“Whatever,” she muttered, her face flushing as she waved goodnight to Gabe and then left the room.
Gabe leaned back, resting his arms on the bar behind him. “Smart move.”
“Hmm.” Lucian walked behind the bar and picked up several glasses. “You think Dev is going to pick a date?”
“If he did, she wouldn’t be up there throwing shit.” Gabe turned on the stool, facing his brother as he poured bourbon into the three glasses.
“Dev isn’t who she wants.”
Gabe snorted as he took his drink. “Yeah, well, not my problem.”
“Until she moves in here.” Lucian leaned against the bar. “You think she’s going to magically stop trying to jump on your dick?”
The image those words provoked curled Gabe’s lip. “She’s out of her mind if she thinks going down that road with me is going to be successful.”
Lucian tipped his glass to Gabe.
Pulling his phone out of his pocket, Gabe checked the app for the alarm system at his workshop. It hadn’t been turned off, which meant Nic hadn’t been there yet.
She hadn’t come to the shop since he took her there on Wednesday, but she did take the kit and a piece of wood with her when they left.
As he sat there, swirling the amber liquid around in his glass, he wondered what Nic was up to. Was she out in the Quarter? It was a Saturday night, and he doubted she was sitting at home.
Hell, what was he doing sitting at home?
He’d gotten a text earlier in the evening from one of the women he usually crossed paths with at the Red Stallion. Alyssa was always down for a good time, no strings attached. Normally, he would’ve responded—he would’ve dragged his ass down there. That would be the smart thing to do.
Except he had no interest in going to the bar.
He had no interest in seeing Alyssa.
“Have you paid any more mind to what Troy said to you about the car?” Lucian asked.
He’d paid a lot of mind to it. “We’ve all pissed off people, but for someone to know where I was and to do that? I don’t know who that could be.”
“So you think it was a kid then?”
He lifted a shoulder. “Don’t know. I just don’t think it has anything to do with Nic. She hasn’t been home in four years and who’d be pissed enough at her to do that?”
“Not you,” his brother replied smoothly.
Gabe ignored that comment.
Lucian was quiet for a moment. “You don’t think it has anything to do with the Rothchilds?”
The question jolted him. “You think they threw something through my car window?”
“Not them, but maybe someone they hired.” Lucian shrugged. “You have the potential to change their life and not in a way they’re going to like. I know it sounds crazy that they’d be involved, but we’ve seen crazier.”
It was crazy, but Lucian was also right. They’d seen crazier. “I don’t think it’s them. It would be stupid if so. I’m not being the bad guy with them. I’ve been more than reasonable.”
“That you have been, but . . .” Lucian trailed off.
He didn’t need to finish his thought. Gabe knew what he was thinking. People were truly capable of anything.
Gabe was finishing off the glass of bourbon when Dev made his grand appearance, raising both of Gabe’s brows. Dev’s normally pressed, wrinkle-free shirt was half untucked. There was a red mark along the left side of his face.
“Whoa.” Lucian slid the third untouched glass toward Dev. “Looks like you’ve had an interesting visit with Sabrina.”
Dev snorted as he picked up the glass, downing the drink in one gulp.
“Did she hit you?” Gabe asked. Sure, Sabrina had a habit of throwing stuff—usually whatever was the most expensive within grabbing distance, but hitting?
Dev lowered the glass to the bar. “Let’s just say her tantrum reached an all-new high.”
“Or low, depending on how you look at it,” Lucian suggested. “I have got to ask this. Why are you marrying her, Dev?”
Sitting on the stool next to Gabe, Dev folded his arms on the bar. “Why not?”
Gabe looked at his older brother. “That’s not exactly the best answer to give to that question.”
His brother shrugged. “Their company could be a valuable asset down the road.”
“Wow,” Gabe murmured. “And some say romance is dead.”
Lucian snickered. “We don’t need their company. We have more money than any future generations could ever hope for.”
Dev didn’t say anything as he focused on the shelves behind the bar. “The labels aren’t facing the same direction.”
Gabe followed his gaze. He was right. Some were cockeyed.
“That would be Nikki.” Dev sighed. “I’m going to have to talk to her.”
“About the bottles of whiskey not being straight?” Gabe’s shoulders tensed. “Are you fucking serious?”
Dev’s gaze slid to his. “No. But that’s a bit of a strong reaction.”
Gabe ignored that comment. “What do you want to talk to her about?”
“How she talks to Sabrina.”
Sitting back on the stool, Gabe held Dev’s stare. “And how does she talk to Sabrina that Sabrina wouldn’t be deserving of?”
“It doesn’t matter what Sabrina deserves. She’s to become my wife, and Nikki needs to respect that—respect her.”
“Kind of hard to respect someone who treats you like a servant,” Gabe fired back.
“Last I checked, that is Nikki’s job. At least for right now.” Dev motioned for Lucian to refill his drink. “Nikki might not be a permanent staff here, but when she’s here, she needs to act as such.”
“Exactly what is Sabrina bitching about?” Lucian asked, pouring the bourbon. “I’ve seen Nikki around her. She usually keeps quiet and ignores Sabrina’s incessant insults.”
“Except when she poured champagne on her,” Dev commented.
Gabe’s lips twitched. “That was an accident.”
“You and I both know that wasn’t an accident.”
“That happened weeks ago.”
Dev picked up his glass again. “Apparently Nikki made a snide comment to Sabrina’s brother about there not being a date for the wedding. This upset Sabrina, which led to her little meltdown tonight.”
Gabe’s eyes narrowed. When would Nic have seen Parker? He’d thought back to Wednesday. Parker had been here, and Nic had been awfully quiet in the car ride to the workshop.
“I’ll talk to Nic,” Gabe said.
“Is that so?” murmured Dev.
“I think that’s a good idea,” Lucian chimed in. “Better than you talking to her.”
“And why is that?” Dev asked.
“Because you’re an asshole,” Lucian replied, grinning. “And Nikki stepped in to help her mom—who has cancer. The last thing that girl needs is you lecturing her on how to speak to her ‘betters.’”
“The last thing she needs is you speaking to her at all.” Gabe folded his arms. “I’ll make sure she stays away from both Sabrina and Parker. I’ll handle her.”
Dev’s lips curled in a semblance of a smile around the rim of his glass. “You know what I think, Gabe?”
“Can’t wait to hear this.”
He took a sip and then looked at him. “I think the last thing you need is to be handling Nikki in any sense of the word.”
Chapter 16
Sunday afternoon, Nikki stood in the center of the small room Gabe had put together for her. In her arms, she cradled the woodcarving kit and the block of wood she had taken home with her on Wednesday.
It had been ages since she’d done anything of the sort, so she’d used the block of wood as a practice run, like she’d done when Gabe had first taught her how to use the carving tools.
She’d carved a crescent moon into the block of raw wood, surprised by how much easier it had been once she got going. It didn’t matter how much time had passed. Her fingers knew what to
do the moment she sat down with the chisel.
Nikki placed the moon on the desk. Maybe she’d cut it out later, but what she really wanted to do was make her mom a bracelet. She saw it in her head already, six long beads to represent each cycle of treatment she’d receive . . . and survive.
And when her mom finished her last cycle, Nikki planned on giving her the bracelet.
Walking around to the neatly stacked pile of wood, she picked up a section of wood and then grabbed the Dremel tool. Tapping on the music app on her phone, she sat down behind the desk and got to work.
Nikki had no idea how much time passed. The special thing about working with her hands, concentrating on evening out the centers, was that she didn’t think—she didn’t stress. She didn’t obsess over Gabe, worry about her mom, or stress over Parker’s not-so-veiled threat. Her mind went blissfully blank while she worked, and God, she had no idea how much she’d missed that until she was sitting behind the desk Gabe had obviously made with his own hands.
So caught up in what she was doing, she didn’t realize she had company until there was a soft knock on the open door.
Looking up, she wasn’t all that surprised to see Gabe standing there. “Hey,” he said, grinning. “Good afternoon.”
“Hi.” She lowered the Dremel. “I hope you don’t mind that I’m here.”
“Of course not. I told you that you could use this place whenever you wanted.” He leaned against the doorjamb. “I’m happy to see you in here.”
Her stomach dipped, and she thought about what Rosie said yesterday. I think you need to read into it. Her breath caught. “Thank you again for this.”
He shrugged. “It’s no big deal.”
Gabe had said that before, but it was a big deal to her. Even if he hadn’t been keeping the spare wood for her over the past years, this still meant a lot.
“What are you working on?” he asked.
“A bracelet for my mom.” She bit down on her lip and she glanced at the two beads she’d finished. “Not sure what color I’m going to paint them, but I think I’m going to try to carve roses in them. It’s her favorite flower.”
“That’s going to be tricky.”
“It will be, but thanks to you, I have the perfect tools.” She brushed the fine layer of dust off her hands. “What are you up to?”
“Thought I’d swing by and do some work.” He pushed away from the door. “Have you eaten yet?”
Nikki shook her head. “No.”
“Want to grab something to eat?” he offered. “There’s this diner right down the street. They have amazing wings.”
Now her heart was joining in with her stomach. It’s just lunch, she told herself as she nodded. “Yeah, um, let me grab my stuff.”
Gabe waited for her as she snatched her phone off the desk and grabbed her purse. She headed out of the office, brushing past Gabe in the process. The slight touch of her arm against his was a shock to the system, sending sharp tingles all through her body.
Arousal, swift and sharp, swept over her, leaving her a little breathless and, oh Lord, turned on. Her stomach felt weird. Her breasts were heavy, and acute throbbing picked up between her thighs.
Okay, she needed to get out more, and like, meet people, because seriously, her body was ridiculous if brushing against his arm could turn her on.
“You okay?” Gabe stopped in front of the front door.
Not really. She felt flushed . . . and stupid. “Yeah, I just need to eat.”
“Then let’s do that before you pass out.”
As he turned around, she closed her eyes and pictured herself punching herself in the face. Repeatedly.
The diner was just down the block, like he said, and after getting seated near a window, Nikki felt an ungodly amount of nervous energy as Gabe ordered a water and she went for a sweet tea.
Her gaze kept darting from his face to the street outside. Part of her couldn’t believe she was sitting here with Gabe. If anyone had asked her if that was possible a year ago she would’ve laughed straight in their face.
“By the way, there is something I want to talk to you about,” he said, drawing her attention. “I think it would be really smart of you to stay as far away from Sabrina and her brother as humanly possible.”
“What?” She frowned. “That’s a really random statement, and you know I would rather be on the moon during a solar eclipse than be in the same room with them.”
“On the moon during a solar eclipse?” he repeated quietly and then shook his head. “Sabrina complained to Dev about you.”
Her stomach dropped. “About what?”
“About you making some kind of comment to her brother about their lack of a wedding date.”
Fucking Parker. Her hands balled into fists. “I hate him.”
Gabe watched closely. “Hate’s a pretty strong feeling.”
“Yeah, well, I hate him. He’s arrogant and when I said that to him, I wasn’t saying it to be an ass.” She stopped herself. “Okay. I was being an ass, but whatever.”
His lips twitched at the last part. “When did you see Parker?”
“On Wednesday, when he was there for dinner. He came into the kitchen for a drink.”
Understanding crept in his face. “What happened on Wednesday?”
The urge to tell him what Parker had said to her was strong, but she knew if she did, Gabe would say something to him and then Parker would complain to Sabrina. Based on what Gabe was now telling her about Devlin, Sabrina would go to Devlin, and she couldn’t jeopardize her parents’ employment.
“Nothing happened.”
“Doesn’t sound like nothing.”
“He was just being his normal jerk self.” She drew in a shallow breath. “I’ll be on my best behavior.”
“Not sure you have a best behavior.” He grinned.
It took her a moment to realize he was teasing her. “I do. Sometimes. But promise me you won’t say anything to Parker. You know if you do, it will just make the situation worse.”
“Is there a situation that can be made worse?” His voice turned so cold that she shivered.
“No. There’s not, but if you say something to him, then there will be a situation. Promise me you won’t say anything.”
“I promise I won’t, but I also want you to promise me that if there is a situation, you’ll be honest with me.”
“I promise—wait.” Disappointment sparked to life in her. She remembered the conversation in the car the day he tried to go to the shelter with her. “Is that why you asked me to lunch? To talk about me being nicer or whatever to Sabrina?”
“No.” He frowned. “I asked you to lunch because I wanted to have lunch with you. I could’ve waited to talk to you about Sabrina tomorrow.”
“Oh.” He had a point.
“So, did you do anything exciting with your weekend?” he asked, changing the subject.
“Not really.” She toyed with the edge of the menu. “I met with Rosie yesterday at du Monde and ate my weight in beignets. How about you?”
He grinned. “Just spent time at home.” He paused. “I’m surprised you didn’t go out or something.”
“Why?” She smiled when the waitress appeared with their drinks. They placed an order for wings, her earning a look of disapproval when she asked for hers to be naked while Gabe went with some flavor guaranteed to burn the roof of his mouth off.
“I just remember what it was like when I was in my twenties,” he said after the waitress left. “This city was like one giant playground.”
She laughed. “You make it sound like that was ages ago.”
“It was.”
“Did you also walk to school in one foot of snow, barefoot?” she teased, and he chuckled. “I haven’t really been going out since I’ve been home.”
Interest sparked in his eyes. “Did you go out a lot when you were up at UA?”
Nikki shook her head, unsure of how to explain that she didn’t have the stereotypical college experience. “Yo
u know, I actually didn’t go out a lot there either.”
“You were a dedicated student?” he teased.
She laughed. “Not quite. I just . . .”
“What?”
Looking out the window, she watched a woman walk by pushing a stroller. Instead of answering, she shrugged.
A moment passed, and she could feel his intense gaze on her. “Can I ask you a question and you be real with me?”
Her heart turned over heavily as she looked at him. “Sure.”
Gabe had leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. “You weren’t holding back on doing things because of what happened between us, were you?”
Damn. He’d connected those dots way too quickly for her comfort. Granted, they talked about her life at college before and she’d always skated around the whole dating and partying scene.
“Fuck,” he muttered, sitting back. He looked out the fingerprint-smudged window. A muscle ticked along his jaw. “I hate knowing that’s the case. I always figured you’d go buck wild at college, probably burn a building down or two.”
She didn’t know what to say at first. “It wasn’t just that. I’m serious. You know I was a weird, awkward kid. I was still weird and awkward in college. So what? I didn’t date a lot—”
“But you had a boyfriend?”
“Yeah. And he was a good guy.”
“Then what happened?” His gaze had swung back to her, and his eyes were more blue than green today. “If he was a good guy, why aren’t you still with him?”
This wasn’t exactly the conversation she planned on having with him, like, ever. “I wasn’t . . . the easiest girlfriend to have.”
“Do tell?”
She rolled her eyes. “I just wasn’t really . . . open. Like he really tried and he was patient, but I wasn’t there for it.”
“I’m not following.”
Of course he wasn’t. “Okay, so like we’d make plans, and I’d always forget about them. It wasn’t on purpose. I was just not thinking about it. He’d want to go out—like to the movies and do dinner, and I wasn’t really interested. I used to think it was because I was a homebody, but I just didn’t want to go out with him—with anyone really. Because when he would come chill with me at my dorm, I was just annoyed with him being there. No matter what he did.”
Moonlight Seduction_A de Vincent Novel Page 17