“Don’t. Please don’t push me away after we kissed like that. Nina, you felt it, too. The depth of that kiss, the connection we shared.”
“No, Johnny, it’s not real. Nothing can happen between us. I’m sorry, but I can’t allow it.”
“Can’t allow it?” he asked, easing his hands from her cheeks and caressing his hands up and down her arms. She wished he would stop touching her so she could concentrate and lie to him. But the feel of his large firm hands gently caressing her skin was too much to ignore. She closed her eyes.
“Oh please, Johnny, I can’t give you anything. I have nothing left to give anyone. It’s all gone,” she said, lowering her forehead to his chest. He caressed her hair and head, kept a hand at her waist, and then hugged her, holding her against him.
“I don’t believe that you have nothing left to give. You let yourself go in that kiss and I felt the emotion, the desire. I don’t know who hurt you or how he did it, but I’ll be damned if my brothers and I are going to let you out of our lives.” She looked up at him. “Your brothers?” she asked, shocked by his words.
“Damn straight,” he said firmly. She felt her cheeks blush. She knew of ménage relationships. There were loads of them around town. Even Serefina was involved with one. Her men were supposedly cousins with Johnny and his brothers. But she’d never thought about such a relationship. She couldn’t even handle one guy’s possessive, demanding conditions. How could she handle three?
She shook her head. He cupped her cheeks between his hands again. “Don’t overthink this. Don’t jump to conclusions. Just feel, Nina. Follow your heart, your gut, your body,” he said, looking over her breasts that somehow seemed to have grown in size from his arousing kiss. She felt so much in his kiss. He was right.
She was confused, and now that she was coming back down from the high she was on, she felt sort of light headed. He kissed her softly on the lips. “Come inside and I’ll make you something to eat before you pass out. We’ll talk about this some more later.”
* * * *
Johnny took out the cold cuts and started making Nina a sandwich as she sat on the chair by the island in the kitchen. Her legs were crossed, revealing her sexy toned thighs, and he noticed from the past few weeks since meeting her that she only seemed to have four actual changes of clothing. Plus one navy-blue hooded sweatshirt that had seen better days. It bothered him that she couldn’t afford to buy things to wear, and that perhaps she was indeed on the run from trouble. Had she been living on the streets until she got to Treasure Town months ago?
“How long have you guys lived here?” she asked him as she looked around the kitchen. It was an industrial kitchen with a commercial oven, lots of cabinets, all custom designed. They had a built-in bar that overlooked the living room and the beach.
“Well, Trent was here first. This was our uncle’s place for years. He moved out to Key Largo to open a bar. Then Buddy and I moved in and we redesigned the entire place. It was outdated,” he said, bringing over the sandwiches.
“Have you always wanted to be a paramedic?”
“I was involved with firefighting for a little while, but I guess the paramedic aspect called to me more. I did it as a volunteer for years when I went to college. I wasn’t sure medical school would be the right way for me. I guess I like being on the streets in the heat of action.”
“Medical school? Wow, what an opportunity.” She looked at the sandwich. “I won’t be able to eat all this, but thank you for making it.”
“You’ll eat at least half, and save the other half for a snack later before dinner.”
“Dinner?”
“Yes, you’re coming over for dinner tonight. I’m cooking steaks on the grill, Trent and Buddy will be here, too.”
She shook her head. “No, Johnny. I told you back in the garage that this couldn’t happen.”
“I know what you said, and what you want to force yourself to believe, but I feel differently here,” he said, covering his chest where his heart was with his hand.
She swallowed hard. “Why are you making this so difficult? I can’t get involved in any type of relationship.”
She took a bite of her sandwich. He did add extra roast beef to hers. It was nice and rare, and if she were undernourished, it would do her body good.
“Says who?” he asked, taking a bite of his own sandwich.
She finished chewing and then looked at him. “My perspective on relationships, intimate or platonic, has changed. I don’t think you understand what I’m saying, Johnny.”
He looked at her, half smiling while he ate his sandwich. She was so incredibly beautiful, she didn’t even know it.
“Baby, listen to me for a moment, okay?”
Her eyes darted around them as if his use of the pet name “baby” affected her. If her red cheeks were any indication or even the way she wiggled around on her seat, he was sure it affected her.
“I don’t know what has happened in your past to make you feel this way.”
“Johnny, please.” She placed her sandwich down. He did the same to his.
“All right. You know what, forget that. Just do me a favor, and let this happen. Get to know us. Learn that we’re not bad guys, and that maybe, just maybe something special can happen here.”
She was silent a few moments and then she looked at him, pulling her lip between her teeth like she did when she was nervous or scared. “I won’t make any promises. This isn’t a yes to this craziness. I can’t give you what you want, Johnny. I’m incapable. You just don’t seem to get that.”
He took a deep breath and released it. “Just try. Friends first, okay?”
She stared at him and she nodded her head.
“Let’s eat lunch and then fix that bike the rest of the way.”
“Yes, I have shopping to do and then work at the boutique tomorrow.”
“Do you need a ride there and back?”
She smiled and looked at him sideways. “That’s what the bike’s for, silly.”
He half smiled. Truth was he worried about her. He worried, not knowing who may be after her, what could happen as she rode the bike so many miles, and about how little she ate.
He watched her and wondered if he should ask more questions or if he should leave it alone. Then his phone rang, solving the dilemma.
He answered it.
“Kyle called in sick. I need you in thirty, can you make it?”
“Sure, Chief. I’ll be there in thirty,” he said.
Nina took a sip of her water and he put the phone down.
“Duty calls. I have to be there in t—”
“Thirty, right?” she said and stood up. “Thank you for the sandwich and for the bike.”
“I can drop you off on the way then have Trent or Buddy swing by and get you at the store?”
She shook her head. “No thank you. Be safe.” She started to walk away and he hurried around the island. He stopped her by taking her hand into his.
He reached up and gently stroked a finger against her cheek. “Be careful on the bike.” Before she smiled fully he leaned forward to kiss her good-bye.
* * * *
“We’ve been over these video surveillance tapes a dozen times. He’s not on there,” Buddy said while Trent and Jake both looked annoyed.
“We don’t have any leads whatsoever. No one has seen anyone suspicious walking around before the fires. Plus, whoever is responsible, they’re covering their tracks pretty well. The evidence left behind is nearly fully destroyed. It’s taken these last three weeks for the lab to confirm the substance used to cause the explosion in the Dumpster,” Trent added.
“What was the chemical used?” Jake asked.
“Here, it’s a combination of various cleaning agents. Nothing that is unique or isn’t readily available from wholesale industrial cleaning supply companies,” Trent told them.
“Can a regular consumer buy this stuff in the supermarket?” Jake asked Trent.
“Probably not. It’s m
ore readily available in office buildings, schools, places where there’s a custodial staff that takes care of housekeeping. Why, what are you thinking?”
“You need to talk to Nina again. What if what she blurted out was true about seeing a teenager? Maybe she did actually see our arsonist,” Jake said.
“And I need to talk to her and ask her again so she can just deny it and not answer my questions again?” Trent asked.
“Because she’s renting an apartment on our property,” Buddy said and stared at his brother.
“Or simply because the three of you like her, and she more than likely likes you but is young, scared, and you’re a lot older than her. As soon as she saw my badge, she got all nervous. She might have an issue with authority,” Jake stated.
“Like she’s been locked up or something?” Buddy asked.
Jake raised his eyebrows as he stood up straighter.
“No one knows anything about her. She lied about her last name, refused Red Cross and going to the hospital for her injuries. I’d say she was avoiding having her information put into a computer system.”
“I thought about that, too. But why? What could happen if her name is in a hospital admittance log?” Trent asked.
“It gives whoever may be looking for her a way to track her down. Even if they Google searched her name or the word hospital, injury, a list of matches could show up. By outing her name in the system, it risks being found,” Buddy said to his brother.
“I haven’t liked this situation from the start. She’s gotten away with pushing us back, only giving little bits of info and then shutting down. What if she’s involved?” Trent asked.
“It’s our job to investigate all our leads. You’ve given her more than ample time to get used to you, Trent, Buddy, and even the community. She needs to answer the questions. You need to confront her on this,” Jake said. Just then their cell phones and radios went off.
“We got a suspicious fire on Bullson Street. A 911 call came in giving a description of the individual seen running from the scene,” Jake stated.
“We need that witness. Let’s go,” Trent said. He and Buddy headed out of the office with Jake.
* * * *
Nina was shaking. She couldn’t believe her luck. Just as she left Angel’s Wings and headed down the side streets instead of the main roads because the traffic was so busy, she spotted the person in the red jersey again. This time his hair was hidden, and she couldn’t tell if it was the same blond-haired kid. Her gut told her yes, and suddenly as he sprinted across the parking lot, she heard and saw the Dumpster by the side of the building explode. She covered her ears and as things settled down she saw some people lying down in the parking lot, injured. She ran to the pay phone and called 911 immediately. She couldn’t leave her name or say who it was or the police might think that she was involved. If she learned one thing living with Rico and hanging out at the club listening to the men talk about evading police, she learned that once you were on the cops’ radar, they never let up.
She knew that Buddy and Trent didn’t trust her. That was what made the situation with Johnny even more intense today when he kissed her. He mentioned his brothers wanting her, too, and all she could think was that they were along for the ride. Neither man expressed any romantic interest even though she caught them watching her and eyeing her body over several times when they thought she wasn’t looking. They affected her just like Johnny had. But they were commanding, controlling, expected order, respect, and submission. All those things led to dominance and abuse and eventually a cheating man. As it was now, she wasn’t even good enough for them. Just as Rico had pounded into her.
She pedaled faster, trying her hardest to get back to the apartment. Another two miles and she would be there.
God, I hope no one was hurt in that blast. At least I called the police and gave a description. They’ll never find out it was me.
* * * *
“Calm down, Trent. Don’t jump to conclusions,” Buddy told his brother as they searched for Nina on the way back to their house. They knew she rode the bike.
Buddy wondered why the hell Johnny let her take it if he knew she would be working until nine in the evening. That was dangerous in itself. But now, after heading to the scene of the explosion in a Dumpster by a school building, then hearing the 911 call, and identifying the woman as Nina, they needed answers. Jake was ready to haul her in for questioning. She was the only witness they had.
“Shit, we must have missed her,” Trent stated as he came up onto their driveway. “Unless she’s already home?” Buddy suggested.
“You think she made it six miles on a bike back here that quickly?”
“If she was scared, adrenaline pumping, worried about making the call and being identified, sure. I think she could have.”
“You see what I see?” Trent asked as they parked the truck in front of Nina’s garage and apartment. They both saw the one light on.
Trent turned off the ignition and got out of the truck quickly.
“Trent, we don’t know how involved she is in this. She could really just be a witness, you know, in the wrong place at the wrong time?”
“Or she could be involved, which is why she won’t tell us her name or anything about her life, where she came from, how she doesn’t have a license, identification, bank account, cell phone. Need I go on, Buddy?” Trent asked. Buddy shook his head. Now he was getting angry, too. As they climbed up the steps, Buddy felt on edge.
“Remember what Johnny told us about today. About the progress he made with her.”
Trent shot him a look. “None of that will matter if she’s a criminal.”
Trent knocked on the door pretty hard. There wasn’t an answer, but then they both heard something drop.
* * * *
Nina had just got out of the shower. She couldn’t believe she saw the person responsible for the explosion in the Dumpster and that it appeared to be the same person who caused her building to go up in flames. She just wrapped a towel around herself when she heard the banging on the door. She gasped and knocked over the bottle of shampoo, making it fall into the tub. She just bought that today.
Holding the towel against her body, she could see two large figures outside her front door. She freaked out, looking for something to defend herself with and couldn’t help but think it was Rico or his thugs.
A moment later, as she held one of the pie pans as her weapon, the door opened, and Trent appeared, gun, badge, and all.
“Jesus, Nina, we thought you were in trouble,” Buddy said as he put his gun back into the holster. She was shocked that they were there and broke into the apartment.
“What’s going on? You scared me. I thought you were intruders,” she said as both men looked her over. Buddy ran his hand over his mouth and she remembered she was standing there in only a towel.
“Oh God, I need to get dressed. I just finished showering.”
She turned to head into her bedroom when Trent spoke up.
“We have questions for you, so get dressed quickly and then get out here so we can talk.”
* * * *
“Did you see her back?” Buddy asked Trent and Trent just nodded slowly.
“What do you think those marks are from?”
“I don’t know, but we’re not leaving here until we have answers to our questions and we’re satisfied.”
Nina came out a few minutes later wearing one of the four outfits she always wore. It seemed to Trent that maybe they were all she owned. That bothered him. She was such an attractive woman and deserved to have more.
“Nina, why don’t you take a seat so we can talk.” Trent motioned with his hand for her to sit on the couch. She did, wringing her hands together along the way. When she sat down, he saw the bandage on her knee from the other night when she walked home in the rain and fell.
He swallowed hard. Buddy took a seat across from her and Trent stood with one hand on his holster.
“There was a fire tonight. An
explosion in a Dumpster a couple of blocks from Angel’s Wings.”
“Really?” she asked. He widened his eyes and she looked back down at her hands. He could tell she was nervous. He really hoped that she wasn’t involved. He liked her, was attracted to her despite the age difference. She had it rough, it seemed, and that bothered him a lot.
“Nina, we know that you left work at nine. We know that you made a 911 call to the police identifying the one who set off the bomb and also asking for help for injured people in the parking lot.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He could hardly hear her. He flexed his muscles, clenched his teeth, and then calmed his annoyance with her lies. “Nina, you’re not in any trouble. We just need the truth. Right now the sheriff wants to haul you in for questioning. Others think you could be involved with these arson fires,” Trent told her, and she immediately shot her head up in shock.
“Me? I didn’t do anything. Is this how you police operate around here? You accuse the ones who identify the criminals and call 911 for help when they see people injured and then you blame them? Fucking incredible.” She stood up. Before she could move Trent grabbed her upper arm and locked gazes with her. She was all fired up and he was angry, confused, and even aroused being this close to her and inhaling her perfume and shampoo.
“You were the one who made the call for help?”
“Yes, I made the goddamn call, but no, I am not involved. Are you out of your minds? I was the one who saw him and called it in immediately. I saw people lying on the ground and I feared they were seriously hurt. I didn’t have a cell phone so I used the pay phone. Now you want to pin this on me?”
“Why don’t you have a cell phone?” he asked. Nina looked shocked. Even Buddy was a bit taken back by his brother’s redirection of questioning.
“I don’t need one. I can’t afford one. It isn’t necessary. Does that make me a criminal, too, Trent?” she asked with attitude.
Hearts on Fire 4: Kisses Sweeter Than Pie (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 9
