Page 3 of Nothing At All

She blinked at me, all wounded innocence and entitlement.

Like I was taking up space she wanted.

This heifer.

“Nicole.” Dan's tone shifted to his no-nonsense cop voice. “It's four blocks. You'll be fine. Get in the back or find another ride.”

She stiffened, shock rolling over her face. Eyes narrowed on me, she stepped away and jerked open the door behind me. She slid into the seat, the click of the belt loud and aggressive, and I could feel her glare on the back of my head.

I squeezed Dan’s thigh again, and he patted my hand before reaching for the gear shift.

He and I would need to have a talk about his neighbor who'd grown up occasionally playing with his sister because now she obviously wanted to play with him and some things I did not share.

Fabric rustled on the leather seat, and Nicole leaned forward, angled toward Dan. “Did you hear about the city council meeting?”

“What?” He flicked a glance right then left before turning onto Fuller Street. “No.”

I refused to glance over my shoulder but caught a glimpse of her blonde hair from the corner of my eye. So she was hunched forward, arms braced to push her breasts together.

“Oh, it was a hot mess,” she trilled with a flirty giggle. “The mayor–”

“Cool. This have anything to do with my job?”

She froze. “No. But–”

“Then I don't care.” He slanted a grin sideways at me before hooking a right onto Broad. “You know there's always the beach.”

I smiled. “Can you hike at the beach?”

“Well, yeah. Cannon's Point if we go to St. Simon's. Hell's Forest if we go to the Gulf–”

“Danny.” Nicole touched his shoulder, and he jolted, shifting away from her hand. “Do you remember that house we rented at the lake?”

What exactly did she think she was doing?

“Uh, kinda.” His brows dipped into a sharp scowl. “I was like twelve. What does that have to do with anything? And what's up with you tonight?”

I didn't miss his muffled weird as fuck. I slid my hand an inch or so higher on his thigh and gave another squeeze. Muscle flexed under my palm, and he slanted another look at me, eyebrow quirked. I smiled, a serene little good-boy curve of my lips.

He grinned.

Nicolee subsided, angry humiliation rolling off her. “It was . . .you were talking about rentals and it just made me think about that summer with you.”

“With me?” He snorted, braking for the intersection at 19. “I think you mean with Lydia.”

“Well, yeah, but . . .” Her voice trailed away. Even through the headrest, her gaze lay heavy on me, and my neck prickled.

I glanced sideways at my oblivious boyfriend. We really would need to have a chat about his neighbor.

She retreated into silence for the last couple of blocks to the Millhouse. The lot was full, like always, but Dan snagged a spot as a car pulled away. With that happy-to-be-with you grin, he slid from behind the wheel and jogged around to open my door. Something about the habit warmed my chest. It was so old-fashioned but also sweet.

And why was that hot as hell, too?

The man even held out a hand, palm up, offering connection and leverage to exit the truck. As my feet hit the gravel and I found steady footing in my ridiculous heels, he stepped in, body heat enveloping me, a hand splayed at the small of my back, a smile tugging at his mouth.

For a moment, everything fell away.

The back door didn't open, no other footsteps crunched on the gravel. Realization trickled through me.