by Raine Miller
“Why?” He tried but couldn’t keep the edge out of his voice.
“Why what?” she asked, her gaze falling over his shoulder.
He stood so he could look into her eyes, instead of focusing on the hem of her skirt. And all that silky flesh. “Why so many jobs? You’re doing a good job here, I don’t understand—”
“Are you kidding?” She shifted her bright green gaze to his, her eyes wide. “If I’m doing such a good job, why are you always giving me such a hard time?”
Couldn’t keep your big mouth shut, could you?
Annie stared at him expectantly, and he couldn’t tell if she was going to hit him or smile at him. Yeah, he’d been giving her a hard time since the first day she started. Self-preservation, mainly. Teasing her had become second nature and it’d kept her just that extra inch away from him. But he loved to see her eyes narrow and her mouth tighten in anger or outrage.
Then his gaze slid down, from her suddenly flushed face to her rapidly rising and falling breasts. And he realized she was a hell of a lot closer.
With a silent curse and a prayer for strength, he lowered back down on one knee, forcing himself to ignore the fact that if he turned his head to the left, his lips would land on her waist. Sudden, aching pressure gathered in his groin and he gripped the handle of the file drawer until his fingers hurt.
“I don’t mean to give you hard time.” He tugged at the drawer with enough force to make the entire unit shudder. “So, this guy, he’s picking you up here?”
There, that should distract her. Let her talk about her new boyfriend. Now he felt like he could rip off the front of the file cabinet.
“Nic?” Her soft voice combined with the warm hand she placed on his shoulder caused him to freeze. “Do you think I’m doing a good job?”
Ah, Christ. Why didn’t she just hang him from his fingernails somewhere in the desert covered in honey so the fire ants could find him? Why did she have to go all soft and sweet on him?
He curled his fingers around the handle again and ripped the drawer open, the motion causing her hand to drop. The file cabinet nearly tipped, but he steadied it with one hand while he took a deep breath to steady himself.
“You’re doing fine, Annie.” He stood, looking down into her wide eyes. “You’re doing better than fine. I’ve just been…busy the past couple of weeks. And on edge. I don’t mean to take it out on you.”
Asshole. Yes, you have. You’ve lived to give her a hard time lately.
Yeah, but she didn’t have to know that.
She stared at him, head cocked to one side, as if she was seeing him for the first time. Had he been that hard on her?
Then she nodded once. And smiled. So damn sweet.
Heat drenched him, flattening his lungs and making him feel like he’d just run ten miles in under thirty minutes in the desert.
She hadn’t smiled at him like that since she was nineteen. Didn’t she know that smile was a lethal weapon?
Of course she knew. She had to.
He swallowed hard, forcing down the gut-crunching desire to kiss her. His hands fisted at his sides as totally unbidden images flooded his mind. His lips on hers, crushing her against him until she went limp, carrying her up to his apartment and laying her on the bed that had been awfully lonely lately. Since she’d started here.
“Nic?”
He forced a hand through his hair, pushing the length behind his ear. “Yeah?” He released the word with a sigh.
“Thank you.”
He nodded slowly. “You’re welcome.”
Kiss her. Really kiss her. Just one taste. Do it.
Her gaze held him frozen in place. Then she moved closer—and knelt down to dig through the files in the now-open drawer.
Feeling like he’d dodged a bullet—or missed a great opportunity—he turned and walked out of the room.
CHAPTER 3
Annie released the breath she’d been holding since he’d said, “You’re welcome.”
For a few seconds there, she’d been sure he was going to kiss her. She’d wanted him to, desperately. Hadn’t he seen her willingness in her eyes?
Obviously not.
Are you never going to learn?
“Idiot,” she muttered under her breath, ripping the file out of the cursed drawer. She needed to expend the energy that made her feel like she could soar through the air. “Such an idiot.”
All because Nic had told her she was doing a good job.
“You’re pathetic.” She stood and turned back to her desk.
And came face to face with Nic.
She would’ve screamed if it’d been anyone else. As it was, she nearly toppled off her heels.
Nic had come back to her office without a sound while she’d had her back to the door.
He didn’t say anything, but the look on his face told a great story. One she wanted desperately to hear. She blindly tried to set the file on the desk. She couldn’t have cared less when she heard it slide to the floor with a soft thwap. The intensity in his eyes held her in thrall.
She opened her mouth to say his name, to give her approval, thinking he needed to hear her say it.
He didn’t. One second, he stood several feet away from her. The next, he had his arms wrapped around her and was fitting her against his body as he dropped his mouth hard onto hers.
Then she stopped thinking.
He took her lips as if he wanted to devour her. As if he was starved for her. But he didn’t ravage. He coaxed her into submission.
She didn’t need all that much coaxing. The simple taste of him, hot and dark, was like forbidden alcohol to a teenager. But much more potent.
Then there were his hands. She felt each individual finger like a brand, searing her skin through her blouse. He held her firmly—one arm wrapped around her upper back, fingers anchored on her shoulder; the other around her waist, fingers splayed on her hip.
While his hands didn’t move, his lips did. They caressed hers, his tongue tracing along the seam of her mouth until she opened her mouth to let him in. His tongue slid like rough silk over hers, causing her heart to stampede like a runaway horse.
She raised her hands to hold onto him—and he released her.
One second, he held her tight against him, exactly where she’d wanted to be since forever. The next, he stood across the room with his back to her. Just as he had when she was nineteen and he’d broken her heart.
She heard him mutter something under his breath—something that sounded like, “Son of a bitch.” But she couldn’t be sure because her heart beat so loudly, she could barely hear over it.
She focused on his rigid back, forced herself to regain some semblance of control.
He’d kissed her, yes, but he obviously wasn’t pleased he’d done it.
And that hurt.
Okay, don’t think about that. Get angry. Tell him to go to hell. Tell him you don’t want him to touch you again.
Bald-faced lies, but she had to say something. She just couldn’t stand here and let him do this to—
“I’m sorry.”
His rough growl stopped her train of thought faster than his kiss had.
“Sorry?” Sorry he hadn’t asked her permission? Or sorry he’d kissed her?
Damn it, he better not be sorry about that. Her chin lifted at the same time he turned back to face her, so the look on her face probably didn’t give him much reason to think he was going to be forgiven.
Still, he didn’t go cold on her. Instead, his expression took on that reserved look he saved for the few seedy-looking clients who made their way through the doors at DeMarcos. That look gave nothing away.
Two could play that game. She hadn’t gained a reputation for being an icy bitch for nothing.
“Sorry for what?” The bite in her tone was unavoidable.
“I’m sorry I scared you.”
She opened her mouth to throw his apology back in his face—until his words sunk in. Scared her? What was he—
&
nbsp; She glanced down and saw her hands shake. So much so they continued to shake even when she clenched them in front of her. Her entire body trembled. Why hadn’t she noticed? How could she have missed it?
“Are you okay?” His tone softened as he spoke and she heard his concern for her.
She didn’t know what to say.
Finally, she forced words out of lips still tingling from his kiss. “I’m fine.” Then, with all her strength, she lifted her trembling arm to look at her watch. “I have to get going. I need to get home.”
“I thought you were going to your mother’s?”
Oh, God. Brad would be here to pick her up any minute. Blond Brad with his perfectly tailored suits and his Infiniti. He’d come in here, sweep the place with his discerning eye and find it lacking. He’d never said anything outright, but she knew he wondered why she worked at all. One look at her staring at Nic the way she was right now, and he’d know she wanted the man standing in front of her. Wanted him to take her in his strong arms and carry her upstairs to his apartment and—
Someone knocked on the front door.
She drew in a sharp breath and blinked, more startled than she should have been. Then she closed her eyes tightly to refocus.
She opened them and realized Nic now stood next to her. They weren’t touching, but she could feel his presence like a physical caress against her skin.
“Annie, are you okay?”
She shivered at his tone. He never called her Annie. Such a tiny detail, but it meant so much. And his rough voice made her shiver deep inside. She couldn’t meet his gaze, but she nodded, just a short bob of her head.
“I’m fine.” Neither of them moved, but the door was locked so someone had to let Brad in. She felt like a rabbit caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.
Brad knocked again and the spell broke. Her gaze lifted to settle on Nic’s face, all hard planes and angles, his mouth drawn tight. With regret?
He moved away, into the hall. She heard him open the front door and greet Brad quietly, calmly.
Move, damn it. Do something. Don’t just stand here like you’ve been paralyzed.
She took a deep breath, held it for a ten-count then blew it out. With a force of will that surprised her, she took her overcoat from the rack next to the door and pulled it around her shoulders. She remembered at the last second to pick up her purse. Then she walked to the front door, where the man who’d just kissed her senseless was making small talk with the man her mother hoped she’d marry.
“Hello, Brad.” Her voice was steady, thank God, but she couldn’t raise a smile. Instead, she forced herself to turn to Nic and say, “Goodnight. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
His gaze pinned her in place, making her feel as if she was blistering in the sun. Her skin remembered his touch. Her lips ached for his. She wanted to throw herself at him and demand he kiss her again.
Nic shook his head. “No, you won’t. I’ll see you Monday. Then I may have to go out of town.”
That’s right. It was Friday. They wouldn’t be able to talk until Monday. She felt cheated…and relieved.
She nodded. “I’ll see you then. Have a good weekend, Nic.”
She walked out the door, Brad’s fingers cool against her back.
***
At seven, Nic parked his truck in the lot of DeMarco Garage on Passayunk Avenue and checked to make sure everything was okay—no broken windows, bay doors closed tight, no suspicious types hanging around.
He hadn’t seen Toni and Mags all week. Since he was headed to his cousin Vinnie’s house for poker night, he decided to drop in at Mags’ first. Maybe the scolding he was likely to get from Toni would take his mind off of kissing Annie.
Why the hell had he done it? He must’ve been nuts. Temporary insanity. Yeah, temporary for the past eight years.
With a sigh, he knocked on the door of the brick townhouse next to the garage. Toni answered in a matter of seconds.
“Hey, Nic.” Her offhand tone belied the smile on her face. Since she’d turned twelve a few months ago, hugs had been few and far between. He tugged on the dark brown braid hanging over her shoulder, surprised by the denim skirt and pretty white top she wore.
“Hey, Toni. How’s it going?” He moved inside as she shut the door.
She shrugged, a carbon copy of her mother’s “I’m fine, everything’s fine” shrug.
So, something had to be up.
“Got somewhere to go tonight?” He glanced from the comfortable living room straight through the dining room and the kitchen. He didn’t see Mags.
Toni gave him that shrug again. “Over to the church. There’s some dance or something Mom said I had to go to.”
“I did not say you had to go, Antonia. I said you could go. There’s a difference.”
Nic shifted his gaze to the stairway at the rear of the dining room, where Mags stood on the top step, looking at him with the most beautiful brown eyes he’d ever seen. He’d never wondered why his cousin Nino had fallen so hard for her.
“Hey, Nic.” Mags’ voice was thick with south Philly. “You headed over to Vinnie’s?”
He nodded. “Hate to miss Sophie’s spread.”
That brought out her smile. God, the woman was gorgeous with her long dark hair and perfect body. He couldn’t believe she’d never remarried. She attracted men like flies. He knew because he’d been one of those pests before she’d married Nino. But Mags had only ever had eyes for his cousin.
A familiar knife twisted in his chest. “You letting the kid go to a dance? Does she even know how to dance?”
Mags’ eyes flashed with humor. “I don’t think you can call what they do dancing, can you? Looks like some pagan ritual to me.”
Toni huffed but came close enough to Nic’s side that he could put his arm around her if he thought she wouldn’t shy away. “Hey, at least I get out there. You won’t even try. At Uncle Bob’s wedding, four guys must’ve asked you to dance, but you turned them all down.”
“Yeah, well, you got your dancing feet from your father.” Mags spoke without a trace of melancholy. “Mine are both lefties.”
Someone knocked on the door. Toni turned and yelled, “Just a minute,” then ran to kiss her mom goodbye. On her way back through the living room, she stopped to give Nic a tight squeeze around the waist. He embraced her before she could get away, not releasing her until she looked up at him. “Have a good time, kiddo. But not too good.”
“Yeah, yeah.” She rolled her eyes. “I got the speech a million times. Night, Nic.”
He watched until the door closed behind her then turned back to Mags, who came down the steps and sank into the couch with a groan.
“God, Nic, she’s gonna be a teenager in less than a year. Can you believe it?”
He dropped into the recliner opposite the couch. “Not really.” He chuckled. “A dance at the church, huh? How’d you get her to go? And dressed like a girl, too?”
Mags flashed him a smile. “She asked me. Said she liked to dance. She’s more like her father every day.”
He let the knife sink a little deeper. “Yeah, Nino would’ve loved that. He could never get enough of it, even though he looked like a live chicken on a hot grill when he danced.”
Now Mags’ smile turned bittersweet. “We used to have a great time, didn’t we?”
Nic didn’t know if he should answer that question. Yeah, he and Nino and Mags had had a lot of great times before Nino had been killed. And Nic would never forgive himself for the fact that Nino wasn’t here to raise his daughter. And love his wife.
“So, you comin’ over tomorrow to work on the bike?” Mags deliberately changed the subject, her dark eyes knowing. “Toni’s been houndin’ me all week.”
“Yeah. Tell her around noon or so.” He got up to leave, knowing Mags didn’t want to talk about Nino. “I’ll see you then.”
Leaving his car at the garage, he walked the couple blocks to Vinnie’s house.
Nic’s dad had grown up in thi
s neighborhood, his mom only a neighborhood away. Even so, they hadn’t known each other as kids. Their first meeting had taken place on a Paris side street where Frank, newly minted Army Intel, had decided that Grace, a CIA shadow operative, was a threat to national security.
The only threat Grace had been was to his single status.
After more than twenty years of marriage, they’d decided to settle in Philadelphia, close to both their families. Janey had been about to start junior high school. Jimmy had been at MIT and Nic had been a Ranger.
Correction. He and Nino had been Rangers. They’d gone to Fort Benning together: AIT, Airborne, RIP, jungle school. They’d been best friends, inseparable.
Until—
Damn. He stopped, right in the middle of the sidewalk. He’d passed Vinnie’s. Taking a deep breath to clear his head, he walked back to the house and rang the doorbell.
He hoped Vinnie had at least a case in the fridge tonight. He needed a beer tranquilizer.
CHAPTER 4
“No, I don’t need time to think about it.” Annie turned to face Brad. “I’m sorry, but I think it’s best we end this now.”
Brad couldn’t hide his surprise. Or his anger. And that, more than anything, told her she’d made the right decision.
Brad had been in hog heaven tonight and now he looked like she’d taken away his favorite toy. As a junior partner in a downtown firm, the chance to mingle with some of the most-respected and well-known lawyers and judges in Philadelphia was a great opportunity for him.
And, Annie had realized while sitting with the women after dinner, he’d been using her as a ticket to her mother’s monthly Friday night dinners, populated with the movers and shakers of Philadelphia and the Main Line.
Had she really become so disconnected lately that she hadn’t seen what Brad was doing? Using her only to forward his career?
Or had Nic’s kiss illuminated what was missing in her relationship with Brad?
“Andrea, I don’t understand.” Brad’s voice sounded choked. “I thought we had a lot going for us.”
With one hand tightening on the door, Annie forced back a sigh. She’d really hoped this wouldn’t turn into a scene. But it looked like it was headed that way.
