Reckless (Brazen #2)(16)

“It’s…complicated,” J.T. murmured.

“Hell yes it’s complicated,” Lucas yelled into the phone. “What the f**k have you done? I trusted you, man. I asked you to look after her, not f**k around with her emotions. I tell you what. You stay the f**k away from her. I’ll handle this. I’ll get there even if I have to go AWOL. You just stay the hell away from her.” J.T. gripped the phone in his hand. No, he’d spent too much time away from her as it was. That had been his mistake. Trying to avoid her, trying to deny the attraction between them. In doing so, he’d hurt her.

“No, Lucas. I’ll handle this,” J.T. said firmly.

He hung up with Lucas cursing in his ear and threatening fourteen kinds of bodily harm. J.T. took a deep breath as he stood. First he needed to go take a shower. He smelled like a goat and looked like he’d gone three rounds with a Sumo wrestler.

On his way out the door, he opened his cell phone to call Seth. He needed to make damn sure Nikki would still be there when he got out to the ranch. He also needed to make sure Seth knew he wasn’t going away this time. He’d arrest the whole damn household if he had to.

***

Nikki brushed out her long hair then pulled it back into a ponytail. It looked odd without the pink stripe. She’d gotten used to it, even a little attached to it. She shrugged.

It had been fun, and she’d done it to get a reaction out of J.T. There didn’t seem to be a point anymore.

She dressed in a long T-shirt Jasmine had given her then pulled on her baggy jeans.

She felt swallowed up, but then until her return to Barley, she’d always dressed unassumingly with the intention of drawing the least amount of attention as possible.

Squaring her shoulders, she headed down the stairs to say goodbye to Jasmine and Seth. Zane was supposed to drive her into town so she could pick up her stuff from the house and get her car from Tucker’s.

Leaving shouldn’t bother her so much. It wasn’t as if she had any attachment to this town. God, why should she? No one had ever gone out of their way to make her or Lucas feel welcome. Her brother had been right. She should have never come back. There was nothing here for her.

As she hit the bottom of the stairs, Seth met her, a grim expression on his face. There was a hint of concern, and she frowned as she looked up at him.

“J.T.’s here,” he said.

Her chest tightened, and no matter how badly she wanted to be calm and cool about it, she couldn’t disguise the jump of excitement. Apparently she harbored serious masochistic tendencies.

“He said he won’t leave until he sees you,” Seth continued.

Her shoulders sagged.

Seth put a gentle hand on her arm. “You don’t have to see him, Nikki. Zane and I can make him leave. He won’t like it, but it can be done.” She shook her head. “No. I don’t want to be the cause of problems between you.

You’ve been friends for too long.”

“I can always sic Jasmine on him,” he said with a grin.

She laughed, and it was the first time she’d smiled since before Zane had brought her out to the ranch.

“No, I’ll see him. I want to say goodbye.”

Seth nodded. “You know if you ever need anything, all you have to do is pick up the phone, okay?”

“Thanks,” she said in a soft voice. “I really appreciate all you, Jasmine and Zane have done. And I’m sorry for thinking you were such a bastard in the beginning.” Seth chuckled.

Drawing a fortifying breath, Nikki moved past Seth and toward the living room. J.T.

was there, pacing, his movements agitated. Zane was there too, and he looked at Nikki in question when he saw her. She nodded that she was okay, and Zane reluctantly left the room.

J.T. looked up and saw her, and she could swear relief flashed in his eyes.

“Nikki, thank God.”

He crossed the room and would have taken her in his arms, but she stepped back, putting her hands out to ward him off. It was hard enough to face him. No way she wanted him touching her.

“We need to talk, honey.”

“Okay. Talk.”

He shook his head. “Not here. Let me take you home. Zane said he was running you to the house anyway. I can do that. We can talk in private, and if afterward you still don’t want anything to do with me then I’ll leave.” She stared suspiciously at him. “Promise?”

He held up two fingers. “Swear.”

She let out a little sigh. “All right. You can take me home. Let me just say goodbye to the others.”

“I’ll wait out in the truck,” he said.

After saying goodbye to Zane, Jasmine, Carmen and Seth, Nikki slid into J.T.’s truck and braced herself for the inevitable lecture. To her surprise, they drove back to town in silence. He didn’t even look her way. He kept his hand curled tight around the steering wheel, tension radiating from him in waves.

It reminded her of the way he’d driven her to his house that night her mother had flown the coop. He’d been so incredibly gentle with her but so angry at her mother. Rage had simmered from his big body, and he’d driven home much like he was doing now.

Face etched in stone, hands drawn so tight his knuckles were white.

Even with the tension so thick she could barely breathe, a smile softened her mouth.

That was the night she’d fallen in love with J.T.