by Mandy Baxter
The server lost her grip on Livy’s bottle and it toppled over on the table. The beer spilled out and dripped over the table onto Nick’s lap. He pulled away with a start and scooted his chair away. Livy wanted to shake their server! Did she not realize that Livy was in the middle of being fondled—in public—by a man so perfect he’d made a Greek god weep with envy?
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry!”
Having spilled her fair share of drinks while serving at Brundage’s summer music festivals, Livy couldn’t be too mad. Nick pushed out his chair and brushed what hadn’t soaked into his jeans away.
“Don’t worry about it.” He turned his attention to Livy. “I’m going to go dry off. I’ll be right back.” He leaned over her and said for her ears alone, “And when I do, we’re picking up where we left off.”
Holy shit. Maybe she should ask for a glass of water to spill on herself? Because she had a feeling that Nick wouldn’t stop until she smoldered. Livy wasn’t afraid, though. She welcomed the flames.
Chapter Thirteen
Like Simon, their server had impeccable timing. Nick grabbed a handful of paper towels and did his best to dry the denim that had soaked up the half a bottle of beer. He couldn’t care less about getting a little wet, though. What he’d hated was being interrupted while Livy told him in her sweet and seductive voice about all of the sinful things she wanted him to do to her. He looked down at his jeans where his erection pressed against his fly. The thrill of fondling her in public, of exchanging dirty talk with her in the middle of a crowded room, had excited him to the point that he thought he might bend her over the table and take her right then and there. The game was fun, but he wanted her alone. And naked. It was time to get the hell out of there.
Nick’s steps slowed as he emerged from the bathroom. A man stood near their table and attempted to draw Livy into conversation. Anxiety pinched her expression and her brow furrowed as she tried to give the guy the brush-off. The son of a bitch didn’t seem to want to take no for an answer. Livy glanced frantically from the front entrance to the back exit as though desperate for an escape. The raw fear she exhibited, the panic etched into every delicate line of her face, was enough to ignite Nick’s rage. He couldn’t stand for her to be afraid.
He charged toward their table, jaw clenched and hands curled into fists. He caught Livy’s eye and the way she visibly relaxed upon seeing him only fueled his need to protect her. “I don’t think she wants to talk to you,” Nick remarked as he wedged his body between Livy and the guy who looked as though he’d been dragged down fifteen miles of bad road. “I think you should leave.”
The bastard looked Nick up and down, a sneer tugging his upper lip. He brought his hand up to rub at the scruff on his jaw and Nick took note of the tattoo that dotted the webbing between his thumb and forefinger. Dressed in worn jeans, a heavy flannel, and black biker boots, he didn’t give any outward show that he was affiliated with any gang or motorcycle club but the tat on his hand indicated he’d served a stint in federal prison. He might have served his time, but Nick couldn’t be sure that he wasn’t more than simply a pushy asshole who couldn’t take no for an answer. Either way, it didn’t mean Nick would treat the guy as though he weren’t a serious threat to Livy.
A slow smile pulled at the bastard’s lips and his eyes glittered with an adversarial edge. “I don’t think anyone asked for your opinion, asshole.”
“You might not have asked for it,” Nick said. “But you’re sure as hell going to get it. Get lost.”
“You gonna make me?” The guy smirked as though the thought of Nick trying to take him was laughable. “I’d like to see you try.”
Nick was sorely tempted. As much as he wanted to bash the snarky fucker’s face in, the last thing he needed on his “vacation” was an assault charge. Time to get a grip on his temper before he snapped and did something he’d regret.
Nick leveled his gaze. “You’re not worth my time.”
He was answered with a derisive snort that made him want to change his mind.
Nick turned his attention to Livy. “Ready to go?”
They hadn’t taken more than a sip of their drinks yet but it was apparent from Livy’s expression that their night out had come to an end. He’d been trying to avoid a repeat of last night, but it was obvious that Livy was once again spooked. Fear got its claws in her and they weren’t letting go. For the hundredth time, Nick couldn’t shake the feeling that Livy wasn’t so much hiding as she was running scared. Goddamn it.
Livy gave a quick nod of her head. He reached his hand out. She took it and her fingers trembled in his grip. Anger burned a path up Nick’s throat and he swallowed it down. He could not let his temper get the best of him.
The asshole refused to budge. Instead of stepping to the side, he braced his legs a little wider, folded his arms across his chest. Whether Nick had backed down or not, he had a feeling a challenge had been issued. One he wouldn’t be allowed to walk away from. Nick angled his body so that he stood between the other guy and Livy. He’d offer her any small protection he could. She gave him a weak smile that didn’t reach her usually brilliant eyes. Instead, they echoed the anxiety that pulled every inch of her taut as she rose to stand. Nick pulled her tight against his chest and turned, keeping his body between the asshole and her.
“Pussy.”
Nick bristled. The insult was nothing more than a jab to rile his temper. A little something to help egg him into a fight. He wasn’t going to take the bait. Not with the possibility of the deputy chief coming down on his ass if he got himself into trouble working a lead that he absolutely was not supposed to be working. Fighting would only serve to prove to every deputy marshal in the Seattle district office that he was too hotheaded for the job. No way would Nick return to SWAT. He wanted to be a USMS man hunter. Period.
He guided Livy out in front of him at the exact moment the bastard gave him a solid shove. She managed to avoid the brunt of the impact. Unfortunately, Nick wasn’t so lucky. He sprawled over a nearby table to the shock of the people sitting at it. Drinks toppled over and a glass shattered as it rolled off the edge and crashed to the floor.
His dignity and professional reputation were one thing; letting some sorry son of a bitch get the better of him was another. With a shove, Nick propelled himself from the table. Livy’s gasp of surprise barely registered as he whipped around and clocked the son of bitch in the jaw. He took two stumbling steps backward but appeared otherwise unaffected. His tongue flicked out at the blood that trickled from his lip and he spat to his left. Dude was a brawler, which wasn’t unexpected. The big-ass bowie knife he pulled from behind his back was a bit of surprise.
Nick didn’t know why he’d anticipated a fair fight. Law-breaking sons of bitches never did follow rules. His assailant held the knife aloft and bar patrons scattered. Either he ended this now, or he waited for the cops to show up and make an already bad situation worse. What he really wanted to do was pull his Glock and flash his badge before slamming the guy face-first onto the beer-soaked table and cuffing him. His gun was back at the house with his badge, though. He had no clout to throw around except his own fighting skills. So the guy had a big knife? Nick didn’t give a single shit. He could be lethal without a weapon.
For a long moment, they simply stared at each other. Nick sized up his opponent. Smaller, less bulky, with a beer gut and about fifteen years on him. Nick was younger, faster, taller, stronger. Not to mention he was trained in Krav Maga. Knife or not, he had the upper hand. The bastard smirked as his fingers clenched the knife’s grip. He might as well have been holding his dick in his hand as much good as it would do him. Nick had had enough.
He burst in toward the knife with his left forearm at the same moment he jabbed toward the guy’s face with his right fist. The speed and suddenness of the attack sent the guy back a step and Nick capitalized on his opponent’s imbalance. Nick grabbed him by the wrist and twisted his arm behind him as he forced the son of bitch face-first onto t
he nearest tabletop. The guy let out a pained shout as Nick plucked the knife from his fist with ease. He spun the handle in his grip as though wielding a baton before he let go of the cocky motherfucker with a shove.
Nick grabbed Livy and tucked her against the left side of his body while he kept the long knife tight against his right thigh. His arm came protectively around her shoulders as he tried to steady the violent tremor that rocked her from head to toe. Their breaths fogged the cold night air as they left the bar and walked out onto the sidewalk. It would have been better had he been able to arrest the bastard. They could have run his prints, determined if he was affiliated with the Black Death. Nick had the guy’s knife, but his own prints were all over the damned grip. He’d be surprised if they could lift anything useful from it now.
“Are you okay?” As they came to a stop at the passenger side of his truck, Nick angled his head toward hers and put his mouth to Livy’s ear. She didn’t answer and Nick’s heart kicked against his ribs. “Livy? Answer me. Are you okay?”
“I-I’m all right.” The words left her mouth in little more than a whisper. “Jesus fucking Christ, Nick. What were you thinking?”
He’d been thinking that he’d be damned if he let some nasty bully scare her like that. He pulled Livy closer and her arms went around his torso as though by instinct. He tossed the knife into the bed of his truck and dug his keys out of his pocket, his other arm wrapped tight around Livy. Her body relaxed against him and by slow degrees, her quickened breaths began to slow.
He could have stood on the sidewalk all night in the cold, holding her. But they didn’t have time to spare. Not when the son of a bitch might come out after them to get his knife back. “Get in the truck.” He pulled open the door and helped her in. She stared straight ahead, her expression blank. Nick grabbed the seat belt and reached across her to buckle it in place. As he pulled away, Livy grabbed his hand in hers and squeezed it tight before letting it go.
Nick’s stomach sank at the realization that he’d crossed a boundary tonight. Both professional and personal. And damn it, he’d do it again. Livy had turned his world upside down. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do to keep her safe, even risk his own future. He just hoped that in the long run, all of his foolish risks would be worth the sacrifice.
* * *
Bile rose in Livy’s throat. A violent tremor shook her limbs and her heart pounded in her chest. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, pooled in her quads until she wasn’t sure she’d be able to walk on her own steam. She used to feel this way before a race, as she’d wait in the starting gate, poles poised to dig in and get her off to a quick start down the hill. There was nothing thrilling about what she felt right now, however. Livy wanted it to go away. She needed her heart to slow down, for her blood not to pump through her veins. She needed to take a deep enough breath to fill her damn lungs. There wasn’t enough oxygen in the world to keep her from feeling as though she were suffocating.
The planet was populated with assholes. McCall was no exception. It was silly to assume that the guy who’d hassled her and threatened Nick had been anything more than another dickhead looking to pick a fight. Fear scratched at the back of Livy’s brain, though. The sense of intuition that flashed with red lights and blared with alarms in her subconscious. It wasn’t paranoia to assume that Joel had scouts everywhere. Just because the guy hadn’t been wearing a patch didn’t mean he wasn’t affiliated with Joel or the Black Death. Livy’s picture was probably being shared with every crime syndicate and motorcycle club from one end of the country to the other. She’d been an idiot to think that moving a couple of states away would protect her. Nowhere was safe. And by letting Nick take her out yet again, she might have screwed herself once and for all.
Not if she moved, though. She needed to get out of this place and keep moving. Like a shark. Just swim and swim because it was the only thing keeping her alive. It was time to leave McCall in her wake. She’d known it for a while and tonight was further proof that she’d stayed too long. She couldn’t be allowed to put down roots. Not now, not ever.
Unless you tell Nick what you have and trust him to help you.
Livy banished the thought before it had a chance to solidify in her mind. Trusting Nick had been her problem. She’d opened up to him and no matter how small the details she’d shared, they’d been enough to make her feel vulnerable. Exposed. In just shy of a couple of weeks, Nick made her feel comfortable and safe. She couldn’t afford either. Not when she knew that Joel wouldn’t stop until he found her.
The five-minute drive back to her house passed in silence. Nick’s breath no longer sawed in and out of his chest, and Livy’s heart no longer felt as though it would burst out of her damned rib cage at any second. Sleep would be impossible after what had happened tonight and it further weakened her to think that what she really needed was for Nick to hold her, soothe her fears, and provide the illusion that everything would be okay.
Nothing would ever be okay. It hadn’t been okay for a long time.
Nick pulled into Livy’s driveway and killed the engine. For a few moments, they sat in the dark, gazes cast forward, not a single word uttered between them. Livy started as Nick reached across the center console and took her hand in his. A sob worked its way up her throat and Livy forced it down to the soles of her feet. Damn it.
“I’m sorry about tonight.” Nick’s voice sliced through the quiet, so warm and rich that it caused a swell of emotion to bloom in the pit of Livy’s stomach. “I should have been more careful. I should have walked away. I should have . . .” He let out a gust of breath. “Fuck. I don’t know. I should have done something different than what I did.”
“Come inside.” The words were more of a plea than a suggestion. “I don’t want to be alone.” She didn’t want to be alone ever again.
He turned toward her and Livy was glad she couldn’t see his face through the dark. “Are you sure?”
No. She wasn’t sure about a damned thing. The only thing she knew with certainty was that she’d never felt as secure as she had last night as she slept in Nick’s arms. And if she had to spend tonight alone, she’d crack. Livy swallowed her doubts. “I’m sure.”
Nick got out of the truck. The sound of his door closing echoed into the cold quiet. Livy’s gaze followed the dark outline of his body as he rounded the front of the truck to the passenger-side door. Her breath caught in her throat when he pulled it open, his large body filling up the available space. He reached over and threaded his fingers through her hair as he drew her close to put his mouth to hers.
Such an innocent kiss shouldn’t have brought so much untamed heat. The contact sparked not only on her lips, but also in a pleasant tingle that raced across her arms, over the tight points of her nipples, and down her torso before settling at her clit.
Nick’s mouth parted to deepen the kiss and Livy responded. Her sigh became his before he returned her breath to her. She lost herself to the moment, to the press of his firm lips, the hold he had on her that somehow anchored her and freed her at the same time. Too soon, he pulled away. He took her hand in his and helped her from the truck. A tremor rocked through her thighs, the muscles tense and twitching from the adrenaline that remained in her system.
“I’ve got you, Livy.” The words carried much more weight than a simple reassurance. The warm timbre of his voice enveloped her and she leaned into him to bathe herself in the heat of his body as well. She couldn’t allow him to be her security blanket and yet she clung to him as though he could shield her from every evil in the world.
As much as it pained her to leave his side, Livy pulled away and took his hand. She led the way across the snowy driveway and up the stairs to the front porch. Nick eased her keys out of her hand and unlocked the deadbolt. She looked up into his face and the intensity of his expression held her rapt.
Nick lowered his mouth to hers until his lips hovered a hair’s breadth away. “When we’re together, I don’t care about anything but you. No
thing else matters. It scares me.”
Livy knew exactly how he felt. From the moment they’d met she’d violated her own rules and safeguards. She’d thrown caution to the wind. She’d drawn him closer when she should have pushed him away. Nothing else mattered, not the life she’d made for herself, her own safety, not even the past that she’d tried to bury. Nothing mattered but Nick. “I know. I feel the same way. And it scares me, too.”
Relief washed over her the second Nick put his lips to hers. Livy melted against him, gave herself over to the moment, the way his mouth felt as it slanted across hers, the thrust of his tongue. His taste, his masculine scent. The way his arms came around her and held her tight.
He turned the knob and eased open the door. Livy didn’t worry, didn’t fear anything as he backed into the house and brought her with him. He’d proven tonight that he’d take care of her and for the first time in Livy’s life she knew the comfort of someone having her back. God, it felt good.
The sound of the door closing behind them barely registered. Nick reached behind her and the snick of the deadbolt as it engaged was nothing more than white noise in the back of Livy’s mind. They stumbled into the tiny foyer and with their mouths still joined, kicked off their boots and shrugged out of their coats. Nick tugged at the button of Livy’s jeans and slid them to her thighs. She shimmied them down around her ankles and discarded them somewhere by their boots and coats.
“The bra,” Nick murmured against her mouth. “Lose it.”
Apparently he’d meant it when he told her he wanted her wearing nothing but the sweater. Livy reached behind her and unhooked the clasp. She pulled her arms out of the straps and tugged her bra out from under the sweater. A growl of approval gathered in Nick’s throat as he kissed her more fervently. His tongue met hers in a wild, slippery tangle that conveyed all of the urgency Livy felt and then some.
“Get rid of your underwear.”