His phone had been buzzing with texts all day. Most he ignored after a slight eye-roll. A couple of times, I’d asked him if everything was okay. He never had a straightforward response, so I didn’t bother asking about it again. But I was curious about another matter.
“Where did you slip off to earlier?” I didn’t let on about panicking when I hadn’t seen him waiting for me in the shoe department. I still felt incredibly rude for running out on Aimee. Not to mention the pain I had been ready to inflict on her.
“It’s a surprise. I guess I can give it to you now, though.”
My body flushed with heat recalling the last surprise he’d given me. “Here? At the table?”
His laugh was a low, sexy rumble as he locked eyes with me. “Not that kind of surprise, Tiggy. But, shit, now all I want to do is take you into the bathroom and surprise the fuck out of you.”
He shifted onto his hip and reached into one of his cargo pockets, then passed a slender silver object to me.
I held it in my palm. “A phone?”
“So you can call me. I programmed my number in there.”
“Wait? What? Why would I need to call you?” Fingers of fear squeezed my throat. “You’re leaving, aren’t you? The texts have been from your friends, the ones you’d been on your way to meet…”
“Yes, but no. Shit. Sorry. I’m not good at this. The texts are from Coop and Leo, but I told them to go on without me. They aren’t happy about it, but I’m not leaving you on your own. Promise. The phone isn’t just for calling. You can text or take pictures, get on the internet, play games. Shop for yoga pants—you know what, I’d better give you my credit card number. You can search for anything you have questions about, things you don’t remember, or whatever you don’t feel comfortable asking me, like, woman things. There are apps which can tell you the answers to anything and everything.”
“Really? Anything?” There were a thousand things I wanted answers to. Like how he’d learned the trick in the dressing room with his finger and were there any tricks I could use on him? And was there any way to get him to sleep more? And how do you tell a man you’re pretty sure you’re falling in love with him even though you’ve only known him for a couple of days and might be going to prison soon? And what do you get a man to say thank you for saving your life multiple times and introducing you to bacon, ranch dressing, French fries, and orgasms? “Show me.”
He went through a quick tutorial as Kinley came by with ice-cold mugs of beer and our salads. “Oh, you know what? Aimee, the woman who helped me, gave me her phone number. She wanted to give me a link to a store with great stuff, but I ran off before she had a chance.”
I withdrew the card she’d given me and put her info into my contacts. With Nik’s help, most of the basics of cell phones quickly came back to me. I dialed Aimee’s number as Nik tapped the card decorated with ornate flames on the table. One look at it had him rolling his eyes. Between the quote promoting the leadership seminar series—“It only takes a Spark to Ignite a Blaze!” and the one promising a network of sisters—“Some women are lost in the fire, some women are built from it!” it did seem a little much. But I couldn’t shake how good laughing and shopping with another woman had felt.
“Hey, it’s Thea,” I said as Aimee answered. “From the mall? Sorry for darting off so fast, but I wanted you to have my phone number.”
“Thea!” I couldn’t hear the rest as her voice became muffled by a flurry of loud, sharp sounds.
“I can barely hear you. Are you okay? Is that a dog?”
The sound of the barking faded. “I’m fine. Sorry… Passing a car with dog in it. Hey, I’ll text you that link in a bit, okay? Don’t forget to try the oil. Give some to your friend, too. You’ll love it, so relaxing.”
“Okay, yeah. I had a lot of fun shopping with you. Thanks for all your help.”
“We’ll do it again soon. You have a good dinner, okay?”
“Yeah, okay. Bye.” Did I tell her I was having dinner?
Nik pushed his nearly clean salad plate aside and took another long drink of his beer. “Everything okay?”
“I don’t know. It’s a little early to assume I’m at dinner, right? Then there was a dog barking in the background. I could’ve sworn it sounded just like Titan.”
Nik shoved his chair back from the table and bolted out the front doors before I could stop myself from saying, “I’m being paranoid.”
Kinley brought out our steaks. Without Nik at the table, her bright smile disappeared along with the mooning baby in her shirt. She was no Wanda, but since she brought a deep bowl of ranch dressing with a piece of bacon sticking out of it, she was a keeper.
I snagged the crispy strip of heaven dipped in desire, devouring it before she finished setting the last of the plates down. She glanced up as Nik entered with Titan in tow. I’m pretty sure every pair of female eyes and even a few male ones turned to lust after the hunk with the beast. All except for the hostess. Her eyes looked ready for a good cry. After a few curt words she nodded numbly, letting Titan pass despite the No Dogs Allowed sign on the door.
I ruffled Titan’s scruff as he came to my side, then gestured for him to lie down. Scanning him for any signs of trouble, I asked, “Is he okay?”
“Yeah, he’s fine. The windows were fogged up like he’d been agitated. I didn’t see anyone though. Be careful what you tell this new friend and don’t click on any links she sends, okay?”
“Nik, what’s going on? I’m getting scared.” I lifted my eyes from Titan, looking across the table to see Nik cutting into his steak. “How can you eat right now?”
“Easy, it’s delicious.” His eyes locked with mine. “Breathe, baby. Everything is fine. There were a lot of birds in the parking lot. They probably provoked him.”
I took a slow breath, not convinced. True to his words, though, he didn’t look concerned as he tucked into his food. The steak smelled delicious. And the fries were dying to be dunked in the bowl of ranch dressing.
A loud wailing moan ripped from my stomach, causing both Nik and Titan to tilt their heads at me.
“Was that Titan growling or you?”
I grimaced.
Jabbing his fork in the direction of my untouched steak, he commanded me to get after it. “Can’t believe you’re letting those fries get cold. Rookie mistake.” He tsked.
Not wasting time with another scowl, I devoured several heaven-coated fries. As I cut into the steak, I asked, “Is it really okay for Titan to be here?”
Oh man, the ribeye was delicious even without being smothered with ranch dressing.
“I told her he was a working dog I’m training.” He shot a look at Titan, who was lying down but alert…and salivating at my feet. “So be on your best behavior, dog. And for God’s sake, stop drooling. You’re on duty. No table scraps until we’re back at the Jeep.”
Titan grumbled and rested his head on his now slobbery paws.
* * * *
“It was nice, today. Pretending everything would be okay.” Defeat sounded in Thea’s voice.
Nik reached over and squeezed her shoulder. “Everything is okay.” The second lie by omission he’d told her that day.
The sun tucked in behind the jagged mountain vistas as they neared Estes Park. After their early dinner they’d hit a few more stops, both out of necessity and to catch anyone following them before heading back to his house. If Nik had doubted anyone was tracking her before, the device he’d found on the Jeep at the restaurant confirmed it. Without saying a word to Thea, he’d stuck it to the car parked next to his and stayed ever vigilant for anyone following. Nothing. But simply removing the device wasn’t going to stop whoever was keeping track of her. They’d been able to find her in Boulder, and the device hadn’t been there before. He would’ve found it when he handwashed the Jeep.
Thea pulled her legs up, her forearms banding around her shins as she silently stared out at the passing scenery. “You really think Aimee might be a threat?”
Yes.
The redhead had to be involved. In fact, the more Nik thought about it the more he believed she was the woman Dylan had run off at the hotel in Kansas. Her hair wasn’t the right color, but she did have a widow’s peak and bright blue eyes. She might’ve changed her appearance? But why was she following Thea? And why did she look so similar to the DOA woman under Thea’s truck—same bird tattoo, red hair? Who were these people? At first he’d thought they were Feds, but after Thea had told him about the organization, it now seemed like they were from some kind of cult.
Not wanting to alarm Thea, but still thinking it would be best for her to keep her distance, he hedged. “It’s possible.”
“But I approached her. I picked her out.”
“A good con can make it seem that way. Something was off with her, what with all the cultish sisterhood business and everyone having the same tattoo. Dead bird sounds kind of Wiccan or Voodoo… Hey, it’s a good thing we didn’t have sex with her,” he joked to lighten her mood. “We’d probably be drinking chicken blood or sacrificing a cat by now.”
Thea lifted her head to give it a tsk-tsking shake, but he caught the smile she tried to stifle by biting down on her lower lip and tucking her chin between her knees.
“Oh no, you have to share. What’s so funny, Tiggs?”
Her big eyes went innocently up to their corners as she looked at him. “Aren’t you part of a brotherhood? With a tattoo of a dead frog?”
Nik let loose a rumbling laugh. Her cleverness slayed him. “You got me. Secret’s out, I’m in a cult. Does that scare you?”
She turned her head, resting her cheek on her knees. “No, but I am wondering what poor animal I’ll be required to sacrifice when we have sex.”
When. Not if. Yeah, his dick caught it, too. The prick had amazing hearing considering it didn’t have ears. It also had the sudden posture of a well-trained soldier being called to attention.
Unable to pull off her level of innocence, he went for dark and dirty as he trailed a finger down the underside of her arm. “Don’t worry, Tiggs, the only kitty you’ll be sacrificing is the pretty one between your legs.”
Thea’s skin flushed pink as goosebumps chased across her arms. Her body was as responsive to him as his was to her. Every touch scraped his patience thinner. Keeping himself from colliding with her was like being incased in metal and trying to hover a hair’s breadth from a high-powered magnet. The snap, the smack, the forging together imminent.
Her whiskey eyes met his, still all fucking innocence. “I can live with that.”
Thank God Nik was pulling into his drive and not still winding through the mountain passes or he’d have wrecked the Jeep for sure. With a hard swallow, he shifted in his seat. Nearly crashing into the back wall of the garage, he slammed into park and killed the engine.
Nik rounded the Jeep, opening both Titan’s door and hers. Thea’s knees swung toward him, spreading right into his open hands. The dark depths of her pupils met his as he drew her swiftly against him, her ankles locking behind his back. With one hand he ensured she wouldn’t fall, with the other he cupped her cheek, guiding her mouth to his. Her lips and tongue made him insatiable for more, and he’d never really been much for kissing.
Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of Titan lunging off into the woods to do his business, but all Nik cared about was getting inside and conducting his own. Need spooled through his blood.
He’d get the bags and groceries and let the dog back in later. For now, everything else in the whole of the world was just going to have to wait.
He couldn’t even imagine how amazing his cock would feel thrusting inside her. Back in the dressing room she hadn’t been nervous or shy. Her body had been more than ready, but God had she been tight. Virginal tight.
Nik brushed the thought aside before he let morals take hold and change his plans. He took his time with the key, enjoying the stability the door gave him as he kissed her deeper, her body turning his harder than before. Throwing his head back, he gulped in a sharp breath of cold mountain air. Pace yourself, Steele.
She took advantage, sliding her hot, wet mouth down the thick bulge of his throat. Her tongue traced along his clavicle until she found the edge of his neck to hungrily nip and suck. He was too consumed by the grinding of her hips to realize her mouth would be leaving its mark before it was too late. Didn’t matter—he wanted her inside his flesh as much as he wanted to be inside of hers.
Gathering her back into his chest, he was careful not to hurt her ribs, but they were all he planned to be careful with. With a swift kick, he booted the door. In his exuberance, it swung open with force, banging loudly as it knocked into the wall. Even in his near-drugged state, the hairs on the back of his neck rose. With lightning speed, he whirled Thea off him, dropping her behind his back as he went for his Sig. He aimed the gun through the darkened room, sighting it dead center on the shadowed man.
Chapter Twenty-Four
My breath punched the back of my throat at the hard landing. Pain seared, ringing the bones of my feet and spiking all the way up through my femurs. My head exploded with static. Noise oscillated from loud to louder. Loud to louder—wah-wah-wah-wah—before another sound clawed its way through. Run, my brain urged. My feet wouldn’t budge. I couldn’t leave Nik. Wouldn’t.
The disorienting cycle of noise in my head distorted the voice. It wasn’t Nik’s and his body completely shielded me from the other man. What was he saying? Too slow?
Before I could make sense of it, Nik holstered his gun and flung himself at the man, wrestling him into a chokehold. Their bodies banged hard into the wood floor as they collided. The mad scramble of legs and curses quelled, but the locks on each other’s bodies only heightened.
Scouring the nearly blackened room for a weapon, I sighted the baseball bat on the mantle. I grabbed it and hoisted it over my shoulder. As soon as I got a clear shot of the stranger’s midsection, I swung. As the bat connected hard, a resounding groan filled the room. The bones in my hands vibrated with pain. No longer able to grip the bat, I let go. It clattered to the floor and the man’s hand shot toward it. With a jerk of my foot, I tried to kick the bat out of his reach and connected his arm instead.
“Fucking bitch!” The man ripped free from Nik’s chokehold. Lunging to his knee, he made a charge toward me.
Nik spun on his back, swiping the stranger’s ankle with his leg and bringing him crashing down on his ass. Thrusting up to his knees, Nik reached out, grasping the man’s throat with one big hand and pushing his body cleanly back to the floor.
“Touch her and die,” Nik gritted out before releasing him.
“She hit me with a bat, bro,” the big man griped as he sat up. Instead of launching another attack, he leaned back heavily on his palms.
My eyes volleyed between the two men, my pulse thumping painfully strong at my temples. I struggled to make sense of why they’d both stopped fighting and now were content to catch air. “Bro? You know this guy?”
Heaving breaths, Nik rocked onto his heels and stood up. He flipped on a light switch. As the stranger got to his feet, I realized he looked similar to Nik. The two men carried themselves the same, their confidence and straining intensity perfectly matched. The stranger’s build was slightly shorter and thicker than Nik’s, and he looked a few years older. The dark stubble over his square jaw was longer and scragglier and his scruffy black hair curled over his ears and dropped, hanging across his eyes. He shoved it back with a rough hand as his dark eyes bored hard at me.
As Nik came to my side, he said, “Thea, meet Coop. Coop, Thea.”
“Is he, like, your brother or something?”
“Or something. Brother, but not by bloo—”
“We share blood,” Coop cut him off with agitation. “I wouldn’t be alive if I didn’t have Steele blood in my veins.”
Nik’s chin dipped in acknowledgment of the comment. “Coop was a fellow Team Guy, and you did an awesome job taking him out with the
Squatch Knocker. I will make sure he never lives it down.”
“She hardly took me out and I can kill you both and make it look like Bigfoot did it. I don’t think your ass will appreciate what he’s gonna do with his knocker, either, Steele,” Coop added with what I hoped was humor. The hostile edge to his hardened eyes worried me though.
Nik ignored the threat. “You couldn’t give me a couple more days? Huh? Had to come sniffing around, begging to get your dick shot off?”
“First off, I wasn’t sniffing anything. Apparently, you forgot your security system was still tied to my phone when you lied to me and came back here. Second, you know better than to shoot without knowing who you’re shooting at. Besides, with the non-tactical breaching technique you kicked in your door with and the way she was grinding all over your gun, I’d worry more about getting your own dick shot off. So, yeah, why don’t you finish up whatever this is,” he said, casting a dismissive wave my way, “so we can get on the road.”
“This isn’t like that.”
“Shit, Steele, when has it ever not been like that?” He tilted his head at me. “Sorry, ma’am.”
Oh, there was no misreading the man’s jerky tone. “No, you’re not,” I grunted.
Correctly assessing my desire to assault his bro some more, Nik reached out and brought me easily against his hard body in a half-hug, half-restraint. “I assume your brother is lurking around here somewhere, too?”
“Leo’s in the truck. He wasn’t keen on sneaking up on you. Didn’t want to get his pretty hide bullet-scarred like ours. So much for having my six, huh?”
“He’s always been the smart one. Tell him to get his pristine ass up here.”
“He was supposed to drive up after he saw you turn in. Probably playing on his phone.”
I’d been vaguely aware of Titan’s barking, but it dawned on me he might be upset at something other than wildlife. Which brought back the possibility of someone following me.
Twist My Heart (Wicked Games Book 1) Page 16