Time Out (19 page)

“What’s got you
in such a pissy mood?” he asked, walking toward the bathroom.

“Life.”

Megan was
scanning blogs highlighting the local recording artists when
someone knocked at the door. She heard Stephan turn the shower off
at the same time, and she hoped he had the good sense to stay in
the bathroom until her visitor left. She didn’t want any of her new
friends in Nashville meeting her half-brother.

When she stood
on her toes to look through the peephole, she could barely catch
her breath.
Nick
. She thought about pretending she was out,
but when the hammering on the other side of the door became more
insistent, she knew he wouldn’t give up easily.

Megan opened
the door as she tried to force air into her lungs. “What are you
doing here?” She gripped the door handle tighter.
Lord have
mercy, he’s gorgeous
. He wore black jeans, a black, button-down
shirt, and cowboy boots. His hair looked freshly cut, and he wore
that spicy cologne that made her want to lick him all over.

“We can’t go on
like this, baby. We need to talk.”

The endearment
slipped from his lips so easily and reminded her of all the times
he’d called her that when they made love. “Now’s not a good
time.”

“Too bad.” He
walked right past her, and she was too stunned to try to stop him.
“I’ve given you time and space, now we’re gonna talk.”

“How did you
find out where I was staying?”

“My mother told
me.”

Megan closed
the door and leaned back against it as she crossed her arms. “She
had no right to do that.”

“She knew I was
goin’ through hell.”

Megan’s heart
twisted. No man had ever been as open with her as Nick. He wore his
heart on his sleeve. That was one of the many things she admired
about him. He was courageous where she was scared. “I’m sorry to
hear that.”

He slowly moved
in on her. Bracing one hand just above her head, he used his body
to block her in. “Are you? Really?”

She closed her
eyes and inhaled deeply. His scent was so intoxicating, one sniff
made her tipsy.

“What are you
doin’?” he asked, brushing his cheek against hers.

The faint
outline of stubble created just enough friction to give her thrill
bumps all over. “I’m just-”

“Hey, I didn’t
know we had company,” Stephan said.

Megan winced
when Nick turned around so fast she feared he may get whiplash.
She’d been so caught up in him, she’d almost forgotten about
Stephan.

“Who the hell
are you?” Nick moved in on Stephan, who was now wearing a bathrobe
that matched Megan’s.

Nick stood with
his hands fisted at his sides, and Megan saw he was poised to
strike. Nick was tall and muscular, while Stephan was shorter and
leaner. Nick would make him beg for mercy by the time he was
through.

“I could ask
you the same question.” Stephan looked Nick up and down with
obvious disdain.

“Start talkin’
or I start beatin’ the shit out of you.”

Megan knew if
she didn’t stop Nick, the situation would be disastrous for
Stephan. Not that she felt the need to protect him. She was more
concerned about Nick landing in jail.

Reaching for
Nick’s arm, she said, “Nick, you-”

“I asked him.”
Nick stepped closer to Stephan. “Whatever you think you got goin’
on with her, it’s over.”

Stephan
smirked. “Is that so?”

Nick shoved
him, causing him to stumble. “Are you laughin’ at me, you little
punk?”

“What if I
am?”

Megan squeezed
her eyes shut when her receding headache came back with a
vengeance.

“Let’s get one
thing clear, asshole. She’s mine. Whatever the hell you think this
is, it’s nothin’ more than a one-night stand.” Nick shoved Stephan
again, but Stephan managed to stand his ground.

“Nick-” Megan
said, grabbing his arm. She was hurt he would assume she’d jumped
into bed with another man so soon after leaving him, but if their
situations were reversed and she found Nick and another woman in a
hotel room wearing matching bathrobes, she knew she would draw the
same conclusions. It would destroy her, just as it was destroying
him. “Would you just listen to me?”

Nick turned to
face her, his handsome face a mask of pain and rage. “How could you
do this? I thought about you every goddamn minute for the last five
days. You don’t know how many times I picked up my phone to call
you, to tell you how much I missed you. Finally, when I couldn’t
stand to be away from you another second, I come here and find you
with this loser? Do you have any idea what you’re doin’ to me?”

“Hey, watch who
you call a loser, man,” Stephan said, crossing his arms.

Megan glared at
him over Nick’s shoulder. “Shut up and get dressed.”

“I still need a
place to stay tonight.”

Nick turned on
him, his face coloring as the veins in his neck became more
pronounced. “If you don’t get the hell outta here, you’re gonna
spend tonight in a hospital.”

“Fine,” Stephan
muttered and headed toward the bathroom.

Her
half-brother wasn’t the smartest guy Megan had ever met, but she
gave him credit for recognizing real danger.

“I gotta get
the hell out of here before I do or say somethin’ I’m gonna
regret,” Nick muttered, striding toward the door.

“He’s my
brother.”

That stopped
him in his tracks. It took a minute before he turned to face her.
“What did you say?”

“You just had
the pleasure of meeting my half-brother Stephan. Didn’t you notice
the family resemblance?” Megan said sarcastically. They had no
physical similarities. He had dark blonde, shaggy hair and light
eyes while she was dark with an olive complexion, much like her
father.

“Are you
serious?”

She sank down
at the desk, suddenly feeling exhausted. “Yes. My mother put him up
for adoption when he was baby. He reached out to me shortly after
she died.”

Nick retraced
his steps, stopping just short of where she sat. “What’s he doin’
here? What does he want?”

“Who knows?
Money probably.” Megan was tired of pretending. Maybe if he knew
how messed up her family was, he would lose interest. That would be
best for him, but it would break her heart.

Nick set his
hands on his hips. “Did he ask you for money?”

“Not yet, but
I’m sure he will. Why else would he come all this way? I was
letting him stay at my condo in L.A. He said he was trying to get
his life back together, get a job, get off the booze. Judging by
his smell when he walked in, that isn’t going so well.”

“He’s takin’
advantage of you, baby. Can’t you see that?”

“I’m not
stupid, Nick. I know what’s going on.”

He dropped to
one knee and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You deserve
better than that.”

“He’s kind of
the only family I’ve got.” She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t like him
very much, but who says you have to like your family, right?”

He pulled her
into his arms and stroked her back. “I’m sorry I assumed the worst.
I seem to have a bad habit of doin’ that with you.”

She laid her
head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Being back in his arms
felt so good. “It’s okay. I would have done the same.”

“Let’s get him
out of here so we can talk.” Nick stood up when the bathroom door
opened. He turned to face Stephan. “So, Meg told me what the deal
is.”

“Is this where
you apologize for calling me a loser?”

Nick looked him
up and down. “Don’t push your luck, buddy.” Nick reached into his
pocket and peeled a few hundreds off a stack of bills. “Get a room
and don’t bother your sister again tonight. We need some time
alone.” He tossed the bills in Stephan’s direction. Stephan
scrambled to grab them before they hit the floor, causing Nick to
roll his eyes.

“So, you’re her
boyfriend, huh?” Stephan asked.

“Yeah, I
am.”

Megan didn’t
bother to correct Nick. What was the point?

Stephan
chuckled. “You must have been pretty pissed when you walked in here
and found her with me.”

“I’m not
laughin’, and you shouldn’t be either. Now get out and remember
what I said.”

Stephan looked
at Megan. “Can I come by and see you tomorrow?”

“Sure.” The
sooner she found out what he wanted, the sooner she could send him
away.

“If you want
money, don’t ask her.” Nick reached into his pocket and extracted a
business card. Handing it to Stephan, he said, “You want money, you
can work for me.”

Stephan turned
the business card over. “Triple M? What the hell is that, a ranch?
Dude, I don’t think working on a ranch is my thing.” He
laughed.

“I don’t think
you have any other options, do you?”

“But-”

“You want
money, you have to earn it. Your sister’s days of supportin’ you
are over. You got me?”

“But-”

“But nothing.”
Nick pointed at the door. “You want a job, meet me at the ranch at
noon tomorrow. You’re one minute late, and I rescind my offer. Got
it?”

“Yeah, I got
it.” Stephan paused before stepping forward to shake Nick’s hand.
“Thanks, man. I appreciate it.”

Nick accepted
his hand and looked him in the eye. “Prove it.”

Megan waited
until Stephan closed the door before she stepped into Nick’s arms.
“You didn’t have to do that.”

“Yes, I did. If
he doesn’t learn how to be a man, he’s gonna harass you all the
goddamn time. I’m not havin’ that.”

Nick was so
sure of himself, so in control. Just being around him made Megan
feel stronger. “I missed you,” she whispered.

He kissed the
top of her head. “You better have. I was goin’ out of my mind
without you.” He pulled Megan’s robe apart. “I hate the way we left
things, Meg.”

He wasn’t the
only one. She’d replayed their last conversation over and over in
her head until she was certain she was losing her mind.

Nick said,
“Whatever happened in your past, I don’t care. Whatever your plans
for the future, I’ll support you. Just let me have time with you.
Please.”

Megan leaned
into him, letting him slide the robe off. She needed him more than
she’d ever needed anyone, and that gave him the upper hand.

He kissed her
shoulder, whispering endearments as his hot breath tickled her
sensitive skin. “You’re everything I’ve ever wanted,
sweetheart.”

“But I’m the
last thing you need.” Saying it pained her, but she couldn’t live
with herself if she led him on. “I’m not good for you.”

He walked
backward into the bedroom, taking her with him. “Don’t say that. I
don’t want to hear all the reasons we’re wrong for each other,
baby. No way in hell can something that feels this right be
wrong.”

She couldn’t
dispute his words. They did feel right together, as though he was
the missing piece in the puzzle of her life. When they were
together, everything clicked. It didn’t matter that her brother was
a freeloader, or her father didn’t want her, or her mother used her
to collect child support. The only thing that mattered was the way
Nick made her feel: precious, worthy of love, and that the other
people in her life had been too self-absorbed to realize she was
special.

“I love the way
you make me feel,” she whispered, working the buttons running down
the front of his shirt. “I’ve had the worst day, but you walked in
here, and none of that mattered anymore. I felt like I could face
anything. My brother, irritable bosses, and sulky celebrities… it
all just kind of faded away.”

He closed his
eyes, a smile teasing his lips as she stripped off his shirt and
kissed his chest. “I love that you feel that way, angel. More than
anything, I want to be your safe place.”

Her safe
place.
She’d never had a safe place. Even with a lock on her
bedroom door, she knew her mother’s newest boyfriend was just
across the hall. At school, her so-called friends had rummaged
through her personal things at their leisure. Even her condo, which
was supposed to be a safe haven, was anything but once her
ex-lover’s wife found out where she lived.

Megan couldn’t
tell him how much it meant to her that he wanted her to feel safe.
She’d vowed to take care of herself and refused help from anyone
who offered because she feared she couldn’t repay the debt when
they came to collect. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you…”

He smiled and
ran a finger down her cheek when her voice cracked. “You don’t have
to do anything. Just be who you are.” He leaned in to kiss her
deeply, thoroughly, showing her without words how much he’d missed
their connection. “You act as though I made your life better, but
you don’t realize how much you’ve given me.” He coaxed her down on
the bed with him. Toeing off his boots, he lay down beside her and
propped his head in his hand.

He ran his hand
over her stomach, but she was soothed instead of aroused. Nick
said, “My whole life, I’ve had to be that much better than everyone
else at everything to gain their respect. Everyone assumed I had it
all ‘cause my old man was rich and famous. They didn’t realize it
came with a price. He was gone a lot, and that was tough when I was
young. I wanted him to be at my football and baseball games, but he
couldn’t ‘cause he was on the road all the time.”

Megan watched
him trace circles on her stomach, mesmerizing her with his words
and his actions. “Your life, your family, it all just seems so
perfect. I guess I never really thought about the sacrifices
involved,” she said.

“Don’t get me
wrong, my dad’s the best. He’s always been there when I needed to
talk, but did I miss havin’ him there on my tenth birthday or at my
high school graduation? Hell, yeah.”

“It’s hard to
believe Ty would miss out on those things. He seems so devoted to
you and your family.”