Don't Mess With Texas (39 page)

Angela burst out laughing. “The doctor calls her a projectile burper.”

“Yeah.” He handed the baby, still leaking projectile burp, to her mom.

Giggling, Angela handed him the pink cloth. “I’m sorry.”

He looked at his shirt. “It’s okay. I seem to have that effect on women lately.” He returned her cloth.

She handed him the paper. “If you find Jose, tell him I’m going back to San Antonio to my parents.”

Dallas looked from her to the child who’d finally shut up. And damn if the little toothless wonder didn’t smile up at him.

“She’s cute when she’s not screaming,” he said.

“She has her moments.” The girl gently pressed a kiss to the child’s head.

“If you hear from him, give me a call.” Dallas pulled out his wallet to give her his card. He saw the stack of twenties and thought what the hell. He handed her both the card and some money. “For diapers. Call me if you hear from him.”

“You don’t have to do this,” she said.

“I know.” He smiled. “Take care of the projectile burper.”

Dallas had just enough time to run back to the apartment, change his shirt, and grab some workout clothes before leaving to meet Rachel at the gym. On his way in, he stopped by the front office and updated the guys on
what he’d learned. Austin agreed to try to locate the deadbeat dad-busboy before he picked up Nikki’s car.

When he headed for the apartment, his shirt already off, Tyler yelled at him. Dallas popped back into the office. “What?”

Tyler eyed him. “You get puked on again?”

“As matter of fact, I did. What do you need? I gotta run.”

“You had a visitor.” Tyler grimaced. “Serena.”

Fuck
. “What the hell did she want?”

“She didn’t say. I told her to call you.”

“Why did you tell her that?”

“I thought it would be better than her showing up again later when… when you and Nikki are… getting to know each other.”

“She better not show up.” Dallas started off again.

“Wait,” Tyler said.

Dallas swung around, losing his patience. “What?”

“My cousin was here.”

“Your cousin?”

“To bring you a sofa.”

That was before he convinced Nikki to sleep with him. “Fine.” He started down the hall.

“I typed exactly what you said,” Tyler’s voice followed him. “You didn’t care if it was pink as…”

Dallas didn’t understand what Tyler was ranting about. Or he didn’t until he opened his apartment door. A huge bright fuchsia-pink sofa sat in the living room.

“Shit,” he grumbled and went to get dressed.

Nikki was giving Eddie Nance, the kid Dallas sent over, an art lesson when her cell rang. Because she’d just
spoken with Ellen, who was doing well enough to gripe about going home, Nikki felt her pulse race. Hoping it was Dallas again, she stepped away from Eddie.

Meeting Eddie and realizing how genuinely good Dallas was had Nikki singing a different tune about the whole relationship issue. Or maybe she’d actually found a bit of wisdom from Nana’s heart-off-the-leash talk. Then again, maybe she was just on a sugar high from having eaten four cupcakes. She was still scared, petrified actually, but had stopped thinking about trying to put distance between Dallas and her and started thinking about how to get closer.

And naked.

Which was hard to think about with a nineteen-year-old hovering over her. Not that she minded—Eddie was great. He reminded her of the art students she taught every June for the foster care program. Good kids cheated out of opportunities that other kids took for granted. A road Nikki herself could have gone down, if she hadn’t had Nana.

Her phone rang for the third time and, not wanting to appear eager, she let it go one more. “Hello,” she said seductively.

“Hello,” an unfamiliar male voice answered.

Disappointment filled her. “May I help you?”

“It’s Andrew Brian. I thought I’d remind you that I’d be happy to accompany you to the funeral home tonight.”

Maybe it was because Nikki’s mind was on sex, or because of what Dallas had said about him hitting on her, but she got the feeling that Brian’s offer to go to the funeral home wasn’t just out of the goodness of his heart.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I think it would cause a stir. It wouldn’t be fair to his parents.”

“What about what’s fair to you?” he asked.

“I think they get the most consideration right now.”

“That’s big of you. Are you still at the shop?”

Chills ran up her spine. Dallas suspected this man of killing Jack and stabbing Ellen. “I’m about to leave, actually. I have a friend with me.” Suddenly she was glad Eddie was there.

“I was hoping to run by and buy that painting.”

“Sorry.”

“Okay.” He sounded almost annoyed.

She couldn’t hang up fast enough. She looked at Eddie. “We should leave.”

Dallas arrived at the fitness club three minutes late. Rachel Peterson stood by the door and she didn’t look happy.

“I don’t like to be kept waiting.” She sounded like a class-A bitch.

Three minutes? What are you, the time police?
“Sorry.” She was already in her workout clothes. The sleeveless tank top and biker shorts made her muscular form stand out. While she wasn’t butch-looking, Dallas couldn’t help but compare her to Nikki. He’d pick petite and soft over Rachel’s built form every time.

“You look like you spend a lot of time here.” He worked to make it sound like a compliment.

“I’m a body builder on the side. Won some competitions.” She ran her hand over his abs. “You could use some tightening.”

Oh, she knew how to make a guy fall for her all right. “I’m working on it.” Wanting to shift the conversation, he added, “I work out with my brother, but he’s been busy lately.”

“You two close?” she asked as they walked up to the check-in and got him a friend pass.

“Yup.” He followed her to the hand weights.

“Has he mentioned the Leon case?” She started doing arm lifts.

“Some. He can’t divulge too much.” He picked up a weight set.

“Is he arresting the wife?”

“I don’t think he’s convinced she did it.” He noticed the ease with which Rachel lifted her weights.

“She’s gonna get off scot-free?”

“I think he’s still looking at other suspects. Which is why he’s nosing around your office… looking for a few answers.”

“Good luck. Attorneys are famous for keeping their mouths closed.”

“What about receptionists?” He tried to put some teasing in his tone.

“I need my job.”

“There is that.” He itched to ask why she thought her job might be in jeopardy, but didn’t want to appear too interested.

She moved over to a machine and added two more cast-iron plates. She did ten leg lifts, of two hundred pounds. Impressive, Dallas admitted. He set himself up beside her to do his own. “As long as it’s not Canton. I want this custody mess cleared up.”

“Please, the man’s a wimp. If it is someone at our firm, I’d have my bets on Andrew.”

“Which one is he?” he asked, even though he knew exactly who he was.

“The senior partner’s son. Let’s just say he has a white powder problem.”

“Really?” Dallas asked.

“I don’t tolerate drugs. So if you’re into that, you’re not going to get any of this.” She waved a hand down her body.

Holy shit, the woman moved fast. Little did she know he wasn’t interested in any “of this”… or that, either. “I’m not into the drug scene.”

“Good.” She smiled. Dallas got a feeling she expected them to take this workout someplace else later. Not.

She did two more leg presses. “Is your brother coming by Monday to do more interviews?”

“I guess.” Dallas suddenly found it interesting that getting her to talk was so easy. Was she just the type who loved to gossip? Or was there something more?

“Do you think you could give him a hint from me without it ever coming out?”

“Depends on how small of a hint it is.”

“Like I said, I don’t want to lose my job.”

“I totally get that.”

She sat up, reached for the towel, and wiped the sweat from her brow then stroked the towel down to her cleavage… no doubt for his benefit.

“On Tuesday, I left to go work out but forgot my suit coat. I went back inside.” She watched him doing his leg lifts.

“When I went back in, I heard Leon and Brian Junior arguing.”

“About what?” Dallas asked.

“Don’t know. But it sounded… hostile. I grabbed my coat and left. With Brian being the senior partner’s son, if I tattled, I’d be out of a job.”

That did make sense, Dallas amended. Maybe Rachel
Peterson’s willingness to talk wasn’t so suspicious after all. Maybe her show of interest in him was more about him being Tony’s brother than her wanting to take him home tonight. He could hope. If not, she was going to be disappointed.

His last hope was shot to hell when her hand landed on his thigh way too close to his crotch. “With a little work, I’ll bet I can have you hard as a rock.”

Dallas tried to think fast. “You know, there’s something I need to tell you.”

Thirty minutes later, earlier than he’d expected, Dallas aimed his Mustang toward Nikki’s gallery. He’d never had to work so hard
not
to get lucky. When he’d been slow to explain his reasons, Rachel had been quick to guess. It had been easier to just agree, but he didn’t like it. Then again, he did have a pink sofa!

Scary thought. Then a realization hit that was even scarier. He hadn’t even been tempted by Rachel. And the reason was all too clear. Nikki.

Where was this thing between them leading? He remembered the conversation he’d had with Tony. Where did
he
want it to lead? Dallas pushed back into his car seat and decided he needed to put on some emotional brakes. Hadn’t he promised to never commit himself to another woman?

But damn it to hell and back! He didn’t want to start thinking about this tonight. He wanted to think about Nikki, getting her naked, keeping her naked all night long.

His cell rang. Temporarily distracted by his thoughts, he answered without checking the number. “Yeah?”

“Hello, Dallas.”

Fucking great
. If he needed a reminder of why he
didn’t want to commit, the universe had just supplied one. “What do you want, Serena?”

“If I said you, what would you say?”

“I’d say go screw your boss again. Isn’t he your fiancé now?”

“You can be an asshole, you know that?”

“Yeah, prison”—
and being married to you
—“will do that to you.”

“I heard you talked to my lawyer.”

“I heard you talked to my dad. I just suggest you don’t do it again.”

She ignored his comment. “Leo said you practically agreed to sign the papers.”

“Leo? You mean Mr. Canton? What? You sleeping with him, too?”

“You’re a bastard.”

“A good reason not to want to deal with me, Serena. He’s my dog. I’m not sharing him.” Dallas hung up.

He pulled up at Nikki’s gallery and saw immediately that the lights were out. Nikki’s grandmother’s car and Nance’s green Saturn were missing.

Where the hell was Nikki? Had something… happened? Any thoughts of trying to establish an emotional distance were shot to hell and back.

He grabbed his phone and dialed her number.
“Pick up, damn it!”

She didn’t. The call went to voice mail.

“Y
OUR PHONE’S RINGING
,” Eddie said from the table.

“I’ll call them back.” Standing at the ice cream shop counter, Nikki glanced at the clock. She planned to call Dallas in a bit to let him know where they were and why they’d left the gallery. Maybe she was overreacting, but the call from Andrew Brian gave her the heebie-jeebies.

Snagging a couple of napkins, she took her order from the attendant. With the two ice cream cones in hand, she walked back to the table just as the phone rang again.

Passing Eddie his double dip of strawberry, she held tight to her one scoop of chocolate, and reached into her purse for her phone. Her one-handed attempt failed. Her purse and contents went scattering across the floor.

“Shit.” She looked up at Eddie as she crouched to retrieve her stuff. “You didn’t hear me say that.”

“I’m about to be sent to prison and you’re afraid the word ‘shit’ will be a bad influence on me?” Laughing, he knelt to help pick up her mess.

“You shouldn’t curse,” she said. “And you’re not going to prison.”

“Yeah, right.”

She snagged a loose tampon and dropped it into her purse, along with her wallet, brush and almost empty can of Mace.

“Here.” Eddie handed her a compact mirror and flash drive.