Wild Renegade (7 page)

I
shrug. "Okay, I'll go meet your parents if it will help you," I say.

She
gives me a hopeful look. "Really?"

"Yeah,
sure."

"It's
not going to be fun. My parents aren't going to like you," Nicole says
grimly.

"What?
How can they not like me? They don't even know me," I say, bewildered.

"You're
not Italian. What are you, anyway?"

"I'm
a mutt. What does my heritage have to do with them liking me?" I ask in
confusion.

Nicole
sighs heavily. "My parents, well more my dad than my mom, expect me to
marry a ‘Nice Italian boy.’"

"We're
not getting married," I say pointedly.

"Yeah,
that doesn't matter, they don't think that I should date anyone but Italian
guys because if there is a potential to get married, that's who I need to be
with." She says in irritation.

"Ooookay,
that's a bit ridiculous," I drawl.

"Tell
me about it. Have you ever seen
My Big
Fat Greek Wedding
?" she asks.

"Yeah."

"Well,
my family is like that just Italian instead of Greek."

My
eyebrows rise and I stare at her. "Seriously?"

She
nods. "Dead serious."

"Well,
shit."

"Exactly."

We
stare at each other for a moment. I'm usually not one to comfort a woman. Even
when I was with Hannah, I was never the overly mushy type. Come to think of it,
my relationship with Hannah was mostly sex. We never had any real meaningful
conversations. I didn't really know too much about her past. I never met her
family. She was just there.

I
hold my hand out to Nicole. The urge to hold her and comfort her too strong to
resist. "Come here," I murmur.

She
hesitates for a moment but eventually gives in and comes to sit next to me,
tucking herself under my arm. She rests her head on my shoulder and places her
hand on my stomach. I wrap my arm around her and drop a kiss to the top of her
head.

"Everything
will be okay," I say.

She
nods against my shoulder. My heart pounds with how right it feels to have her
in my arms. I'm not going to think too much about it right now, but I do know
that no other woman has affected me like Nicole does. This is new territory for
me and I plan to tread lightly.

~Nicole~

It’s
finally the Friday after the gossip magazine fiasco, so Ace and I are able to
take the two-hour drive down to Philly after we finish rehearsals. Ace's
bodyguard, Alex, insists on coming with us so Ace makes him drive. This is so
not what I had planned for when it came time to introduce a man to my parents,
but fate has other ideas. What's even crazier is that Ace and I are just pretending
to date for publicity’s sake. My parents don't need to know that, though.

I
tell Raelynn that we are coming, and of course, she insists that we come visit
her too. I don't mind introducing Ace to her, it's Sebastian that I'm worried
about. That doofus is unpredictable; who knows how he will act around Ace? I
really don't need to be embarrassed by him.

The
three of us are going to be staying at my apartment for the weekend. That makes
me super happy. I get to be home for a few days, in my comfort zone. Luckily, I
have a spare room with a futon. So one of the guys can sleep there and the
other can take the couch. We walk into my apartment at around 9:00 that night.
I'm completely exhausted and ready to crash in my bed.

"Make
yourselves at home. I'm not your waitress, so if you want something to eat or
drink, you can get it yourself," I mutter with a wave toward the kitchen.

I
turn on a couple of lamps so we can see.

"This
is nice, Nicole," Ace says as he drops his bag down next to the door.

"Thanks,"
I reply softly. "There is a futon in the spare room, one of you can sleep
there and the other can sleep on the couch."

"I'll
take the couch," Alex says.

"Why
does that not surprise me?" Ace mutters dryly.

"I'll
get you a pillow and a blanket," I say, heading down the hall to my linen
closet.

I
return with a pillow and blanket for each guy.

"I'm
beat, so I'm gonna head to bed," I say with a yawn.

"Really?
It's only nine." Ace frowns.

"I'm
tired.
 
Unlike you, I go to bed when
I'm tired," I say.

He
stares at me for a moment, seeming like he wants to say something but decides
against it. "Where can I go if I need a smoke?" he eventually asks.

I
point to the sliding glass doors. "There is a balcony, you can smoke
there."

Ace
nods. "Thanks,"

"Do
you care if we order take out? I'm starving," Alex chimes in.

"Not
at all," I say, going over to the drawer where I keep the take out menus.
I pull them all out and set them on the counter. "Here ya go."

"Thanks,"
Alex says, going over to browse the selection.

I
turn to find Ace watching me. "What?" I ask.

"You
sure you don't wanna hang with us for a little bit?" he asks.

He
puts on that puppy dog face of his. Dammit! It's really hard to resist. His
eyes are so blue and he's sticking out his bottom lip. He looks so freaking
cute!

"Pwease,"
he adds.

I
make an aggravated noise. "Argh! Fine!"

Alex
snickers and shakes his head. "Asshole," he mutters.

I'm
pretty sure he's talking about Ace and I can't help but agree.

We
end up ordering pizza and wings. We sit in the living room so we can watch TV
while we eat. The conversation is easy with Ace and Alex. They are both really
funny and easy-going. Alex is a decent looking guy, definitely not ugly, but
not as stunningly gorgeous as Ace. Alex has more of a hardened look about him,
most likely from his former life as an FBI special agent. He might joke and
tease, but he is serious about his job in protecting Ace; otherwise, he
wouldn't be here.

It
ends up being midnight before I am able to get away to go to bed. I say
goodnight to Alex, then turn to Ace. I study his face for a moment. Why does he
have to be so handsome? Alex, being the smart man that his is, excuses himself
to go to the bathroom.

"Ace,
I just want to thank you for doing this for me, it really means a lot," I
say softly.

Ace
smiles slightly and drops his large hand to my knee, giving it a squeeze.
"It's not a problem, sweetheart. I owe you for sucking you into the
spotlight."

"Even
so, you don't have to do anything for me;
 
you don't have to make sure my name
doesn't get tainted, but you are, and I'm grateful," I say sincerely.

To
my surprise, Ace blushes and averts his eyes. He clears his throat
uncomfortably and squirms in his seat. "Ahh...you're welcome," he
murmurs.

He's
really cute when he blushes. Man, I really like him. If he were anyone else,
I'd probably be pushing for a real relationship, not a pretend one. Unable to
help myself, I lean in and place a soft kiss on his cheek. Well, it kinda ends
up at the corner of his sexy mouth. It takes everything in me to pull back. I remember
all too well how his mouth feels on mine and it's short of torture. This man is
a sinful kisser and has the power to drive me to my knees.

Ace
turns his head to look at me, his eyes now heavy lidded with desire. He moves
so quickly that I don't have a chance to deflect, or maybe I just don't want
to. His one hand thrusts into my hair as his mouth crashes into mine. His
tongue immediately invades my mouth and I can't stop the moan that escapes.
Damn, I really love the way he kisses. His fingers tighten in my hair, holding
me where he wants me. His dominance is a total turn on for me. I really like
when the man takes control - in sexual situations anyway, not always in other
aspects of life.

A
throat clearing has me wrenching away from Ace. Panting, I look over at the
source – an amused looking Alex. "If you two are gonna fuck, please
let me know so I can go get a hotel room," he says.

"No.
No, we're not," I insist and get to my feet. "Goodnight," I say
and rush down the hall to my bedroom without looking back at Ace.

I
shut myself in my room and curse my stupid feelings for him. He's no good for
me. Not only would our relationship be in the spotlight, but also my dad would
never accept him. Who knows if any man would be acceptable to him. Ace is the
epitome of every man he has ever warned me to stay away from. Tomorrow is not
going to go over well. Nope, not gonna be a good day in the Gionelli household.

Chapter
Five

~Ace~

The
first thing on today’s to-do list is to go see Nicole's best friend. I will do
anything she fucking wants. That kiss last night has me totally screwed up in
the head. She's doing something to me and this need to do things for her is
undeniable. Take this morning for example, I made Alex take me to the store for
breakfast stuff while she was still asleep. Then when we got back, I cooked her
pancakes and made her coffee. Alex just keeps looking at me as if he's going to
toss me into the looney bin at any minute. She was shocked, too, but the smile that
she gave me was absolutely worth it. Plus, she moaned the whole time while eating
my special chocolate chip and banana pancakes.

We
show up at her friend's house at around noon. I'm hoping that she's got
something to eat, because I'm starving. Nicole rings the doorbell and less than
a minute later, a giant blonde badass looking dude answers the door. I blink up
at him. He has to be about six foot four or five. He's wearing a white T-shirt
and worn jeans, and his arms are completely sleeved with tattoos, even more
covered than mine. He rivals Alex in the muscle department. But he just oozes
cocky. We'll probably get along great.

"Like
O.M.G., Ace Vaughn is standing on my step, like, seriously, this is
crazy," The big blonde – who I
thought
was a badass – says in a mock valley girl voice while fanning at his
face.

"Jesus
Christ, Sebastian." Nicole sighs and stares up at the sky. Her face is
beet red.

Alex
is snickering behind me. "I like this guy already," he whispers to
me.

I
grunt in agreement.

A
slow smile spreads across Sebastian's face. "Hi, Nicole," he drawls.

"You
just had to embarrass me, didn't you?" she snarls, pushing past him to get
into the house.

He
chuckles. "Did you expect anything less?" he calls after her.

When
he turns back to Alex and me, I step up and stick out my hand. He shakes it.
"Sebastian Beck, nice to meet you," he says with a devilish smirk.

I
grin. "Ace Vaughn, nice to meet you, too. This is my bodyguard, Alex
DeGrassi."

"Hey,
man," Sebastian says, shaking Alex's hand.

"Hey,"
Alex replies with a nod.

He
ushers us in and shuts the door behind him. As we walk in, I see Nicole talking
to a pretty, little blonde. As Sebastian shuts the door, the blonde looks up
and gives us a bright smile. Both women start toward us. The blonde is much shorter
than Nicole, probably just hitting five foot three or so.

"Wow,
you're really real," the blonde gushes and sticks out her hand to me.

I
chuckle. "Ah, yeah, I think so," I say, shaking her hand.

She
waves her hand dismissively. "Sorry, it's just that it's so weird seeing
you in person. Fan girl moment."

"I
understand."

"I'm
Raelynn, by the way." She smiles.

"Ace,
and this is my bodyguard, Alex," I say, motioning toward Alex who is
standing slightly behind me.

Alex
steps forward and shakes her hand. "Hey."

"Hi,"
she chirps.

"Where's
Mikey?" Nicole asks.

"Napping,
I'm sure he'll be up in a little while," Raelynn answers.

Raelynn
files us all into the kitchen where she has the table set up with various
hoagies and snacky things. She shoves a plate into my hand and tells me to dig
in. Hell, I'm not going to argue. We all grab some food and sit around the
table. Sebastian is a freaking riot. The guy is insane, but in a good way. I
would love to spend more than just a few hours with him. Plus, he and Alex
spark up a friendship over guns. Alex doesn't have many friends, so to see him
actually get along with someone who has similar interests is really nice.
Sebastian even offered to take him shooting whenever they are both free, which
has Alex almost giddy, and it takes a lot for Alex to get giddy.

After
we eat, Sebastian offers to show Alex some of his guns. He jumps on the
opportunity and I decide to tag along. I'm not a gun fanatic, but I do think
they are pretty cool. We head upstairs to where he has the guns stashed in a
safe in his bedroom.

Fifteen
minutes and a lot of oohs and ahhs later, Sebastian sends Alex downstairs.
"Hey, Alex, do you mind if I have a word with Ace, alone?"

Alex
lifts an eyebrow. "As long as you don't kill him."

"I
can't promise anything," Sebastian says, completely deadpan.

Alex
grins and shakes his head as he heads out of the room. I look at Sebastian
curiously, wondering what he wants to talk to me about. He rubs the back of his
neck and starts to pace in front of me.

"Look
man, I don't have any little sisters, so Nicole is like the closest thing that I've
got to one. She's a really great girl and has been an awesome friend to my
wife," he starts. His pacing stops in front of me and he looks directly at
me. The look kind of freaks me out because it seems like he can see more than I
want him to. "I know this thing is just for show, but I can see the way
she's looking at you. I also see the way you're looking at her. She means
something to you and if you're smart, you'll snatch her up and never let
go," he says seriously.

I
blink at him. I don't even know what to say to that. "How can you possibly
know how I'm looking at her?"

Sebastian
snorts. "Man, I've watched my three brothers fall head over heels in love with
their spouses, I know what I'm seeing."

"I'm
not in love with Nicole," I insist. I'm not. I know I'm not. I just like
her a
hell of a lot.

"Not
yet, but you are well on your way, my friend. And like I said, if you're smart,
you will scoop her up before someone else does. Nicole is a catch and she
deserves a good man. You can try to play the badass all you want, but I know
deep down that you're a good guy."

I
smirk. "Oh yeah?" I ask curiously.

Sebastian
grins wide. "Yeah, you and I are very much alike."

I
bark out a laugh. "Okay, I can't argue that. You are just a tad bit
crazier."

He
shrugs. "True."

"I'm
not going to lie, I like Nicole a lot. I'm just not sure if I want a
relationship right now."

"I
can understand that. Maybe being in this 'pretend' relationship will help you
figure it out," he suggests.

I
nod. "Yeah, maybe."

"Just
try not to hurt her. I don't like to see my family hurt and you do not want
Sebastian Beck coming after your ass, believe me," he warns.

"Did
you just refer to yourself in the third person?" I ask, cocking an
eyebrow.

"Sebastian
did, do you have a problem with that?" he asks seriously.

I
laugh. I don’t know how this guy keeps a straight face with half of the shit
that comes out of his mouth. "No, no problem at all."

"Good.
Sebastian likes you, Ace. Let's try to keep it that way," he says, finally
cracking a smile as he claps me on the shoulder.

I
chuckle and follow him back downstairs.

~Nicole~

I
don't think that I've ever been so nervous to go to my parents' house for
dinner. I tried to make Alex stay at my apartment, but he was having none of
it. It's going to be bad enough to get humiliated in front of Ace, I really
didn't want to have Alex there to witness it, too.

We
pull up to my parents' house and park at the curb. I've warned Ace like twenty
times already about how bad this is going to be. He's assured me that he will
be fine, he can handle it. As we get out of the car, my little sister Gina -
who's 25 and still lives with my parents – opens the front door and steps
out onto the porch. She gives me a tense smile. Great. That means my dad is
already starting shit. Thankfully, my mother is nowhere near as bad as my dad.
I can at least talk to her and make her understand my side. My dad? Forget it;
it's his way or the highway.

"Run,
run now before they see you," Gina says through her false smile.

I
groan. "That bad?" I sigh.

Gina
glances at Ace and Alex. "Uh, yeah," she says grimly.

I
turn to look at Ace. "Maybe this isn't a good idea," I mutter.

Ace
gives me a gentle smile. "It'll be fine, I promise," he says,
brushing his knuckles over my cheek. Such a sweet gesture. I don't know if he
just did it because Gina is standing here or what.

I
catch Alex's confused glance. He obviously can't tell either. I take a deep
breath and turn back around. All right, let's do this. Ace's fingers brush mine
as if testing the waters. I glance back at him and he gives me a reassuring
smile, which makes my stomach flip and my heart race. I lace my fingers together
with his. He's really going to make some girl really happy one day.

We
go inside. My mother is nowhere to be seen, but it smells delicious in here so
I can only assume that she is in the kitchen. My dad is sitting in his recliner
watching the news on channel six, his favorite station. He glances at us before
turning back to the TV. He has that Robert DeNiro mean mug going on. Not good.

"Ciao
papà
," I say, leaning down to give him a kiss on
the cheek.

"Ciao,
Nicole," he grunts.

My
parents do speak very broken English, but they insist that when we speak to
them, we speak in Italian because it's just easier for them to understand.

I
introduce the guys to my father in Italian before turning toward them and
saying, "Ace, Alex, this is my father, Gaetano, you can call him
Guy."

"No,
non Guy. Mr. Gionelli!" My dad snaps.

I
clench my teeth. "Alright, fine. You can call him Mr. Gionelli."

Ace
steps up to my father and holds out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Mr.
Gionelli," he says cordially.

My
dad doesn't even bother to take his eyes off the TV, not even acknowledging
Ace’s existence.
 

"Right,
okay then, never mind," Ace mutters, stepping back and clapping his hands
together.

Before
I could tell him to stop being rude, my mom, Elena, comes out of the kitchen,
drying her hands on a dishtowel. She smiles at me, tossing the towel over her
shoulder and starts toward me, her arms out.

"My
baby," she coos – again, in Italian - giving me a kiss on each cheek
before hugging me.

"Ciao
mamma," I say.

I
introduce her to Ace and Alex. She smiles sweetly and shakes both of their
hands. She looks back at me, gestures with her hands, and says “Big boys” in
Italian. I grin slightly and nod.

"Hungry,
sì
?" my mom asks them.

Ace
and Alex both smile and nod. Ace even says "
Sì
,"
which gets an approving look from my mother. Yay! You go Ace! I give his arm a
squeeze and he sends me a lopsided grin.

"Come,
come," my mom urges, ushering us into the dining room. She wants us to sit
so she can put the food on the table. "Gaetano, Gina!" she calls to
my dad and sister before slipping back into the kitchen.

My
dad grumbles in Italian on his way over to the table. I catch a few choice
words that have me clenching my fists. Just make it through dinner, and then we
can leave. Come on, Nicole, you can do it. I give myself a pep talk before
going and sitting with Ace on one side of the table. Alex sits with Gina across
from us and my dad sits at the end closest to Gina and me, in his usual seat.

Ace
elbows me. When I look over at him, he nods his head toward Gina. I turn to
look at her and find that she is seriously checking Alex out. I stifle a laugh.
Ace is snickering next to me. Alex isn't paying any attention to her, so he has
no idea; although, I don't know how he doesn't feel her eyes running all over
him. It's not like she's being subtle about it either.