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“I intended to spend time upstairs with Deb later, but she made plans with her sister-in-law. Where’s Bianca tonight?” Jordon and his longtime girlfriend had recently married, and with Brett and Reed settling down, that left scant few members of their private play group still single.
“Attending some kitchen gadget party, where she’ll order stuff she’ll never use.” Nodding to the woman holding up her glass for a refill, he said, “Reed and Brett just came in. If you need to head home, feel free. I can always snag one of them if I get behind.”
“Thanks, but I’m good.” Besides his family, Jordon was the only other person aware of Slade’s occasional moody silences and need for solitude when plagued by his war memories.
He glanced toward his brothers and couldn’t prevent the quick jolt at seeing Nicole enter before the others reached the bar. She paused, scanning the filled tables separating the bar from the dance floor, her face as unsure as he was about her being here tonight. He’d tried telling her shunning others wouldn’t help her burden, whatever it was, and admitted he was proud of the attempt she was making. That didn’t mean he had to entertain her tonight though. There were plenty of other people around for her to hang with.
“You’re here.” Allie feigned surprise as she settled on a stool, the dangling row of small colorful balls hanging from her ears swinging against her chin. She smiled at Nicole’s approach then said, “I half expected you to cancel.”
He shrugged, refusing to let her obvious reference get to him. “I’m on the schedule.”
Brett squeezed her nape with a warning to his wife. “Stay out of it, Allie.”
Reed sat down and hauled Lily onto his lap and sent his brother an amused look. “Good luck with that.”
Slade had to agree. Allie’s manipulations put Reed and Lily together when neither suspected to see the other following a month-long separation. Instead of thinking about how well that had worked out for them, he asked, “Who wants what?” He started filling their drinks as Allie joined them, saved from greeting her when Lily pushed out a stool next to them.
“Here, sit between Allie and us. We’re so glad you came.”
“Thanks. It’s a popular place,” she commented, avoiding glancing his way as she sat down.
“Location and luck, mostly. Have a drink on us as a welcome,” Brett insisted.
Shifting a few steps her way, Slade couldn’t keep from zeroing in on the edge of her scar peeking from the loose cowl neckline of her light-blue sweater or noticing how the color matched her eyes. Those eyes were pretty, the scar a reminder of the ugliness she’d endured, sparking a desire to replace the pain with pleasure. Imagining her reaction were he to suggest getting that close for an hour or two almost dared him to go for it.
“What can I get you?” he asked, the impact of the turmoil swirling in her direct, bright-blue gaze hitting his solar plexus as hard as a one-two punch.
“Bourbon and seven, light please. I’m driving.”
Reed leaned around Lily to say, “Responsible. I like that. I’m glad you’ve hired someone and won’t be out there alone much longer.”
That news relieved Slade also. After learning of the attack on her, he couldn’t deny how much her isolation bothered him. He set her drink down, compelled to add to his brother’s comment. “Living outside the city comes with its own set of risks, one being the longer time it takes for help to arrive in an emergency. Having someone nearby is a good thing.”
Nicole smiled, and some of the hesitancy with coming out tonight let up on her face. “Okay, I admit I’ve felt better since talking to Paul. Thanks again, Lily. I hope he’s still looking forward to the move.”
“He is.” She rested a hand on Reed’s forearm wrapped around her waist. “There’s comfort in having a guy around a lot.”
Allie chuckled. “Is that what you call it?”
“Excuse me,” Nicole said abruptly. “Thanks for the drink. I’m going to check out the activity on that mechanical bull.”
She walked away carrying her glass, but not before he caught a glimpse of sadness in her eyes. He might not like it, or want it, but his curiosity and the need to distract her from the memories of that painful incident weren’t going away, only increasing.
Jordon’s wife arrived, and he took a break to dance with her, leaving Slade busy behind the bar, but not enough over the next fifteen minutes to prevent him from keeping tabs on Nicole. She’d watched several people ride the gyrating vault designed to move similar to a bucking bull before someone asked her to dance. He knew a lot of their regulars, but not this guy, and didn’t care for his taut reaction when the tall blond pulled her flush with his body. There was nothing untoward about the placement of his big hands on her lower back, except Slade discovered he wanted to be the one that close to her enticing butt showcased in those tight jeans.
“Hi there.”
Shifting his attention away from Nicole, he ignored the brunette’s flirtatious smile and asked, “What can I get you?”
“Screwdriver, please. You weren’t here last time I was. Are you new?”
“Not hardly.” He turned to retrieve a small orange juice from the under-counter refrigerator behind him and proceeded to mix her drink with his back to her. With luck, that would dissuade any more small talk. Instead, she jabbered away loud enough, her high-pitched voice carried over the music, grating on his nerves.
“Are you sure, ’cause I definitely would have noticed you. I just split with my boyfriend, the two-timing jerk. My friends all warned me about him, but I didn’t listen. Live and learn, I guess. How about you?” she continued as he set her drink down. “Seeing anyone?”
“I see a lot of people.” He tried but couldn’t pull his hand away fast enough to avoid the caress of her fingers along his arm.
“How about a dance when you take a break?”
