Better When He's Brave
Page 24
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“Thanks.” She curled her hand around the inside of my elbow and looked up at me from under the long fringe of her lashes.
“It had to be done.” I started across the parking lot not caring that she had to scramble to keep pace with me. She dug the edge of her nails into my skin, forcing me to look down at her.
“Remember that whole pretending-to-like-me thing. You’re sucking at it and we’ve only been out in public for an hour.”
I sighed and slowed my steps to match her shorter ones. I put a hand over where hers were resting and forced a grin across my lips. “Sorry. Being out in the open makes me nervous and I didn’t hear you come up behind me because I was thinking that it’s odd Bax hasn’t shown up demanding answers yet or found me and tried to take a swing at me. I can’t afford to be distracted and you can’t afford for me to be distracted either.”
“You’re only human, Titus. There is only so much you can do and only so much you can take responsibility for.”
I stopped by the GTO and reached around her to open the door. “Isn’t that what I tried to tell you last night?”
She slid past me, her body dragging all the way across mine. I had to suck in a breath when she stopped with the tips of our noses almost touching.
“You’re trying to save everyone, I just wanted to save the one person that mattered to me. It’s different.”
She slid into the passenger seat and I handed over the bags full of her purchases so she could throw them in the backseat. I didn’t have an answer to that, so I went around the car and wheeled us out of the parking lot and back toward the city so we could hit up Spanky’s.
“What reason are we going to give for being at a strip club? You don’t really strike me as the type that needs to slip dollars in a G-string in order to see naked women.”
She would be surprised. I hadn’t seen a naked woman in a lot longer than I cared to think about, and I definitely didn’t keep my eyes closed anytime I ventured into Spanky’s for work.
“I’m going to tell Chuck I need to talk to Nassir about the girl-on-the-dock case. He’ll let us in without asking too many questions.”
Chuck was the head of Nassir’s security. He was a holdover from Novak’s days and old-school muscle. He wouldn’t let a badge and a gun intimidate him. Luckily he seemed to like me and we generally didn’t have to butt heads. I knew that wouldn’t be the case if any of the charges I had thrown at the club over the years had managed to stick. Chuck was loyal to a fault and Nassir made sure to reward him accordingly.
“Okay. So what am I supposed to do while you talk to Nassir? Believe it or not, I’ve never actually been in a strip club.”
“We just need to walk in acting like we can’t get enough of each other. Nassir and whoever else might be watching needs to think I can’t stand to be away from you for even a second. Hold my hand, keep up with the little touches and junk. Just look at me adoringly and sell it. I bet Roark has eyes everywhere, so someone will get the news back to him.”
She lifted an eyebrow at me and smirked. “Adoringly. Gotcha.”
I grinned and looked at her out of the corner of my eye. “The girls that work there are kind of territorial. They aren’t going to love a girl that looks like you waltzing in on their turf, so try and ignore any shade they throw your way.”
She snorted softly. “I’m a grown-ass woman, Titus. I can handle myself. No one can make me feel worse about myself than I already do on a daily basis.”
I didn’t doubt she could hold her own, but years of being nothing more than meat for the hungriest predators the Point had to offer made the girls that danced at Spanky’s an entirely different breed of woman. They could be vicious and cruel without a second thought. It was how they protected themselves.
“Just remember why we’re there.”
She mumbled her agreement and the rest of the ride was silent until I pulled into the parking lot of the strip club. I made sure to park next to Nassir’s Bentley. It was the only spot where I was pretty sure nothing was going to happen to my baby. Nassir loved his outrageously expensive car, so I knew he probably had cameras on the spot where it was parked. I didn’t want the GTO to meet the same fate that had befallen Race’s Stang. Nassir might not give a shit about me or mine, but I left the GTO close enough to his ride that should anything happen to my car, his would be messed up as collateral damage, and the fancy bastard would never stand for that.
I pulled Reeve to my side and wrapped an arm around her shoulder so that her side was pressed tightly all along my own as she curled her arm around my waist and we headed inside. I burned everywhere we touched and I heard her breath hitch at the contact. I pulled open the door and winced as loud music and an overwhelming view of pink assaulted my senses. Nassir had way better taste than the previous owner of the club but he hadn’t gotten around to redoing the place. His attention had been focused on his club burning down and finding the man responsible.
Chuck was a giant black man. He was one of the few people I had ever encountered that I actually had to tilt my head back to look in his eyes. He flashed a blindingly white smile at me, which had the gold incisor he sported sparkling at me. I squeezed Reeve when I felt her stiffen next to me.
“What’s up, Chuck?”
“Twice in one week, cop. That’s not good for business.”
“I thought of another question I wanted to ask your boss.”
His dark eyes skimmed over me and landed on Reeve. He let his gaze sweep over her and then bounce back to me.
“You traveling with your own talent now?”
I forced a laugh and saw Reeve roll her eyes out of corner of my eye. “Something like that.” I hugged her closer and inwardly applauded her when she reached up to put a hand in the center of my chest. She batted her eyelashes at Chuck and gave him that grin of hers that was designed to stop anyone with the Y chromosome from thinking with the head that was located above their belts.
“It was supposed to be date night. He’s lucky I’m willing to let him make it up to me later.” She played the temptress so well it was no wonder it was all I could do not to touch.
She giggled when I let my hand slip to her ass. She turned the appropriate shade of red as Chuck waved us through into the heart of the club. I wasn’t an openly affectionate guy but something about touching her, putting my hands on all of her curves, felt natural. Playacting with this girl felt more right than being with any other girl that I had actually been involved with. That didn’t bode well for me or my sanity in the long run.
“It had to be done.” I started across the parking lot not caring that she had to scramble to keep pace with me. She dug the edge of her nails into my skin, forcing me to look down at her.
“Remember that whole pretending-to-like-me thing. You’re sucking at it and we’ve only been out in public for an hour.”
I sighed and slowed my steps to match her shorter ones. I put a hand over where hers were resting and forced a grin across my lips. “Sorry. Being out in the open makes me nervous and I didn’t hear you come up behind me because I was thinking that it’s odd Bax hasn’t shown up demanding answers yet or found me and tried to take a swing at me. I can’t afford to be distracted and you can’t afford for me to be distracted either.”
“You’re only human, Titus. There is only so much you can do and only so much you can take responsibility for.”
I stopped by the GTO and reached around her to open the door. “Isn’t that what I tried to tell you last night?”
She slid past me, her body dragging all the way across mine. I had to suck in a breath when she stopped with the tips of our noses almost touching.
“You’re trying to save everyone, I just wanted to save the one person that mattered to me. It’s different.”
She slid into the passenger seat and I handed over the bags full of her purchases so she could throw them in the backseat. I didn’t have an answer to that, so I went around the car and wheeled us out of the parking lot and back toward the city so we could hit up Spanky’s.
“What reason are we going to give for being at a strip club? You don’t really strike me as the type that needs to slip dollars in a G-string in order to see naked women.”
She would be surprised. I hadn’t seen a naked woman in a lot longer than I cared to think about, and I definitely didn’t keep my eyes closed anytime I ventured into Spanky’s for work.
“I’m going to tell Chuck I need to talk to Nassir about the girl-on-the-dock case. He’ll let us in without asking too many questions.”
Chuck was the head of Nassir’s security. He was a holdover from Novak’s days and old-school muscle. He wouldn’t let a badge and a gun intimidate him. Luckily he seemed to like me and we generally didn’t have to butt heads. I knew that wouldn’t be the case if any of the charges I had thrown at the club over the years had managed to stick. Chuck was loyal to a fault and Nassir made sure to reward him accordingly.
“Okay. So what am I supposed to do while you talk to Nassir? Believe it or not, I’ve never actually been in a strip club.”
“We just need to walk in acting like we can’t get enough of each other. Nassir and whoever else might be watching needs to think I can’t stand to be away from you for even a second. Hold my hand, keep up with the little touches and junk. Just look at me adoringly and sell it. I bet Roark has eyes everywhere, so someone will get the news back to him.”
She lifted an eyebrow at me and smirked. “Adoringly. Gotcha.”
I grinned and looked at her out of the corner of my eye. “The girls that work there are kind of territorial. They aren’t going to love a girl that looks like you waltzing in on their turf, so try and ignore any shade they throw your way.”
She snorted softly. “I’m a grown-ass woman, Titus. I can handle myself. No one can make me feel worse about myself than I already do on a daily basis.”
I didn’t doubt she could hold her own, but years of being nothing more than meat for the hungriest predators the Point had to offer made the girls that danced at Spanky’s an entirely different breed of woman. They could be vicious and cruel without a second thought. It was how they protected themselves.
“Just remember why we’re there.”
She mumbled her agreement and the rest of the ride was silent until I pulled into the parking lot of the strip club. I made sure to park next to Nassir’s Bentley. It was the only spot where I was pretty sure nothing was going to happen to my baby. Nassir loved his outrageously expensive car, so I knew he probably had cameras on the spot where it was parked. I didn’t want the GTO to meet the same fate that had befallen Race’s Stang. Nassir might not give a shit about me or mine, but I left the GTO close enough to his ride that should anything happen to my car, his would be messed up as collateral damage, and the fancy bastard would never stand for that.
I pulled Reeve to my side and wrapped an arm around her shoulder so that her side was pressed tightly all along my own as she curled her arm around my waist and we headed inside. I burned everywhere we touched and I heard her breath hitch at the contact. I pulled open the door and winced as loud music and an overwhelming view of pink assaulted my senses. Nassir had way better taste than the previous owner of the club but he hadn’t gotten around to redoing the place. His attention had been focused on his club burning down and finding the man responsible.
Chuck was a giant black man. He was one of the few people I had ever encountered that I actually had to tilt my head back to look in his eyes. He flashed a blindingly white smile at me, which had the gold incisor he sported sparkling at me. I squeezed Reeve when I felt her stiffen next to me.
“What’s up, Chuck?”
“Twice in one week, cop. That’s not good for business.”
“I thought of another question I wanted to ask your boss.”
His dark eyes skimmed over me and landed on Reeve. He let his gaze sweep over her and then bounce back to me.
“You traveling with your own talent now?”
I forced a laugh and saw Reeve roll her eyes out of corner of my eye. “Something like that.” I hugged her closer and inwardly applauded her when she reached up to put a hand in the center of my chest. She batted her eyelashes at Chuck and gave him that grin of hers that was designed to stop anyone with the Y chromosome from thinking with the head that was located above their belts.
“It was supposed to be date night. He’s lucky I’m willing to let him make it up to me later.” She played the temptress so well it was no wonder it was all I could do not to touch.
She giggled when I let my hand slip to her ass. She turned the appropriate shade of red as Chuck waved us through into the heart of the club. I wasn’t an openly affectionate guy but something about touching her, putting my hands on all of her curves, felt natural. Playacting with this girl felt more right than being with any other girl that I had actually been involved with. That didn’t bode well for me or my sanity in the long run.
