“Did Raid—?” I started to ask, not believing that. Raiden Miller was a bounty hunter and a good one, part of that being he was the soul of discretion.
“The man disappeared and Harkin went after him. Harkin is clumsy and has never been known for finesse. But your dad thinks he can do and say whatever the fuck he wants wherever the fuck he wants. He spewed his anger wide about Littleton fucking him and what he intended to do with him when he got him back. So like I said, not a secret.”
“God, Dad is such a fool,” I whispered to Nick’s throat.
“Liv.”
I looked to his face.
“You know what happened to David Littleton?”
I shook my head, sharing, “In our crew, David wasn’t the first to disappear. I might be privy to certain decisions but I’m rarely privy to the mechanics of carrying them out. Those functions of the business were never a part of my role.”
“Keep it that way,” he ordered.
I nodded readily, seeing as following that order wouldn’t be difficult.
“Your sister is making moves,” he declared. “No one knows why she’s doin’ some of the shit she’s doin’ but everyone is watching. Everyone. You watch your ass and you steer as clear of that as you can. You with me?”
I nodded.
“And you do not share that with her,” he warned. “She doesn’t already know she isn’t flying under radar, she’s a moron. Don’t know your sister but what I do know, she doesn’t give the impression of bein’ a moron. You are not in that. Part of what we gotta figure out with us is what goes from this bed, this house, what we got to out there. But I’ll state right now that I am absolutely not a conduit to makin’ your family safe by sharin’ information. You with me?”
I nodded again.
“Say the words, Livvie,” he demanded firmly but also managed to do it tenderly.
I gave him the words. “I’m with you, Nick.”
I expected him to relax.
He didn’t.
And he didn’t because he was worried about me.
“That means minimal time at the warehouse,” he stated.
“It already isn’t my favorite place so I already avoid it, honey,” I assured him.
“Keep doin’ that,” he grunted. Then, “What happened with that fixup?”
I knew exactly what he was asking.
I bit my lip and pressed up farther.
Another flare of anger in his eyes before he did an ab curl and I found myself on my back pinned to the bed by Nick’s body.
“You went out with him,” he growled.
I had. I’d gone out with Dustin three times since Nick ended things with me. Twice I managed to keep it at drinks. But there was a dinner.
And several kisses.
No sex. Not even making out.
But we had a date the next evening.
“We were kind of over, Sebring,” I reminded him.
“End it,” he bit out.
“I—”
“End it, Liv. Immediately.”
I felt my eyes get big.
“You mean…now?”
“You want me to get your phone?”
He meant now.
“Sebring, I’m seeing him tomorrow night. When I do I’ll—”
I snapped my mouth shut when he asked in a scary tone, “Are you fuckin’ shitting me?”
“I’ll explain during dinner,” I promised. “He’s a decent guy. It’s—”
“End it now, Liv.”
“You know,” I started tersely, “it doesn’t make me very happy when you interrupt me.”
The minute I quit talking, he rolled off me and the bed.
I snatched the covers up over me before I pushed up to my elbows and watched him walk naked through his bedroom to the living room. I then watched him grab my purse from the coffee table, open it and dig through.
I got distracted by his wide chest, his cut abs, his thick thighs and his very pretty cock as he walked back to me.
I got undistracted when his weight hit me again and my phone was digging into my palm because he was pushing it there.
“End it now, Livvie,” he demanded.
“It’s going to get back to my mother,” I told him.
“You’re gonna date a guy when you got a man so you don’t have to put up with your mother?” he asked incredulously.
My eyes slid to the side as I muttered, “You don’t know my mother.”
“Liv.” My name vibrated with meaning and it was dangerous meaning even if the vibration was physical and slid along my skin rather pleasantly.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “We get along. He’s a decent guy. He’s interesting. He’s into me. What reason do I give to end things? I can’t tell him I’m with you, that’ll get to Georgia, then Dad, and we both know the results of me doing something Dad has not stamped as approved aren’t pretty.”
“Say you got a new job and you gotta focus on it. Say you’re not feelin’ it with him. Say you’re in a place in your life right now where you can’t be about a relationship. I don’t know. I got a dick. That shit comes easy. Just work it.”
Oh no he didn’t.
I gave him a chance to take it back.