Nowhere But Here (Thunder Road #1)(50)

I blink to the point that little white lights emerge in my vision. “What do you mean?”

From the box Olivia pulls out a folded piece of paper with serrated edges as if it was torn out of a notebook. “You’re half McKinley and the other part of you belongs to Meg. If that combination doesn’t make you a master con artist, I don’t know what would. Be careful how you try to play me. I’ve never been known for my patience.”

She closes the box, places the notepaper on the table and shifts the newspaper closer to her as if we were done with conversation. I raise my chin. “Don’t talk badly about my mother.”

“You don’t know what your mother did to this family.” She doesn’t even bother glancing up from the newspaper. “This is my roof so we abide by my rules.”

“You’re the one that wants me here so badly so if I do stay, you’ll watch what you say. She raised me. You didn’t. End of story.”

Olivia lifts her eyes to me, her glare set to kill, but then her mouth slowly tips up. “Loyal to your blood. I can respect that. Remember that we’re your blood, too.”

The screen door opens and a second later, Oz’s mother, Izzy, pops her head into the kitchen. “Are you ready, Olivia?”

“Doctor’s appointment,” she says and stands. “Go help Oz find my glasses. The clubhouse is the large building across the yard.”

Olivia pats her hand over the notepaper on the table. Izzy leaves the room and I stop Olivia before she walks out of the kitchen. “What is that?”

“Incentive to stay.”

From the living room, Izzy asks if Olivia needs her jacket and Olivia informs her that she’s not a “f*cking child” and Izzy reminds her that “f*cking children” are easier to take care of. Something about the ticked-off, heartfelt fondness in Izzy’s tone causes me to grin.

The two of them continue to bicker as the screen door opens then bangs hard against the wooden frame. In front of me, the folded paper appears absolutely harmless. Lots of things seem innocent, but in the end are deadly.

My fingers tap against the table. Curiosity is bad. Curiosity is dangerous.

I could visit for a week, tell Dad that I talked to my bio family and then return home, but evidently I’m more of a McKinley than I thought myself to be. With a slam of my hand against the table, I grab the paper and slowly unfold it.

Oz

I TOSS A black bra that’s more holes than fabric off the bar and still come up empty. Short of digging through the trash, Olivia’s glasses aren’t here. I take that back, they could be a million places within the clubhouse, but I’m not searching anymore. An itch in the back of my brain tells me that Olivia wanted one-on-one time with Emily and I just got played.

A car engine starts and I silently curse. Olivia left Emily alone. Not even a few hours into my first job for the club and I’m already failing. I stalk over to the door, grab the handle, yank it open—and my body rocks as someone runs into me.

My arm snaps out to catch the form and my other hand lands on the hilt of my knife. One breath in and my mind conjures up images of beaches and sand castles and seagulls eating my lunch. It’s a great smell. It’s a calming smell. And damn if that scent, along with the warm pressure of soft breasts against my chest, doesn’t make me go hard.

I glance down at wide-eyed Emily. Every time I peer into those dark brown eyes a part of me is lost. I better stop looking or I’ll start losing pieces I’ll miss.

“Sorry.” Ah hell, Emily’s voice is all soft and please-kiss-me breathless. “Olivia left and she told me to help you find her glasses.”

A tickling sensation on my chest and that’s when I notice her palms flat against me. She must have been trying to break her impending fall. One of her fingers moves and lightning licks up my veins. Her scent wraps around me and my fingers twitch with the desire to slide them through that thick silky hair.

Damn, I’m attracted to her, and by the way her body subtly shifts in my direction, she’s feeling it, too. I imagine pushing her away. I need to push her away, but my body is not listening to my brain.

Emily blinks like she’s waking up. I loosen my grip as she simultaneously steps back. Her hair brushes along my arm and I go up in flames as a fantasy overtakes my mind—Emily kissing her way down my chest and that hair drifting along my bare skin.

“I’m sorry.” She twists her fingers. “For kissing you and then threatening to use it against you. That wasn’t nice.”

The red in her cheeks confuses the hell out of me. She radiates good girl—the ones I purposefully stay away from—but that kiss had bad written all over it. Fuck it, it doesn’t matter. She’s Eli’s daughter and she’s trouble.

“Don’t worry about it.” I pivot away and head to the bar. Emily and I—we require distance. Lots of distance. As in oceans between us. I pick up a stack of papers to check for Olivia’s glasses though I’ve already canvassed the entire bar.

“You can look over there.” I point to the couches on the other side of the room. The area that’s the farthest from me. “Sometimes Olivia likes to sit in the recliner.”

Emily stands there appearing as dazed and befuddled as I feel. Doesn’t take her long to snap out of it and move toward the corner. Midway, she hesitates and her spine straightens.