Page 49 of City of Salvation

“Okay,honey. You’re up.” She came to stand at my side, a smug look on her heart-shaped face. But it dropped when I yanked off my shirt and took off into a run. The smooth metal rubbed against my callouses, ripping some of the hardened skin. It was asking a lot for my hands and the pole to support my two hundred and thirty pounds.

I was sure it wasn’t as graceful as hers, but the way Nikki’s mouth hung open told me she hadn’t anticipated me being able to execute the move. The stage shook a bit when I dropped back down.

She stood still, just blinking her big blue eyes at me. I might have broken the woman.

“You’re fucking playing me, aren’t you?” she asked when I stopped in front of her. “This isn’t your first time on a pole.”

My cheeks hurt with how wide my smile was. “Never said it was. I only said I wanted an answer for every move I performed. Shall we keep going?”

Nikki stumbled, letting out a clearly drunk giggle.

“Sorry, spitfire. Looks like our little game is over,” I said with a smile, lifting her up and throwing her over my shoulder. “Falling while standing still is a party foul and earns you a first-class trip to soberville.”

Contentment wasn’ta normal emotion for me, but that was the only way to describe what I was experiencing when Nikki’s bedroom door clicked closed.

It wasn’t an emotion I’d thought I still had access to.

She’d hate it if I told her she snored like a little cat. It was fucking adorable.

I’d led us to the back exit of Lotería and loaded her into Beto’s ride. She’d looked at me like I’d lost my damn mind when I’d climbed into the driver’s seat while Robert took my Harley, but hadn’t asked.

For reasons Ireallydidn’t want to explore, the thought of having another man drive her home didn’t sit well with me. Thank fuck, Robert hadn’t given me shit for it, either. He’d just wordlessly exchanged keys and followed behind us on my bike.

Putting her in the car had been a good call, because two minutes into the ride, she’d passed the fuck out. That was how I’d learned she purred in her sleep.

“Quiet, asshole. Nikki’s sleeping and the woman is going to need it with the way she was putting away drinks tonight,” I said, sinking into the cushion next to Robert and poking a finger at his chest. “Oh, and what the fuck were you thinking announcing that Nikki and I are a damn couple?”

He let out a roar of laughter that I smothered with a pillow to his face to keep him from waking up the dead. Assholewouldthink it was hilarious to put the two relationship-averse people together.

“Yo.” He swiped at rogue tears. “You should have seeny’alls’ faces.” Another round of laughter tumbled out when I flipped him off. “Listen, there were already rumors happening about the way you went in there and saved that chick from Nikki beating her ass, and then apparently, you did some romantic shit of getting her dressed and offering to take her out. So, I just helped y’all out with your problem of trying to explain away why you are about to be around all the fucking time.”

Points were being made, but I wasn’t going to let him off the hook that easily.

“Yeah, but mygirlfriend, Beto?” I wished I had something in my hands to distract me from my mind, which was asking questions like,did Nikki think me helping her get dressed was romantic too?

He shrugged a shoulder, clearly not as worried about this whole situation as I was. Fuck, what was Nikki’s reaction going to be tomorrow? She’d gone along with it in the moment, but she’d also been who knows how many shots deep.

“Listen, I see the way you look at her. She’s clearly fucking hot, which is your type.”

My fist tightened at his flippant response, anger flaring at how he described her, which was an odd reaction because nothing he said was offensive. Hell, most women would even consider it complimentary, but it didn’t feel like it was…enough.

Hot wasn’t all that Nikki was.

Instead of saying any of that, I forced my body to relax.

Robert continued on, oblivious to my internal battle. “Plus, y’all know each other well enough and seem to like being around each other. You can pull that lie off.”

“And what about the whole intimacy thing, huh? What are we supposed to do then?” I asked tightly.

The look Robert gave me said,you’re an idiot. “Oh, I am sure it will be a complete hardship for you. You’re practically a priest with your vows of celibacy,” he mocked, dodging the pillow I threw at him.

“Fuck you,” I said, giving him the bird, and settling into the couch, trying like hell to keep my mind on our conversation, and not on the woman sleeping in the next room.

CHAPTER 22

NIKKI

I’D RATHER LICK SATAN’S ASSHOLE THAN EVER SHOOT TEQUILA AGAIN

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