Page 9 of Mine This Time

Chapter Nine

Nash

“Oh my god, this is so good,” Mari said, actually moaning with her next bite.

Sweet hell. I had genuinely wanted to take Mari out to dinner. It was also true that the food here was incredible. However, I hadn’t reckoned with getting a hard-on at just the experience of eating a meal with Mari.

She was vocal about her pleasure. My body was of the opinion she would be that vocal about other pleasures.

“How is it, dear?” Carrie asked when she stopped by our table, her round blue eyes twinkling as she looked between us.

Mari finished chewing and dabbed at her mouth before she set her napkin back in her lap. “It’s delicious. Nash told me this was the best diner in the world, and I’m here to agree.”

Carrie smiled widely, her cheeks plumping up. “Aw, that is so sweet of you. Nash spoils us and tells us our food is good all the time. Between you and me, he’s a charmer, so you never know.”

“In this case, he’s not trying to charm you—this burger is amazing,” Mari said, gesturing with her hands and holding them up as if in prayer.

Carrie cast another smile between us. “Well, that just makes my night. Do y’all need anything else?”

“I couldn’t eat another bite,” Mari said.

“I’m all set. Bring the check when you get a chance, please,” I added.

“Already got it.” Carrie slipped a receipt book out of her pocket and tore one off, setting it in the middle of the table.

Nothing was fancy here. They still handled everything by paper. Considering that amazing food was really all that mattered, I was glad they hadn’t tried to fancy this place up. Carrie hurried off with a wink, and I reached for the check just as Mari did.

“Are we gonna argue over who’s paying for dinner?” I teased, curling my hand over hers.

“We don’t need to argue,” she countered quickly. “Why don’t we just split it?”

I moved swiftly, shimmying my hand under hers and snatching the check away. “I don’t split checks, and I invited you for dinner.”

“Oh my God,” she muttered. “You are such a man.”

“Considering that I am, in fact, a man, I’m not gonna take that as an insult.”

Mari rolled her eyes at that but didn’t argue the point further as I paid at the register and we walked out.

We stepped outside into the warm night, and I glanced down to Mari. “Shall we take a walk down Bourbon Street? It’s only a block over.”

“I’d love that.”

“Come on then,” I said, reflexively reaching for her hand. For just a beat, I sensed she was startled, but her fingers laced into mine, and she began walking alongside me. “We can stop and get a drink too.”

She stopped on the sidewalk and peered up at me. “Thank you,” she said simply.

“For dinner?”

“Well, yes, but more than that. For offering to show me New Orleans, for helping me out. I was looking forward to this trip, and I thought it was ruined. Now, I think it might be better than I expected to begin with.”

“I aim to please, darling.”

Mari rolled her eyes slightly as she smiled.

“Now, what’s that for?” I teased good-naturedly as we began walking again.

“You and your endearments. Actually, I don’t think it’s just you.”

“Definitely not. It’s a southern habit. Women are just as generous with endearments as men around these parts.”

Downtown New Orleans was always busy in the evenings, but it was busiest on Bourbon Street.

Music spilled out from the many bars lining the street with tables filled at various outdoor patios.

Mari looked around while we walked, occasionally commenting on some of the buildings and laughing at the crowds.

“Do you have a favorite bar?” she asked.

“I don’t hit the bars too much these days, but I do have a few old favorites. Right here,” I said, releasing her hand to slide my arm around her waist as a cluster of college students rather drunkenly meandered down the sidewalk and almost bumped into us.

We stepped into Johnny’s Bar, one of the smaller and cozier bars in this busy area.

There was a crowd, but I knew the owner, and Johnny saw me from behind the bar.

He waved us over and magically managed to get us two free barstools in the corner of the bar against the wall where it was a little quieter.

Once we were seated, I gestured across the glossy wooden bar. “Mari, this is Johnny. He’s an old friend. And Johnny, this is Mari. She’s visiting New Orleans for the week, and I promised her I’d make it a good trip.”

Johnny cast a roguish grin toward Mari. “You’ll have to let me know if he doesn’t treat you right.”

Mari smiled in return. “So far, so good. He took me to the best diner.”

“And now he brought you to the best bar in the French Quarter. I know Nash’ll order a scotch, but what’ll you have?”

“How are your margaritas?” Mari asked.

“The best,” Johnny said, waggling his bushy white eyebrows.

“I’ll take one then.”

“What’s your preferred flavor? Regular, strawberry, or watermelon?” Johnny asked as he prepped my scotch and slid it across the bar.

“Ooh, I’ll have to try the watermelon. I’ve never had a watermelon margarita.”

“Coming right up.” As he began to prep her drink, he asked, “So where did my boy take you?”

“The Good Dinner Diner. Best burger I’ve ever had.”

Johnny cracked a grin as he handed over Mari’s drink.

“See now, Nash is a smart man. He didn’t go fancy; he just picked the best place.

You best be careful, he’s a charmer.” With a wink, Johnny turned away when someone called his name.

Glancing back, he added, “Y’all enjoy those now. Let me know when you need another.”

“Thanks, put them on my tab,” I commented. I might not get out often, but I’d had a tab here at Johnny’s since college.

“You got it.” He was immediately swept into prepping drink after drink for the customers crowding around the bar.

Mari took a swallow of her margarita. “Mmm, this is yummy.”

“Just like where I took you to dinner, everything is damn good here.”

Mari spun on her stool to look toward the small stage in the front. A jazz band was playing a mellow set. I couldn’t help but watch when Mari lifted her drink to her mouth, her tongue darting out to lick the salt on the rim.

My body tightened with a jolt of need, and I felt the press of my cock against my zipper. Fuck me. The effect Mari had on me was testing my control.

We stayed at the bar for a while. Although my arousal wouldn’t abate, it was nice to relax with Mari. Dating hadn’t been a priority of mine for some time. I’d been too focused on growing my business, much to the chagrin of my parents.

Once I started to do well financially, I’d wanted to build on it. My family had gotten by when I was growing up, but it hadn’t been easy. There were late-night whispered conversations that I overheard about shrimp seasons that didn’t go well and my dad trying to find extra work.

I dated here and there but didn’t want to use the time for anything more because work had been my focus.

With the way I was reacting to Mari, I was wondering whether it was more that no one had caught my attention.

Distraction was far too weak of a word to describe Mari’s effect on me.

My body was on high alert around her. As the bar became filled with more and more people, and I crowded closer to her, I noticed every shift of her leg pressing against mine.

She had a few more margaritas while I eschewed any additional drinks and nursed my single scotch. I needed to escort her back to the condo and drive myself home after that.

“Are you ready to go?” she asked, the feel of her whisper in my ear sending another shot of blood to my groin, which was already aching.

“Darlin’, I’m ready to go whenever you are. Just say the word.”

“I say we go now. I’m not much for staying up late, so it’s a miracle I’m not falling asleep right here,” she said before she drained the last of her margarita.

Moments later, we stepped out of the bar. Although people were milling about the sidewalks and the sounds of the crowds filling the various bars along Bourbon Street were all around, the noise was muted out here. I curled my hand around Mari’s and walked her back to the condo.

I gave myself a little lecture on the way there, telling myself she’d had a few too many drinks, and reminding myself that she was the little sister of a friend and business partner.

I also knew with certainty that if I was going to let things play out further with Mari, I wanted us both stone-cold sober.

When we crossed the street and turned onto the block where my office building was located, I looked ahead to see the silhouette of a man leaning against the building.

That, in itself, wasn’t anything unusual.

However, awareness jolted me as we approached.

I might have only met him once, but I knew it was Brett.

I felt the instant Mari recognized him. Her hand tightened incrementally inside mine before her footsteps slowed and then stopped.

“What the hell is he doing here?” she muttered under her breath before looking up at me. “That’s?—“

“Brett. I know. Has he tried to reach out to you?”

She shook her head, her glossy tousled curls swinging lightly around her shoulders. “No. I haven’t gotten any unknown calls. The last time I tried his number, it wasn’t in service. Ugh! I do not want to deal with him. We had a good night.”

I loved that she said we , but now wasn’t the time to dwell on that. “I don’t see any way around it. Avoiding him will only prolong the inevitable. I’m with you. I sure as hell don’t mind giving him a piece of my mind. Come on.”

Mari held still on the sidewalk for a moment before she shrugged. “Fine. Let’s get it over with.”

She began tugging me along. Once she’d made up her mind to face him, she appeared to relish the opportunity.

With her skirt swirling around her knees, the low heels of her sandals clicked on the sidewalk as she strode briskly toward Brett where he waited right outside the entrance to her building, or rather, my building.