Chapter Twenty-Eight
Nicole
Sitting back on my butt, I stretch out my legs and arch sharply with a groan. I blinked hard and shook my head of the fuzziness of my vision, and accomplishment blossomed in my chest. The cat I’d been commissioned to create was coming along beautifully, and I hauled myself to my feet to stretch my arms hard above my head.
“Looks good, baby,” Bruiser mumbled, and I twisted to smile at him splayed on the sofa. Gesturing me over, his face and body glowed the faintest green-yellow from bruises that hadn’t quite faded yet. “You’ve gotten so much done. I’m impressed.”
“Yeah. I’m happy with myself, too. I’ll finally catch up on some deadlines that’d been worrying me.” Sitting next to him, I pull my knees up as his arm slithered around my back to secure me to his side. Today, the sunlight streaming through my apartment was brighter, and I rested my head on his chest. “You’re lookin’ good, too, Bruiser. Do bruises usually go away so fast?”
“It’s been over two weeks, right? Yeah, that sounds about right. They weren’t that deep. Go figure.” He says that but he still mumbles and grumbles like it’s painful to talk. I couldn’t reasonably expect Bruiser to be right as rain, of course. Parker was still in a coma, his truck was completely totaled, and he was essentially stranded here with me. Shrewd eyes met mine, and he put his hardened, heavy palm on my head to ruffle my bun. “Your sister is still protesting. That can’t feel that great.”
“That’s her problem that she’s got a problem in the first place. You said it yourself, Bruiser. She doesn’t get a say, so she’s not happy I’m doing what she wanted the way I want. She’ll stew over it for a while before giving up and making nice, even if she doesn’t apologize in so many words. I’m sure Jackie feels she’s got nothing to apologize for.” We hadn’t talked about Jackie, but I knew Jackie talked about me to everyone. My parents had called me and asked if I was in danger, for crap’s sake! It’d taken a few hours to get them to calm down, and heat suffused my cheeks, remembering the conversations. “Our parents believe me. They know how, er, passionate she can get about things. And even if they didn’t, I’m the one dating you, so I’m the one who gets to decide how deep into this I go.”
“I wanna take you out for a ride one of these days.” Bruiser kissed the top of my head, burying his nose in my hair to take a deep breath. His chest strained against my cheek, and I positively basked in his presence. “When I’m cleared of my concussion and can safely drive, of course.”
“These past couple weeks . . . not workin’ at the restaurant and being able to do my art my way without restrictions . . . I really like it.” I confessed warily, and Bruiser tensed next to me as he hummed against my crown. “I’ve been thinkin’ about what you said about moving down with you. If it could be like this all the time, I know it won’t be easy, but . . .”
“You’ve got time, Nicole. I wanna resolve this issue with those bitches that ambushed us first . . .” Bruiser trailed off to flop his head back against the sofa cushions, and I nod in agreement to the tune of his frustrated sigh. “I gotta get cleared by the doc, and Parker needs to wake the fuck up. That idiot, getting bashed like that when he knows he can’t fistfight for shit.” I didn’t know a lot about Parker, but it seemed to me like all the men in Bruiser’s club could handle themselves if it came down to it.
“My lease isn’t up for another few months, and I gotta go back to work at the restaurant, anyway. I’ve still got bills to pay, and my sick days are just about up.” I closed my eyes to savor this moment, and Bruiser scratched my head tenderly as the silence stretched. Regret glues my tongue to the roof of my mouth; I wanted this to be my life, my art, Bruiser, and devoting my life to both of them. Sweeping my palm up his bare chest, I fingered his chest hairs leisurely. “So, yeah. We’ve got time.”
“Do you wanna cook dinner, or should—” Bruiser’s question cuts off when my phone trilled on the coffee table. Reluctance slowed my movements, but I slumped over to grab the device and frown. Bruiser tapped my shoulder before standing up with a strained grunt, and I nodded. “I’ll let you take that. I’ll order a pizza or something.”
“Hey, Jackie. What’s up?” Holding the phone to my ear, I hold my breath in anticipation. “I just got done with a painting. It’s gotta dry before I can ship it out, but I’ve got some time.”
“Yeah. I was wondering if you wanted to meet up for dinner, actually. There’s something I wanna talk to you about.” Her bland tone set off alarm bells in my head, and I scrunched up my nose in distaste. Before I could say no, she continued, brisking past my hesitation easily. “Meet me at the Portsmouth in an hour.”
Hers wasn’t a question, but Jackie hung up before I could reply, and I scowled lightly at my phone screen. Rubbing my neck and shoulders, I stood up and shook my head wildly.
“Sounds like she wants to meet up.” Bruiser’s gruff words earn him a curt nod, and I glanced down at myself absently. Did I want to change? How much effort should I put into this on the high chance my sister just tries
