Her silence was beginning to make him uncomfortable, because it was too unlike her. At least, what he knew of this new Kayla, which wasn’t a whole lot once he stopped to think about it. She had been right the other night when she said that, except for the meetings they had been forced to have, they had only seen each other personally several times in the last two months. And with the exception of the other night, none of those encounters had lasted very long, or amounted to much.
God, had it really only been a few times? And only a couple of months? It felt like so much longer. It felt like the last ten years had never happened, that they had never spent time apart.
But that didn’t make things any easier, not with the history between themâbecause the last ten years had happened and they really didn’t know one another, not any more. Nick sighed and finished off the water, then recapped the bottle and sat it on the counter.
“So why did you write the letter?” Kayla’s question penetrated the silence, startling Nick. He turned toward her to see that she was standing now, leaning against the counter with the letter in front of her. He took a deep breath and let it out, then leaned his head against the cabinet, wondering if it would be better to stay where he was, or to get down off the counter and stand instead.
Nick ran a hand over his face then hopped off the counter and threw the empty bottle in the trash can. He turned to face Kayla, crossing his arms in front of him. “I wrote it because I really don’t think we can work together, Kayla. Not on this. The first presentation is supposed to take place in two weeks, and right now, it’s the furthest thing from my mind. There’s too much tension between us, Kayla. Even you have to be able to see that.”
He paused to see her reaction but she just stood there, watching him with a blank look. She finally shook her head and glanced back at the letter in her hand.
“Tension or not, this was a bit drastic, don’t you think? I mean, we’re both grown adults. We should be able to work around it.”
“Kayla, I have too much riding on this program. I can’t afford to have it get messed up.”
She looked up at him, a spark flashing in her eyes. “You’re not the only one who has a lot riding on it. If I get pulled from this, our captain will go ballistic. At best, he’s going to write me up. At worst, they could yank my certification or transfer me. Knowing Captain Nelson, I wouldn’t be surprised if he tried to have me suspended.”
“I’m supposed to believe that? After you already told me that Jay was the one who was supposed to be doing everything?” Nick leaned against the counter, making no attempt to hide his suspicion.
“Yeah. Jay is supposed to do everything, and he will because he needs this for his next level. But he can’t do it without someone else overseeing and evaluating. I’m the only one on our shift with the qualification to do that. Our captain wants this project to stay on our shift, because it’ll look good for him when promotions come up.” She held up the letter and waved it in Nick’s direction, the movement sharp and angry. “If I get yanked, Jay will get probably get yanked, which will make our captain extremely unhappy.”
“Kayla, I don’tâ”
“Come off it, Nick. There’s got to be a way to work around this.” She paused, looking him squarely in the eye, beseeching. “Please.”
The sincerity in her voice and the pleading in her eyes did him in. He bit back an oath and shook his head, knowing that somehow, he was going to regret what he was about to do. Taking a deep breath, he moved the two steps to the counter island and grabbed the letter, then tore it in half, and half again. “There. It’s done. Is that what you wanted?”
Kayla sighed and closed her eyes, her lips moving silently. Nick couldn’t tell what she had muttered to herself, but the relief was evident in her eyes when she reopened them and looked at him. “Thank you.”
Nick was silent for a minute, then fixed her with a hard look, stepping closer to her. “Don’t thank me yet, Kayla. If we’re going to do this, we’re doing it my way. No more battles, no more tension, no more butting heads. Can you do that?”
“Iâ”
“Can you? Because if you can’t, tell me now and that’ll be it. I’ll send another letter, and I’ll make sure you can’t get to it first. Do we have a deal?”
A range of emotions flickered across her face, from surprise to resentment to reluctant acceptance. She pursed her lips and nodded, a quick jerk of her head. “Fine. But what is it you want to do differently?”
Nick studied her, then stepped away, putting a safe distance between them. “I’ll get in touch with Jay and let him know.”
“Fine.”
“Good.”
They stared at each other, awareness and tension pulsating between them. Kayla finally looked away and grabbed her jacket, pulling it on and zipping it with surprising speed, like she couldn’t leave fast enough. She cast a quick glance at Nick and took a deep breath. “Thank you.”
Nick nodded his acknowledgment and watched as she walked out of the kitchen. He followed her as she made her way to the door. “Kayla,” he called.
She paused at the door and looked up at him. “Yeah?”
“What would you have done if I had said no? If I hadn’t changed my mind?”
Her shoulders slumped and she looked away for a minute, considering. She opened the door then looked back at him, her face carefully blank, her eyes not quite meeting his. “I don’t know.”
Nick continued standing there after she left, staring at the closed door, and wondered if she had told him the truth.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“Tell me again why we’re here,” Mike said to Jay when he pulled his truck into the parking lot of a bar and grill. Jay turned the engine off and got out, not bothering to wait for her. Mike rushed to catch up to him, wondering why he seemed to be in such a hurry.
“Because this is where Nick said to meet him. Other than that, I have no idea.”
“This is ridiculous. How are we supposed to work in here?” Mike asked when they walked through the door. It was close to five o’clock and the happy hour crowd was starting to thicken in the bar, the noise a raucous symphony around them. Jay paused at the entrance and looked around, then turned to face Mike, his expression serious and unforgiving.
“Ridiculous or not, you just better be grateful Nick reconsidered. You have one hell of a lot more to lose than I do, so you better just keep the remarks to yourself.”
Mike bit back the retort she wanted to make, knowing that Jay was right. For the moment, they were at Nick’s mercy. Or rather, she was. It wasn’t a position she enjoyed. Worse, she couldn’t figure out what Nick had in mind. Because there was no doubt he had something planned, and she was sure she wasn’t going to like it one bit once she figured it out.
“There he is.” Jay pointed to a table in the far corner of the restaurant side and threaded his way through the crowd, dragging Mike with him. They reached the booth and Jay motioned for her to slide in first then he followed, setting his bag containing the files on the floor next to him. Mike slid further into the corner, doing her best not to look at Nick, which was difficult since his gaze was focused directly on her.
“Did you guys want to eat first?” Nick asked, finally pulling his gaze away from her. She breathed a sigh of relief and stretched out more comfortably, straightening her legs in front of her.
“Maybe just something light, I can’t stay long.”
“What?” Mike turned and stared at Jay, not believing what he said. “What do you mean, you can’t stay long?”
“Just what I said. I have a date later.”
“Date, my ass. Why didn’t you say something earlier? Just how am I supposed to get home? You’re the one who drove!”
“I’ll drop you off.”
Mike turned to face Nick, not bothering to hide her anger. The vague uneasiness she had felt ever since Jay had told her about this meeting solidified with the suspicion that she was being set up. She turned her look on Jay, narrowin
g her eyes at him. “You had this planned, didn’t you?”
“Actually, no. I was planning on dropping you off before my date, but this will work out, too.”
“The hell it willâ”
“Mikey, we’re wasting time. Let’s just grab something quick so we can get on with this.” Jay’s voice was calm, but far from reassuring. She studied him, looking for some sign that he was lying. His face was a picture of perfect innocence, which only made her even more suspicious. She bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from saying anything and leaned back in the corner, nodding her silent acquiescence against her will.
A waitress showed up at their table less than a minute later, her attention called by Nick. She smiled down at him and Mike rolled her eyes at the obvious interest on the girl’s face. Nick and Jay agreed to split a large serving of nachos, then Nick looked at her expectantly.
“Nachos are fine. And a margarita,” she added. “On the rocks, no salt.”
“No alcohol.”
“Excuse me?” Mike stared at Nick, her expression clearly telling him what she thought.
“No alcohol. That’s one of the conditions.”
Mike glared at him, silently stewing at his high-handedness. So this was what he was up to. Fine. Like it really mattered to her. She waved her hand at the waitress, who was watching them with undisguised curiosity. “Whatever. I’ll have an iced tea then. No big deal.”
The waitress left with their order and Mike sank further into the corner when Jay pulled out a stack of files. Nick rearranged the table to give them more room and the two of them got down to business, planning in more detail what should happen with the first presentation. Mike tuned them out, not interested, still steaming from the obvious set-up.
“So what do you think, Mike?”
“Huh?” She looked up at Jay, who was watching her expectantly. “Think about what? This isn’t my show, remember? I’m here to observe and evaluate and sign off, that’s it.”
“Not anymore. That’s another condition. From here on out, you’re taking a more active role in this,” Nick said, his tone of voice telling her that it was a demand, not a request. She stared at him, clenching her jaw and doing her best not to say anything. Her effort collapsed after five seconds, and she slapped her hand down on the table.
“That’s it. This is such bullshit. Let’s get something straight, Nick. This isn’t my project. It never was. I’m not supposed to have anything to do with this. And for youâ”
“Mike, take it easy.” Jay rested a hand on her arm and tried to ease her back into the seat. She shook his touch off, not even sparing him a glance.
“No. For you to sit there and start making demandsâridiculous demands. This is outrageous Nick, and you know it. You have no right to do this!”
Jay stiffened next to her and mumbled something but she paid him no attention, instead focusing on Nick. He sat up straight across from her, his dark gaze intense as he studied her. A minute went by before he reached into the pocket of the blazer he was wearing and pulled out a sealed envelope. He held it in his hand for a second, then slowly reached across the table, holding it out for her to take. She looked down at the envelope, noticed the address of fire department headquarters neatly typed across the front, and felt her stomach sink.
Nick held the envelope out for another second then, when she made no move to take it, placed it in the middle of the table and pushed it toward her. “We made a deal the other night when I told you that I was going to change things. This is part of that deal. Now you can either go along with it, or I can mail this letter. And you can be sure it’s not going to go where you can get it first.”
Mike slumped back in her seat and stared first at Nick then at the letter, trying hard to rein in her temper. A tense silence fell over them, a silence that wasn’t even eased when the waitress returned with their order and quickly placed it on the table in front of them.
“Mikey.” Jay’s voice was a tense whisper, holding a warning in that single low tone. She turned to face him, staring, looking for help in his gaze. What she saw didn’t ease her mind at all. Instead of help or even reassurance, she saw warningâand even impatience. She looked away from Jay, not liking the feeling that she had just lost support from her best friend, then took a deep breath and faced Nick, speaking in an angry hiss when the waitress left.
“This is blackmail, Nick. And really low.”
Nick shrugged then scooped some nachos from the plate and took a bite. He chewed the food, then fixed her with a steady gaze. “I never said I wouldn’t stoop to low tactics.”
Mike ran her hands through her hair and fought the very strong urge to bang her head against the table. She let out a deep breath and turned back to Jay. “What do you think?”
Jay returned her look, that same expression on his face. He reached under the table to give her leg a reassuring squeeze. “I don’t think you have a choice.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
More than three hours later, Mike was still stuck with Nick, completely against her will, and totally alone. Jay had abandoned her two hours ago, leaving for his date, handing the files over to Nick so they could continue to tweak the first presentation. To Mike’s surprise, Nick had put the files away and suggested they order dinner, which she reluctantly agreed to. There was no sense in starving herself just to prove a point.
The surprises continued when Nick then suggested they continue work at his house once they finished eating, using the noise and crowd as an excuse. Mike said absolutely nothing, just shot him numerous dirty looks when they left the restaurant and drove to his place.
And now here she was, sitting on the leather sofa in his living room, seething with anger while Nick went to change. Mike glanced at her watch and wondered how long this charade was going to last. It was already after eight o’clock. Surely Nick would want to call it quits soon since it was a weeknight and she was certain he had to work in the morning.
All she wanted to do right now was go home, change into her flannel pajamas and a t-shirt, and have a drink. A nice, stiff drink. She was sure Nick would turn that one around to mean something menacing if she told him.
And speak of the devil, here he came. She looked up as Nick came down the hallway from his bedroom and wished she had that drink right now. He was barefoot, wearing a pair of loose, low-slung sweatpants and a ratty old tank shirt. Mike swallowed a groan and tried to look like she wasn’t interested in the change of scenery.
“It’s a little cold to be wearing a tank shirt, isn’t it?” She didnât bother to hide the sarcasm from her voice. Sarcasm was ten times better than letting him think, even for a second, that she was effected by the sight of his broad shoulders and sculpted arms. Nick paused to stare at her as if she was crazy, then walked over to the built-in entertainment center.
“Did you need me to turn the heat up?” His voice was laced with insincere hospitality and Mike bit back another sarcastic comment, knowing he would only turn it around like he did with the shirt comment. He raised his eyebrows at her silence, the barest hint of a grin teasing the corners of his mouth, then turned away and sorted through a collection of CD’s, inserting them into the stereo. Mike watched him, noticing the play of muscles in his back and arms. Her eyes widened when she noticed the tattoo high up on the back of his right shoulder.
“When did you get the tattoo?” She immediately regretted the question and wished she could take it back. Shouldnât she have noticed the other night when they were together? When she had been in bed with him. Naked. Not that she had been paying any attention to his back.
Nick hit a button on the stereo then turned to face her. “When did you get yours?”
“How didânever mind.” Mike looked away, cursing the blush heating her face. Nick walked over to the sofa and sat down next to her, entirely too close. She edged away from him, only managing to move a few inches because she was already sitting as far over as she could go. Any further and she would be sitt
ing on the arm of the sofa. Or the floor.
“I guess I was the only one paying any attention to the details the other night, hm?” Nick draped his arm across the back of the sofa, his hand grazing her shoulder, and watched her in silence. Mike closed her eyes and barely refrained from groaning out loud, both at his nearness and at the realization he must have been awake when she got out of bed the other night. That was the only way he would have been able to see the small dolphin tattoo in the middle of her lower back.
“So, um, why don’t we just finish up with this presentation? Where did you put the files?” Mike looked everywhere but at Nick, needing to change the subject before she embarrassed herself even more. He shifted next to her, stretching his legs out and propping them on the glass coffee table in front of them. He was so close, she could feel the heat of his legs next to hers. The heat of his arm where it barely touched her shoulders.
“Actually, I think we did enough for tonight. We can give it a break for now.”
Mike clenched her jaw and turned to stare at him, not trying to hide her surprise or her anger. “Then what the hell am I doing here? I thought the whole point was to do some more work.”
“I changed my mind.”
“Yeah, right.” Mike watched him for another second then abruptly stood, her fists clenched at her side. Anger coursed through her and she welcomed it, knowing it was better than the other emotions warring within her, unwelcome and confusing. “I want to go home. I mean it, Nick. I don’t know what game you’re playing, but you can count me out. Now take me home.”
If she had been expecting a reaction, she was going to be disappointed. He didnât move, not even to raise an eyebrow at her demand. Nick just sat there, looking too relaxed and too comfortable, his legs stretched out in front of him and his arm still draped across the back of the sofa. He watched her, his dark eyes intense, piercing. Long minutes went by, filled only with the music coming from the stereo. Mike recognized it as the same CD that had been playing the other night when she stopped by, the one filled with songs that held too many memories. Watching Nick sit there, looking at her with that dark intense gaze, she wondered if it had been a deliberate choice. If the music meant to him what it did to her, or if it was nothing more than a casual coincidence.
Once Burned (Firehouse Fourteen Book 1) Page 14