Chapter 6
Chapter Six
I ’m kissing Harrison.
No, that’s not right. Harrison is kissing me!
Wait. No. We’re kissing each other.
Holy crap!
Nyla’s heart tripped over itself and was beating double time as Harrison slid his arm around her waist and pulled her even closer, deepening their connection. She was snug against his chest. At least as snug as their coats would allow, and he kissed her with so much passion, she moaned.
It wasn’t just any kiss. It was one of those toe-curling, blow-your-mind, I-only-want-you, type of kisses. And she was totally here for it.
His lips, soft and commanding yet gentle, as well as his kissing ability, was everything she imagined. She moved her hands from his waist and slid them up his torso, then fisted the front of his coat within her grasp. A power surge of energy charged through her as their tongues continued tangling, and her body hummed with need.
She hadn’t been kissed in so long, she hadn’t realized how much she missed the connection, the closeness, the tenderness. She couldn’t ever remember being kissed so thoroughly, especially not by John, her ex.
But Harrison?
Nyla could already tell he was in a league of his own when it came to knowing how to treat a woman. If he was as thorough in other areas as he was in kissing, she wanted to experience each one.
“Harrison,” she moaned against his lips. “I…”
Harrison froze for a split second before tearing his mouth from hers, and Nyla could’ve kicked herself. She didn’t even know what she was going to say to him, but if she would’ve kept her big mouth shut, she could still be enjoying their lip-lock.
Why’d he have to stop? What had freaked him out? Because he was definitely freaked out if the horrified expression on his handsome face was any indication.
“I’m sorry,” he hurried to say. “I—I…”
“I’m not,” Nyla interrupted.
It was as if she could still feel Harrison’s mouth on hers as she touched her lips with her fingers.
Yeah, no, she wasn’t sorry. At. All.
Silence fell between them. While she studied him, he studied his stylishly black leather boots while shaking his head.
He huffed out a breath before looking at her. “I was out of line. I wish I could say it won’t happen again, but… You’re so damn irresistible. I couldn’t help myself.”
Nyla grinned, and then she burst out laughing because of how serious he looked. By their interactions and conversations over the last couple of months at work, she knew Harrison wasn’t shy. Yet, there was an innocence about his current behavior that didn’t fit.
The man was such a contradiction. He was a contrast of tall, sexy, take charge, and well put together man in one instance. Then the next, he was aloof, unsure, and almost skittish. It was as if he wanted to let himself go and live a little, but something was holding him back.
“I liked it, and I’m looking forward to the next time we do it,” she said. Attempting to lighten the moment, she moved forward and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. He momentarily stiffened but then relaxed.
Ready to go home, Nyla went back to her locking up routine. She started shutting off lights, and Harrison eventually followed her to the back hallway. He stood by the exit while she reached into the utility closet and turned on the alarm.
Once they made it outside, the bitterly cold wind whipped around her and sent a chill through her body. It had reached thirty-eight degrees earlier, but now, it had to be in the teens.
“Where’s your car?” Harrison asked, glancing around the back of the building. There were two empty parking spaces against the building, as well as a dumpster close to the alley.
“I sold it last year,” she said and slung the strap of her bag onto her shoulders before sliding her hands into her fur-lined gloves.
She’d had to make sacrifices, including going without a car. Thankfully, Chicago had great public transportation that got her everywhere she wanted to go. At least for the most part. Occasionally, she did rideshare but not often because of the cost.
Harrison frowned. “How do you get to and from work?”
“The train or sometimes the bus.”
She glanced at her watch. If she hustled, she’d make it in time to catch the next train home.
“Well, thanks for sticking around, Harrison. I appreciate it. The next time you come in, food and drinks are on me. See you in the morning.”
Harrison fell into step beside her. “I can’t let you catch the train this time of night. I’ll take you home. I’m parked around the corner.”
Nyla smiled at him. “It’ll be fine. I do it all the time.”
“Not tonight,” he said, and the finality in his deep baritone left no room for argument.
“But Harrison, I don’t live around here. I’m in Hyde Park, and I think I remember you mentioning you live in Lincoln Park. I can’t ask you to go out of your way like that. I appreciate you helping me lock up, but you’ve done enough.”
The club, located in Bucktown, was not far from where he lived. But if he drove her home, that was at least a thirty-minute ride each way.
“It’s not a problem, Nyla. Besides, it’ll make me feel better knowing you were safe. This way,” he said, nodding down the street to his left.
She shivered and pulled the hood of her coat over her head to help block out the wind. A ride in the car this time of night would be better than hopping on the train, especially considering how much the temperature had dropped.
“Fine, as long as you know it’s not necessary.”
He didn’t respond, and a few minutes later, he stopped next to a new Ford Explorer. She pictured him as more of a luxury car type of guy, but winters in Chicago could be brutal, especially when it snowed. An SUV was definitely a better choice.
He opened the passenger side door and helped her into the vehicle before he climbed into the driver’s seat. After giving him her address, she settled in for the ride.
Small talk flowed between them. Nothing too heavy, despite Nyla wanting to ask him some personal questions. For much of the night, she’d thought about what Jamie had said about how Harrison had been through a lot. She was sure it had to do with his mother, but Nyla didn’t ask. Her nosiness was always a cause for contention with her siblings, and she didn’t want to show him that side of her. At least not yet. Hopefully, one day she’d get him to open up to her.
“Why’d you sell your car? Are you planning to buy a new one?” Harrison asked.
Well, if he was going to ask questions of her, that was just the opening she needed to ask him a few things.
Instead, she said, “In the future, but not right now. I’m saving to buy Moody Days.”
“Really?” Harrison divided his attention between her and the road.
“Yup. Not the building, but the business itself. Gordon, the owner, told me a couple of years ago that he’d sell me the club if I wanted it once he was ready to retire. Back then, it hadn’t sounded like that would be anytime soon, but I started saving anyway. I worked a couple of jobs and started stacking my money. I also learned everything I could about the business.
“But then recently, Gordon told me he planned to retire this spring. I saved up a nice chunk of change, but I thought I had more time. So, I sold my car and made a few more sacrifices.”
No way would she tell him that one of those sacrifices included not having her own place. She’d been couch surfing for a while now. Even with that, she still didn’t have enough money to cover Gordon’s asking price for the club, but there was still time. She was close. At least that’s what she kept telling herself because no way had she sacrificed all that she had to miss out on her dream.
Wanting to take the conversation off her, she asked, “Are you married?” She knew the answer because there was no way Jamie would encourage her to get to know Harrison better if he was. Still, with her history with men, she had to ask.
“I wouldn’t be here with you if I was married, and I sure as hell wouldn’t have kissed you.” Harrison’s words sounded like he was spitting gravel. Clearly, she had hit a nerve.
Nyla turned slightly to better face him and said, “I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s just that I dated a married man who I hadn’t known was married. I have to ask those types of questions, because I don’t want to repeat that mistake. Not that I’m saying anything is developing between us. It’s just umm… You know what, I’m going to stop talking now.” She turned to face the windshield and gritted her teeth to keep from doing more rambling.
“You were involved with a married man…and didn’t know it?” Harrison asked, splitting his attention between her and the road. Even though it was dark inside the vehicle, she didn’t miss the way his eyebrows pinched together. “Is that what happened?”
Nyla huffed out a sigh. “Yes.” That had been before her last relationship.
She didn’t embarrass easily, but her cheeks heated, and she felt like an idiot as she told him the story. She and the guy she’d dated before John had lived together for almost a year before she’d known he was married. He and his wife had been legally separated, but still, had Nyla known, there was no way she would’ve been with him.
Some days she still couldn’t believe how long it took her to learn the truth. Hearing herself tell the story out loud made her feel like a dweeb all over again.
“Damn,” he mumbled under his breath. “I’m sorry you went through that. The asshole should’ve been honest with you from the beginning.”
She glanced at him. Streetlights filtered through the window as he drove, and splashes of illumination lit his handsome face. There was no judgment in his tone, but she’d wanted to see his expression. The few people who knew—her family—judged her. Maybe Harrison was trying to be nice because they were confined to the truck.
“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I was engaged once, but when I went to prison for first-degree murder, she dumped me.”
Nyla’s mouth dropped open, and then she burst out laughing. “Okay, that’s a good one. If you were trying to make me feel better, it worked.”
When he didn’t laugh, and he didn’t look at her, Nyla’s laughter halted immediately. Unease clawed through her veins as she waited…and waited for him to say, just kidding.
When he didn’t, she braced herself, then asked, “You’re kidding, right?”