Wine and Whiskey (Surviving Absolution #1) (10 page)

He nods his head. Taking the tip of her
tongue, she licks around the rim before taking a long drink. She kisses him and
holds the bottle to his mouth. “I’ll bring you a beer because we’re dating, and
I’m still pretending to be nice. But, after we’re married, if you call me ‘woman’
again, I’ll take this bottle and stick it—”

“Okay, you two.” Shae’s warning from the
kitchen interrupts their exchange. “We have company.”

Nick shakes his head and holds up his
hand. “Don’t stop on my account.”

Carrie kisses Nathan on the cheek and
climbs off his lap. He winks at her before taking a sip. “Thanks, woman.”

The game and Carrie’s antics aren’t
enough to distract him from what happened in the bedroom. His memories have
faded, and he can’t quite picture his mom’s face anymore. Not wanting to upset
her, he couldn’t tell Shae when the memories came flooding back the image he
saw in his head had turned into Shae on the floor being beaten, her injuries at
the hands of his father. Waves of nausea flow over him. He takes a deep breath,
trying to push away the thought. Her sweet voice brings him back to the
present.

“I thought you might want this instead.”
She stands in front of him, a small glass of whiskey in her outstretched hand.
Worry etches her face before she smiles at him.

God, how he loves her. All he wants to do
is bury himself in her and shut out the rest of the world. “Thank you,
sweetness.” He sets the tumbler on the coffee table and stands up. Cupping her
face, he kisses her on the forehead. “I need to make a call. I’ll be right
back.”

Outside, he leans against his car and
finds the number in his phone. Illogical yet persistent dread coils in his
stomach he must eradicate. For her and for himself.

“Good afternoon, Arbor Meadows. How may I direct your call?”

“Fourth floor, please.”

The chirpiness leaves her voice. He asks
for the department of lost causes.
“
One moment, please.”

A new voice comes on the line, subdued
reflecting the lack of hope for the patients residing there.
“
Fourth floor, this is Margaret. How may I help you?”

“I need to check on the condition of a
patient, Salvador DeMarco.”

“May I ask who’s calling, please?”

“This is his…” He swallows down the bile
in his throat before he can continue. “Son, Nick DeMarco.”

“Yes, Mr. DeMarco. There’s no change in your father’s condition.”
Sympathy
fills her voice.
“
You realize, sir, his
prognosis will not change. His vegetative state is permanent. I know how much
you must love your father. Maybe a visit would be of benefit to you. He rarely
receives any visitors.”

“Thank you.” He hangs up.

Only two other houses are visible on
Shae’s street within her gated neighborhood. Two boys about a quarter mile down
the road play basketball in their driveway. The faint drumbeat of the ball
bouncing on the ground, with an occasional metal clank from hitting the goal,
is oddly comforting. The kids look about the same age he was when his mother
died. His hope is they are really as carefree as they appear.

Glancing at his watch, he dials another
number.

* * * *

Working side-by-side, Shae cuts the remaining fruit for the sangria,
while Carrie shreds chicken for the enchiladas. After months of waking up in a
different city every few days, being at home, cooking and hanging out with her
friends, is a welcome change from the chaotic pace of a worldwide tour. She
smiles to herself. Having Nick here is a nice adjustment too.

Her heart flutters at the thought of him. Today has been a
turning point in their relationship. He helps her see past her hesitation and
makes her mind accept what her heart already knows. She wants to be with him, a
real couple, in an actual relationship. And tonight, they’re lucky enough to
enjoy a simple dinner with friends.

Carrie gasps and jerks up. “Oh, shit! I left the cake in the
car. Nathan, can you please go outside and get it? My hands are covered in
sauce.”

“Yeah, just a second. Let me see if he makes this shot.”

Shae’s mouth waters at the mention of dessert. “What kind is
it?”

“Black forest, chocolate with cherries and whipped cream on the
top.”

“That sounds amazing.”

Never taking his eyes off the TV, Nathan stands up from the sofa
and walks backwards to the garage door. “I’m only doing this because we’re
dating. If we were married, I would tell you to get it your damn self.”

“I know, baby, but please save the dirty talk for the bedroom.”

Once a commercial appears on the screen, Nathan pushes the door
open and walks outside. Shae laughs at the delayed departure, his unwillingness
to miss even a single second of the game. “He’s such a guy.”

As soon as the handle clicks shut, Carrie pounces on her. “Good,
he’s gone. I’m dying to know. Did you and Nick do it?”

“Carrie! That’s so tacky.”

“Tacky is spending the last two hours singing
Firework
and
Baby
with a group of
tone-deaf, karaoke-loving senior citizens. Now, I’ve done my good deed for the
day, and I want my reward. Tell me!”

Heat crawls up her cheeks as her friend stares at her smiling
and wide-eyed. Carrie knows her too well to be able to deny it.

“I knew it!” Carrie gives her an awkward hug, trying not to get
sauce on her dress. “I’m glad to see you happy.”

“Thanks, I am happy. More than I’ve been in a really long time.”

“
Soooo
, how was it?”

Everything she imagined with a man who’s loving and protective,
yet unbelievably sexy. His sweet murmurings in her ear, reminding her how much
he loves her, how happy she makes him, how they belong together. Holding her so
close, almost as if he couldn’t get enough. Blazing a fire through her while
she melted from his touch. “Wonderful. He’s—”

“Huge, right? With a body like his, you can just tell he’s got a
big—”

“Oh, my God! Don’t say it!” She shakes her head. “I was going to
say he’s very generous. He seemed to care more about my, um, happiness than his
own.”

“Oh, he was happy. Believe me.” Carrie winks at her, enjoying
their conversation too much. “Guys get off on making girls scream their names.”

Shae laughs and rolls her eyes. The naughty book comes back to
haunt them. “It wasn’t like that. I don’t know how to explain it. He just…I
think he really does love me.”

The door swings open, and Nathan walks in carrying another large
white box. “Damn. Remind me never to get on Nick’s bad side.”

Shae’s mouth goes dry, her declaration of joy short-lived. “What
are you talking about?”

“He’s reaming somebody out on the phone. I wouldn’t want to be
on the other end of that beat-down.” He sets the cake next to the rest of the
food on the counter. “Shae, are you sure you know what you’re getting yourself
into with this guy?”

Carrie shakes her head at him. “Don’t start.”

He shrugs before grabbing another sandwich and walking back to
the sofa. “I’m just saying, does she really want to be involved with a guy when
she can’t hear his phone conversations?”

Carrie wipes off her hands and puts her arm around Shae’s
shoulder. “Nick loves you and wants to protect you. Remember what he told you
about keeping his business and personal lives separate? That’s why he went
outside.”

Her heart plummets as the realization sinks in. She just made
love to a man she doesn’t understand, doesn’t really know. “I appreciate that,
but I need to know what I’m being protected from.”

Taking a deep breath, she steps into the garage and pauses. He’s
hidden from his spot in the driveway, yet his voice vibrates with anger, low
and deep, just like at the coffee house. “You said you wanted this. You said
you could do it without fucking it up. Now, here it is, two hours after you
were supposed to call me with an update, and it’s still not fucking done.”

She steps outside. His eyes lock with hers as the corners of his
mouth turn down and wrinkles line his forehead. Her heart pounds in her chest
as they stare at each other, powerless to speak or move. Unable to comprehend
the change in him from just a few minutes ago.

“Yeah, I’m here.”

He steps forward and caresses her cheek, his eyes seared with
worry. He shakes his head and holds up two fingers, but she remains motionless.
Desperate to understand what he hides. Turning away, he walks a few feet behind
his car, dropping his voice, yet the fury still rings through the air.

“Don’t think what happened to Curtis can’t happen to you too.
You’ve got one hour to keep everything we’ve worked for from being destroyed. I
don’t have to explain to you what it means if you don’t.”

Now, she knows. The reality of his business he keeps from her.
Unable to think about the meaning behind his threat, she rushes back into the
house.

* * * *

Nick shoves his phone in his pocket and takes a deep breath
before turning around. Trying to force his brain to generate the perfect words
to soothe her fear, erase the doubt he just created. “Shae, I—”

She’s gone.

Fuck!

He races through the garage and jerks open the door, scanning
the combined kitchen and family room area. Carrie sprinkles cheese over a
casserole dish while Nathan slouches on the sofa, engrossed in the game. Both
of them oblivious to the turmoil churning in his chest. “Where is she, Carrie?”

“In her bedroom.” Her hand pauses over the enchiladas and she
looks up, her face drawn with worry. “Be careful, Nick. She’s pretty freaked
out.”

His gut twists at her warning. “She’s not the only one.” He
sprints down the hallway and knocks before turning the knob. “Shae?” The
muffled hiss of the shower makes his stomach plunge. She’s hiding from him. He
runs his hands through his hair.
Why the hell did she have to come outside?

He drops into an arm chair in the corner of the room. The side
table holds another stack of books next to a lone fashion magazine marked with
a hand-written sticky note. Shae’s face graces the cover. Beautiful as always,
but he knows her smile is posed. Not the genuine one that glows with joy and
makes his heart race. The one he probably won’t earn any more today.

I told you this dress would look gorgeous on you. Always listen to
your stylist.

The post-it is signed with a smiley face and an arrow pointing
to the headline.

Red Hot Fantasy
.

He cringes at the implication. Jason’s right—Team Shae operates
on overdrive to pump the media with salacious content without any connection to
reality. Readers have no idea about her true personality, the sweet innocence
she embodies. An angel compared to the other women he’s had in his life.

Possessive. Demanding. Insatiable. Common traits of the women
he’s dated. The last one seduced him with her blatant wantonness and repelled
him with her callousness. She lives her life how she likes her sex—hard, fast,
and dirty. Her soul as hell-bound as his. Easy to understand why the only place
they got along was in the bedroom.

His obvious reluctance to move beyond just a casual affair was
the death knell of their relationship. She knew how to wound him and plunged
the knife deep, mocking his dedication to the Foundation, telling him “
women must like it if they stay with a
man who hits them. They could leave if they really wanted to
.” Their breakup was quick and ugly. Another failed relationship
from his perverse habit of dating brash, emotionally damaging women who left
him disappointed and unsatisfied.

Until Shae.

She changes everything. The exact opposite of his usual type, he
knows his love for her borders on obsession. He can’t let her slip out of his
grasp. She can’t be the one who got away because of his fucked-up world.

The bathroom door opens and Shae steps out, her eyes widening as
she catches sight of him.

Rising from the chair, he forces himself to seek her permission,
unable to assume he’s welcome in her room or her life. “I hope
it’s
okay I’m in here. I can wait outside if you want me
to.”

“No, you can stay.” She sits down on the bed, wrapping her arms
around her legs, her pink robe tucked under her feet with her chin resting on
her knees.

He gestures toward the bathroom. “I guess this means I’m not
spending the night anymore.”

Her eyes drop to the floor, and she strokes the fabric with her
fingertips. “I don’t know what it means. I just felt…dirty and wanted to take a
shower.”

His stomach clenches. The impact of his phone call is more
damaging than he expects. “I’m sorry about what happened outside.”