“This ismyhometown, I’m not leaving.” Niko needed this time with his family, he wasn’t going to let that asshole and whatever he had up his sleeve run him out of Dodge.
“I thought you said you were raised in San Francisco,” Jessie stated flatly.
“It sure as shit is moremyhometown than it is BrockFuckingBartlett’s.”
“Can you promise that no matter what he does to bait you, you will not engage?”
“Yes.”As long as he stays away from Yaya, Frankie, AJ, and Tiana.
Jessie’s eyes narrowed. “Whatever you just mentally caveated, don’t.”
“You’re not a mind reader, Jessie.” Her phone rang, and he stood, knowing she’d have to take the call. “What are you doing in town? You didn’t come all the way here to tell me that, did you?”
“Zach is training Arturo Cruz across the street.”
“I still can’t believe you married a boxer.” Niko smiled, endlessly amused that Jessie’s hubby professionally got in a ring to fight and she was afraid of blood to the point that when she saw it, she passed out. “Tell Zach I said hi.”
She nodded as she tapped the AirPod in her ear and answered the call.
As Niko stepped out into the sunshine, the bite of cold hit him and a shiver raced through him. He was used to living in Southern California, he’d forgotten how cold it got in Hope Falls. He inhaled deeply and wondered what he was going to do to clean up his image andnotkill Bartlett while he was in town announcing his engagement to G.
The only thing he was worried about was Tiana, not himself. Bartlett wasn’t there for him. He knew that. Fucking with Niko was just an ancillary bonus, if anything.
Without running it by his brain to decide whether or not it was a good idea, his feet walked him over to Om Sweet Om yoga studio. As he approached, he saw the telltale signs that the class was ending. Students were standing up, wiping off their mats, and chatting amongst themselves.
He pulled up the website on his phone and saw that there wasn’t another class listed, so unless Tiana had a private scheduled, she would have a few minutes to speak to him.
Two women were exiting, and he held the door open. “Ladies.”
They both looked him up and down with appreciative glances. “Thank you.”
He didn’t recognize them, but that didn’t mean as much as it used to in Hope Falls. Tourism was at an all-time high. There were no longer delineated weeks or months for ‘peak season.’ Visitors came year-round to vacation, which had been amazing for the economy, he was sure. Yaya hadn’t been a huge fan of the influx of people. She preferred the town to be less busy and crowded, but even she had to admit it was good for the local businesses.
Niko stepped inside and was immediately impressed by the interior. It felt like Tiana. Classy. Serene. Beautiful. He stood off to the side as Tiana spoke to a couple of women who had her cornered at the oak cubbies that lined the far wall. Whatever they were discussing did not seem like a pleasant conversation, at least on Tiana’s side. He could see the stress in her eyes and feel it radiating off of her. She was smiling, but it was definitely forced. It appeared as though she was trying to explain something, politely, but they were not taking no for an answer.
Once again, without running it by his brain, his feet carried him across the room. Niko wasn’t sure what it was about the woman, but when it came to her, he had some sort of protective gene she triggered.
He stepped beside her and placed his hand on her lower back as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “Hi ladies, I hope you don’t mind if I borrow Tiana for a moment.”
“Oh my gosh!” The blonde with the short bob looked between Niko and Tiana. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know.”
The redhead beside her shook her head. “We would haveneverinsisted you meet Michael if we knew that you two were…” She pointed her finger between Tiana and Niko.
Tiana’s eyes shot up at Niko. “Oh no?—"
“No worries, ladies,” Niko spoke over Tiana as he smiled a smile that had gotten him out of trouble and into quite a lot as he snaked his arm around Tiana’s waist, pulling her closer to him. He knew he was crossing a line, but his body was acting without running things by his brain today for some reason. “No harm, no foul.”
Both women’s cheeks flushed as they apologized once more and then excused themselves. Tiana’s body was tense, but she didn’t move away from him until both women had left the studio. When they were alone, she moved away and turned so she was facing him, then took a step back, distancing herself from him, not just physically, but, from the look in her eyes emotionally as well.
“Whydid you do that?” she demanded.
His brain tried to come up with a valid reason, one that would make sense beyondbecause I wanted to. Since he didn’t have one, he went with, “Honestly, I don’t know.”
7
Tiana stared up at Niko,who was standing in front of her in her studio, trying to wrap her mind around what had just happened. What she’d justallowedto happen. She’d love to blame it solely on him, but it wasn’t totally his fault. She should have said something.
She should havedonesomething, like moved away when he stepped beside her and placed his hand on her lower back and then wound his hand around her hip. The problem was, the hormonal rush his touch, his scent, his voice had caused, short-circuited her brain. Even now she was having a difficult time forming a coherent thought.
