Chapter 3
Chapter three
Riley
Juniper Creek is a small town, so I knew I was bound to run into Chett eventually.
That’s the whole reason I hired Nitro to begin with.
But seeing him at the town hall last night rattled me more than I liked.
We didn’t even speak to each other, and I still felt like my blood was full of buzzing bees.
When my alarm went off the following morning, I was tempted to burrow under the covers and hide instead. It was toasty warm and safe in my nest of blankets and pillows.
Then the echo of Nitro’s voice echoed in my mind.
Keep living your life. It pisses off guys like him. Trust me.
I smiled to myself, remembering the way he called me twinkletoes. I always wanted a cute pet name, but Chett refused and scoffed at the idea, claiming they were stupid.
The steel in Nitro’s words gave me the boost I needed to get out of bed and brave the day.
“Good morning,” I chirped. Emerging from the bedroom, I twisted my hair up into a messy bun, tying the sash of my fluffy candy cane striped robe at my waist.
Nitro sat up from the couch with a grumble. He had refused to use my guest room, insisting that the couch was a more central location in the house I rented. And he didn’t get much rest on the job anyway.
It was strange to realize that a man I barely knew slept in my house and I hadn’t felt a single flicker of concern about him. The man I was actually worried about was the one I’d dated for five years.
“I should have known you’re one of those perky early birds,” Nitro said, running a hand through his hair.
Despite just waking up, he still looked put-together, ready to act at a moment’s notice. Wearing dark jeans and that snug-fitting black T-shirt.
I busied myself making coffee and breakfast—pumpkin pie toaster strudel, to go.
“Judging by your tone, it seems you don’t approve.
” I turned around and leaned back against the counter, crossing my arms as I tilted my head.
“Don’t tell me you hate Christmas, too. If that’s true, I might have to find another bodyguard.
We’re simply not compatible, I’m afraid,” I said with a dramatic sigh.
“As a matter of fact,” he replied. “I go all-out for Christmas at my place. My nieces can vouch for me.”
I squinted at him, trying to imagine tough and tatted Nitro wearing an ugly Christmas sweater. How many nieces did he have? Did he join in their tea parties and pretend to sip from tiny pink cups? Or were they older girls who called on their scary uncle to keep their boyfriends in line?
“I’ll have to see some photographic evidence of that,” I said. “Otherwise, no pictures means it didn’t happen and you’re just pulling my leg.”
Nitro chuckled.
“Nice try. I play my cards close to the vest, twinkletoes.”
A grin spread across my face at the nickname. I couldn’t stop smiling, all the way to work, and I even hummed a few notes of my favorite Christmas songs, too.
My shift flew by as it always does when I lose myself in decorating cakes. There’s something soothing about the rhythm and swirl of the icing. The finer details, like delicate ribbons and winter roses, could easily preoccupy me for days if I had the time.
Then a familiar voice spoke and chilled my blood cold.
“I always told you that your place was in the kitchen.”
Lifting my head, I spotted Chett on the opposite side of the room.
“How the hell did you get in here?” I demanded.
“Delivery driver at the back door,” he replied with a shrug, like the answer was obvious. “You guys should really be more careful about vetting the people you work with. He just let me in, easy peasy.”
I glanced over my shoulder toward the shop front. All I had to do was move a few inches to my left and I would be in Nitro’s line of sight. But Chett was too deep into the kitchen to be seen.
“Get out, Chett,” I said, forcing my voice to be steady despite the tremble in my knees.
“Or what? You’ll go running to that behemoth who’s been following you around town?”
I clamped my mouth shut and swallowed hard. He stepped closer, lowering his voice so we wouldn’t be overheard by the other employees.
“Yeah, I noticed you two together,” Chett continued. “Did you really throw away five years of our relationship for that trained gorilla, Riley?”
“You are the one who threw everything away when you cheated on me,” I shot back.
He huffed and shook his head.
“Why can’t you just let that go? I said I was sorry.”
“Actually, you’ve done nothing but make excuses. You have never apologized. Not even once.”
A shadow darkened Chett’s eyes. I took a step back, groping along the counter for something I could use as a weapon.
“If you’d give me a chance—”
Then Nitro was there, quick as a blur. He grabbed Chett’s arm and twisted it behind his back so tightly that Chett rose on his tiptoes.
“What the fuck? Let go of me!” Chett squawked.
Nitro said nothing. A muscle twitched in his jaw as he marched Chett out the back door. I scrambled after them. Snow and arctic air blasted me in the face as I hurried outside.
Nitro gave Chett a shove and stood there like a brick wall, muscles clenched, shoulders squared. Despite the frigid cold, wearing only his T-shirt, he didn’t even shiver.
“If you come anywhere near her again, if you say one more word to her,” Nitro said. “You will be celebrating Christmas in the ER. Is that clear?”
“Fuck off,” Chett snapped. “This is none of your business. I’m talking to my girlfriend—”
“Ex-girlfriend,” I said through my teeth. “And you have nothing to say that I want to hear.”
Chett seethed and took a step forward. Nitro moved in front of me, blocking his path. They came nose to nose, and the difference between them was like night and day.
Chett postured and preened like a rooster, goading Nitro into a fight.
Meanwhile, Nitro just stood there, steady as a rock. He had nothing to prove.
Chett wanted to win me back like some carnival prize or the spoils of war. He didn’t like that I had walked away from him, despite the hateful things he’d said to me, despite him cheating on me.
“Get out of my way,” he snarled in Nitro’s face.
“Make me,” Nitro replied in a voice so deep and dark that it sent goosebumps rippling along my skin.
The air crackled with tension. I hugged my arms around my middle, teeth chattering. I should go inside. Nitro was perfectly capable of fending for himself. But I couldn’t take my eyes off them. It sickened me to think that Chett and Nitro would come to blows. I wasn’t worth all this trouble.
I hurried forward and tugged at Nitro’s elbow.
“Come on,” I said softly. “It’s freezing out here. Let’s go back inside.”
Nitro didn’t budge.
“Aw,” Chett crooned. “Your ape-man is protecting you. That’s adorable.”
“Shut up, Chett,” I spat. “I told you to leave.”
He backed up, nostrils flared, as his gaze flicked between us.
“I guess we’ll have this private conversation another time when we’re alone.”
“Over my dead body,” Nitro growled.
“That can be arranged,” Chett replied flatly.
Then he turned on his heel and stalked off. For the first time since he showed up, I finally managed to get a decent breath into my lungs. Nitro cupped my elbow and ushered me indoors, rubbing my arms to generate heat.
“Did he hurt you? Touch you?”
I shook my head, trembling from head to toe. But I couldn’t tell if that was from cold or shock.
“No. Nothing. He just…wanted to convince me to give him another chance.”
“Fuck that noise,” Nitro muttered under his breath.
I reached out and gripped his tattooed arm, to steady myself, to seek some reassurance in the solidity of him. He was so unshakeable while I felt utterly shaken to my core. Nitro glanced down at me and settled his large, warm palm at the nape of my neck.
The weight and pressure of his touch grounded me.
“You’re a badass, you know that?” he said.
I sputtered in disbelief.
“Me? No way. I…I feel so sick right now. I’m surprised I’m not barfing all over your shoes to be honest.”
“You stood up to him,” Nitro pointed out. “You told him to shut up. So he got upset because his little shriveled dick couldn’t handle it when you put him in his place.”
A wobbly laugh escaped me with delighted surprise. Then I clamped my hand over my mouth and shot him a look.
“That’s a terrible thing to say, Nitro,” I replied, attempting to sound stern.
He arched an eyebrow with an amused expression.
“Terrible, but true, isn’t it?”
I bit the inside of my cheek and turned away. Taking my hand from his arm, he swept his thumb over my wrist as he pulled me closer. Brushing his lips to my ear when he spoke.
“You’re cute, twinkletoes. You deserve better. Get a proper dick to satisfy your needs next time.”
I gulped around the knot in my throat. My skin felt tight, prickly, and hot all over.
When it came to sex, my experience was limited to only two guys. Bullying in high school had been a nightmare, so I was a shy, awkward teenager who was invisible to boys. In college, things improved somewhat when I finally got my first boyfriend, lukewarm and short-lived though he was.
After that, I ended up in a long-term relationship with Chett. He made sure to tell me how I didn’t measure up in the bedroom compared to the other women he’d slept with. It didn’t exactly inspire confidence.
I could only imagine the level of experience that Nitro would have under his belt. Even though it was a completely unprofessional remark on his part, I still felt a little electric zing shoot up my spine at the compliment.
“I…I should get back to work,” I said.
Nitro nodded and released me, stepping aside as he gestured for me to go first.
I bit my lip with a smile and hurried off, replaying his comment in my mind endlessly for the rest of the day.