Wilde Ink (Wilde Brothers Book 3) (11 page)

“Hey boss man, you’re needed down here,” Janie bellowed loud enough Nick swore he felt the floor tremble from the noise.

“Why did I bother installing an intercom system? She never uses the fucking thing,” he muttered to himself as he stood and stretched before heading downstairs. He was near the bottom of the steps and about to ask what was so important Janie had felt the need to shake the rafters, but he never got the chance. There were people filling his waiting room. A lot of people. And he knew every single one of them.

What the fuck was his entire family doing here?

“Is everything okay?” he asked, mildly panicked.

“No, boy. It’s not. We’re here to have a word with you.” His father stepped up to the counter, his gray brows furrowed into an expression that Nick had come to dread. It meant Brian Wilde was on the warpath.

“All of you?”

His mother moved into view, her usual smile replaced with a sad expression that hit Nick far harder than his father’s anger. “All of us, Nicky. Your family.”

“I’m here under duress, actually,” Tag piped up from the back, then yelped as Jo elbowed him sharply.

They were all here. Ben and Kelly, Jo and Tag, even Jared and Dave were lurking near the back. “What did I do this time?”

“Oh, Nicky,” his mom sighed and then came around the counter, arms open. “She was right, and I’m so sorry, sweetheart.”

Nick found himself being hugged, and he still had no clue what the fuck was going on. “So, I’m not in trouble? Then why are you all here? I’m very fucking confused right now.”

Meg frowned and tsked. “Language.”

“Sorry, mom.”

“You would think I raised you five in a barn the way you all talk. As for why we’re here, it’s been brought to our attention that we’ve not been very fair to you.” She turned her head and looked at her husband. “Some of us, more than others.”

Holy shit.
His family was here to
apologize
?

His dad cleared his throat. “You could have told us about you going back to school, Nicky. Getting your degree, that’s something special. Did you really think we wouldn’t want to share that moment?”

Well, that answered the question of who had told them. Only Lia knew about his upcoming graduation. Apparently, she’d decided his family needed to know. That was a good sign, right? Fuck, he hoped so. As his mom let go of him he decided to take the bull by the horns and be honest. “None of you expressed much interest in my life up until now, so no, I didn’t think you’d want to know. The only time you or Dave ever seemed to care about what’s going on with me is when you think I’ve screwed up. You’ve all got your lives, and I’ve got mine. None of you have ever even been in my shop before now.”

“What am I? Chopped fucking liver?” Tag grumbled from his place at the door.

Nick grinned. “Sorry, bro. None of you, except Tag. I get it. I do. I’ve been the black sheep of this family for as long as I can remember. I love you guys, and I know you love me, but we just don’t mix. Never have.”

“Bullshit.”

Nick blinked and glanced down at his mother, who had just uttered the first curse word he’d ever heard her use.

“What?”

“You heard me. This family doesn’t have a black sheep. What it does have are a bunch of bullheaded men who keep thinking they have to do everything on their own.”

Every man present started to shake his head and argue, but Meg raised her hand, cutting them off. “I wasn’t done. Tag, when you got hurt, you vanished from our lives. We were ready to help you with all the changes in your life, but you never gave us the chance. And you, Ben, working all the time to renovate that house of yours. Did it ever occur to you we’d help with that too?”

“But mom—” Ben started, only to have their mother keep talking right over him.

“But mom, nothing. You’re all the same. Jared is so focused on keeping the bar running that your father and I had to drag him out the door tonight just to get him here. As if the place wouldn’t run itself for a few hours. We tried to teach you all to be independent, and sometimes I think we did too good a job. And you, David Emmerson Wilde, I see you smirking back there. You’re the worst of the lot! Working long hours, keeping yourself locked away and pretending that nothing affects you anymore, that you live for the job and don’t need anything else, or anyone.”

The room was silent now, and Nick felt like they’d all been caught with their hand in the proverbial cookie jar. He had a strong urge to hang his head and shove his hands in his pockets, and he bet he wasn’t alone.

“Now that you’ve scolded our boys to silence, sweetheart, do you think we can get back on track? Nick, we came here to tell you that we’d like to be there for your graduation. All of us.”

Meg cleared her throat and gave her husband a pointed look. “And?”

“Dammit, woman, I’m getting to it. Nicky, I’m proud of you. I’ve always been proud of you, and if I screwed up so badly that you didn’t know that, well then, I’m sorry. Now come over here and hug your old man before your mother yells at us all again.”

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d hugged his father. Brian Wilde wasn’t a hugger. A quick clasp of the shoulder, a silent nod, that’s the most anyone expected from the old man, but not this time. He pounded Nick on the back as he hugged him, sure, but there was a connection too. Pride and even love showed in his father’s eyes as they embraced. There were more hugs from his brothers, and then several grumbling complaints as both Kelly and Jo hugged him too, adding a kiss to his cheek for good measure.

“That’s enough sisterly affection, Jolena. Let go of him before I need to inflict bodily harm. He’s got his own woman to fondle now.”

“I’m not sure I do, bro. I might have screwed that up,” Nick confessed.

“Who do you think got us all down here? The Tooth Fairy? It’s a good thing you’re pretty, little brother, because you’re not too bright,” Ben said and everyone else laughed before stepping back to clear a straight line to the back corner of the waiting room. Lia was standing there, leaning up against the wall with a shy smile on her beautiful face.

“Hi,” was all she said, but to Nick it was the sexiest sound in the world.

“You did this?” he asked, already stalking across the room toward her.

“I did. I know it was supposed to be a secret, but I thought they needed to know. They love you, Nick. They just needed a way to show you. After today, I think we should be a zero secrets kind of couple. So if you have anything else you’d like to confess, now would be the time.”

“I just have one more confession to make,” he told her as he pulled her into his arms.

“What’s that?”

“I love you.” He didn’t give her a chance to say anything more. Not that she needed to say a word. Her actions had told him how she felt louder than any words she could have spoken. She’d learned the darkest secret in his closet, and instead of being angry, she’d found a way to bring his whole family to his shop and tell him that they were proud of him. That was love, pure and simple. Lia melted into his arms, all warmth and laughter. Her lips parted beneath his, tongues tangling as her arms came around his neck, holding him close.

“I love you too.” She finally managed to whisper the words when he lifted his head to catch his breath. He grinned and she rose on her toes to kiss him again. He groaned as she rubbed herself up against him, his cock springing to life in an instant.

“Uh, guys? Parents in the room, also siblings who do not need that in-depth a glimpse into your love life,” Jared said, reminding Nick they were not alone. He broke their kiss to glance up and found they were the center of a great deal of attention.

“Yeah, and I’m going to need a raise to pay for the therapy, boss man.” Janie chimed in from her workstation, where she was grinning like a lunatic.

“No raises, and please, Jared, I walked in on you and the babysitter when I was eleven, you have nothing to bitch about.”

Meg squawked. “The babysitter? Which one? I’ll kill her.”

“Oh God, now you’ve done it. I’m out of here.” Jared groaned and started backing up toward the door.

“I’ll drive,” Dave offered, and within seconds everyone was leaving, waving and laughing as they filed out, Meg still demanding details from a fast retreating Jared.

“Janie, do you have a handle on things here?” Lia asked.

“All taken care of. You two get out of here and I’ll see you when you get back. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”

“Get back from where? Did I miss something?” Nick asked.

“We’re going away,” Lia announced.

“When?”

“Right now. You’re already packed, your stuff is in the car.”

“How? Why?”

“You’re really cute when you’re confused. I called in some favors. I’m taking a few days off, your brothers packed for you, and Janie’s covering the shop. My parents are going to take care of Mister Darcy, and you are coming with me to Las Vegas.”

“Anyone ever tell you that you’re really sexy when you get all bossy?” he asked before kissing her again.

“Only you. Did I mention our flight leaves in two hours? We need to get going.”

He threaded his fingers through hers and grinned. “Then let’s get out of here. You can explain to me how this all came to be on the way to the airport. And Cin? I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the dancing thing.”

She tugged him out the door, nearly bouncing with eagerness to get going. “You’re going to make it up to me when we get to Vegas. There’s a few things I need to tell you about, too, then we’ll both be done with our confessions. Clean slates all around.”

“Sounds good to me.”

She grinned at him. “You know what sounds good to me?”

“What?”

“When you tell me you love me.”

He looked at the beauty smiling up at him and knew without a doubt that she was it for him. The woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. “I love you very much.”

Chapter Eleven

Lia was bubbling over with happiness. She couldn’t stop smiling, and every time she looked over at Nick he seemed to be having the same reaction, because he grinned right back at her. They’d bounced through airport security and flirted and cuddled waiting for their turn to board. They spent the flight talking about nothing and everything, planning out what they’d try and see during their three day hiatus from winter and the real world.

It wasn’t until they reached the hotel room that her mood dimmed. As much as she wanted to enjoy herself, there were a few things Lia needed to tell Nick, starting with the truth about where she was the night her brother died. It was a secret she hadn’t told anyone. She didn’t even like to let herself remember it, preferring to keep the memories of that night locked safely away. Lia knew she couldn’t do that anymore. It was time to change the way she lived her life, and who she was living it for.

They explored the room together, especially the luxurious bathroom with its massive shower and marble tiling. Outside the window, the lights of Las Vegas sparkled in a never-ending display, while inside everything was plush and soft and designed for decadence. She was still unpacking when Nick came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her back into his arms. “Earth to Lia, come in, sexy goddess of mine.”

“I’m here.”

“Nope, you weren’t. You were lost inside your own head, overthinking something again. You had scrunchie-face going on, I saw it. So talk to me and tell me what’s going on. You said you had some confessions of your own to make, right? The sooner you tell me, the sooner we can put this all behind us and get on with enjoying our trip.”

“It’s not that big a deal, really.”

“Liar. If it wasn’t a big deal, you wouldn’t be stalling.”

“You mean like you kept putting off telling me you stripped your way through college under the name, Nick Raven? I Googled you, by the way.”

Nick winced a little at that bit of news. “I really am sorry about that. You still haven’t told me how you found out.”

“Everything I have to tell you is all tied together.” She turned in his arms until she could brush a kiss to his jaw.

“So tell me already.” Nick kept her in his arms as he led her back to the king-sized bed that dominated their room. Once he was seated on the edge, he pulled her down into his lap, and she settled into his arms. Having him hold her made this all feel easier to say.

“The night Alex got shot… I wasn’t out with my friends. I’ve been telling that lie for so long, it feels like it’s the truth, but it isn’t.”

“So, where were you?”

“I was out with Jesse, the guy I was seeing. Dad had forbidden me to go out with him, called him a bad seed, but I thought he was perfect. He smoked and skipped classes and rode a beat-up old motorcycle.”

“So, this thing about bad boys started early for you?” Nick asked, nuzzling her hair.

“Apparently. Anyway, I was out with him, and we…I…that was the night I gave him my virginity. It should have been special, but it wasn’t. Neither of us knew what we were doing, and when it was over he didn’t seem to know what to say, so he just dropped me off a few blocks from home like he usually did. I was confused and feeling guilty, and when I rounded the last corner I walked into a nightmare.”

“He just left you on the street to walk home alone? What the hell kind of asshole does that?”

“The jerky kind. I tried to call him the next day to tell him about Alex, but he didn’t want to talk to me. He dumped me by text the day after the funeral.”

Nick growled and held her tighter. “You deserved better.”

“Yes I did. I deserved someone like you, but I didn’t understand that back then. The day we buried my brother, I made some promises. I swore I’d be everything that Alex was, and do my best to make up for the fact he died because I didn’t show up for work. No more bad boys or bad decisions. I was going to be the perfect child, someone my parents could be proud of. I also swore that someday the ones who killed him would be punished. I didn’t know how, but I was determined. That’s why I became a cop. And those promises are the real reason I ran out on you that first night. You were everything I wanted and nothing that I was supposed to have.”

Nick hugged her so tightly she could barely breathe, but she didn’t protest. How could she, when having him hold her felt so good?

“You are perfect, just the way you are. And I promise I will spend the rest of my life proving that to you, if you’ll let me. What you did today, bringing my family together like that…no one has ever done so much for me. I thought I’d lost you, and then there you were, showing me what I hadn’t been able to see. My dad hasn’t hugged me in years, but he did today. He told me he was proud of me, and that was something I never expected to hear. You did all that for me. Whatever you need from me, you’ve got it. You just have to ask.”

“As it turns out, you already helped me get what I needed. When we went to Leo’s last night, one of the guys on my shift realized he’d seen me before. He just didn’t recognize the buttoned up, all business, version of me. He didn’t put it together until he saw me last night. Once he figured it out, he told me something I would never have otherwise learned. The guy who shot my brother was killed in a car accident less than a week later. His name isn’t in the file, because they never got a chance to make a case before he died.”

“So the promise you made to your brother is done?”

“All done. After I called your family, I called mine too. The three of us had a long talk and a few tears this afternoon. They didn’t know about my promises to Alex either, though my mom always suspected. I should have known, nothing gets by that woman. They want to meet you as soon as we’re back in town. When I left, mom was already planning the menu.”

“I’m glad you got the answers you needed. Gladder still to know that you can put those promises behind you now. I’m happy to meet your parents and tell them what an incredible, hot, sexy woman they’ve raised.”

“Better not use the words hot or sexy if you don’t want my Dad to lose his mind.”

“I make no promises. You still haven’t told me how you ended up finding out about the stripping thing.”

“Oh, God. It was Bill and a few guys from my shift. Your previous career wasn’t much of a secret apparently, at least not to those who spend all their spare time at Leo’s. I walked into work yesterday to find my desk plastered in pictures of you, half-naked, while Bill offered me a lap dance.”

“I hope you said no. No one gives you a lap dance except me.”

“Bill Nayer is fifty-three years old, balding and has two ex-wives. I am hoping I can do better.”

“Damn right you can. I mean, you have. Me.”

She laughed and lifted her head to brush a teasing kiss across his mouth. “Does this mean you’ll dance for me sometime?”

Nick’s grin turned wicked, and Lia’s body came to life in an instant as heat flashed through her. Her nipples went hard and her pussy clenched in response to the desire she saw blazing in her lover’s eyes. “That depends. Did you like what you saw in those pictures?”

“I did. I might have even downloaded a few of them, for posterity, you know.”

“You don’t have to settle for pictures. You can have the real thing, any time you want.”

“Is that so? Well then, I’m going to close my eyes and make a wish. I want to see Nick Raven dance for me.” Lia closed her eyes, and Nick’s next words made her entire body tremble with anticipation.

“Your wish is my command.”

****

Nick lifted Lia out of his lap and back to her feet. “Stay right there and keep your eyes closed.”

“Now who’s the bossy one?” Lia asked, but she didn’t move from the spot where he’d left her. She trusted him enough to relinquish control, and that was the greatest compliment she could give him. It was a hell of a turn on, too.

“Hang on one second while I find you a place to sit.”

“I can’t sit on the bed?”

“Not for what I have in mind, no.” Nick was planning on giving the performance of his life, and if he had her that close to the bed, he’d be tempted to cut it short. No, he needed to set the stage first.

“How did the stripping thing happen? Did you wake up one day and decide you needed more colorful resume?”

Nick chuckled as he pulled out his phone and called up one of the songs he used to dance to, cranking the volume before putting it down on the corner of the bed. “Nothing like that. I bussed tables at Leo’s from the day I turned fourteen, and once I was legal Dad had me behind the bar, pouring drinks.”

He dragged out a chair to the middle of the room and closed the curtains as he continued talking. “It was a marketable skill, and I needed to eat, so I went to school during the day and wound up tending bar for an all-male revue. The pay was crap, but the tips were good enough to keep me afloat for the first year. We worked shirtless, just some cheesy tuxedo collar and cuffs. After I got the wing tattoos, tips got even better and I was getting enough notice the manager asked me if I wanted to make some real cash as a dancer. I was young, dumb, and fearless, so I did it. Turns out, I wasn’t half bad, and once I started practicing, I was making insane amounts of money.”

“I can only imagine. Sex sells, right?”

He caught the note of doubt in her voice and was at her side in a second, taking her hands in his and leading her to the chair, keeping his hands on her every step of the way. “What really sells is the illusion. Hell, half the guys I danced with were gay. It didn’t matter though, because having sex wasn’t what most women were there for. They wanted to have fun, flirt and misbehave a little. No harm, no foul, no threat to their marriage or boyfriends.”

“So you’re trying to tell me you were a choir boy?” Lia asked, her tone one of completely disbelief as she took a seat, her hands in her lap and her eyes still closed.

“Choir boy? Me? Fuck no. But I was also working and going to school full time. I was too tired to get into too much trouble. Then when I left school, I was working for Tor. I was no better than any other college boy, Lia, but I wasn’t any worse, either. When I had enough cash, I was very happy to turn in my G-string and head home to Chicago. I think I slept for a month.”

“Would you do it again?”

“No. That part of my life ended years ago.”

“Well, now I know how you learned those moves you made on me that first night we danced. Speaking of which, how much longer until I get to see this money-making performance?”

“Patience, Cin. Good things come to those who wait. You can open your eyes when the music starts.” He took up a position right in front of her, his bare feet sinking into the plush carpet. The last thing he did was hit play on his phone, and the opening strains of Def Leppard’s
Pour Some Sugar On Me
filled the room. Lia’s eyes flew open, and he let the music take him back to his days on stage.

He rolled his hips and moved in close, teasing her with his body without ever making contact. When she reached for him, he shook his head and moved out of reach before slowly peeling his T-shirt up his body an inch at a time.

The tip of her tongue came out to wet her lips, and Nick’s dick went instantly hard as he imagined those lush lips wrapped around his cock. He lost sight of her as he whipped his shirt over his head, and when he could see again she had moved forward in her chair. He let the shirt fall to the floor and strutted up to her again, letting her see just how turned on he was. Her gaze dropped to his crotch and she reached for him again, and once again he danced backward, out of her reach.

“No touching,” he whispered and then laughed as her lower lip jutted out in a full blown pout.

“Is that always a rule?”

“Uh huh.” He nodded, fingers already undoing the clasp of his jeans as he went through his routine.

“Even for special customers?”

“For you, I might make an exception…eventually.”

Lia grinned and leaned back in her chair again, giving him more space. He took every inch of it, gripping the back of the chair as he caged her in and rubbed his aching cock against her thigh. She gasped and he couldn’t resist stealing a kiss before stepping back again, leaving her panting.

“I thought you said no touching?”

Nick started peeling off his jeans, desperate to free his cock from its denim prison. “You can’t touch me. I can touch you all I want.”

“I think this game’s rigged.”

“Now you’re getting it.”

“No, I’m not. Not yet.”

He worked his jeans down and away, working his body in time to the heavy beat of the music. “Soon.”

This time when he moved in close, she didn’t play by the rules. She grabbed his briefs and tugged them down, freeing his dick. Her nails scored his skin as she pulled him in close enough she could take the head of his cock into her mouth. The song played on, but he didn’t care about dancing anymore. All he cared about was getting more of his dick inside the incredible heat of Lia’s mouth.

“Holy fuck, that’s good. I love it when you suck me off like that.” She hummed low, her tongue circling the slit at the top of his dick and his knees nearly buckled from the pleasure of it. She worked his cock with lips and tongue while she stripped him out of his underwear. When she cupped his balls in one hand he groaned her name, not wanting her to stop but not wanting to come yet, not before she did.