Shoot Out (The Baltimore Banners Book 7) (5 page)

"You can let me out the next block up, if you don't mind."

Mat heard the words but didn't understand them, not at first. He must have missed something because what she said didn't make any sense. He eased to a stop at the traffic light then looked over at her.

"Let you out?"

"Yes please. The next block up."

"Why would I do that?"

"That's the next bus stop."

"And?"

"That's where I can catch the next bus."

"But—" Mat snapped his mouth closed, not wanting to sound too eager. Too disappointed. He cleared his throat and relaxed in the seat, trying to look casual and nonchalant. "I can take you wherever you need to go."

"No, you've done enough, thank you. You can just let me out the next block up."

"Where do you need to get the bus to?"

Nicole shifted again, turning away from him as she looked out the window. He sensed the slight discomfort and wondered if maybe he had pushed too hard, maybe gotten a little too personal.

"Just to work."

"I can take you."

"I don't want to impose—"

"No, really, it's not a problem. I don't have anything planned. And, well, I thought—" Mat cleared his throat and hoped the heat he felt at the back of his neck wasn't a blush. "I thought maybe we could use the time to talk, get to know each other."

He glanced over at her then muttered when the car behind him blew on the horn. Mat eased his foot off the brake and moved forward, driving as slow as he dared. The bus stop was coming up but he didn't want to reach it, didn't want Nicole to leave just yet. If she did, he had no idea when he might see her again. If he could convince her to let him drive her to work, maybe he could get her number. Maybe he could even get the chance to ask her out.

But she still didn't answer. In fact, she looked uncomfortable, more than she had when he first picked her up. And she wouldn't look at him. That bothered him for some reason.

And maybe he should just drop her off and let it go. He was probably worrying her, probably coming on too strong. Yeah, knowing his luck, she probably thought he was being too pushy, too aggressive.

He blew out a quick breath and pulled his shoulders up to his ears, trying to ease the knots, the tension, that suddenly gripped his neck. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to push. I'll drop—"

"No." Nicole said the word so fast, louder than he expected, that he almost jumped in surprise. She looked over at him, just a quick glance, her teeth nibbling on her lower lip. Mat tried not to focus on her mouth, tried not to remember what her mouth felt like on him.

All of him.

She turned away and Mat bit back a sigh, wondering if maybe he had been too obvious, if he had stared too hard. Wondering if she could read his mind and knew exactly what he was thinking.

The bus stop was coming up, two car-lengths away, but traffic was still moving slow. He figured he only had a few more minutes left, if that. He glanced over at her but she was still facing front, still chewing on her lower lip.

"Did you, uh, want me to drop you off here? Or take you to work? It's not a problem, really."

Silence. The bus stop was closer now, just in front of them. Mat tried to hide his disappointment as he maneuvered the car closer to the curb, out of the way of the traffic behind him.

Just a few more feet and Nicole would be getting out of the car, disappearing. He should ask for her number, should say something—

"Work." The word came out in a rush, like she was afraid it wouldn't come out at all if she said it any other way. Like she was afraid to accept his offer—which didn't make sense to Mat. It was just a ride to work, not a big deal.

Except it was, because it meant he could spend more time with her.

"You can take me to work." Nicole repeated the words, still looking uncomfortable. "If it's not a problem, I mean."

"No. No problem. I, uh, I'd like that." And why did he have to sound like such a moron around her? It was like every last conversational skill he possessed completely disappeared in her presence.

Mat smiled, trying to reassure her, then eased away from the curb and back into the slow-moving traffic. He stopped at the light then looked back at Nicole, wishing she would at least look over at him. Maybe smile. Or at the least, not look quite so uncomfortable.

"So where do you work?"

There it was again, the slight shifting and the nibbling on her lower lip, like she was already regretting her decision. Mat tightened his grip on the steering wheel, wishing he could say something to put her at ease.

"Um, Pulaski Highway."

Mat frowned. That wasn't exactly an answer, not really. And it was further away than he thought, especially if she had planned on taking a bus. But he didn't say anything, just moved into the left lane so he could change directions to get on the highway.

"Where on Pulaski Highway?" His mind was mentally travelling the long highway, trying to imagine where she might be working. It ran from the city to the county, a long stretch of questionable neighborhoods, industry, trucking companies, and clubs. He wasn't completely familiar with the area, though, so he was having a difficult time trying to figure out where she might be working.

"Um, I'll let you know when we get closer."

Was it his imagination, or was she still uncomfortable? More uncomfortable than before? Which made no sense so maybe it was just his imagination. He leaned back in the seat, hoping he looked relaxed and confident, something he wasn't exactly feeling at the moment. Which was ridiculous. He wasn't normally like this, so hesitant and uncertain. What was it about this woman in particular that made him feel so inadequate? Maybe it wasn't her, maybe it was the comments from all the guys that morning in New Orleans, from the jokes and ribs he'd had to endure the rest of that trip.

The jokes and ribbing he was still enduring.

It didn't matter. At least, it shouldn't matter. And he should really try to find something to talk about, because he didn't want this entire ride to be done in silence. Especially if he wanted to find some way to see her again.

"So how was your flight?"

"My flight?"

"Yeah. Last month. Um, from New Orleans?" And now he just felt like an idiot again for even bringing it up. He hadn't meant it as a reminder of their night together but he got the feeling she was taking it that way because he could see a small flush paint her cheeks a pale pink. Or maybe that was just a reflection of the sinking sun.

"It was fine. I guess. I've never really flown much before so I don't know if all the jumping and bouncing was normal or not."

"Turbulence. Yeah, I'm not a big fan of that myself."

"I guess you fly a lot, huh?"

"Yeah. During the season, especially."

Nicole nodded. Silence settled over the interior once more, still heavy but not as oppressive. Maybe she was feeling a little more comfortable. Or maybe Mat was just being a little too optimistic.

She looked over. Was it his imagination, or was that a hint of smile teasing her mouth? "Did you enjoy the rest of your trip?"

Mat wanted to tell her the truth: no. Because he had been worrying about her, thinking about her, dreaming about her. But he couldn't tell her that, not without sounding like a complete fool, so he nodded and gave her a small smile. "Yeah, it wasn't bad. I was glad to get home though. I can only take so much of New Orleans. It's a great city, don't get me wrong, but sometimes the crowds get to me."

Nicole nodded but he got the impression she didn't exactly agree with him. Great. Nothing like putting more distance between them by pointing out their differences. He cleared his throat and glanced over at her. "How about you? Did you enjoy your stay?"

A bright smile lit her face as she looked over at him. Really looked, not just a quick uncomfortable glance. "I had so much fun. It was my first time there and oh my God. The people, the smells, the tastes. It was so much better than I imagined. I'd love to go back again when I can stay longer, spend more time there and really get to know it."

"That's right, you didn't stay long, did you?"

"No, just two nights. That was all I could aff—I mean, all I could swing. With work, I mean."

He caught the word, mentally finished it even though she didn't. She was going to say 'afford'. Mat suddenly wondered if maybe she was embarrassed by that and he wanted to tell her not to be. But he didn't want to make her uncomfortable again so he just nodded.

"You'll have to let me know when you go back. Maybe I can tell you some different places to go or see."

"Yeah. Maybe."

But she didn't look convinced, like she already knew she wouldn't be going back. And Mat suddenly wanted nothing more than to prove her wrong. To turn the car around and go straight to the airport and take her away, right back to New Orleans so she should could explore it for as long as she wanted. Anything to see her face light up the way it had just a moment ago.

Except some people would probably call that kidnapping.

"Well, I'm glad you had fun." He cleared his throat and offered her a grin, wondering if he sounded as idiotic as he felt. She glanced over at him and smiled but just a small one, not nearly as bright as before.

"I did. And I got some great pictures so it was definitely worth it."

"You like that? Taking pictures, I mean."

Her smile came back, bright and enthusiastic. "Oh yeah, definitely. That's what I do at the hospital: take portraits of the kids and finesse them, show them how cute they are. It gives them hope, you know? To see that they're not just hospital gowns and IVs and machines. I've always loved photography. That's what I really want to do. Not just portraits but everything. I love it."

Mat found himself smiling back, wrapped up in her enthusiasm and excitement. "Maybe you could show me some of your stuff. I mean, if you want."

"Yeah. Maybe." But her smile faded, more forced now than genuine, and Mat didn't understand what he'd said to make it dim. He opened his mouth, thinking maybe he should apologize, but she shook her head and pointed ahead of them. "You can just drop me off up there."

'Up there' was in front of a row of fenced-in storage units, the kind where people could rent them by the month. It looked run down, dilapidated, with an air of desperation surrounding it. He could imagine, for just a second, what it must feel like to be forced to keep all your possessions in one tiny unit, locked away and then abandoned. No, he took that back. He couldn't imagine, didn't want to imagine.

"Is that where you work?"

Nicole shifted in her seat, not looking at him. "Um, no. But I can walk the rest of the way."

"Don't be ridiculous. I can drive you. Just tell me where to go."

"Really, it's not that far—"

"Nicole. I am not dropping you off on the side of Pulaski Highway and making you walk to wherever. It's not safe. Just tell me where to take you."

She didn't answer right away. And when he passed the storage area, she glanced over at him with a look of surprise. And something else. Desperation? Panic? And shit, he didn't want her to panic, even though he couldn't understand what caused it. Unless she thought he was just going to keep going, not drop her off anywhere. Shit. He should have thought of that, should have realized that maybe he was giving her the wrong impression. She was a woman alone in a car with someone who was essentially a stranger. Never mind that they'd met already, that they'd slept together. They were still really nothing more than strangers.

And he'd just driven past where she asked to be dropped off. He could only imagine what thoughts were going through her mind.

Mat cleared his throat again and started pulling the car over to the side of the road. He could turn the car around, take her back to where she asked to be dropped off. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have—"

"No." She glanced over at him, then looked back out the window, her jaw tense. "No, it's okay. Um, you can drop me off up ahead. That's where I work."

Mat squinted, looking up the highway to see where she meant. There really wasn't anything he could see, at least not any place he could imagine she'd be working. Nothing except a strip club, the neon lights bright and garish in the shadows of the evening sun.

He slowed the car, glancing first at the single story concrete building then at Nicole. He cleared his throat, not sure what to say, and pulled the car into the gravel parking lot.

No, not gravel. The lot was asphalt, but so torn up and rutted that he'd thought it was gravel at first. The car lurched and bounced over a deep pothole and he clenched his jaw at the sound of the undercarriage scraping against asphalt. He pulled into one of the empty spots and sat there, staring at the building in front of him, not quite sure what to say.

He wasn't a prude. Despite that damned nickname Derek had started, he wasn't a prude. And he certainly wasn't an innocent. Hell, he'd been to strip clubs before. Not many, and only because one teammate or the other had dragged him along. He didn't have anything against them, they just weren't really his style.

And the one he was looking at now was on a different scale than the others he'd been to. He didn't want to go so far as saying it was rundown but—yeah, not far from it. But maybe that was just what he could see from the outside, because the lot was half-full and it was still early. So yeah, maybe it wasn't as bad as he thought.