Nerds Are From Mars

by Vicki Thompson

  “That’s not her story,” Darcie said. “She came to one of my astrology classes two years ago and we became friends. She couldn’t stop talking about you.”

  “So she had a crush.” He shoved his hands in the pockets of his lab coat and shrugged. “It happens. I can’t be responsible for that.”

  “According to her, you had quite a good time together. Plenty of hot sex.”

  “Yeah,” Nolan added. “Didn’t you mention something to me about Jan while we were at the conference? I could have sworn you said she was dynamite in the sack.”

  “I probably confused her with someone else.” He chuckled. “Sadly, that happens, too. What can I say? Women like me, and I like them back. Sometimes I mix them up.”

  Nolan met Darcie’s gaze and she gave a slight nod. Time to tighten the noose. “Jan set the explosion that blew up my lab. Fagan’s security team tracked her to Cabo.”

  Only a slight flicker in Blackstone’s eyes gave an indication that the information had shaken him. But outwardly he seemed perfectly calm. “Jan blew up her own company’s lab? That makes no sense.”

  “I know,” Darcie said. “Fortunately, because I’ve been with Nolan ever since the explosion, I was available when Fagan’s security team located her and we chatted on a video conference call.”

  “So what?” Blackstone maintained his composure, but his eyelid twitched.

  “Well, since taking my class, Jan believes in star-crossed lovers and is convinced you’re hers. She told me about her special relationship with you, about the amazing sex you two had on Sunday morning, and all the things you promised her if she’d do this for you.”

  Blackstone’s composure slipped a notch. “Who heard this?”

  “Lots of people,” Darcie said casually. “The security team, of course, and Nolan, and me. They’ll take a little time to check out her story, of course, because no one wants to accuse someone in your position of murder, but it’s only a matter of time, because you see, I believe Jan is telling the truth.”

  “The bitch is lying! And besides, she’s lousy in bed!” He lunged for Darcie, grabbing her as he pulled a pen out of his lab coat pocket. He jabbed it against her jugular. “It’s only a pen.” His ragged breathing seemed to fill the conference room. “But it will make a hell of a hole in her neck, Bradbury. I doubt you want that.”

  “No.” Cursing himself for not anticipating something like this, he watched helplessly as Blackstone maneuvered Darcie toward a door on the other side of the room, likely an outside exit. “If you hurt her, I’ll kill you with my bare hands.”

  “As if. You’re a nerd, Bradbury. You couldn’t hurt a fly. You –” His breath whooshed out as Darcie jabbed him hard in the stomach with her elbow.

  That was the opening Nolan needed. He leaped for Blackstone. Using every trick he’d learned in his two years of self-defense training, he had the guy pinned to the floor in less than five seconds. “Get somebody!” he yelled to Darcie.

  She raced for the conference door, unlocked it and screamed for help long before the stunned Blackstone summoned the energy to put up a struggle. Nolan put a knee in his back and held him down, just as he’d been taught. Racing footsteps told him help was on the way.

  Once it arrived, Darcie played the conversation on her cell phone for their entertainment, which proved to be interesting listening for Blackstone’s colleagues. None of them seemed to like him much and offered no defense of his actions. While they kept him restrained, they got word to Sterling and the police.

  Matters moved quickly after that. Blackstone tried to blame everything on Jan. Nolan suspected that after she found out her hero had betrayed her, she’d break her code of silence.

  Eventually Nolan and Darcie were permitted to leave. Arms around each other, they walked back to his car. Before they got in, he examined her neck where a bruise had begun forming. He leaned down to kiss the spot. “He scared the shit out of me when he grabbed you.”

  She wound her arms around him. “I thought he might try that. But his arrogance was his downfall. He thought he had nothing to fear from a nerd and a woman. But I knew I could jab him good with an elbow if I had to. I’ve had a little self-defense training, too.” She looked up at him. “We should call Fagan, now.”

  “We will. In a minute. God, Darcy.” He leaned his forehead against hers. “If something had happened to you . . .” He swallowed. “I can’t imagine life without you in it.”

  Her voice was soft, but distinct. “I can’t imagine life without you in it, either.”

  With that, everything clicked into place. Cupping her chin, he lifted it so he could look into her eyes. “You know that conversation I didn’t want to have back in the castle?”

  “Yes.”

  “We’re having it now.”

  She seemed startled. “Okay.”

  Doubts assailed him, but he pushed them away. “I don’t care if it’s too soon.” He drew in a breath. “I love you. I want to be with you. If you’re not ready, I’ll wait for you to be ready, but I –”

  “I’m ready.” Her blue eyes shone with happiness. “I love you, Nolan Bradbury.”

  “Thank God.” He brushed her cheeks with his thumbs and allowed himself to soak up the warmth in her eyes.

  “Thank the stars.” She smiled that special Darcie smile. “According to our charts, we’re meant to be together.”

  “I don’t need a chart to tell me that.”

  She lifted her mouth for his kiss. “But you’re a scientist. It’s always good to have some scientific proof for what you instinctively know to be true.”

  “Don’t need it.” As he kissed her, the emotion swelling in his heart was his proof – unscientific, yes, but truer than anything he’d ever known.

  About the Author

  New York Times bestselling author Vicki Lewis Thompson has such a great time writing romance novels that she’s published more than a hundred of them and has no intention of throwing in the towel. That’s despite being awarded a Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award by Romance Writers of America. If that was a signal to quit, she’s not paying attention.

  For more information about this prolific author, visit her at vickilewisthompson.com and sign up for her monthly newsletter. You can also friend her on facebook.com/vickilewisthompson, or follow her on twitter.com/vickilthompson. She loves connecting with readers.

  Coming Soon!

  Nerd Gone Wild

  After her grandmother dies, heiress Ally Jarrett realizes that she can now spread her wings and pursue her dream of wildlife photography in Alaska. The last thing she expects is that her grandmother’s nerdy assistant, Mitchell J. Carruthers, will tag along and insist that estate details still need her attention.

  Trained as a PI, Mitchell calls on his inner geek to disguise his true mission — protecting Ally from an unscrupulous uncle who has his eye on her fortune and will stop at nothing to get it. Ally’s late grandmother hired Mitchell to keep her safe, which means he must stay close. But the closer he gets to Ally, the greater the danger to his heart.

  My Nerdy Valentine

  Between grad school, bartending, and her internship with a highly unconventional sex therapist, Amanda Rykowsky has zero time for romance. She even has to refuse a date with William Sloan, the cute but nerdy stockbroker who works in the office down the hall from the sex therapist.

  When Amanda receives a card from a secret valentine, she’s convinced that William’s the perpetrator. But he denies it, and when the love notes take a creepy turn, William appoints himself Amanda’s protector. He masquerades as Amanda’s new boyfriend, and she quickly discovers that he’s just the geek she needs for the short term. But can she make a permanent place for him in her life and in her heart?

  Vicki Lewis Thompson’s NERD Series

  “Takes nerds where they have never gone before.” -- Midwest Book Review

  “A sharp, sassy, sexy read. Stranded on a desert island? I hope you’ve got this book in your beach bag.” -- Jayne An
n Krentz

  “Thompson’s fun, sexy island adventure gets points for casting a nerd in place of a Fabio.” -- Booklist

  “Smart, spunky, and delightfully over the top, Thompson’s newest Nerd romance possesses all the sparkle and vibrancy of a Vegas show, and it’s just as sexy.” -- Publishers Weekly

  “A winner . . . Thompson has written a laugh-out-loud, sexy romp that will capture readers from page one.” -- The Best Reviews