“Keshia?”
“My roommate. She’s like his aunt.” Nina’s voice softens. “I don’t have any real family, so she’s it for us.”
The loneliness in her words unsettles me. “Guess that means more food for us.”
She tilts her head, studying me with those gray eyes. “You know, this is the last thing I would have expected from you.”
I catch sight of the fading bruises on her neck, and my jaw tightens. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
Her smile grows wider, like I’ve said something amusing.
“What?” I snap, feeling suddenly off-balance. I’ve taken women to dinner before, but showing up at someone’s home with takeout feels different. More intimate than I’m used to.
“Nothing bad. It’s just...you look completely out of your element right now. It’s kind of cute.”
I scoff. “I’m not cute. I’m dangerous and intimidating and?—”
“Cocky?”
Instead of rising to the bait, I brush past her toward what looks like a dining room. Her laugh follows me, and I have to fight back a grin.
We spread the containers across her small table, and I find myself asking questions I normally wouldn’t bother with. About her childhood in foster care, about Eric, about what it’s like raising a kid alone.
She talks easily once she gets going, painting a picture of a life that’s been harder than mine in ways I never had to consider. No family support, no network of people ready to solve problems with violence and money.
“I still don’t get it,” I stab at my fried rice with more force than necessary. “Where the hell is your ex in all this? Shouldn’t he be helping with his kid?”
“Eric isn’t part of my life anymore,” she says firmly. “And he never will be again. We hooked up once after the divorce. That's it.”
At least that bastard stayed out of the picture after that. Good.
When she talks about her son, everything about her changes. Her whole face lights up, voice going soft with an affection so genuine it’s almost painful to watch. She mentions the hard parts. The exhaustion, the worry, the constant juggling act. But she also dismisses them like they’re just the price of admission for something invaluable.
Now I get why she took the job at the club. Everything she does is for that kid.
The realization makes my feelings for her deepen in a way that should terrify me. That little voice in my head is still there,whispering warnings about attachment and abandonment, but for once I’m not listening.
“So what is this?” she asks as we clean up, storing leftovers in her refrigerator along with the untouched Happy Meal. She leans against the closed door, teeth dragging across her bottom lip. “What’s happening here?”
The direct question throws me. I appreciate that she’s not dancing around it, but it also triggers every defense mechanism I’ve spent years building.
“We should keep this casual,” I say without thinking it through. “See where it goes.”
Disappointment flickers across her face before she nods. “Sure. Casual.”
I don’t like seeing that look, but I can’t bring myself to take the words back either. Instead, I step closer, tucking a loose curl behind her ear.
“Casual can still befun,” I murmur, letting my thumb brush across her cheek.
Her smile is small but real. “I suppose you’d know.”
That’s all I need to make my move. Pulling her into my arms, I crush her body against mine as I capture her lips.
21
NINA
The kiss startsgentle and turns desperate in about two seconds flat.
