CHAPTER FIFTEEN

ALICIA

“Alicia Graystone, as I live and breathe.” Jackson swept me into a big hug as soon as Nick and I stepped foot inside the beach side bar that Jackson and his twin sister Jane had rented for their birthdays. “It’s been way too long. Where have you been, girl?”

“I’ve been around. Only been back here the last couple of weeks. Happy birthday, by the way.” I returned his tight hug and then stepped back. A quick glance at Nick told me that he was tense, his spine rigid and a hint of a frown on his face.

Jackson’s eyes flickered between us, then he smiled wide. “Thanks. Back with a new guy, I see. Welcome to the crazy, bro.”

He stuck out his hand, and Nick shook it, his eyes questioning when they landed on mine. I shrugged. So, I didn’t correct Jackson’s assumption, but it wasn’t like I could tell them that Nick was my bodyguard. He wanted to tag along. People were going to assume that he was my date. That was that. It seemed easier that way.

“Jackson Monroe,” I said. “Meet Nick Harden.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Nick said politely. “Happy birthday.”

“Thanks, wrong side of the twenties now. Twenty-fucking-five.” Jackson flashed me his lopsided grin. “When did we start getting old?”

I couldn’t hold back my answering smile. Not that I tried. These were my friends, and Jackson was right. It had been too long since I’d last seen them. The tension in my shoulders from everything that was happening in my life was already starting to melt away. “You’re getting old,” I said. “I still have a couple of months to go.”

Jackson swatted my shoulder, and Nick’s fists clenched at his sides in response. Maybe this party was going to be fun for more reasons than just simply cutting loose with my friends.

“Where’s Janie?” I asked. “I should go find her and wish her happy birthday, too.”

Jackson rolled his eyes with a good-natured grin. “You just want to catch up on the gossip around here, but fine. She and the girls are over by the beanbags.”

He pointed to a spot across the dance floor, still empty at this hour, and sure enough, I could make out Jane’s fiery hair on the beach outside. There were about a dozen beanbags scattered along the side of the deck, sitting haphazardly on the sand.

“Thanks, see you later.” I grabbed Nick’s hand, gave Jackson a wave with the other, and made my way through the people crowding in the bar, heading for Jane. We were stopped a few times. More hugs. More introductions.

Everyone assumed, as I’d known they would, that Nick was my boyfriend. I didn’t correct a single one of them.

“What’re you doing, Alicia?” he hissed into my ear once we’d made it to the deck. There were fewer people out here. No doubt it would be packed later.

I’d taken Nick’s hand again after each introduction, and I gave it a little squeeze now. He didn’t do anything back. I flashed him my sweetest smile anyway. “I’m trying to keep your cover. If I tell them that you’re my personal bodyguard, we’ll have to tell them why I suddenly need one. Is that what you want?”

Nick’s eyes narrowed slightly, searching mine. He didn’t withdraw his hand, though, so that had to count for something. “And people don’t just have friends anymore?”

I scoffed. “People don’t have friends who look like you.”

“What about you and that Jackson guy?”

Was that a hint of jealousy I heard? I was sure it was. Butterflies started rousing in my stomach.

“Jackson doesn’t look like you.” It was true. Jackson was cute, with his russet-colored hair and twinkling coffee-colored eyes, but he didn’t hold a candle to Nick.

Although, no one did. Not in my mind, at least.

I dragged Nick forward before he could argue about it, and we got to the beanbags just as Jane spotted me, jumping to her feet to give me a big hug. “Ali! I’m so happy you could make it. How are you?”

Dropping Nick’s hand to wrap my arms around Jane, I found that I kind of missed the feel of his hand in mine immediately. “I’m good. You? Happy birthday.”

Jane sighed as she released me, but there was still a wide smile spread on her lips. “I’m okay. Jackson keeps telling me we’re on the wrong side of twenty now, so that sucks, but otherwise there’s nothing to report.”

Her eyes fell onto Nick, standing rigid as a board beside me. “And who is this yummy one?”

I smiled, shaking my head. Jane had never been subtle or shy. “This is Nick Harden. My date.”

“Nick Harden,” Jane said, rolling the words on her tongue, and giving him a long once over that made me want to squirt salt water into the eyes of one of my oldest friends. “I’m Jane Monroe. Promise me, if a certain part of your anatomy wants to imitate your last name later, will you at least make her come find me to say goodbye? I’m assuming you’re the reason she’s been off the map for like, a month now.”

Nick surprised me when his lips spread into a smooth, sexy smile. Then he practically knocked me on my ass with his answer. “I am. And it’s not an ‘if,’ it’s a ‘when,’ but I’ll have her find you.”

Damn, the man was a good actor. When he slid his hand back into mine after shaking Jane’s, even I almost believed him. Especially since he topped off his flawless delivery by giving me a look so heated that my panties nearly melted. It appeared that he’d committed thoroughly to his role as my date.

And the award goes to…

Jane actually fanned herself, giggling as she winked at him. “You’re one of the good ones. I can tell. You take good care of my friend, you hear?”

Nick nodded, that smile that was making my knees weak still on his lips. “Always do. She comes first.”

He put emphasis on the word “comes” and then actually squeezed my hand.

What the fuck? My heart galloped in my chest. That hand squeeze couldn’t have been for Jane’s benefit, could it? She wouldn’t even have been able to see it, so it couldn’t have been. The butterflies that had previously only been roused were now going wild in my tummy.

Jane threw her head back and laughed. “See, one of the good ones. My instincts are never wrong. The question then becomes, do you have a brother or any hot friends that are as dedicated to that cause as you are?”

“Jane!”

She shrugged, still laughing. “What? Can you blame a girl for asking?”

“Guess not,” I mumbled.

“I do, actually,” Nick said. Jeez, my eyes were going to pop out of my head if he surprised me again. “But for now, if you ladies will excuse me, I’m going to get my girl a drink.”

His girl. Oh, how I wished that were true. This pretend date was going to mess with my head. I should’ve thought it through properly. Nick was looking down at me with an eyebrow arched questioningly. “Oh. Vodka tonic, please.”

“You got it. While I’m going to the bar, can I get you anything?” He turned his attention to Jane. I wanted to grab his face and turn it back to me. Now that he was actually paying some sort of attention to me, I wanted all of it.

“I’ll have the same,” she said.

“Sure, I’ll be right back.”

Jane and I both watched him walk away. As soon as he was out of earshot, she mocked a swooning motion. “Where did you find that sexy thing?”

I stuck as close to the truth as I could. It seemed like the best option. “He works for my father.”

Jane’s eyes grew wide. “How did that go over? Warren must have freaked the fuck out.”

I shrugged. She would’ve been right, if it really was a date. “Warren told him to come here with me tonight, actually.”

“What?” Jane asked, her tone incredulous. “Did he have a stroke or something?”

“Or something.” Though even I didn’t know what that something was.

“Seriously,” Annie, another one of my childhood friends, said appearing beside me, also turning to stare at Nick. “Who is that guy, and does he have any friends?”

“Right?” Jane said. “That’s exactly what I asked, so you’re going to have to get in line.”

“Fine, but only because you’re the birthday girl.” Annie laughed, then she pulled me in for a quick hug.

“Who is the sexy mystery man anyway?”

“Nick,” I told her. He was leaning against the bar, but his body was half turned, and he didn’t take his eyes off me. “And he’s a mystery, all right.”

Both of the girls giggled, then Jane sighed as he started walking back to us, three drinks in hand. “Well, you’re the lucky one who gets to go Nancy Drew on his ass and unravel that mystery.”

If only. “I’m trying.”

Nick smiled as he handed us our drinks, coming back to my side and wrapping an arm around my waist. It was a casual gesture, but it made the butterflies dart around like they were going to lodge themselves in my stomach lining, and my palms grew clammy.

He bent down, his breath hot on my ear. “You’re too exposed out here. We need to get inside. Now.”

He gave my friends an apologetic grin. “Is it okay if steal her away from you guys?”

“Already?” Jane asked. “Got it bad, don’t you?”

“The worst,” he told her, and it sounded so sincere that my stupid heart went right ahead and believed him.

Even though I knew it was act, I took full advantage of it and reached my arm around him. My hand rested on his lean hip, and I was snuggled into his side. It was heaven.

“See you later,” I said, suddenly desperate to get him alone.

Jane and Annie waved us off, and it wasn’t until Nick was motioning me into a booth that was almost completely hidden from view that I realized I’d been so wrapped up in his act that I hadn’t even introduced him to Annie.

I slid into the booth, and he followed, positioning his big body so that, between him and the high backrest of the booth, I was completely hidden. He was sitting so close to me that his thigh was pressed up against mine and his masculine scent enveloped me, mingling with the smells of garlic and seafood in the air.

A DJ started spinning in the corner, a popular rock song that lured people to the dancefloor inside, even though it was only two in the afternoon. I had no doubt that both it and the one on the beach outside would be packed by the time the sun started setting. It was shaping up to be one hell of a party.

“Thanks for coming with me,” I said.

Nick’s eyes locked onto mine, and he hesitated for a beat before he answered me. “Just doing my job.”

Those eyes told me that his statement wasn’t entirely true. “Good to know that your job description includes dating me. You should’ve told me that earlier. We could’ve had so much fun with it by now.”

Nick’s lips twitched into a tiny half-smile. “If my job description did include dating you, trust me, we would’ve. I’m very good at my job.”

My heart skipped a beat, or maybe it was three. I was seeing a different side of Nick, and I liked it. A lot. Flirty, pretend boyfriend Nick was fun. And ridiculously hot in his t-shirt and washed out jeans.

I’d convinced him that he couldn’t come to a party at the beach in his dark suit, and since he didn’t look like my serious, stoic bodyguard, I was having a hard time remembering all about his rules and why this day wasn’t going to end like he’d promised Jane it would.

Speaking of his rules, I nodded to his red solo cup. “What happened to rule number four?”

“It’s club soda,” he said.

“So water and club soda don’t count as drinking on the job, but hot chocolate does? You are beyond confusing.” I wasn’t even exaggerating. My head was getting all jumbled up about him.

Nick smirked. “I wouldn’t be if you stopped trying to figure me out.”

“You wish.” I smiled. “You’re not getting off the hook that easily.”

“Who said I was on the hook?”

“Oh, you’re on the hook, and you know it,” I said more confidently than I felt. Placing my hand on his forearm flirtatiously, I gave him a meaningful look. “Are you going to deny it?”

The hard muscles in his arm twitched under my touch. He ripped his eyes away from mine, scanning the room thoughtfully before he answered. “Till my dying day.”

The grudging tone of his voice was new, not one I’d heard before. It spoke volumes. The mood had shifted between us, heavier than it had been before. Flirty Nick was quickly dissolving back into serious, professional Nick. I wanted flirty Nick back.

Stat.

My fingers tightened on his arm, drawing his gaze back to me after it dropped to where my hand was resting for just a second. “Come on, let’s go dance.”

“No.” He reached for my hand and placed it on the table.

Burn. But I wasn’t giving up. I looked up at him, my best and most effective puppy eyes coming out to play. “Please?”

“No, Alicia.” It was less firm this time. I was getting to him, wearing down his defenses.

Dropping my voice lower to something sultrier, I swiped my tongue over my lips. Nick noticed, and his eyes darkened slightly. “You know you love it when I dance. So, come on. Dance with me this time.”

He paused, then sighed and shook his head. “Fine, but only if you promise never to mention that again.”

I crossed my heart. “Promise.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

Taking his hand, I led him to the dance floor outside. There was a fast, energetic song playing, but Nick yanked me roughly toward him. His hips started moving as if they had a mind of their own. My body molded to his as if it had known it for years. It felt amazing.

He slipped his thigh between my legs and drew me in close. The DJ mixed one song effortlessly into the next, and even though everyone around us was moving fast, jumping around energetically, Nick and I stayed close, dancing slow.

I didn’t know how much time passed, but when I ground against him again, I noticed that he was hard, and his thick erection pressed into my stomach.

I gazed deeply into his eyes, finding them intently burning into mine. I twisted in his arms, grinding against him with my ass. His defenses were crumbling fast, and I wasn’t going to give him time to overthink things and put them back in place.

Nick’s hands scooped around my hips, as if he was acting automatically. His face was turned down toward me, and I tilted mine up toward him.

This was it. He was finally going to kiss me again.

Going to step closer to him, to close that last bit of distance between us, I was so caught up in the moment that my heel got stuck in a groove in the makeshift dance floor, and I stumbled into him.

I was vaguely aware of a whizzing sound as I fell against him.

Then all hell broke loose when something exploded into the wall of the restaurant directly behind me.

A bullet.

Fuck.

One that only missed me because my heel got stuck.