“Check this out.” Carys sat beside him. She positioned the saw between her legs with the handle up, bent it at an angle, and then began to play it, sliding the bow along the smooth edge.
The saw made a long, low keening sound. Niko shivered. It was the eerie kind of music that might accompany a haunted house or an alien-abduction scene. He shifted and angled himself to face Carys. She seemed to know he was impressed because an impish grin played at the corners of her mouth. The eerie tune became more familiar, which made Niko grin. She was playing the Star Trek theme.
Carys was nothing if not full of surprises. No one else would’ve thought to fill this dark, cobwebbed space with music. And from nothing. Who the hell played a saw, for fuck’s sake?
When she brought the theme to a close, Niko clapped. He put his fingers in his mouth and whistled loud enough she gave a little yelp, raising her free hand to her ear. She laughed, grinning broadly. It was the face of a woman who knew damn well she was badass.
Niko leaned in and kissed her. It was no more than a peck, and there was no heat involved. It was such an automatic gesture that it took him by surprise. He backed away, vaguely aware he was staring. “Sorry.” He stood up and opened his mouth, but what the hell could he have said, anyway? It had been a weird impulse. That was all.
She stood up and stepped toward him. His heart, God help him, skipped a beat. She was too close again. She pushed up on the balls of her feet and kissed his cheek, dangerously close to his mouth. Her fingertips skimmed his other cheek, and with a smile, she took her bow, handed him his now non-musical saw, and left him to his work.
The lawn had been cleaned, whatever tools could be salvaged had been safely tucked into one corner of the garage, and the old shed had been demolished. That meant one thing.
It was time for a Home Depot run.
What Niko didn’t understand was how it had turned into a production. Home Depot wasn’t a family store. How did he end up there with Jamie, Micah, Carys, and Bennett?
At least there weren’t any night clubs involved this time.
It wasn’t so bad, though. Micah dragged Carys and Bennett away to look at flowers, leaving Jamie and Niko to their usual work.
“So tell me the truth,” Jamie said as they sorted through the lumber they’d need. “Are we building this nice comfy space so you and Carys will have a nice place to bang away from her brother’s prying eyes?”
Niko shot his friend a scathing look.
Jamie tilted his head, giving him a condescending look. “What? You thought you were fooling me somehow with those guitar lessons?” He scoffed. “Right. It’s just an excuse to sit knee to knee and stare into each other’s eyes. The music is somewhat juvenile and not romantic, I’ll grant you that, but knowing you, though, that makes it all the more charming.”
Niko shoved Jamie and gestured back at the wood. Jamie cackled to himself as they loaded up their cart in silence.
“You know, Nik, you’ve made grand gestures before for women who… Well, I wouldn’t say they weren’t as amazing as Carys is. They were some great gals, but Carys is special.” He paused, catching Niko’s eyes. “It’s different with her, isn’t it?”
Niko glared, and Jamie put his hands up. “I’m just saying.”
After they got what they needed for the shed and loaded it up, Carys and the boys still hadn’t reappeared. Niko parked the truck closer to the nursery and went inside.
It wasn’t difficult to find the trio. They had two flatbed carts with various plants and a few replacement gardening tools. Carys was carrying a set of gloves with some kind of pattern on them, and Niko wondered if Micah had talked her into promising to do upkeep in the garden, too.
Carys smiled at him as he and Jamie walked up and wound her hand around his arm. “Help,” she said in a stage whisper. “Your brother’s making me make decisions about plants, and I have no fucks to give, Nik. I like the idea of a vegetable garden in the back, but I don’t actually care which vegetables. If it were up to me, I’d plant nothing but tomatoes. I like tomatoes, and then I might actually be able to make a fried green tomato.” She waved her free hand. “Save me.”
Pressing his lips together to keep from smiling, Niko snapped his fingers at his little brother and then made a gesture toward the registers.
Micah pulled a face, but he twisted to look at Benny. “Come on. We can come back later to finish up.”
Niko grimaced when he saw Micah crook a finger through the loop of Benny’s jeans to pull him forward. He glanced at Carys guiltily but saw she was watching them with a displeased look on her face, too. For some reason, it irritated him. Micah was a pain in his ass, but he was a good kid.
Shaking that off—Carys was overly sensitive about Bennett, anyway—Niko gave her arm a slight tug.
“No. Wait. Benny said he’s going to pay. I’m waiting to see if he remembers.”
She hadn’t dropped her hand from his arm, and Niko found he was more than content to wait. They watched. Micah started to unload the smaller things to be rung up, and Bennett patted his pants pockets, looking for his wallet.
Bennett frowned, and when he did, Carys started walking again. When she got up close, she signed at him. He signed back, his look slightly panicked.
“He can’t find his wallet,” Carys said. “Shit, Benny. Could you have dropped it?”
Before a search could begin in earnest, Micah laughed, dug into his pocket, and produced Bennett’s wallet. “It’s cool, man. It’s right here.”
“You found it?” Carys asked, sounding relieved.
“Naw. I lifted it.”
“You what?”
“I picked his pocket,” he said, looking pleased with himself, and put the wallet back in Bennett’s hand. Bennett was amused.
Carys wasn’t. “You stole it?”
Micah furrowed his brow. “No?” He dragged the word out, sounding confused. “I mean, I’d have to keep it to steal it, right? It was just a joke. Gotta use my fucked-up talent for something.”
“Show-off,” Niko signed. He cuffed his brother upside the head in a teasing gesture. Only Micah would think it was a good idea to show off his pickpocketing skills of all things. He gave Carys’s arm a light tug, not entirely sure he liked how she was glaring at his brother.
Her features smoothed out, and she put on a forced smile. “Right. Sure. No big deal.”
Niko wondered if he was the only one who picked up on the fact Carys was lying her pretty ass off. It was a big deal to her, but that, again, was none of his business.
Niko hopped down from the ladder and collapsed onto the cool grass. It was a sweltering day more suitable for the Deep South than Southern California. He shook a wordless fist at the sky. Humidity wasn’t supposed to be a thing here.
The sound of a faint mew drew his attention. He craned his neck, looking behind him toward the house, and smirked when he spotted Maestro in the open window. The kitten was pacing and mewing worriedly.
His incessant crying must’ve alerted Carys, because just as Niko was trying to convince himself to get his lazy ass up off the ground, the back door opened. Carys came out and came to stand over him, her hands on her hips. He wiggled his fingers at her in greeting.
“You’re going to have a heat stroke.”
Smiling lazily up at her, he raised his hand and signed, “No.”
“Ha. You don’t see yourself right now. You’re red, sweaty, and disgusting.”
Niko fought an amused smile. He arched an eyebrow, striving to look unimpressed, and pointed to the partially finished shed. He was working, not getting ready for a date. He was always sweaty and disgusting.
She crossed her arms. “Nikolai Amorosa, are you honestly fighting me on this? Get your ass inside. Today’s a day for lemonade and being indoors with the wonder that is air conditioning. We can fit another guitar lesson in.”
It did sound nice, and who was he to pass up a chance to be indoors on a day like this? He might’ve pointed out that there were many re
gularly employed people, like actual construction workers, who had a boss as lenient as he did, but since there was no way for him to argue, he might as well give in.
Putting on his most serene smile, he offered his hand as though asking her to help him up. She fixed him with a dubious look, reading his mind and knowing he was probably entertaining the idea of pulling her down on top of him, getting her all sweaty and disgusting, too. But it wasn’t like that with her, and she must’ve realized that. She gripped his hand and pulled him to his feet.
She didn’t drop his hand right away. They were standing too close again. It should’ve been awkward, the way their bodies brushed and swayed, as if neither of them was sure whether they were in the other’s way, but it wasn’t awkward. As usual, the air around them was charged.
Carys wrinkled her nose. “Ugh. You smell bad.”
He tilted his head and held on tighter when she tried to pull her hand away. He kept her close to his reek, and she smacked his chest as she tried to get away. “You know what? I change my mind. No lemonade for you until you take a shower.”
Letting her go, he plucked at his shirt. His clothes were dark with sweat. What good was a shower if his clothes were still dirty?
She considered him, tapping her chin. “I bet there are a few things of Benny’s you can fit into. You’re broader across the chest than he is.” He didn’t miss how her eyes darted down as she spoke. “But a few of his shirts are loose.”
Niko was already shaking his head. No way was he going to wear Bennett’s clothes, but then he glanced down and grimaced. There was no getting around the fact he was drenched and gross. He wasn’t fit to be around human company unless he was at the gym.
The thought of the gym gave him an idea. Niko held his finger up, indicating she should wait, and jogged to his car. Under the seat, he found what he was looking for: the gym bag he kept ready at all times. It had been a while, but the clothes were still fresh; wrinkled but at least they didn’t reek. Not exactly the height of fashion, but they’d do.
Back inside, Carys handed him a towel. She made a show of standing a good distance away from him. “Your odor’s taking over the entire house. Hurry. You’re going to wilt the flowers.”
He snapped the towel at her ass more gently than not and winked as she leapt away. Whistling, he made his way to the bathroom.
Fifteen minutes later, he came back out into the kitchen with wet hair, wearing a tank top and shorts. Carys was at the counter, her back to him. As he approached, he saw she was cutting a tomato into thin slices.
“Hey, now that you’re suitable to be around people again, I thought maybe we could have a little lunch. Do you like—”
Her words cut off in a huff of breath when she turned around. Niko furrowed his brow, watching as her eyes darted down and back up. Her cheeks flushed, and that was when he figured out what was going on. She was checking him out. No, more than that; she was straight out eye-fucking him right there in her kitchen. Maybe it was something about how his tank top hugged the definition of his muscular chest and showed off his arms.
Somehow, he caught himself before he could smirk. No better time to play it cool than when a lady was caught staring. He leaned with his back against the counter near her, supporting himself on one arm to give her a better look. Her eyes darted down again, and she pressed her lips together in that way people did when they were thirsty.
When she looked back up at him, he finally let his grin spread wide and devious. The cat that caught the canary. He waggled his eyebrows and gestured down at himself.
Carys rolled her eyes. “Okay, stud.” She turned back to the counter, picking up a dish towel and wiping tomato guts off her hands. “I’m not going to lie. It’s a good look on you, and I can’t help that I have eyes. You can’t hold that against me, though.”
There were other things he wanted to hold against her, but as he couldn’t tell her that, he crossed his arms over his chest. He could’ve been frustrated over the fact he couldn’t tease her, but he was enjoying her deep blush too much to be angry.
“Whatever,” she muttered, giving him a light shove. “If you’re going to be a cocky jackass, you should have the words.” Turning, she leaned back against the counter, mirroring his pose. “See something you like?” she said, adopting a deep, flirtatious tone as she signed.
This time, it was him who let his eyes drift down. He drank her in, following the path down her body he wanted to taste. She wasn’t wearing anything special, just a plain shirt and hip-hugging jeans, but there was no getting around the fact he found her attractive. And any time he looked at her, saw her, he couldn’t help but remember what she looked like writhing beneath his tongue.
“Yes,” he signed, looking her right in the eyes. Yes, he saw something he liked.
She must’ve seen the heat in his gaze because he heard her quick intake of breath and saw the way her cheeks flushed again. “Oh, you’re really smooth, aren’t you?” she asked, her voice a gravelly purr. She waved a finger in his face. “Pay attention.”
He swept his hand out, making an effort to put on a serious expression.
“Good,” Carys said with a satisfied nod. “See. What. You. Like?” She made each word separate and distinct, signing as she spoke.
Niko signed the words back, tilting his head to add the flirtatious tone he wanted.
Carys nodded, her smile brightening. “Yes. Yes, exactly.”
Niko took a step forward, swallowing some of the space between them. “See what you like?” he signed again. He thought for a moment, trying to remember the right sign. “See what you want?”
Her eyes darkened, and she licked her lips. After a moment’s hesitation, she reached out and rested her hand at his waist. “Oh, sure. This you’ll figure out, hmm?” She splayed her other palm over his chest, angling her body toward him. “Is this what you want? You want me to teach you how to flirt? Will you be patient for that?”
He frowned. She was upset about something, and she didn’t need to be. Who the hell did she think he was going to use these lines on? It wasn’t like any other woman he’d ever met knew sign language.
Reaching out, he cupped her cheek, which caught her attention and stilled her words. He brushed his thumb over her bottom lip. Smooth-talker, she’d said. There was so much he wanted to say to her. He’d been quite charming before, if he said so himself. Never harassing, or at least, he tried pretty hard not to be one of those assholes, not like his father had been. In his youth, he’d watched women cringe away from his father and had rolled his eyes when Vincente muttered about them not knowing how to take a damn compliment.
Still, Niko thought a little charm went a long way to make a woman feel beautiful, make her feel good and happy. He thought Carys needed to be told she was beautiful much more often—not because she lacked esteem, but because he didn’t think there were enough compliments in her life. Lord knew she wasn’t getting any from her asshole brother.
He tapped at the corner of her eyes, staring into them, watching as vulnerability flashed through them. Her eyes were as expressive as the rest of her—eyes, mouth, body. She knew how to speak. He wanted to tell her he saw sunshine in the golden flecks of her otherwise green irises.
He tapped the tip of her nose. Cute as a button, he would’ve teased. He especially liked the way she wrinkled it when she was exasperated, and with him, she often was.
He swept his thumb over her lip again and wanted to tell her how he didn’t really mind how much she talked. In fact, if she were quiet, as he’d often wished she would be, she wouldn’t be her, and he liked her. And he loved to watch her mouth move.
Her eyes on him, Carys cupped her hands at the back of his neck, bringing his head down for a kiss. She was serious about that kiss, too. It was no momentary lapse of judgment. Her fingers tangled in his hair, and her tongue swept over the entrance of his mouth. Realizing she wasn’t going to pull away, Niko pressed one hand to the small of her back and pulled her flush against him. He stroke
d her back as his mouth moved with hers and shivered when she whimpered.
When their kiss broke, Carys didn’t try to move away, keeping arms looped around his neck. Her eyes were closed, and she pressed her lips together as though she was savoring the flavor of him. He wondered if she knew how damn sexy that was.
“We, um…” She sighed. “We should eat.”
He hooked his finger under her chin and tilted her head up. She opened her eyes, and he let his grin turn wicked. Oh, yes. He wanted to eat.
She smirked and smacked his chest. “Food, you perv.” Her smile faltered, and she stepped backward out of his arms. “Get the sodas out of the fridge, yeah?”
Something was off. It was there in the set of her shoulders. Something had gone wrong in the last few seconds.
He got the sodas from the fridge and then tried to help her assemble the sandwiches. She was jumpy all of a sudden, as though his nearness got to her. He wasn’t sure if he should be annoyed or concerned by the change in the atmosphere.
It wasn’t surprising when, a few tense moments after she set their plates down, Carys spoke, tripping over her words as she did. “It’s not that I’m not interested. In starting something with you, I mean.”
Niko tensed, the sandwich going to ash in his mouth. He was careful to look forward, not trusting his face to remain expressionless as he wanted.
“I’m more than interested, Nik,” she said, brushing his knuckles with a soft touch. “I just can’t see how it would work. You won’t talk to me. How could this ever work if we can’t communicate?”
In spite of his best efforts, a snarl of a smile curled up the corner of his mouth. It was only funny because he’d had this breakup before.
“You could, if you wanted,” Carys pressed. “You have to know I’d help you. I’d be patient if you wanted to learn, but you don’t.”
He rolled his shoulders, not quite a shrug but almost as dismissive. He looked up at her and flashed a small smile. No big deal.
Spaces Between Notes Page 16
