by Abby Niles
In just a few steps, Lance closed the distance between them, standing directly over her so she was forced to tilt her head back to look at him. For years, she’d felt some sort of panic at having a large man tower over her. Not this time. Not now. All she felt was excitement. Desire. A thrilling throb that reminded her that she was a woman. And damn if it wasn’t a liberating feeling.
He reached for a strand of her hair and gently ran his fingers over it. Holy shit, she wanted him to kiss her, with a need so strong it was overwhelming. Her breathing hitched, and Lance’s pupils dilated in response. They stood like that, staring at each other, him caressing her hair. The air surrounding them became thick with lust, heavy and undeniable. If he kissed her, without a doubt her reaction would be the opposite of what it had been since that night. The thought made her giddy.
Clearing his throat, he tucked the strand behind her ear then stepped back. “I don’t know. Maybe…I could change out those shitty tires of yours.”
She blinked at his one-eighty turn. Why had he pulled away? Why wasn’t he looking at her now?
Scrambling for something to say to cover the sudden awkwardness, she blurted, “If you won’t take payment, at least let me buy you dinner.” She inwardly groaned. That hadn’t made it awkward, not at all. “I’m not hitting on you. I just like to settle my debts. Just want to buy you dinner, not go on a date.”
Good lord, shut up. She clamped her mouth closed before she said anything else to make this even more unbearable.
“I appreciate the offer,” he said, still not meeting her gaze. “But I already have a date with a special lady tonight. Maybe a rain check.”
A stab of jealousy pierced her, but she forced a smile to cover it. “Definitely. Enjoy your date.”
He tipped his cap, backing away. “I always do.”
Another prick of jealousy hit her as he turned and hurried to the wrecker as if he couldn’t get away from her fast enough. When his engine roared to life and he pulled away from the curb with nothing more than a quick wave, she stalked to her car, grabbed her keys, and slammed the trunk closed.
Had she completely misread that?
She was rusty, but she didn’t think she was that rusty. No. He had definitely wanted to kiss her as much as she’d wanted him to. Unlike her though, he didn’t want to travel down that road.
He had a date—a special one.
Whatever was going on, Lance was giving her a clear this-isn’t-happening message. And she had never felt more disappointed.
…
Sitting outside his ex-wife’s two-story brick house, Lance tightened his grip around his cell phone, trying to rein in his anger at Mitch. They’d been bugging the piss out of him all afternoon. “I already told Ralph I’m not coming. I have plans tonight.”
“You don’t get to tell us no, Black,” Mitch said. “You agreed to the terms. We expect total cooperation.”
“I agreed to fight for five grand, win or lose. That, I’ll show up for. This, you can fuck yourself.”
“Okay. We see now how this has to be.”
The line went dead. What the hell did that mean? He tossed the phone on the passenger side seat then thrust his hands in his hair. Fuck.
Seemed some of the more prestigious members were refusing to make bets without first getting to know the fighters they were betting on. All the fighters were being rounded up for a meet-and-greet. Lance didn’t have time for that shit.
He had a date with his daughter, and he refused to break it.
He’d had this outing planned for days, not knowing his daddy-daughter date would be an excuse this afternoon to turn another woman down. Correction. Not just another woman.
Kelsey.
When she’d asked what other way he could take care of her, he’d come damn close to giving that woman a sample of the many, many ways he wanted to do it. She would’ve let him. That had been clear all over her face. Somehow he’d found the strength to pull away, and he’d needed to put distance back between them.
Kelsey was off-limits. The only thing she needed from him was protection. Though she had a badass quality, there was also a vulnerability about her the McNealys would eat alive.
And since he was responsible for the McNealys targeting her, it was his responsibility to keep her safe from them.
Damn it. He couldn’t think about this right now. Skylar deserved his full attention.
Putting all thoughts of the woman who was driving him crazy out of his mind, Lance climbed out of his Jeep then took the steps of the huge porch two at a time. He pressed the doorbell, and a second later the door whipped open and a mass of blonde curls launched themselves into his arms. “Daddy!”
He squeezed her tight against her side. “Hey, princess. You ready for our date?”
“Yep. What’re we going to do?”
“The night’s yours.”
“Okay. Pizza first then to the arcade and then…”
Lance chuckled as his daughter rambled off a list of everything she wanted to do. He’d try and do as much of that list as he could fit in.
He glanced up to see his ex-wife, Piper. Affection warmed his heart. After the way their marriage had ended, she should’ve been one of those ex-wives who despised her ex-husband, and for a couple of years she had. But Skylar’s diagnosis had helped her move past the bitterness and anger she’d carried for him, and they’d built a solid friendship.
Losing his daughter was the worst thing that could come out of Piper learning he was involved with the McNealys again. Second to that would be losing the relationship he now had with his ex-wife.
Piper laid a hand on her daughter’s back. “Skylar, go inside and grab what you want to take to Daddy’s.”
His daughter darted inside.
“How are things?” he asked.
“Going well. Brian and I are going to paint the town red tonight.”
Brian was Piper’s husband. “Good for you two. With Gayle taking that job, I haven’t had a babysitter like I used to. I know that’s cut into your and Brian’s quality time.”
She gave a dismissive wave. “Don’t worry about it. You’re not slacking off. You’re working. I get it.”
The sad thing was if she knew who he was working to pay back, she wouldn’t be as understanding. Not with the past she had with the McNealys.
The door opened and Skylar stepped out clutching Bacon, her stuffed pink pig, to her chest. He’d bought her the toy the day she had her first chemotherapy session. She was almost five years old at the time. Over three years and a remission later, she still carried it everywhere, and loved all things pig.
His heart tightened. He loved this child more than life itself. Would do anything for her. He offered his hand, and her tiny fingers slipped into his. She was his purpose in life. Even knowing how the cousins would try to fuck him, he’d still go to the McNealys for that loan, because he would do anything for her.
…
“Brittany is so mean,” Skylar said as they walked down the sidewalk toward the pizzeria. “She made fun of my shirt. I don’t know why. It had pigs on it. Pigs are awesome.”
“Kids can be mean, baby. Just ignore her.”
“That’s what Momma said.”
“Your momma’s right. Listen to her.”
As they reached the entrance to the pizzeria, Lance opened the door for his daughter and let her walk in first. They stood in the long line of people waiting to be seated. He glanced around the packed restaurant and his gaze slowed at a woman sitting alone in a booth. She held her phone in front of her face, fingers working on the front. Kelsey seemed completely at peace.
His chest tightened like it had earlier when he saw his daughter. What was it about this woman? It’d been a long time since he’d felt protective instincts toward anyone but Skylar.
A waiter dropped a mug, and the shattering glass instantly brought Kelsey’s head snapping around, as her entire body jumped. There was that fear she displayed every once in a while, and again his instinct t
o protect surged forward.
As her gaze moved from the waiter and glided across the room, he prepared for her to see him. He’d wanted to put distance between them. Wanted her to believe he was seeing someone else. That plan was about to unravel as quickly as his marriage had right in front of his eyes.
When her gaze found his, her eyes widened slightly before dropping to the little girl at his side. Confusion drew her brows together for a moment, but relaxed after a second as understanding dawned on her face. Yep, no more using dates as a tactic to keep the hell away from this enticing woman.
He gave a quick wave, which she returned with a smile.
“Who’s that, Daddy?”
A woman who awed him, confused him, intrigued him, and everything in between.
“Umm, she’s one of Daddy’s clients at the gym.”
“She’s pretty.”
In a tight white sweater with her hair down, she was pretty. Stunning. “Think so?”
His daughter nodded her head enthusiastically. “Can I meet her?”
Taken aback by the question, Lance stared at his daughter. “Why would you want to do that?”
“She has a pig on her phone.”
He glanced back at the table, and sure enough, the case Kelsey had in her hand was covered in pink pigs. Leave it to Skylar to notice it. Kelsey would now have a friend for life.
Still, he hesitated. He wasn’t sure why. Being a fighter, and in the wrecker business, he met a lot of people and was always bumping into someone he knew when he was out. This wasn’t any different. Except this time, there was a worry Skylar would take to Kelsey, the same way he’d taken to her.
“Please, Daddy.”
Lance sighed, knowing he would cave. “Sure. Come on.”
He walked toward Kelsey’s table.
“Hi,” she said, as she laid her phone on the table. She lowered her gaze to Skylar. “And hello to you, too.”
“You like pigs?” Skylar immediately asked.
Kelsey blinked. Then her gaze went to her phone. “I do. I have an entire collection back home.”
Skylar scooted into the booth and got comfortable, surprising Lance. “Hey, honey, we probably should find a place to sit.”
“I have.”
“I meant our own booth.”
“I want to talk to her.”
Kelsey glanced up at him, amusement brightening her eyes. “It’s cool.”
Lance sighed and scooted in beside his daughter. “Skylar, this is Kelsey. Kelsey this is Skylar, my daughter.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Skylar,” Kelsey said and offered her hand. Skylar took it and shook.
“So what kind of pigs do you have?” his daughter asked.
As the waiter came over to the table, Lance blocked out the conversation. No reason to ask Skylar what she wanted—she got the same thing every time she came here.
“Bacon and cheese pizza.”
He turned back just as Kelsey asked what her pig’s name was.
“Bacon.”
The unfiltered laugh that came out of Kelsey caught him off guard. She always kept herself a bit closed off, and he hadn’t seen her with all her walls down. And she was even more beautiful in her laughter than when she was completely composed.
“I love that,” Kelsey said.
“Skylar has a pretty unique sense of humor.”
“When I was a kid, I did, too. I once had a dog named Dioge.”
How was that anything like naming a pig bacon? The way she was looking at him expectedly made him realize that he was completely missing the punch line.
“That’s uh…a cool name.”
She laughed at his confusion, and he found himself wanting to make her do that more. He liked how relaxed she was in this moment, how there didn’t seem to be something lurking in her mind.
“D. O. G,” she said, saying each letter individually.
He chuckled. “Okay, now I get it.”
“I don’t,” Skylar said.
“D-O-G, spells dog.”
“Ah. That’s awesome.”
The waiter returned with their drinks and an activity sheet for Skylar. After opening the crayon box, Skylar went to work on a crossword puzzle. Kelsey was watching her with a small smile of mixed wonder and enjoyment. Her eyes flicked to his. “So, a daughter, huh?”
Not sure what to say, he simply shrugged.
“She’s beautiful,” Kelsey said.
“Thank you,” Skylar said without lifting her head.
The grin that spread across Kelsey’s face was as gorgeous as it was surreal.
“First, you have a wrecking service, now you have a daughter. You’re just full of surprises today.”
“There’s a lot about me you don’t know.”
She placed her chin on her palm. “Like what?”
He could play this game. Maybe he could dig around and find out more about the woman in front of him. “I’m not originally from Cheney, either. I’m from Emerald Springs.”
“What caused you to move?”
The fact she didn’t mention the tornado that tore apart that town led him to believe she hadn’t moved here from someplace close. “My ex-wife’s husband got a job out here. Emerald Springs is a three-hour drive. I couldn’t be that far from Skylar.”
Respect shined in Kelsey’s eyes. “That’s pretty awesome you did that.”
“Skylar is everything to me.”
“I can see that.”
“What about you? Where are you from?”
The soft expression immediately vanished as she sat back a little straighter. “The east coast.”
“There are a lot of states on the east coast. Did you live in them all?”
He meant it as a joke, but her expression pinched tighter. What could have happened that she didn’t want to disclose where she used to live?
“The New England area.”
As he was about to press her for more, the waiter arrived with the pizza. He placed it in the middle of the table with three plates. Lance put one each in front of him and Skylar then offered the third to Kelsey.
“No, thank you,” she said, waving her hand. She scooted to the edge of the booth. “In fact, I think I’m going to let you two enjoy the rest of your date.”
At her attempt at a hasty escape, Lance’s curiosity rose even more. She’d been fine until he started asking personal questions. Now it seemed like she couldn’t get away from him fast enough. Lance scrambled to think of a way to make her stay.
“Aw. Daddy, can’t Kelsey come with us to the arcade?”
Oh, Skylar. Thank you.
“Oh no, sweetie,” Kelsey said quickly. “I think you and your dad need a little time together.”
Skylar turned pleading blue eyes directly at him. “Please, Daddy. You don’t care, do you?”
“Nope. I don’t mind at all. In fact, I’d love for her to join us.” Lance sat back against the booth’s cushion and crossed his arms over his chest, silently challenging her.
Her lips pursed together in annoyance as she stared at him then at his daughter. Most likely she was deciding if she should just outright lie to the child and say she had plans.
“Please,” Lance said in his best impression of his daughter. “You wouldn’t want to disappoint a fellow pig lover, would you?”
The tight smile stretched taut. He’d have to make sure to get the relaxed one back at some point tonight.
“I’d love to join you,” she directed to Skylar, then sent him an irritated glance. He had to stifle a chuckle. It seemed he enjoyed riling Kelsey up as much as he did making her smile.
He’d drop the Q and A for now, but he was on a mission. Tonight, he’d learn more about who she was.
…
Ella was onto Lance’s game.
The fact he was playing one was her fault. She’d slipped. While they’d been at the pizzeria, she’d let her guard down.
He’d spent the last hour and a half keeping to idle chitchat, slipping in a personal questio
ns here and there. Like when they’d been talking about training and he’d casually asked what gym she’d trained at back home, or when Skylar had mentioned going to the doctor, and Lance had asked her where she used to work.
She’d somehow gotten around the pointed questions by either blatantly ignoring them or pretending to see something she was interested in. Definitely a coward’s move that made her wish she’d declined the invitation to join them—almost.
She was having fun. After eating, they’d walked down the street to an arcade. Skylar had played everything from Skee-Ball to Fruit Ninja—as long as it gave tickets.
Right now, Lance was standing behind his daughter, who was sitting on a stool while she played Deal or No Deal. The little girl pressed a button, and when the computerized woman opened the suitcase, it revealed the number two hundred. In unison, they groaned. The sight warmed Ella’s heart.
Lance had a special bond with his daughter that Ella couldn’t help but be impressed by. She’d really only seen one side of Lance. The fighter side. This more sensitive, softer side was a huge turn-on—like she needed to be more attracted to the man than she already was.
“What should I do, Daddy?”
“Well, you have two cases left. You’re either holding the one with fifty tickets or the one with two hundred and fifty. If you make a deal, you’ll walk away with one hundred and seventy-five. The choice is yours. You can chance it or take the guarantee.”
“What would you do?”
Lance glanced at his daughter, an odd expression on his face. “I’d take the guarantee.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s never worth it to gamble.”
Skylar scrunched her nose as she stared at the large screen in front of her. Finally, she pressed the Deal button and the machine started spurting out a long line of tickets. The woman on the screen opened the case beside her. Fifty.
“Dang it. I should’ve gambled. I would’ve gotten a lot more tickets.”
“This time, yes, you would’ve, but you could’ve just as easily had the other case. You never know which case life’s going to give you, baby. It’s always better to go with the sure thing.”
Skylar jumped down, tore the tickets off then shoved them at her dad. As he folded them up, she took off toward another game.
