Page 18 of Piece Of Me

Been thinking of you all week. Can’t wait for tonight.

Shit, he thought, frowning.

“You look conflicted my friend.” Mike Paul stopped on his way over to his truck. “What’s up?”

“Nothing,” he replied easily. Taz wasn’t one to discuss his private life. “I’ll see you at the Sundowner.”

Mike Paul gave a wave and headed to his own vehicle, while Taz hopped into his truck and drove in the opposite direction. He wasn’t looking forward to breaking it off with Nikki, but his mama had raised him right, and he’d never avoided a tough conversation for the sake of making life easier. It was time for him to end things and she deserved a conversation.

He pulled up to her house, cut the engine and lowered his window. In the distance the last rays of sun were hitting the top of the Rockies, and the air was still. Too still. He slid from the truck and rolled his shoulders. Something was headed this way.

“Babe!”

Nikki flew out of the house and he winced. Babe? It was definitely time. A pretty girl with an infectious smile, she was easy on the eyes and would make someone a great partner. But that someone wasn’t him.

“Hey, Nikki,” he said as she stopped in front of him.

“What are you standing out here for?” She cocked her head to the side, a sly smile on her face. “Two of the kids are with my parents, and the other one is with his dad.” She slid her tongue over her lips. “I’ve got a cold beer waiting for you inside.”

“Hey, about that.”

Her smiled deepened and she pressed against him. “I’ll be naked by the time you finish it.” She tried to kiss him, but Taz turned his head at the last moment and gently placed his hands on her shoulders.

“Nikki.”

To her credit, her smile never faltered, though a cool shadow crept into her eyes. “What?”

“We need to talk.”

“No.” She shook her head.

“We do.”

“Really?” she said, taking a step back. “We’re doing this already? I thought we were having fun.”

“We were,” Taz replied.

“Then why?” She inched forward again and slid her hand up his chest. “I don’t expect anything serious. I know the rules. You made them real clear.”

But she did. It was in the slight tremor to her words, the way her eyes slid from his.

“I don’t think it’s good for either of us if we get deeper into this.” He felt like shit, but he wouldn’t use her, not that way.

“You’ve met someone else.” Her voice was flat, but those eyes of hers were fired up. An image of Scarlett flashed in his brain, and he had to work to make it go away.

“No,” he replied, thinking it was halfway the truth. Scarlett had made him think is all. “I don’t want to hurt you, Nikki. You’re a real nice lady.”

She scoffed and moved away from him. “But not nice enough.” She sighed and her shoulders slumped. For a moment she was quiet but then she nailed him with a direct look. “I take that back. I am nice enough. You’re the one with a problem.”

She was likely right, and Taz knew enough to let her have her say. He’d been down this road before and knew it was best to let Nikki direct the way it played out. He was fine letting her insult him, or call him an asshole, or whatever she needed to do in order for her to feel okay with him leaving.

“I’ve seen how you talk about your mother. I know you love her as much as you love those girls. More importantly I know you respect her.” Her eyes narrowed as she regarded him, and she chewed on her bottom lip. “I’m guessing your father was a dick. Probably treated your mom badly. You’ve got daddy issues. Saw too much as a kid and I’m betting you’ll never settle down because you don’t know how to be in a relationship.”

She wasn’t too far off the mark, but Taz wasn’t in a mood to discuss his shortcomings.

“Have you ever been with a woman longer than two minutes?”

He glanced away, uncomfortable with the turn of conversation. For a good long while neither one of them said a thing, and then he shrugged. “The simple truth is that this thing between us had an expiration date. We both knew that going in. I don’t like stringing things out. I don’t use people.” He watched her. “I won’t use you, Nikki, because you’re right. You deserve more than what I can give you. You are good enough and one day you’ll find that someone else. I’m just not the man for you.”

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