider being with anyone else.” Not that she wanted the kind of serious, committed relationship her best friend had, but she did have the odd pang of jealousy. He had someone to confide in, someone to support him, no matter what life threw at him. She wanted that someday, just not today.
He ran his fingers through his disheveled hair, trying to restore order to his trademark tresses. “Okay, tell me what happened and start from the beginning.”
“I went to his room with champagne and strawberries, hoping he’d be willing to help me celebrate.” She paused, wishing she didn’t have to relive every humiliating moment, but she knew her friend well enough to know he wasn’t going to let this go until he’d uncovered every juicy detail.
“And?”
“He started dictating ground rules.” She threw the decorative pillow against the wall, wishing she could take some of her frustration out on the heavy bag in Jake’s studio. “The arrogant jerk.”
Brad smirked at her show of temper. “What kind of ground rules?”
“He said if I were sharing his bed, I wasn’t allowed to be with anyone else.” She growled. “Can you believe that? Who the hell does he think he is, telling me who I can and can’t sleep with?”
He laughed. “Honey, I’ve known you a long time. You’ve never been the kind of woman who could sleep with more than one guy at a time. You’re too loyal, too trustworthy.”
She rolled her eyes. “You make me sound like a golden retriever.”
He smiled. “You know I’m right.” He reached over to tug a lock of her hair. “I don’t see the problem. Agree to his terms, have a hot fling, and get it out of your system already. You’ve been in love with this guy forever…”
She glared at him. “I have not been in love; I’ve been in lust. There’s a big difference. You can’t love someone you had one brief conversation with five years ago.”
“Whatever you want to call it, you’ve been hot for him for a long time. This is your chance to get it out of your system so you can get on with your life already.”
She fisted the blanket in her hand. “Believe me; I’ve got him out of my system.”
He pouted, looking utterly adorable. “What’s wrong? The sex was disappointing?”
“No question, the man is hot.”
“So you had sex and…”
“And he bailed on me.”
His eyebrows shot up, hiding beneath the lock of hair falling over his forehead. “What do you mean he bailed on you?”
“He pulled out, rolled off, and hit the shower.” She could feel the heat infusing her cheeks. “He barely said a word to me.”
“Yikes,” Brad said, grimacing. “That must have been awkward.”
“You have no idea. Now you see why I had to get the hell out of there?”
“I understand.” He shrugged. “Okay, so you got him out of your system. What’s done is done. No using crying over spilled semen.”
She fired her pillow as his head, glaring at him.
He held his hands up, trying to suppress a laugh. “Okay, sorry. That was in poor taste. My point is, just forget about him. You’ve got too much going on in your life right now to waste time worrying about that jerk.”
“You’re right.” She sighed, propping another pillow under her head. “I’m gonna forget I ever met J.T. McCall.” If only.
J.T. spent fifteen minutes in the shower, rehearsing his speech. He’d never had to apologize to a woman for his poor performance in bed before. Figures the one woman he was desperate to impress would be the first one he would disappoint with his lackluster performance. There was so much he wanted to do with her, to her, and yet he hadn’t been able to keep his raging hormones in check long enough to give her more than one forgettable orgasm. Damn. That was so not the way their first time had played out in his fantasies.
He took a deep breath before opening the bathroom door. “Listen, baby, I’m sor…” The bed was empty. He checked the small sitting room adjacent the bedroom. If she thought he was going to let her get away from him that easily, she was delusional.
He quickly pulled his jeans on, stuck his feet in his cowboy boots, and pulled a hooded sweatshirt over his head before grabbing his key card and shoving it in his pocket. He pounded on her door, oblivious to the curious stares of the people stepping off the elevator. “Damn it, girl, you need to open this goddamn door right now.” Seething, he continued pounding on the door until a uniformed security guard stepped off the elevator moments later.
“Is there a problem, sir?” the man asked, approaching him cautiously.
“Just a little lover’s quarrel,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Sorry if I disturbed anyone.”
“Someone did call down to report the commotion, sir. I’m going to have to ask you to give the lady her space tonight.” He shrugged. “Who knows, maybe she’ll be willing to hear you out in the morning.”
Patience was not a virtue J.T. possessed. The thought of waiting six longs hours to have it out with her was torture, but he didn’t see that he had a choice. “I hear ya, buddy,” J.T. said, sighing. “I know you’re just trying to d
o your job.”
The middle-aged black man with a wide grin chuckled. “I wish everyone was as easy to deal with as you, my man.” He slapped J.T. on the back. “You know how it is with women; they get pissed, but they eventually come around when they’ve had time to calm down.”
J.T. knew that was the case with most women, but Nikki wasn’t like most women. She was special. If she weren’t, she wouldn’t have been able to get under his skin, wearing only sweats and a messy ponytail. He walked down the hall with the security guard.
Crooking a finger toward one of the closed doors, he said, “My brother’s in this room. I may have better luck with him.”
The man, whose nametag read Joe, laughed. “You’re probably right, my friend. The ladies can cut you off, but your family’s stuck with you, whether they like it or not.”
J.T. chuckled, shaking his head. “Ain’t that the truth.”
Joe pushed the elevator button and raised his hand. “You have a good night, and don’t make me come back up here.” He flashed a quick grin. “You interrupted my game of solitaire.”
J.T. laughed. “Sorry ‘bout that, man. I’ll keep it under control.” He raised his right hand, grinning. “I swear.”
“Think nothin’ of it. I’ve got a wife at home myself.” He winked. “You know what they say: happy wife, happy life. You’d do well to keep that in mind.”
Not that J.T. ever expected to be in the position of trying to keep a wife happy. “I’ll keep that in mind, Joe.” He raised his hand, knocking on his brother’s door as the elevator doors closed. Ty was bound to find out about what happened with Nikki sooner or later because if J.T. had his way, it would be the first of many, many times. Might as well bring his brother up to speed and deal with the fallout now. Besides, he needed to vent to someone.
Ty opened the door. “Hey, what’re you doin’ here?” He checked his watch. “It’s late.”
“Sorry about that, man. Mind if I come in?”
Ty stood back, gesturing toward the room’s small sitting room. He had his guitar propped against a chair, his laptop open, and papers littering the coffee table. “Yeah sure, come on in. I couldn’t sleep so I was just workin’ out a song that’s been doggin’ me for the past couple of weeks.”
“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” J.T. said, suddenly feeling uneasily. How was he going to tell his brother that he’d just slept with his boss’s daughter after he told him, in no uncertain terms, to keep his distance from her?
“No problem. I was havin’ a hard time hammerin’ it out, anyway. You wanna drink?” Ty pointed to the open minibar.
A drink was exactly what he needed right now. “Yeah, thanks.” He poured a small bottle of scotch into a highball glass. Barely more than a shot. It wouldn’t begin to take the edge off.
“So, what’d you wanna talk to me about?” Ty asked, leaning back into the cushions. He propped an arm on the back of the couch and stared at his brother, waiting for him to fill in the blanks.
“How’s Avery? Did you talk to her?” J.T. asked, stalling for time.
Ty grinned, leaning forward. “Yeah, I did. Get this; it’s not the flu after all. She did one of those home pregnancy tests tonight, and it looks like we’re gonna have another baby.”
“No freakin’ way,” J.T. said, raising his glass. “Congratulations, man. That’s great news.”
“Yeah, we think so too. I couldn’t be happier about it. But you didn’t come here to talk about me and Avery. Why don’t you tell me what’s on your mind?”
J.T. raked his hand through his hair. “Okay, so here’s the deal. Nikki came to my room tonight…”
“Shit,” Ty muttered. “I don’t suppose you had the good sense to send her away?”
J.T. shot him a look that relieved him of the notion that he was that stupid.
“Yeah, I didn’t think so.” He sighed. “Okay, so I guess I’m right in assumin’ you slept with Luc’s little girl?”
J.T. claimed the armchair beside his brother before throwing back the amber liquid at the bottom of his glass. “Let me tell you, Nik’s no one’s little girl. She’s all woman.”
Ty raised his hands. “I know, I know. Still, she’s too damned young and innocent for you, J.T. You gotta know that.”
He may have only had ten years on her chronologically, but he’d had a lifetime of fun during that decade. No one knew that better than his older brother. “Look, I know you’re right, but the way I feel about her is different, Ty.”
He raised an eyebrow, propping his booted foot on one knee. “What do you mean, different?”
“When we first met five years ago, there was no question she was too young for me. I wouldn’t have even thought about going there back then.” He rolled his eyes at his brother’s scornful expression. “Okay, I may have thought about it, but I sure as hell wouldn’t have acted on it. You know I don’t mess with underage girls.”
Ty shook his head in agreement. “Yeah, that’s a line even you wouldn’t think to cross.” He laughed. “Nice to know Mama and Daddy’s lectures about morality weren’t completely lost on you.”
His older brothers, Dave, Ty, and Derek, had been do-gooders all their lives. The nice guys who would help a friend or neighbor, while J.T. had been the hell raiser of the bunch. His mama still swore she didn’t have a gray hair on her head until the day he was born. “I didn’t come here for a lecture, shithead.”
Ty crossed his arms. “So, why did you come?” He smirked. “You just wanted to confess your sins, or what?”
What he and Nikki did tonight wasn’t nearly as sinful as he would have liked. “She bailed on me,” J.T. muttered, dropping his head. “Can you believe that? I was in the shower and she snuck out.”
Ty laughed, slapping his palm against his leg. “Damn, she’s even smarter than I thought. She had you pegged right out of the gate.”
He set his empty glass down on the table, trying to hold his temper. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’re not that hard to figure out, man.” He shrugged. “She probably knew you were just after a good time. Obviously, she was on the same page. I don’t know what you’re complainin’ about. You’re usually moanin’ ‘cause you don’t know how the hell to get rid of all your buckle bunnies. Nikki’s making it easy on you.”
J.T. clenched his fists. “Yeah, well maybe I don’t want her to make it easy on me.”
He laughed. “Trust me, when her old man gets wind of this, you’ll be happy it was a one-time deal. If you got involved with her and broke her heart, you’d better believe he’d be gunnin’ for you.”
“I don’t give a shit what Luc Spencer or anyone else thinks. I want her, man.”
Ty frowned. “What’re you saying?”
“I don’t know what the hell I’m sayin’.” He sat back, leaning his head against the headrest of the chair. Closing his eyes, he said, “She was downstairs flirtin’ up some piano player earlier. I seriously thought about kickin’ his ass.”
Ty chuckled. “You? Get into a fight over a woman? That’s never happened before.”
His brother was right. He’d fought plenty over the years but never because of a woman. “I know, right? It’s crazy. She makes me crazy, dude.”
“So, your interest in her music has been more about your interest in her, huh?”
“I guess so.” He scraped his hands over his face. “What the hell am I gonna do? She won’t even talk to me. I tried knockin’ on her door a little while ago and she wouldn’t even answer.”
“She’ll come around, man. You guys are going to run into each other; it’s inevitable now that we’re touring together. She’ll have no choice but to deal with you. Even if it’s just to tell you it was just a one-time deal for her.”
J.T. felt his gut clench. “I don’t want it to be a one-time deal. It’s not gonna be a one-time deal.”
“Man, it’s not like you have a choice. You can’t force her to feel something she doesn’t.”
No, he couldn’t
force her. But he’d be willing to bet his prized belt buckle that what she was feeling for him was unlike anything she’d ever felt before. She was just running scared. He’d have to find a way to convince her that being in a relationship with him wouldn’t be as bad as she seemed to think.
Chapter Seven
After receiving no response when he knocked on her door the following morning, J.T. made his way down to the restaurant, hoping to catch her in the midst of breakfast. If she had her mouth full, she would have no choice but to listen.
He spotted her friend, Brad, dining by himself. After waving off the hostess, he strode to the back of the restaurant. “Where the hell is she?”
Brad wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin. He looked up, smiling. “Good morning to you too, cowboy.”
J.T. took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He wasn’t going to get anywhere with this guy using intimidation. He would have no choice but to reason with him. He pulled out the chair across from him and sat down.
Brad smirked. “By all means, have a seat.”
As the waitress hovered, J.T. turned his mug over. He would need a strong shot of caffeine to get through this conversation. He had a feeling trying to get information from this man would be harder than extracting teeth with a rusty old set of pliers.
Once the waitress poured his coffee, he asked, “Is she hiding out in her room?”
Taking a small bite of toast, Brad chewed carefully before shaking his head. “No, she had a plane to catch. She left early this morning.”
His grip on the mug in his hand tightened. “Was she headed back home?”
“Yeah, she had a magazine interview and photo shoot today.”
Getting past the security at her old man’s place would be tricky without explaining to Luc the reason for his visit, but he’d deal with that problem when he got there. “Have you spoken to her today?” J.T. asked, trying to find out whether she had confided in her friend about what happened between them.
“She spent the night with me.”
J.T. leaned forward, glaring at him. “What’re you talking about?”
Relentless (Nashville Nights) Page 6