Nicki sniffed and nodded. She should be working tonight. Saturday was undoubtedly the best night of the week. Men were ramped up in weekend mode with a full day remaining for recuperation before having to face the grind once again. It was when she made her biggest tips, and had the greatest chance of getting the information she needed. And what would she be doing? Hanging out in her brother’s apartment, scamming his clothes while she scarfed down take-out and watched crappy movies on cable.
She couldn’t bring herself to tell him that she’d been benched yet, though. That would only bring up questions and she’d have to explain what happened, and she just wasn’t ready to do that. Nick would hear about it soon enough.
* * *
Even from the gift shop Sean could see the pain in Nicki’s eyes, feel her hurt, making his own gut twist in the process.
Should he? Probably not. But damn, she looked so lost, so fragile. Maybe it was all the warm and fuzzy still flowing through him from his visit upstairs, but there was no way he could not go to her. Before he even realized it, his feet were carrying him in her direction.
“Nicki.” He said her name softly, afraid to startle her. She looked up, surprised, and he caught his breath. For just a moment, she looked so young. Her crystalline eyes were wide, her expression unguarded. There was none of the heavy make-up she’d been wearing last time he’d seen her; her hair hung in soft waves, layered and uneven around her face. Even the faded Levi’s, Reeboks, and hoodie made her look more like a young woman than the sexy vixen that had straddled his lap the night before.
It didn’t last long. As soon as she registered who it was who had spoken her name, her face hardened into the scowl he knew so well, and she matured before his eyes.
“What do you want?” she practically hissed.
“May I sit down?”
She looked as if she’d rather have a root canal. “It’s a free country. I was just leaving anyway.”
“Please,” he said as he slid into the seat across from her. “Don’t go just yet.” His long legs extended under the table. In was a deliberate move on his part; she’d have to crawl over them to extract herself. She exhaled heavily, but remained where she was. He decided to count that as a small victory.
While he hoped that she might open up to him, the realist in him knew it was unlikely. He was not normally a patient man, but he would be for her, and he looked forward to the challenge of earning her trust. Starting now.
Nicki avoided his eyes as he ordered coffee and a sandwich, shaking her head when he offered to get something for her as well.
“Well?” she asked once the waitress had left. “Are you stalking me now? They have laws against that, you know.”
“My brother and his wife just had a baby,” he said. “I drove her to the hospital.”
“Oh. Uh, congratulations, then. I guess.”
The server came by with a clean mug for Sean. He didn’t miss the way Nicki’s scowl deepened when the pretty young thing filled his cup and completely ignored Nicki’s.
“How about a refill for my friend?” he prompted.
The server offered an embarrassed smile, mumbled an apology, and topped off Nicki’s cup as well. He probably shouldn’t have taken as much satisfaction as he did in the way Nicki’s eyes glared at the waitress. If he didn’t know better, he might think Nicki was actually jealous.
“Boy or girl?” she asked finally when the waitress moved to the next table.
“Boy,” Sean answered, grinning. “Big guy, too.” He told her a little about the baby and Maggie and Michael. She listened, brows perpetually knitted, but refrained from any further comment. They sat in silence for a few minutes, a silence that should have been more awkward than it was, until his sandwich came. This time, Nicki didn’t acknowledge the server’s presence at all. It was rather disappointing.
“That them?” she asked, her eyes following the group passing through the lobby. Sean followed her gaze. Sure enough, he saw his father, brothers, and sisters-in-law moving en masse toward the exit.
“Yeah.”
“Shouldn’t you be with them?”
“I’ll catch up with them later.”
If he hadn’t been studying her so closely, he might have missed it. It was quite subtle, really, but for those few brief seconds while she was watching his family, something very raw and painful flickered over her features. It was gone before he had a chance to fully process it.
“Hey, you okay?” Sean’s voice pulled her back.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” she snapped. That quickly, the implacable mask was back in place, decorated with that scowl with which he was becoming so familiar.
That’s what he wanted to know. But he wouldn’t press her now. “You look tired.”
Nicki shrugged noncommittally.
“Are you working tonight?” (Of course he knew she wasn’t.)
“No,” she answered without further explanation.
“Well,” he said easily, polishing off his sandwich. “Maybe it’s for the best.”
Her eyes narrowed, and he could see her trying to connect the dots. It didn’t take long.
“You.” That weariness in her features changed almost instantly into something far darker. He held her gaze, neither confirming nor denying her suspicions. He didn’t even attempt to fake innocence. The sooner she understood, the better.
“You tried to get me fired. Why?” she asked, her voice low but decidedly venomous.
“I didn’t try to get you fired.” Technically it was true. He’d just had a little chat with his buddy Jason and reminded him of some owed favors. He might have suggested that Jason take her out of the spotlight, or that it might be prudent to keep her off the floor and away from the throngs. He might have hinted at the possible problems that might occur if anyone laid their hands on her. But that was entirely different than trying to get her fired.
Nicki, however, didn’t seem convinced. “I need that fucking job, cowboy.”
No, he wanted to argue, she really didn’t. What she needed was a job that required a decent amount of clothing and no physical contact with other men, preferably under his watchful eye. However, given the way her eyes were shooting daggers his way, perhaps now was not the time to share his opinion with her.
Instead, he shrugged slightly. “Everything happens for a reason. Maybe this is an opportunity. A chance for something even better.”
She snorted derisively. “Yeah. Because I have such marketable skills.”
“Nick tells me you know your way around an engine. Ever consider doing something with that?”
“You’re not really that stupid, are you? Because I have to tell you, you seemed smarter than the average caveman.”
“Was there a compliment in there somewhere?”
She made the cutest sound of feminine indignation, then clenched her jaw and bit out the single word denial. “No.”
Undeterred, he bit back a grin. “Seriously. If you’re half as good as Nick says you are, I could use your skills in the bays. What do you think?”
“Use my skills in the bays?” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Well there’s a euphemism I haven’t heard before. At least it’s a tad more original than the usual dipstick and rod references.”
“You think this is a come on?”
“I think you’re delusional if you think for one minute I’d believe you were serious about offering me a job as a mechanic.”
Sean glared at her, frustrated by her apparent inability to take him seriously about this. Granted, there was a very strong sexual attraction between them, but the offer was a bona fide one.
And if (when) he decided to have her in his bed, he would – regardless of where she was working.
He probably should have foreseen this. Nick had warned him of her likely reaction. She’d probably dealt with her share of assholes over the years, enough that she was more than justified in her assumptions, as long as they applied to somebody else. He didn’t play games when it came to hi
s garage, but she hadn’t been around long enough to know that, so he could cut her a little slack. And okay, maybe he had come on a bit strong, but it was hard not to when she affected him like she did. Never before had a woman gotten into his head – and under his skin – quite so quickly.
At least the weariness in her face was gone, replaced by burning passion. Or was that hatred? It was so hard to tell sometimes. Either way her intensity made him harder than hell. Good thing he was not easily deterred.
He leaned toward her and dropped his voice. “And I think you shouldn’t presume you know what I’m thinking.”
“Fuck you.”
Sean’s mouth tilted up in a half-smile. God the woman lit a fire in his blood. He could feel it now, racing through his veins, burning him from the inside out. The illogical and sudden vehement need to care for her was close to being eclipsed by his need to get her beneath him, naked.
“Maybe later. You look like a good stiff breeze would knock you over right about now.” And what I’ve got for you is a whole lot harder and stiffer than that.
“You have a hell of a lot of nerve,” she hissed. “After your little stunt last night you expect me to believe you’re interested in my mechanical prowess?“
“My little stunt?” he said in mock disbelief. “Sweetheart, seems to me I was just sitting there, minding my own business, enjoying the show. You’re the one who came for me, remember?”
She shot him a look that had his dick hard enough to pound nails. No woman had ever managed that with a look before. It was exciting as hell, and Sean loved a challenge. But she was running on empty, and he knew it.
Nicki flinched as if she’d been slapped, her pale cheeks flaming. “Well,” she said, her voice as icy as her light gray eyes, “I’ll never make that mistake again.”
With that she pushed at his legs and wrenched herself out of the booth, landing one or two solid connections with his shins in the process before making her exit without looking back.
Yes, she would, he thought as he dropped a twenty on the table. Multiple times, in fact.
Chapter Seven
Nicki went back to her brother’s apartment. As exhausted as her body was, her mind refused to calm. Every time she closed her lids she was plagued by luminous blue eyes that spoke of possession and hunger, the same eyes he’d had last night when she mounted and rode him in the middle of a packed house.
The same eyes that only a few hours ago had been searching and curious, as if he was trying to figure her out. Yeah, she thought. Good luck with that. She and Nick learned early on to keep the really important stuff inside. Knowledge was power, and she’d be damned if she gave anyone any power over her ever again.
She was not helpless, she reminded herself, stoking the slow burning anger into a blaze. No matter how much Sean Callaghan’s velvety voice stroked her nerves into a lusty frenzy. No matter how badly her skin burned with the need for his touch when he was around her. No matter how strongly his scent made her mouth water and long for a taste of him. She was in control of her life, and she was making a conscious choice to stay as far away from him as possible. Because the truth was, Sean Callaghan was the only man she’d ever met who might actually have the power to destroy her, and she had too much goddamn stuff to do first.
The sneaky bastard had gone behind her back and spoken to Jason Michaels, she was sure of it. God knows how long she’d zombied out in the dressing room before Jason came and demanded her presence in his office, but it was plenty of time for Sean to have left the floor and seek him out.
But why? Yeah, Sean wanted her. She’d seen it in his eyes and felt it beneath her lap. But so what? Most of the guys there were jacked-up; it was just par for the course. If she gave a guy – any guy – the same show she’d given Sean Callaghan, he would have shown the same level of ‘interest’, right?
Maybe. Probably. But Sean Callaghan was the only one arrogant enough to actually go to the club owner.
And then this morning Sean had spouted all that bullshit about having her work in his garage, but if he really expected her to believe he wanted her for her mechanical skills, then he wasn’t nearly as smart as he thought he was.
Did he think he could save her or something? Had Nick suddenly gotten all chummy with his hard-ass boss and appealed to him for help? It was no secret Nick hated the fact that she was working at Angels, and she understood why - it hit just a little too close to home and brought back memories they would both rather forget. Yeah, they had escaped Benny’s clutches, but the pain of their childhood would always be there. The scars went too deep to ever go away completely.
Which is what had really brought her to town in the first place. Word on the street was that after dropping off the face of the earth for a while, Benny Marscone had resurfaced and set up shop just outside of Pine Ridge. He had changed his appearance, changed his name, but it didn’t matter. She would find him. And she would make good on the promise she’d made to Nick all those years ago.
Nick didn’t know that, of course. He thought she was simply in town to see their mother. That was partially true. Despite the past, despite everything that had happened, Nicki didn’t believe Charlene should die alone.
But there was more to it than that, too. Charlene Milligan had always been part of Benny’s inner circle. If the rumors were true and Benny was operating in the area, Charlene might just have that last piece of crucial information Nicki needed to find him and put him down for good.
No, Nick didn’t have a clue – not about her so-called job, and not about the real reason she was in Pine Ridge. And Sean Callaghan should just keep his gorgeous, tight ass out of her business.
She bit her tongue so hard she tasted blood. It was apparent Sean had already formed an opinion of who and what she was, and he was just arrogant enough to pretend otherwise. Fine. She’d play her little part, fulfill the role he’d already assigned in his head, just like she’d done with Jason Michaels. Living up to people’s expectations was what she excelled at, and it was so much easier than revealing any of her true self.
God, it had been so long, she wasn’t even sure who that was anymore.
If he only knew what she was capable of, she thought. It might be worth telling him just to see his reaction. She quickly dismissed that idea. The brief satisfaction she’d get wouldn’t last long enough to make up for the amount of proverbial shit that would hit the fan. No, she decided. It was best to stick with the plan and forego the momentary thrill of putting Sean Callaghan in his place.
Playing the part was easy; she’d been doing it for so long it was second nature to her now. Over coffee, she’d given quite the performance, too. And he bought it, all of it. He really believed she was nothing more than an exotic dancer. That’s what she wanted, right?
So why did she feel disappointed?
Nicki threw the pillow against the wall and let out a string of curses that would have raised a few eyebrows from a construction crew. She was finished thinking about Sean Callaghan. Period. She put in her earphones and maxed out the volume on her iPod. There was nothing like a little screaming death metal to get a girl’s head in the right place.
Two hours later, Nicki breathed a sigh of relief. Nick’s apartment was spotless. Everything had been scrubbed, disinfected, and polished until it shone. And the multiple runs up and down the three flights of stairs to the basement laundry had actually turned out to be a decent workout.
With a sense of satisfaction, Nicki headed for a shower. The hot water felt heavenly over her tired muscles as she washed away the smell of Pine-Sol and Clorox, replacing it with the honeyed vanilla scented body wash. She took her time, languishing in the steamy shower until the water finally turned cold. Only then did she force herself to dry off. Without bothering to don underwear, she pulled on a pair of Nick’s freshly laundered sweats and a Hanes T, wondering for the thousandth time why men’s clothes were so much more damn comfortable than women’s.
She towel-dried her hair, letting it hang loose to dry
into natural waves. It felt so good to be clean and comfortable. With a little food in her belly and an hour on the sofa, she might almost feel human again.
A huge billow of steam wafted out as she opened the bathroom door. The smell of fresh pizza had her stomach growling in no time. Thank God! Nick was back. With food.
“I hope you got me veggie,” she called out as she padded barefoot into the small living/dining space. It was a constant source of contention between them – Nick always wanted the “all meats”; Nicki, the “all veg”. Nick usually won out, and Nicki contented herself on eating the crusts and scrounging from her ever-present stash of fresh fruit, nuts, and peanut butter. Home-cooked meals were not a priority, but then, as Nick said often enough, you didn’t miss what you never had.
“Yeah,” Nick said, his voice smooth as he handed her a beer. She took it gratefully, then paused with the bottle halfway to her lips as Sean stood up from the sofa in an old fashioned gesture. To his credit, his lips twitched only slightly, though he wasn’t as successful at keeping the amusement out of his eyes.
“What the fuck is he doing here?” she asked, suddenly all too aware of what she was, and was not, wearing. It shouldn’t have mattered, really. She had worn far less the night before. But without her costume, without her make-up, she felt strangely... exposed. She swore Sean’s eyes glittered when her traitorous nipples hardened to granite pebbles beneath the soft white V-neck. Thankfully, his eyes rose quickly and locked on her face instead.
No, shit, that was even worse.
“Sean’s cool, Nicki. Chill. Here, this is for you.” Nick handed her a white box. She looked at it as if it might bite her. “Go on, open it.”
Suspiciously, she lifted the lid. The heavenly smell of onions, mushrooms, black olives, and three different kinds of peppers smothered in cheese hit her full-on. So that was it – Nick and Sean were joining forces, no doubt thinking that between the two of them they could make her see reason. Nick had been on her case about working at Angels the minute he found out. And he’d involved his boss.
Seeking Vengeance: Callaghan Brothers, Book 4 Page 7
