by Naomi West
“So that’s what we did. We sent the footage to Mr. Naylor, pretending that some random group of hackers got into the security footage and was using it as blackmail.”
I decided to jump in here.
“And that’d be the nice little cherry on top,” I said. “Untraced cash is the lifeblood of an illegal operation like Angus’.”
“All lies!” shouted out Angus. “They’ve threatened my son, made him say this bullshit in order to incriminate me!”
“Maybe so,” said Detective McConnell, “but we’ve got more than enough to go on to get some warrants written up. And that’s to say nothing of taking you both in.”
Angus had the look of a man who’d finally realized that he’d told his last lie, and that it was all over. Detective McConnell nodded towards his officers, and they formed up at his sides, getting ready to slap the cuffs on him.
“I can’t believe this,” said Mr. Naylor. “I can’t believe that a man I’d considered a friend would be capable of this kind of treachery.”
“They’re all lies, Dennis!” shouted Angus as the officer placed his hands behind his back and cuffed him. “You’ll see! And you’ll feel like a damn fool for believing any of this for a goddamn second!”
“I’m sure we’ll see about that,” said Mr. Naylor.
“Don’t forget about the brat,” said Detective McConnell, his eyes fixed on Marcus.
With that, the Goldman men were taken into custody and led out of the office. Marcus fell back into racking sobs, and Angus went on with a stream of curse words that would’ve made a hooker blush.
“We’ll be in touch, Mr. Naylor,” said Detective McConnell, shaking Dennis’ hand.
“Thanks for all of your help, Detective,” he said.
Then Detective McConnell turned to me, and I could tell that he was more than a little fucking unsure of just how to handle the fact that some biker had come in and broken his case wide open.
“Uh, thanks for everything, Mr., ah, Tiger.”
“Don’t mention it,” I said, giving him a hearty slap on the shoulder.
Then he headed off. The rest of the police and the security staff left behind them. I gave my boys a group thanks and let them know that we’d be celebrating this victory on the Strip later tonight. They headed off with a cheer, leaving me, Nikki, and Mr. Naylor alone in the massive office.
“Never in my life did I think I’d say something like this about a man like you, Tiger, but you did good by me. And more importantly, you did good by my daughter.”
“That mean you approve of what she and I got going on?” I asked, a wry smirk on my face.
“Let’s … take this all one step at a time,” he said. “But you’ve proven yourself more than willing and capable to look out for her, and that goes a long way in my book. And if you’re going to be the father of her child, I suppose that you’ve gone a long way toward prove yourself capable of that role.”
“Well, shit,” I said. “You’re gonna make me blush, Mr. Naylor.”
“Call me Dennis,” he said, extending his hand.
I took it and gave a firm shake. It was easy to see that Dennis was more than a little apprehensive about giving his blessing to Nikki and I, but I figured he’d need more than a few baby steps to get warmed up to seeing his little girl on the arm of a dude like me.
“I’ll give you two a moment,” he said.
And just like that, it was me and Nikki. We looked at each other for a long moment. The thrill of pinning the Goldmans to the wall had faded, and now the only emotion stirring in me was my love for Nikki.
“I don’t know what to say,” she said, looking down for a moment before turning those big, beautiful eyes onto me. “You came through and saved the day, just like a real hero or something.”
“Just did what needed to be done,” I said. “Wasn’t about to let a piece of shit like Angus treat you this way.”
She stepped up to me, wrapped her arms around my waist, and pulled me close. I didn’t need another hint to know she wanted a big fat kiss right on that perfect mouth of hers. I leaned in and kissed her hard, a rush of heat and joy running through me. It shocked me just how much I cared about this girl, but I was ready to see just where it’d take the two of us.
“Well,” she said after the kiss. “Now what?”
“Thinkin’ I’d meet up with my boys and tie one off to celebrate this shit. With my girl on my arm, of course.”
“No,” she said with a smile. “I mean what’s next for you and me?”
“All I know is that I want you, Nikki,” I said. “I want you to be my girl, and I don’t give a shit about anything else. It’s all just details.”
“How about this for details?” she asked, a clever little smile on her lips. “I’m thinking that once school is done here in a few weeks that I can finally move out of my dad’s house.”
“Whoa,” I said, impressed. “Someone’s ready to be a grownup.”
“It’s about time,” she said. “And once I’m out, I can finally get things started with my wedding planning business.”
That all sounded great. But I couldn’t help but think about how she and I would make things work with her in LA and me in Sin City. I figured there’d be more than a few cross-desert biking trips in my future.
“But that’s not all,” she said. “I’ve been looking into starting my business, and it’s looking like the wedding planning business in LA is a little oversaturated, to say the least.”
“If this is leading up to you asking me to use the Cats to squeeze out the competition, you oughta know that I’m not in that racket,” I said with a joking smile. “I think you might’ve got me confused with the mob.”
Nikki gave me a playful swat on the arm.
“No,” she said. “I’m talking about moving to Vegas and starting my business here, you dork.”
Now this was an interesting development.
“I’m liking this so far,” I said.
“Maybe you and I can get a place downtown, one with lots of extra space for the baby … maybe for a few babies …”
Not gonna lie—the idea of making baby after baby with Nikki was pretty damn enticing.
“Shit,” I said. “You’re not gonna need to do a lot of convincing to get me on board with this plan.”
“Then let’s not waste anymore time,” she said, slipping her hands into mine and pressing them against her chest. “We’ve got a lot ahead of us, and I can’t wait to get started.”
“And hell, if we’re gonna be cranking out babies and living together, then maybe there are some other things we might want to consider, you know?”
“Is that right?” she asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “And just what are you suggesting by that, Tiger?”
“I suppose you’re just gonna have to wait and see,” I said. “But I’m thinking you oughta clear those plans of yours for the weekend—you and I are due for another night on the town.”
“Deal,” she said.
I was done talking. My hands held tightly onto Nikki’s hips, and I leaned in for a long, slow kiss. I couldn’t believe it, but I was excited as a little kid. The future was bright for Nikki and me, and I was ready to get started.
Chapter 24
Nikki
Ten months later …
I stepped out onto the balcony of my fabulous Vegas apartment, the morning air crisp and fresh, the sky a brilliant, cloudless blue. The steam from my coffee curled up in front of me, and I wrapped my hands around the big blue mug. The light caught on the facets of my engagement ring, the stone glinting beautifully in the morning sun.
The baby was asleep, and Tiger was off at work, and I was enjoying a rare moment of total calm and serenity. The city bustled below me, and I was high up above it all.
Then, at the same time, as if the universe knew that I was right in the middle of relaxing, my phone went off. I set my coffee down and sighed as I slipped my phone out of my pocket and checked the incoming call. It was from a
local number, and I knew already that it likely had something to do with the wedding.
“Hello?”
“Hi, is this Nikki Naylor?”
“This is she.”
“This is Amber, down at Perfect Day floral arrangements. We had a few questions about the flowers that you’re looking to order for your upcoming wedding.”
I winced. I’d been on the phone again and again with this store, trying in vain to get all of the details worked out for the arrangements. I thought I’d given them very clear instructions, but evidently not.
“Sure,” I said. “Go ahead.”
“Well, we were looking at the arrangement for the tables, and my assistant suggested that the ratio of buttercups to sweet peas was a little off, so we wanted to see if you were okay with us altering the arrangements just a bit. We can send you pictures and everything once we’ve got some ideas for you.”
“That’s fine,” I said. “Just email some pictures when you’ve got them.”
“Perfect,” said Amber. “We’ll be in touch.”
I know you will, I thought after I said my goodbyes and hung up.
Before I could return to my coffee, however, I heard the front door of the apartment open and shut. Turning on my feet and looking into the living room, I watched as Tiger stepped into the living room, dressed in a sleek black suit that fit his big, muscular body perfectly.
Being alone sounded nice, but being with Tiger sounded even better. I grabbed my coffee and walked into the living room.
“There’s my girl,” he said, approaching me and planting a big kiss on my lips.
I stepped back and gave my man a once over.
“What’s up?” he asked, noting my inspection.
“Nothing,” I said. “Just still not used to the sight of you in suits.”
He smirked and tugged at his jacket.
“And I’m not used to wearing them,” he said. “But when you’re head of security at one of the fanciest damn hotels in the city, it’s not like you can roll in wearing jeans and leather.”
“Maybe you can appeal for a change in the dress code,” I said. “But for what it’s worth, I think you look amazing.”
Things had changed like crazy in the last year. After Marcus and Angus were convicted of blackmail and drug trafficking, the two of them were shipped upstate where they’d be cooling their heels in prison for a long while. Spotting an opportunity, my dad had gotten together with a few other investors and gone in on the now-defunct Goldman hotel chain, buying up the properties at a majorly discounted price. They’d done a little redecorating and re-staffing, and soon the newly-christened Prestige Hotel in downtown Vegas was open for business.
Just one problem—they’d needed a new head of security. My dad had decided that Tiger would be the perfect man for the job—after all, he had more than a little experience managing operations and getting his hands dirty when he needed to. Tiger had bristled at the opportunity at first, thinking that it’d cramp his style. But after a little convincing—not to mention the ample number of zeros involved in the salary—he’d come around. Tiger was still the president of the Big Cats, but day-to-day operations were now handled by his lieutenants.
“I know I look amazing,” he said. “That’s not even up for debate.”
I let out a laugh and pulled him in for another kiss.
“And to what do I owe the honor of you coming back so early?”
“We’re running a few training ops for the new hires, and I wanted to give some of the boys in command a chance to show me what they’ve got without the boss man breathing down their neck. So I figured it’d be the perfect chance to come home and visit my darling bride-to-be.”
“Isn’t that nice of you,” I said.
“What can I say? I’m a big sweetheart.”
He titled his head to the side as if listening for a sound that wasn’t there.
“No crying?” he asked.
“Nope,” I said. “Ethan’s out like a light.”
“That mean I’d be pushing my luck if I took a peek at him?”
“Maybe if you walk real quiet-like,” I said.
“Hey, I’ve got cat-like grace—why you think they call me Tiger?”
“And here I was thinking it had something to do with those giant tattoos on your arms.”
“Just full of surprises, aren’t I?” he asked with another flash of a grin.
Walking carefully, the two of us headed for the nursery. When we reached the door, I opened it slowly, not wanting to wake up Ethan.
“There’s the little man,” said Tiger, stepping into the room and approaching the crib in the center.
I took my place at Tiger’s side and looked down at the little sleeping boy, lying on his back, his impossibly tiny chest rising and falling with each breath.
“I still can’t believe we made that,” he said. “I can’t believe he’s ours.”
“And I can’t believe what a softie you turned out to be with this little guy,”
Tiger shot me a playfully skeptical glance.
“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said with a smile. “Nothing soft about it.”
“Look at you,” I said. “Trying to act all tough and cool.”
“It’s not an act,” he said with another grin.
Then his eyes moved quickly up and down my body. As always, I felt a thrill run up my spine as he looked me over. Even now, nearly a year into our relationship, all it took was a heated glance from Tiger to make me feel like the most important, sexiest girl in the world.
“What’s on your mind, big guy?” I asked.
Tiger turned towards me and placed his hands on my hips.
“Just thinking about how we could spend this afternoon,” he said. “After all, it’s not every day that I’m home so early.”
“And pretty rare for the little guy to be sleeping so soundly.”
“Now we’re on the same page,” he said, that sexy little grin still on his face.
“Hmm,” I said, looking away and placing my finger on my lips. “I’d be down for some suggestions.”
“I’ve only got the one,” he said.
His hand moved from my hip to my back and he led me out of the nursery. My mind raced with the possibilities of just what Tiger had in mind. Once we stepped into our large bedroom, he closed the door and turned his attention right back to me, his gaze heated and irresistible.
Then, he pounced. Tiger planted his lips on mine, the sensation of his kiss as intoxicating and overwhelming as always. I closed my eyes and fell into it, letting the rush of his touch race through me, bracing me with a blissful intoxication that was like nothing else.
But right in the middle of the kiss, however, Tiger pulled away from me for a moment and gazed down hard at me with those striking blue eyes of his. His expression was strange—it was serious and loving and intense all at the same time.
“What?” I asked, curious at what was on his mind.
“Just thinking about how lucky I am,” he said. “You would’ve told me a couple of years ago that I’d be with one girl and a family man, I would’ve thought you were nuts. But now that it’s my life, I can’t imagine it being any other way. It’s like everything up to meeting you was just … marking time or something.”
I felt the sting of tears form in my eyes.
“Aw, don’t cry about it,” he said, one side of his mouth pulling up, his hand running through my hair.
“I’m sorry,” I said, wiping the tears away. “It’s just … I love hearing you talk like that.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say it if it weren’t the truth.”
Then he gave me another one of those up-and-down glances.
“But I think we’ve done enough talking, little lady.”
“I think you’re right about that, big guy,” I said, taking in the sight of just how fucking good he looked in that suit.
But as nice as the suit looked on him, I was much, much more interested in getting it off.<
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Tiger leaned in and kissed me hard, and I fell right back into that same lovely spell that the taste of his lips cast over me every time without fail. His hands moved up and down my body as we kissed, those big, strong hands making me feel loved and safe and warm, just like they always did.
My fingers traveled down the soft, fine fabric of his suit jacket, making brief stops at his buttons and undoing them one by one. Once they were all undone, I slid the jacket off over his massive, broad shoulders. Tiger let out a sexy little growl as I got him out of his clothes, his own hands slipping under the bottom of my shirt and lifting it up and over my head.
