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  “You heading out,” Scott asked me.

  “No, I’m going to stick around and find a bit of fun for the night.”

  “Yeah, I bet you are. Heard you haven’t been in here for over a week; you having withdrawals?”

  I chuckled. “Smartass.”

  J cut in, “Nash, Madison wants you over for dinner soon. Can you sort that out with her when you speak to her next?”

  “Will do,” I agreed. J and I still had an uneasy relationship but we were working on it for Madison’s sake. Hell, I’d do anything for that chick.

  He nodded and then they left together. As I watched them leave, a blonde chick caught my attention. She had her back to me and what a fine sight that was. I watched as she chatted with two men; it looked like she was doing all the talking, because their attention was on her body and it didn’t look like any words were coming out of their mouths. I couldn’t blame them because she was fucking spectacular in her tight, black dress that hugged her curves and barely covered her ass. Her back was exposed, and most of her skin was covered in tattoos. It looked kind of familiar to me, but I couldn’t place it, and as I was wondering if I knew this chick, she turned around and started walking towards me.

  Fuck.

  It was Velvet in a blonde wig. My fucking dick was hard, and as I took in her killer tits and hips, it only got harder. Shit, who was I kidding; I’d had a hard on for her for years. She inspired it in a man just by existing. I’d flirted hard with her when we first met, doing my best to get her into bed. We’d come close a few times but she’d managed to resist me and block every attempt I made to get her panties off. She’d used the excuse of not wanting to sleep with people she worked with so I’d calmed my flirting down thinking that she’d eventually come to the party. However, we’d become friends and for some fucked up reason, I didn’t want to screw that friendship up by screwing her. So here I was, with a four year old hard on, and no chance in hell of getting it taken care of by the woman who caused it.

  She didn’t stop when she got to me, and she didn’t acknowledge me; she kept walking without a backwards glance. I’d really managed to piss her off this time. She was a feisty woman and over the years we’d had our arguments because she was the kind of woman who gave it to me straight. If she didn’t agree with something I said or did, she didn’t hesitate to tell me. But we’d always moved past every argument; we always knew we could count on each other. When she’d told me to stop getting my dick out for every chick I met, she’d caught me in a bad moment and I hadn’t taken it well. And I’d reacted by cutting the friendship. It’d been a lonely few months without her, but being the asshole I was, I’d refused to own up to my shit. But fuck, I’d missed her. I’d realised how much just having her to sit and talk with meant to me. I might have wanted to rip her clothes off over the years but if you gave me the choice between fucking her and talking to her now, I’d give up the sex in a heartbeat. And that realisation right there had done my head in so I’d kept my distance ever since it’d hit me.

  Watching her walk away from me without a word exchanged, hit me in the chest. It was painful; not as painful as some things in my life but it fucking hurt. Shit. I raked my hand through my hair. I had to fix this. But first I had to fix the raging hard on I was stuck with. I scanned the room looking for someone to help me with that. Tonight I’d take care of pressing matters and tomorrow I’d take care of my friendship with Velvet.

  Chapter 6

  Golden ~ Lady Antebellum

  Velvet

  As I opened the cupboard to start putting the groceries away, my mother complained, “You’ve got to stop spending your money on me, Velvet. I can buy my own groceries.”

  Why did she always have to whinge about the shit I did for her? Sometimes it felt like I couldn’t get anything right where she was concerned. “Mum, we’ve been over this a million times. I know you’ve struggled ever since that asshole boss of yours fired you and I like to help you when I can.”

  “You did enough for me when you moved in and looked after me while I was sick. Now that I’m better and you’ve got your own place again, it’s time for you to live your life and stop worrying about me.”

  I looked at her like she had two heads. “Like that’s ever going to happen.”

  She huffed. “I just want to see you happy. You deserve that after all the shit you’ve been through. And fussing over me is a waste of your time.”

  I stopped what I was doing and gave her my full attention. “I am happy, Mum. Yeah I’ve had some hard times but I feel like I’m getting my life together. My beauty course is nearly finished so I’ll be doing that full time soon and I’ve made some good friends the last few months. I’ve got savings in the bank for the first time ever and I’ve paid off my car. And, I have you and Anna back in my life which makes me very happy.” I smiled as I thought of all the good things in my life. The good had been missing for a long time, but it finally felt like I was moving past that phase of my life.

  A slow smile spread across her face. “The day you came back to us was one of the best days of my life. Promise me you won’t ever leave again.”

  Regret sliced through me. I’d been so selfish and self absorbed when I walked away from my family all those years ago. I’d cut them out of my life like they were a disease that needed to be eradicated. And for what? To make me feel better about myself by forgetting where I came from. To please a man who could never be pleased. I’d walked away without a second glance thinking my life would be so much better without my white trash family in it. Little did I know that my life would be so much darker and desperate without my family to provide the love and support that my new family didn’t have in them.

  I pulled her close and hugged her. “I promise, Mama.”

  She broke the embrace and gave me a concerned look. “James was here this morning.”

  “Shit. He came and saw me yesterday, said he has a proposal for me. Turns out he’s going into politics after all.”

  “I thought he said he never wanted a bar of that.”

  “He said a lot of things that weren’t true.” The memories of all the lies he’d ever told me punched me in the gut. I’d been so dumb to believe anything he’d ever said.

  Mum smoothed her hand over my hair. “I know you feel stupid for believing him but that’s not on you, Velvet. That’s on him and he’s the fool for treating you that way. He’s the idiot who is missing out on everything you would have given him.”

  My mother had a way of saying the exact right thing just when I needed to hear it. She might be a difficult woman a lot of the time but when her mothering instincts kicked in, she rocked the mother gig.

  “Thank you,” I whispered.

  “What kind of proposal does he have?”

  “He wants to buy my silence. Obviously he realises what a shit he is and knows that it would end his political career if people ever knew what he’d done.”

  “Are you going to take it?”

  “God, no!”

  “Maybe you should think about it. You could do with the money.”

  “I don’t want to touch his dirty money. He can shove it where the sun don’t shine.” I barely contained my anger and she felt it.

  “It was just a thought; there’s no need to bite my head off. I figure you may as well get what you can out of him seems as though he screwed you over in the divorce.”

  “I’ve been free of him for five years and that’s the way I want to keep it. If I take this money, we’re tied together forever; he’ll find a way to hold it over me. Plus, I won’t sink that low. I’ve got no intention of telling our story to the world but I don’t need to be paid off to do that; I’ve got more integrity than that.”

  She listened quietly while I spoke, and then said, “It’s one of the things I love the most about you.”

  “What’s that?”

  “You hold your head high and live with honesty; you always do the right thing.”

  Her words meant a lot to me; I was glad I�
��d come over today because I’d really needed the boost they’d given me.

  ***

  I arrived early for work that night. James had played on my mind all afternoon after talking about him this morning, and I needed the calm that being at Indigo gave me. I loved working at the club. Scott and the other Storm guys had welcomed me into their family from the beginning; I’d never be a part of their club, but they looked out for me like a family did.

  The only thing against being at Indigo at the moment was Nash. His silence was a clear indicator that he wanted nothing more to do with me, and that hurt. But I’d vowed years ago not to take shit from a man ever again and I was sticking to my guns on that. Not even Nash could make me change my mind.

  I sighed as I thought about him. He was sex incarnate and I’d be lying if I said it hadn’t crossed my mind that sex with him would be out of this world. And it wasn’t like he hadn’t tried his best to get me into bed. The thing about Nash was that while he was a well built sex God that every woman wanted a chance at turning into a one woman man, I actually really liked spending time with him. He was intelligent and funny, and I always looked forward to that time right after I finished my shift when I got to sit and unwind with him. We had that easy relationship where nothing was forced and it was just as comfortable to sit in silence as it was to sit and talk about anything and everything. So I’d made the decision a long time ago not to go there with him; I valued our friendship more than I wanted the bliss of a few hours with him and his body.

  Harlow interrupted my thoughts. “What are you doing tomorrow at lunch time?”

  “Sleeping.” Tomorrow was Saturday and I had the day off. I had the entire weekend off for once and I planned to shut myself away from the world and have some Velvet time.

  She grinned and I eyed her suspiciously; Harlow was always plotting and planning stuff and I wondered what she had dreamt up this time. “Nope, you’re coming to Scott’s for lunch. I’ve convinced him to let me take over his kitchen so you can’t say no.”

  I groaned. “Really? You’re going to make me get out of bed on my weekend off?”

  “Yes, and no complaints. I’ll make you lemon meringue pie.”

  “Damn you and your food bribery,” I muttered. Harlow’s food was out of this world and she used it often to get what she wanted. I felt bad for Scott; he was so screwed when she pulled out the big guns.

  She grinned again. “Twelve o’clock and don’t be late.” And with that she waltzed out of the room.

  I dropped my head into my hands and rued the fact that I couldn’t resist her charms. She was so unlike any of the friends I’d ever had and although it had taken us a little while to warm to each other, I counted her as a close friend now.

  “She’s got mad skills at persuasion, hasn’t she?”

  I looked up to find Nash standing in the doorway, his intense gaze burning into me. My skin tingled at the way he was looking at me; a feeling I desperately tried to switch off. “Yes, she has,” I agreed. I remained guarded, not knowing what his intention was with this conversation.

  He leant against the door frame and crossed his arms over his chest. The intensity in his eyes remained, and a new tension settled in the space between us. Something was going on here; I didn’t know what it was but my body buzzed with anticipation.

  “I owe you an apology,” he finally said.

  “Yes you do,” I agreed as I fought with the butterflies in my stomach. Where the hell had they come from?

  He didn’t say anything, just stood watching me. The look in his eyes was beginning to fluster me; a feeling that was foreign to me. I waited in silence for what he would say next.

  Pushing off from the doorframe, he came towards me, the muscles rippling under his fitted black t-shirt. I tried like hell not to look at those muscles, but I doubted there was a woman on earth who could pull that off. His voice dragged my eyes back to his. “I’m sorry for being a bastard to you. Please forgive me because I miss the hell out of you.”

  His apology was simple, but the emotion tangled in his words was real. He meant every word he’d just said. I blinked. He’d stunned me; I’d never expected him to come to me with an apology. And certainly not a straight up one like he’d just delivered. The honesty and vulnerability in his words meant more to me than he would ever know.

  I needed to lighten the mood so I went with sass. “I’ve missed you too, asshole. Don’t ever pull that shit again, okay?”

  He grinned, and visibly relaxed. “Thank fuck.”

  I stood and moved closer to him. His musky scent filled the room and did things to me I wished it didn’t. I did my best to ignore it; I had something else that he needed to hear and I didn’t want to be distracted. “I meant it when I said I’m the friend who will always be honest. I look out for my friends, Nash. And I only want the best for them.”

  His grin sobered but he didn't shut down on me. “I know.”

  I pushed him. “Can you handle that?”

  He took a moment but he nodded and murmured, “Yeah.”

  I smiled. “Good.”

  It was a charged moment; there was a shift in our relationship and I felt it strongly. By the look on Nash’s face, he’d felt it too. But it was clear that neither of us knew exactly what it was or what to do with it.

  Eventually he blew out a breath and took a step backwards. “I’ve got to go. We’re good, right?”

  “Yeah, we’re good.”

  He nodded and then he left. And I slumped down into my chair, overtaken by confusion. What the hell just happened?

  Chapter 7

  Dayum, Baby ~ Florida Georgia Line

  Nash

  Fuck.

  I had to get out of here.

  Now.

  I’d salvaged my friendship with Velvet but what the fuck had I just gotten myself into? There was a reason I didn’t do relationships with women; they demanded more than I was willing to give. And, fuck, I’d just thrown all my rules out the window for Velvet. I hadn’t been able to stop myself when she’d pushed me for more. Christ, I’d just gone in there to say sorry, but somehow she’d found a way to break my resolve. Up until now we’d just been casual friends; now it felt like we’d gone past that boundary.

  I’d hightailed it out of there pretty damn fast and was now at a loss as to what to do. I’d planned on kicking back at the club tonight, but I needed to put some distance between me and Velvet. I was heading towards the front door to leave when a blonde approached. Her hand snaked out and landed on my chest. “Nash, where are you going?” she purred.

  My dick stirred but I wasn’t interested. What the hell? She was hot and just what I needed tonight, but I wasn’t feeling it. “Heading home, babe,” I replied as I removed her hand.

  She wiggled her hand out of my grasp, and went in for the grope. I still didn’t want her, and pushed her hand away. “Sorry darlin’, I’m not interested tonight.”

  Her eyes widened in surprise. “You’re always interested. I’ve never heard of you saying no.”

  She said it like an accusation and my dick certainly took it as one. You’re fucking letting the team down here, he screamed at me.

  “Yeah well, not tonight. I’ve got other things to take care of tonight,” I muttered. Like a stern talking to myself about rejecting women who clearly wanted to be fucked.

  “I could come over after you’re finished with that,” she offered.

  Christ, couldn’t a man say no in peace? I wouldn’t know because I’d never done it but surely there were men who did that shit all the time. I changed tactics. Smiling lazily at her, I suggested, “Not tonight, darlin’ but maybe another time.”

  She moved closer to me and rested her palm on my chest again. “Well that would be fun too, but I’d really like you to fuck me tonight. I’ve heard ah-may-zing things about your talents.”

  Fuck me! This chick had it all happening and was all over me, and I still felt no desire to go there with her. My mind went into overdrive; what the hell cau
sed this shit to happen to a man? In my thirty-five years, I’d never once had lack of interest issues.

  I started to move away from her when a hand curled around my bicep and a warm body pushed itself into my front. “Nash is with me tonight. Sorry, hon.”

  And at that sultry voice, my desire jumped to attention.

  Velvet.

  She had her arm around me, and was engaging in some kind of girl warfare with the other chick. I waited to see where this all ended up.

  Finally, the chick huffed out a breath and muttered something under her breath about sluts and strippers that I didn’t quite catch before she turned and stalked away from us. Velvet loosened her hold on me a little and turned to look up at me. I raised my eyebrows at her but didn’t utter a word. I was still mentally dealing with my malfunctioning desire.

  “What?” she asked, her eyebrows raised back at me. “You needed rescuing so I rescued you.” She let go of me completely, and the pussy in me wanted to reach out and pull her back.

  I nodded. “Thanks, sweetheart. Means a lot to me.” The words dribbling out of my mouth were not in my control. Nothing I was saying or doing was in my fucking control tonight.

  She gave me a strange look that I couldn’t comprehend and then said, “Sure thing. But you should go now before she tries to latch on again.”

  “Yeah, I’ll see you later,” I muttered, and then exited the club before I fucked anything else up tonight.

  ***

  An hour later, I found myself at Scott’s house.

  “Hey brother,” he answered the door, surprised. “What’s up?”

  I pushed past him, and started walking down his hallway. “Nothing’s up, just felt like some company.”

  He chuckled. “I’m not really your standard type of company, am I?”

  I scowled at him. “You’ll fuckin’ do for tonight.”

  “Trouble in Nash paradise?”

  “Yeah, fuck you, asshole. Just make me a coffee,” I grumbled and sat at his kitchen table.

  Laughing, he did as I’d demanded, and then sat with me. “What’s wrong, man? You’ve been off lately.”