Page 7

Nikki

“W hen you said dinner, I thought you meant an actual restaurant.” There was no judgment in Logan’s tone, just pure amusement. He looked around the food truck park and shook his head.

“What? It’s a restaurant. We have food, or at least we will when our order is ready. There are tables over there, napkins and utensils right here. It’s a restaurant but with wheels.” And this place served the best damn tacos on the west coast. It was a hill I’d willingly die on. “Careful there Rebel , your privilege is showing.”

He laughed at my teasing words. “Hey, I’m not too good to eat from a truck.”

My eyes widened and I gave his chest a light shove. “This isn’t eating from a truck, this is a culinary experience. You’ll see.” The things they did to gourmet ingredients were out of this world.

“I love your energetic praise, honey!” Chef Ty called from somewhere inside the truck. The man was gorgeous, funny, and he could cook, which made his husband one of the lucky ones. He appeared in the window wearing a big smile, his jet black hair covered by a backwards baseball cap. “Great show today, bee-tee-dubs.”

“Uh, yeah, thanks.” Ty was as big a fan of mine as I was of his.

“What was up with that jackass who called? Talk about a buzzkill.”

I shrugged because I didn’t have an answer, but his words made me realize I should have one because people would ask. “I have no idea why he was so upset.”

“You don’t?” Ty set our food on the shelf between us and disappeared, reappearing quickly. “I guess you haven’t seen this.” He handed me today’s paper with a frown. “I heard that guy who called in last week, so my guess it has something to do with Corruption Cameron, I mean councilman .”

I scanned the story and my heart sank. “A local investigative journalist is now asking questions, loudly and publicly, about Cameron’s personal and business acquaintances.”

“Well shit, that would definitely piss him off,” Logan grumbled. He looked up at Ty with gratitude. “Thanks for this.”

“No problem. Take care of my girl, will ya? Next!”

Logan led me to one of the picnic tables away from the crowds where we sat and ate in total silence for at least five full minutes. It was peaceful rather than tense, but that might have been because the tension came from everything else. Who would’ve thought that having the father of my child reappear in my life would be one of the least stressful things going on? “Now we know why Thrash was so pissed, it’s time to take this seriously.”

“I am taking it seriously,” I insisted. “But I need to talk about something else right now before I freak out.” That was a lie, I was already well past freaking out and sliding into intense panic.

“Okay. Tell me about your life? Boyfriend or husband? Girlfriend?”

His words teased a huff of laughter out of me. “None of the above. My life is far too busy for that.” Never mind that being a single mother made it difficult to date. We weren’t there. Yet.

“Fuck buddy?”

“Sadly, still no. You?”

“Not lately and even then, I keep things uncomplicated.”

I was a lot of things, but uncomplicated wasn’t one of them. “Tell me about your MC. How did you go from Logan to Rebel?”

His lips curled up to one side. “I’ve always been a Rebel but when I was a prospect, I refused to do what I was told, or how I was told. Shit got done so instead of getting pissed, they called me Rebel.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. You are terrible at following orders.”

He laughed as he finished off his second torta. “Not terrible, but I’m just very good at figuring out what’s needed and making it happen.”

“Only you?”

“Not always, but yeah, something like that.”

I rolled my eyes and once again in his presence I was transported back to that night years ago. Being around Logan had been easy then and even with all the time that passed, it still was. Normally I wouldn’t let my guard down in front of anyone who wasn’t Mia, but I didn’t bother trying to hide the way my hands shook, or the fact they’d gone ice cold. Tears pooled in my eyes as reality settled in about what had happened tonight.

Someone tried to kill me.

That was bad enough, but the fact that Livvy would be left alone in this world haunted me. If not for her, I might not have survived my dad’s death. It was more important than ever that I clue Logan in on his role in our daughter’s life.

“Hey, what’s going on in that beautiful head of yours?” He was on his feet and at my side in an instant, his big hand settling on my back as he pulled me into a hug. “Talk to me.”

“Someone tried to kill me.” The words were muffled against his hard, broad chest.

“And they fucking failed,” he growled and rubbed soothing circles on my back that should have relaxed me, but instead it fired me up until my body hummed with desire. “Don’t cry, Nikki. Please don’t fucking cry.” His words came out anguished and I felt bad.

“Sorry.” I pulled back and grabbed a napkin to wipe away those silly tears. “I’m better. Thanks for being a, uh, chest for me to cry on.” And thank the heavens above for that beautiful chest.

“Anytime. I’ll be sticking close and keeping an eye on you until this shit is over.”

My brows dipped. “What are you talking about? That’s not necessary.”

“It is,” he insisted angrily.

“Well I can’t afford to pay you, so absolutely not.”

His smile reappeared. “I didn’t ask you to pay me, did I?”

“No, Logan. Absolutely not.”

He leaned in close, whispering in my ear. “It’s not up for debate.” His smile dimmed and the playfulness vanished. “You didn’t call.”

“No,” I agreed. “I didn’t, but I meant to.” That was only a little lie. I wanted to call him, but I couldn’t, not with this big secret hanging between us. “Life has been crazy, and the threats have thrown me off my game.” I hated lying. I didn’t want to be a liar but every minute we spent together, and I didn’t tell him about Livvy, made me a dirty rotten liar.

“If you’re not interested you can just say that, Nikki. The offer to help you still stands.”

Well shit, that only made me feel worse. It was an out and I should’ve taken it, but I couldn’t. I owed him some type of honesty tonight. “It’s not that Logan, I promise. I have been busy, but I’ve been trying to get over my own damn feelings. You left before I woke up and you didn’t call or leave a number and honestly it kind of messed with my head. And my confidence. I spent the past few years hating you and that’s not easy to get over.” I felt ridiculous admitting that, but I owed him that much. “I needed to get over that before I called you.”

“And you’re not over it yet? I told you what happened—I was just as pissed that you didn’t call me.”

I shook my head. I couldn’t explain to him just yet how these feelings of abandonment were worse because I’d carried his child. Even though I knew now that he hadn’t just upped and left, all those years of resentment had colored my opinion of him. “I wasn’t, or at least I didn’t think I was, but you’re not the callous bastard who left without a second thought, you’re the guy I met before that night, the guy I really wanted to spend the night with.”

Logan’s smile came slowly and white hot, and I knew that I was in trouble.

Real trouble.

And for some reason I couldn’t seem to look away from the walking, talking embodiment of the best kind of trouble.