Page 6 of The Sicilian Princess
My mouth dropped open in shock. She was either a great reader of people, or I was painfully obvious. If I couldn't trick people into thinking I was a normal person, I wouldn't be able to stay here. What little I'd seen of this town was beautiful.
"Yes, that would be great. Thank you." I ducked my head so I wouldn't show that I was tearing up again. If I didn't get my emotions under control, everyone here would think I was some kind of weak chick.
Haley rose from her seat and motioned for me to exit her office. "After you see Doc Brown in the morning, how about you come here, and I'll have Eunji show you the ropes? She's been working as many double shifts as she can to help me out, but it really isn't helping much."
A slender, raven-haired beauty was wiping down the counter. Her head popped up when Haley said her name and she gave a little wave, continuing with her task. I looked back at the booth Nick had been brooding in and saw his larger frame was being blocked by a tall, willowy brunette. Her hair was down her back, sitting right above the curve of her ass. I instinctively fingered my white-blonde locks, remembering when I had them longer and darker.
"How about you stop by the salon tomorrow before coming in, too? The owner is a whiz at fixing chopped hair," Haley whispered in my ear when she saw what had caught my attention. I nodded my head yes and went toward Nick.
"It was just one night, Amber," Nick was saying as I approached. The brunette, Amber, was trailing a trimmed, manicured nail down his chest. She had her breasts flush against his arm and he looked mildly annoyed. I wanted to grab her by her hair and force her to bow down. She shouldn't be putting her hands on myman. I shook my head to clear it. I had no claim on Nick and he most certainly wasn't my anything.
"Who is this?" the slutty brunetteAmbersneered in my direction. Her face was dripping jealousy and disdain. Clearly, I had taken her place. At least that's what her eyes, that were glaring daggers at me, were saying. I couldn't care less about where she thought her place was. As far as I was concerned, she was no better than the shit on my shoes.
"Rose, let's head out." Nick nudged his head toward the door. No introductions then, I could get behind that. He tried to get up, but the skank in front of him was not going to move unless he put his hands on her body. As he struggled against her, she ran a hand down his front and gripped his junk with what should have been a sexy purr in her throat. Instead, it came out like a dying cat in the alley begging to get filled. I saw red. That was the only explanation for what I did next. I grabbed my cold coffee cup and let it tip down the back of her crop top.
"Oh, my goodness, my hand slipped. I'm so sorry." I grabbed a bunch of napkins and started dabbing the coffee off her while she screeched in protest. Nick had jumped out of the way, basically dropping her on her ass. I would have laughed if I wasn't already beating myself up for overreacting.
"You stupid bitch. Look what you did?" Could she squeal any louder? Her voice was like nails on a chalkboard meeting the brakes on a car when trying to avoid hitting something in the road.
"That's enough." Nick was a decibel below shouting.
I thought he was speaking to me and was about to give him a piece of my mind, when I saw he was looking down at Amber. His jaw was clenched, and I could see that everyone in the diner was once again looking at us.
"Let's go, princess." Nick wrapped his large hand onto my upper arm and all but dragged me out of the diner. He didn't say a word as he escorted me none too gently to my car.
I held out my keys sheepishly and he tossed me inside, barely waiting for my legs to clear before he slammed the door. We drove in silence. I kept peeking glances at Nick. He looked furious. I wasn't equipped for dealing with this. I wanted to break the silence but didn't want to piss him off further. I could've kicked myself. Maybe she was his girlfriend or something. I tried to lay claim on something that wasn't mine. My stomach was clenching, anxiety taking place in the forefront of my mind.If he didn't hate you before, he sure as shit does now,a wayward voice strayed from the dark recess of my thoughts.
"I'm sorry," I stated unapologetically.
Nick's head veered away from the road and bored a hole into the side of mine. After another few seconds of silence that felt like a millennium, he gave in and prodded further. "For?"
One word? I could work with that. Although I wasn't sorry at all. I shrugged my shoulders and looked out the window. I'm sure we were almost at our destination.
"Embarrassing you?"
Nick barked out a startled laugh. "You certainly didn't do that."
I tilted my head in confusion. Wasn't he mad because I embarrassed him and made a scene? He didn't elaborate. We pulled into the parking lot of the motel, effectively shutting down the conversation.
"How are you getting home?" As the words came out of my mouth, I noticed there were only two cars in the parking lot, a small sedan and a monstrous truck. Nick parked my SUV and gave a head nudge to the truck. Of course, that was his. Without anything else to say, I dug in my bag looking for my wallet, so I could set up lodging for the week. Nick closed a large hand over mine, stopping me from my search.
"I doubt you'll be staying here, but your room is good for two weeks." He handed me a key.
If I wasn't confused before, I sure was now. Nick didn't explain, though. No, that would be too easy. Instead, he got out and opened the door for me. He grabbed my arm again and steered me to what I'm assuming was my room. I just stared up at him in shock. He took the key out of my hand and unlocked the door. Then he tossed it on the dresser, threw my bag on the floor, and shoved me onto the bed. My sex clenched at the implication. He leaned over me for a minute, two, then abruptly turned around and left, slamming the door behind himself. I lay motionless on the bed, my breathing ragged, trying to figure out what the hell just happened. Nick had just shaken me up more than any other man in my entire life, and I wasn't quite sure what to do with that information.
