Casey grabbed Linc’s lapels and kissed his lips lightly. His body tensed, and for a moment, she thought he might deepen the kiss, but he jerked his head back. “Casey? You—Nick will be here soon.”
“I want to go home,” she said huskily.
When Linc frowned she swore she’d never drink again. She was probably making the biggest ass out of herself. So much for her seduction skills.
“It’s okay. You guys are friends. I get it, no problem. Or maybe you just don’t find me attractive. I’ll just call for a taxi.” She let go of his jacket. “And, um, sorry I kissed you. I don’t know why I did that. Well, I do, because you look like that guy on the television show, and he’s been the fantasy of many a night. But still—what was I saying?”
A deep fog clouded her mind, and coherent thoughts were no longer possible. Before she could walk away, he pulled her back in his arms. Those mesmerizing green eyes bore into her.
“I’ll take you home if that’s really what you want. It isn’t safe for you to take a taxi right now.” His eyes narrowed and his body was so warm that she wanted to lay her head on his chest.
“You smell good,” she said. “And you’re just so damn pretty. I’m trying so hard not to drool.”
Linc grinned. “Do you always say what you think?”
Casey ran her fingers along the short beard on his chin. He grabbed her fingers, but he didn’t let go of her hand. For a moment it felt as though he might lean down and kiss her.
He stepped back.
“Yes, I almost always say what I think, but the liquor is helping tonight.”
“Ah, well. I am a gentleman, so I will escort the lady home.”
Gentleman, schmentalman. Casey wanted the man to kiss her like there was no tomorrow. Maybe then, Nick’s words wouldn’t hurt so much.
But this time she didn’t voice her needs.
“We’re going,” he said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and guided her to the entrance.
“Wait, you can’t leave Kiwi,” she said seriously.
“It’s Kiki.” Linc laughed. “And I was just her ticket in the door. There was someone she really needed to see. She’s a friend, and I helped her out. You did the same for Nick tonight. Let me take you home.”
It wasn’t as though Nick would care. Sure, he’d been handing out the compliments earlier, but she knew the way he truly felt now. Turns out all guys were jerks, no matter how pretty the package. “Thanks. My head is killing me, and I’m fairly certain these shoes you made me wear have bonded to my feet. I can’t feel my toes any more.”
“Beauty requires pain,” Linc said as he guided her to the entrance.
“Probably why I live in T-shirts, jeans and sweat pants,” she said.
Her monkey pajamas would feel like heaven. The cool November air wisped around her face, but it didn’t help her grogginess.
“Well, you’re lucky you look beautiful in everything.” He guided her into the back seat of a black limousine.
She snorted. “I bet Nick paid you to be nice to me. You guys are quite a pair,” she said as he tucked her dress beneath her.
“You aren’t fond of compliments are you?” Linc sat beside her and handed her a bottle of water. “Here, you need to drink this so you won’t get dehydrated.”
She closed her eyes and leaned back in the seat. “I don’t think that’s going to help my headache,” she said.
“It’s more a precaution for the headache you’ll have later. When you get home, you can take something for the pain. Drink,” he ordered.
She sipped.
“I don’t suppose you’ve had anything to eat tonight?”
Casey chewed on her lip. “Uh, two pieces of cheese and a lot of wine and champagne. I’m fairly certainly wine counts as fruit because it’s made from grapes.” She giggled and couldn’t stop.
He shook his head. The worry from a few minutes ago was gone from his eyes.
She couldn’t keep the questions in. “Why did you run down the hall? So what if they found me? It’s not like they could do anything.”
“Stop changing the subject. You need to eat.”
Casey reached for his hand. “Just once, I need someone to tell me the truth tonight.”
Linc held her hand. “Believe me, Nick wants to tell you the truth, but he can’t. This business he’s involved in, well, it’s tricky.”
“Why does everything with him have to be so complicated? And why can’t a guy like him like someone like me?” Nick’s words shot back at her, and she frowned. She means nothing…
Linc laughed. “He likes you more than you think, which is one of the reasons I’m not going to show you just how much a guy like him can like you. That and I don’t sleep with drunken women. I want them to remember every moment.”
Did he just say he wanted to sleep with her? “I’m not that drunk.” She tried to wink, but it was probably more of sneer. Her face wouldn’t cooperate.
“Casey, love, you’re such a temptation. But I value my head staying on my neck. Nick would never forgive me, and he’s one of my true friends.”
“So am I. At least that’s what he used to say. Tonight he told that Alvin chick that I was nothing.” She sighed. “That hurt my feelings, but I get it.”
She lost her train of thought. “Oh, he wants me to date a better quality of men,” she said as if she remembered. “That should have been my first clue, right? You fit that bill.”
He took a long steadying breath. His fingers wrapped around her chin so that she faced him.
“Casey, if Nick wasn’t a part of this, I would take you up on that offer so fast your head would spin. I realize you don’t understand what a treasure you are, but you will never be nothing. You are as special as they come.”
“You’re so nice,” she said. “I’d give you my last ten dollars for saying that, but I don’t get paid until Friday. A girl has to eat.”
Linc let go and chuckled. “You are a wonder. I see why Nick is so enamored with you.”
She scrunched her face. “No, I keep telling you. He treats me like a little sister. It’s not like you think. You should have heard the crap he spewed on that staircase. Not interested is putting it mildly. He acted like he was forced to take his cousin to the prom. There’s no way he would care one way or the other what I did with you or anyone else. I want to—You’re so pretty you don’t know what it’s like. I refuse to beg you to sleep with me, though the thought has crossed my mind a dozen or so times the last few minutes.”
“Oh, I think I know exactly what it’s like,” he said. “Even if he wasn’t a friend, Nick isn’t the kind of guy you cross. Talk about some serious pain.”
Was Nick part of the Mafia? Just the other day she’d read some story about problems with mob bosses in Irving. Or worse, maybe he was a drug kingpin?
The man was her friend, surely she’d know if he were a criminal.
Then again, her track record with men was abysmal.
Chapter Seven
Someone could have sucker punched him and Nick wouldn’t have felt worse. Casey and Hugh were nowhere to be found. Had the idiots upstairs been a ruse to keep him occupied while they kidnapped her?
Or was Alvinia the culprit? Dear God, he’d tried to do damage control with her, but if the witch had any idea how he really felt about Casey—well, she might not live through the night.
No. He wouldn’t let that happen. He had to find and protect his sweet friend.
Why had he brought her?
You’re an idiot.
He shoved a hand through his hair.
“You have exactly thirty seconds to find her, or that oaf of a bodyguard’s head will be ripped from his shoulders,” Nick growled at Mason.
As usual, Mason stayed calm. Taking out his phone, he pushed a few buttons and adjusted his jacket while he waited. “Hugh, where is Miss Meyers?”
Nick ripped the phone from his hand.
Mason smirked. The man didn’t understand how much trouble Casey coul
d be in. God, if Alvinia’s henchmen took her—
Holding the phone to his ear he heard Linc’s name.
“Repeat that Hugh,” Nick ordered.
“Hi, Mr. Christos. I was telling Mason that Mr. Linc took her home. She wasn’t feeling too good. I saw him carrying her part of the way, so I knew she must have been bad.”
Carrying her? “And you didn’t go with them because?”
“Mr. Linc told me to stay and protect you. I’ve been watching the floor for any suspicious behavior.”
Nick thrust the phone back to Mason. “Get me the damn car.”
He’d seen the way Linc’s eyes hungered for Casey. If his friend touched her, he’d kill him, plain and simple.
Linc’s charm was legendary. He’d also seen the way Casey checked Linc out, as she liked to say, at the salon. Nick had been at the other end of that heated gaze, and knew exactly how it made a man feel. His fist tightened in rage.
Casey was his…friend. And he wasn’t about to let a womanizer like Linc crush her soul.
The woman had to make better choices when it came to men.
If he had to kill his best friend to make her understand, he would.
…
“Sir, we’re here,” a voice came over the limo’s speaker system.
Casey squeaked and would have spilled her water if Linc hadn’t taken it from her.
“Where are we?” She’d been so lost in her thoughts she hadn’t been paying attention.
“Home. Do you mind if I take you up?”
“You don’t have to. You should get back to the party.” She was pretty sure she could slap herself into an elevator and find the right door.
Linc shook his head. “I was grateful to have an excuse to leave. Come on, let’s go eat.” He grabbed the sacks of greasy hamburgers he’d insisted they pick up. Claiming that, other than pancakes, it was the best food to avoid hangovers.
“Carl, take a break. I’ll call you soon,” Linc said to the black window.
“Yes, sir.”
Casey didn’t mind. Being alone with her thoughts wasn’t high on her list of priorities. She’d been so foolish tonight thinking Nick might want more from her than friendship. Maybe it would serve him right to think she’d gone home with Linc.
She didn’t stumble much on the way into the building, but she was definitely half past drunk. For once in her life, the thought of shoveling a burger in her mouth held zero appeal.
Scooter tipped his hat and whistled as they walked by. “Now that, my love, is the prettiest dress I’ve ever seen,” said the old man. “But it’s only window dressing on the most beautiful girl in the world.”
Casey reached out and hugged the old man. “Scooter, if you were about forty years younger I’d–”
Linc gently pried her arms off the old man. “Sorry, Scooter. Our friend here hit the champagne a little hard tonight.”
Scooter shrugged. “Miss Casey can hug me any time she wants. Sweetest girl in the world.”
“Sweetest girl in the world. Story of my life. Never sexy Casey. Or you’re so hot I want to fu–”
“Uh, Casey,” Linc interrupted, “you need to push the button. I don’t know what floor you live on.”
The world tilted slightly.
“Oh,” she giggled. She opened her genie lamp purse and pulled out the key card. It took her three tries, but she finally hit the slot and the bell dinged.
She wobbled as the elevator lifted and then she leaned against the wall and rubbed her temple. “Is it possible to have a hangover before you go to sleep?”
Linc held up the sack. “I promise that fifteen minutes after eating the first burger, you’re going to feel a lot better.”
She doubted it. “I hope you’re right.” The hundred hammers in her brain drove her mad. If a Whoop (as in whoop your ass) burger with cheese could take that away, she’d buy stock.
The doors slid open and she stumbled out.
“Is he some kind of criminal?” she whispered as she opened the double doors of the condo.
“Who?” Linc asked.
“Nick’s your friend, but I promise I won’t tell,” she said in a conspiratorial whisper. “I’m not going to dump him as a friend, even though he thinks I’m nothing.”
Linc laughed. “Casey, I’m telling you that whatever you heard was out of context. And Nick’s definitely one of the good guys. Why would you say something like that?”
She shrugged. “So much weird crap tonight and no real answers.”
Linc put the burgers on the breakfast bar and went to her fridge. “This will do,” he said.
“No more wine,” she begged. Her fuzzy brain made it difficult for her to concentrate.
Nick put a glass of soda on the counter. Then he opened several of her cabinets.
Before she could think to ask him what he was looking for he said, “Ah. Yes. The perfect combo.” He set a bottle of ibuprofen on the counter with the Cokes. “First the burgers, then the pills, followed by a soda chaser.”
Casey leaned forward on the barstool, intending to lay her head in her arms to close her eyes for just a second.
Linc snapped his fingers, and lifted her by the arms so she’d sit up straight. “Stay with me Casey, just a little longer. Eat.” He shoved the food at her.
Her eyes wouldn’t focus, but the huge burger smelled like heaven. She picked it up and started to take a bite. “No. I can’t.” She shook her head. “I can’t eat in this dress. If I got something on it, I would never forgive myself.”
“I can make you another one, eat,” Linc ordered as he sipped the soda.
“Holy crap, I can’t believe this is one of yours. Why didn’t you tell me?”
He shrugged. “I thought if you knew it was mine, you’d choose it on purpose. I wanted you to pick the dress you really liked. I’m glad you chose mine.”
She smiled. “I love this dress. Help me out of it.” She turned so he could unzip her.
“Uh, Casey, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
He couldn’t see her but she rolled her eyes. “You hang around naked models all day. I’ve got the strapless bra and a half-slip on. Besides, I’m so not your type. I’m about five inches too short, and my ass has flesh on it. Unlike those skeletons you date. It seems like sex with them would hurt. It’s all angles and bone. You could lose an eye that way. Maybe you should make them wear knee and elbow pads.” The image sent her into another fit of giggles.
She heard him sigh behind her. The dress pooled around her feet.
“Hey, what happened to my shoes?”
Linc held out his hand. “Step out, so I can put this up for you.”
She did as he asked. He draped the dress over one of the chairs in the dining room and then returned. He avoided looking at her, but pointed to the barstool. “Sit down and focus on eating. Your shoes are by the door.”
Five bites in, she could feel her senses returning.
“You’re sort of brilliant,” she said before stuffing a fry in her mouth. She’d cut out carbs a few months ago when she couldn’t zip up her favorite pair of jeans. She missed carbs—especially French fry carbs.
“Why’s that?” Linc asked.
“The food. My headache is still there, but there are fewer hammers banging around in my brain.”
He chuckled. “Casey, you crack me up.”
She waved a hand at him. “Oh, Linc, that’s what all the men say. I’m the funny one. The sweet one. Sometimes the smart one.” She pursed her lips and eyed her burger. “Tonight, for a little while, I felt like the pretty one.”
For some reason that made her want to cry, but she couldn’t remember why.
…
The driver made it from Fort Worth back to downtown Dallas in exactly twenty minutes. Nick jumped out of the car. “Give him a larger than normal tip,” he said to Mason as he ran for the door.
They’d traced Casey’s phone to her condo. Mason had discovered from the doorman that Linc had gone upstairs with he
r, and hadn’t come back down.
Rage burned in his limbs and his fangs bit into his bottom lip. If Linc touched her, he’d have to kill the man. He didn’t care how long they’d been friends. Casey was off limits, and Linc knew it.
Why had they left together? He’d been gone twenty minutes at the most. Hugh said she was sick. Could someone have poisoned her? He wouldn’t put it past any of those bastards.
The rage was quickly replaced by terror.
If something happened to her, he would never forgive himself. She was so precious to him. She didn’t like that word, but it was the right one. No one in his long, miserable life had meant as much as she did.
The idea that he might care a little too much wasn’t lost on him. No, he was protective of her. In a way, she was an innocent. He’d brought her into his world, and now it was his job to take care of her.
Outside her door, he paused.
“Linc, yes,” Casey moaned and then purred like a kitten.
Nick unlocked the doors and threw them open, not caring that his fangs popped. He’d rip Linc to shreds.
“What was that?” Casey asked and then giggled.
Oh fuck. He had to kill the bastard. The sight on the sofa didn’t help. Casey, in only a lacy bra and slip, had her feet in Linc’s lap as he rubbed her feet.
“Oh, it’s you,” Casey mumbled and then wrapped her arms around herself as she hid her body from him—or tried to.
His fangs retracted. “Linc, I’m going to ask this once, and I want the truth. What the hell are you doing here?”
Linc gave Nick a murderous glare. “I’m taking care of Casey,” he said. “Do you have a problem with that?”
A growl came from deep within Nick. He snarled.
Linc carefully placed Casey’s feet on the pillow next to him and stood. Face to face, they stared at one another.
“Uh, guys. Why are you so growly? Nick, are you wearing fangs?” Casey slurred. “If it’s okay with you, I’m going to ask Linc out on a date. Wait, Linc. Are we on a date? I can’t remember. Why’d you stop rubbing my feet?”
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