His To Keep (26 page)

“They should be here soon. Bored already?”

In answer, Toni gave him a discreet shot in the side with her elbow.

He and Toni exchanged a smile that made Nic so damn proud of her.

His parents arrived then towing Jimmy, Janey and Mal. He put up a hand, catching their attention.

“Hello, sweetheart.” His mom looked perfectly put together from her bright strawberry blond hair to her black evening gown to her shiny black pumps. Even in heels she didn’t reach his chin, so he leaned down for her kiss. “Did you enjoy the week without us?”

He controlled the impulse to give himself away by glancing at Jimmy, who looked pretty damn good in a tux. “I don’t think I screwed up the office too bad while you were away.”

Turning to shake his father’s hand, he looked closely, but Frank didn’t look any worse for wear in his custom-made tuxedo. Then again, his father had never looked sick, even right before open-heart surgery.

“Didn’t expect to see you here tonight.” His dad looked into his eyes then glanced at Grace. “I didn’t know you bought him a ticket.”

Grace’s brows raised. “I didn’t.” She turned to Toni. “Hello, beautiful, how have you been?”

Grace could still get a hug and a kiss from Toni and so could Frank, apparently.

Janey curled her arm around his waist and he drew her close with a squeeze, careful not to mess up her sequined dress. She’d always been his ally against their mom’s uncanny knack for reading their minds. “I can’t believe I don’t have a stack of files on my desk to be typed. Did you learn since I’ve been gone, Nic, or are you letting Annie handle that for you?”

Okay, maybe his family was in cahoots. Or maybe Jimmy had ratted him out. He shot his brother a look but Jimmy just shrugged.

Luckily, or maybe not so luckily, Annie’s mom chose that moment to arrive. On the arm of Colin’s partner, Sean.

Nic felt the walls closing on him, and it wasn’t his claustrophobia kicking in.

Luckily, after everyone said hello, they took their seats on the first level closest to the floor. Grace and Beatrice acted like old friends, including Toni in their conversation. Frank, Jimmy, Mal and Sean discussed the latest local scandal, leaving Janey to stare at him.

“So, are you going to tell me what’s up or do I have to drag it out of you?”

Intimidation had never worked well with his sister, but it didn’t hurt to try. He flicked a glance at her. “Nothing to tell, brat. How was your trip?”

She paused. “Fine. You know Annie’s going to tell me whatever’s going on. So why don’t you just cut your losses and ’fess up now.”

He felt a smile forming. “You know you’re as bad as Mom, right? Maybe it’s none of your business.”

“That never stopped you before,” she teased. “Come on, Nic. You’re talking to me.”

When she laid a hand on his sleeve, Nic had a flash of memory. Janey at six, tagging along with him and Jimmy in Florence. They’d just moved there and their parents had been too busy to take them sightseeing yet.

They’d knocked off school and Jimmy had forged a note from their dad to excuse Janey. She’d overheard them planning their day and had blackmailed them into taking her along. She wouldn’t accept a straight bribe. And Nic hadn’t minded.

They’d spent the day traipsing all over the city, checking out the Piazza Della Signoria and the gorgeous sculptures; the Gallery of the Academy and Michaelangelo’s David; and the Uffizi Gallery’s magnificent collection.

It’d been the best day the three of them had spent together. But they lost track of time, and when they got home, Frank had been ready to enlist every American agent in the city to look for them. Nic was sure his parents were going to ground him for a month, but his mom took one look at Janey’s smile and the green pistachio gelati stains on her shirt and had cut off his father before he’d been able to speak.

“Did you have a good time, Janey?” she’d asked.

Janey had started to babble, repeating almost word for word what Nic had read to her from the guidebook he’d bought.

And his mom had turned to him with a smile he’d never forget. She’d ruffled her fingers through his hair, which had been long even then, and told him to help Janey with her bath while she sent Jimmy up to do his missed schoolwork.

Janey snapped her fingers in front of his face. “Hey, Nic, where’d you go?”

Now he did smile. “You remember our day trip in Florence? You might not, you were only six—”

“I had the best time that day.” Her tone held remembrance and pleasure. “Mostly because I was with my big brothers. But don’t try to change the subject. I know you, Dominic. Tell me what’s going on.”

And why the hell shouldn’t he? He wasn’t ashamed of their relationship. “I’ve got a situation and I’m staying with Annie.”

Janey blinked. “Say that again.”

“I’m staying with Annie. For now.”

It took Janey a little longer than usual to think of her next question, but he let her formulate, knowing she’d never let him off the hook easily.

“What’s the situation?”

Okay, not what he’d expected first, but he could deal with it. “I got some threatening calls. They all mention Annie.”

Janey glanced at their parents, still involved in their various discussions, paying no attention to them. “Has the contact been only through calls or did something else happen?”

“So far just calls but none for the past week. I don’t have anything to go on. Jimmy’s been trying to trace the calls but he’s getting nowhere.”

She huffed. “And why haven’t you asked me to do that? You know I’m much better than Jimmy at that stuff.”

“I didn’t want to worry you. Or involve you in any way. I don’t want to give this nutjob any more ideas.”

Janey’s expression shifted. “Alright, I can see your point. But you will give me the information tonight so Mal and I can help.” Under her breath, he heard her say, “I can’t believe you thought Jimmy would be more help than me.”

Suddenly the lights dimmed and a voice welcomed everyone to the competition.

Nic lowered his voice to a whisper. “Of course he’s not, brat.”

Shrugging, she pinched his arm. “And you’re going to tell me exactly what’s going on with you and Annie, too.”

He didn’t answer that one because he still wasn’t sure what he would tell her.

Instead, he turned his attention to the floor, where the dancers were now gathering. There had to be more than thirty couples crammed onto the floor, outfitted in sparkling sequins and bright, revealing costumes for the women, while the men wore black pants and shirts that matched their partner’s dresses.

He looked for the bright flash of Annie’s long hair, frowning when he didn’t see it. This time, he sought out Colin and found him. And realized why he hadn’t seen Annie.

She’d cut her hair. How the hell had she hid that from him?

Thinking back, he remembered that she’d come out of the salon with a scarf wrapped around her head and had kept it.

Instead of the thick golden mass that fell to the middle of her back, her hair barely touched the top of her shoulders and feathered around her face. Hell, his hair was longer.

He wasn’t sure he liked it. It certainly was a change. But the cut accentuated her sharp features and bared her slender neck. That he liked.

The more he looked, the more he realized it was sexy as hell.

As was her barely there outfit—hot pink, sleeveless and cut to her navel, with not much of a skirt to speak of.

From that moment, he was blind to everyone but Annie. A nuclear bomb could have exploded next to him and he wouldn’t have noticed.

She was beautiful and she was his.

Janey leaned over and whispered in his ear, “So, have you told her yet?”

“Told her what?”

“Told her you love her?”

He didn’t answer and he figured that told Janey all she needed to know. She smirked and he knew he deserved it.

* * * * *

Third-place trophy in hand, Annie couldn’t stop smiling.

Everyone she loved had been in the audience tonight, and she and Colin had had the best performance of their lives and had done better than she could have hoped.

Now, standing in the lobby of the hotel, after having congratulated all of the other winners and getting hugs and kisses from her mother, the DeMarcos, Sean, Toni and everyone else she knew or was even acquainted with, she looked up to find Nic on the outskirts of the crowd.

She smiled at him and watched his lips kick up at the corners. God, the emotions that man could evoke with just a look. It made her want to leap into his arms and devour him.

Which, of course, she couldn’t do because everyone would see. And question.

She tried to keep up with the conversations around her, but she couldn’t take her eyes off of Nic. And when he started toward her, she drew in a breath and held it.

She could have sworn the conversation around them came to a screeching halt but that couldn’t have been right because Janey continued to discuss the last rumba with Grace and her mother while Frank and Jimmy and Sean and Colin held their own conversations. Toni stood in the center of the crowd, watching everyone around her.

Nic stopped beside. “You ever going to stop grinning?”

She knew he was teasing, could hear it in his tone. “Maybe in a few days. So, were you bored stiff?”

His expression sobered quickly and he shocked her by lifting one hand to brush the short hair away from her cheek. She’d almost forgotten she’d had it cut and she lifted her hand self-consciously.

“I love this, by the way.” His low tone sent a shiver across her skin and deep into her body. “It suits you.”

Pleasure spread at the words. “Thanks. I wasn’t sure you’d like it.”

“I don’t think there’s anything you could do that I wouldn’t like.”

Her heart flopped over in her chest. “Nic—”

“Dominic.” Grace stepped up beside Nic. “Annie. We’re going to be leaving. Nic, would you like us to drop Toni off at home?”

Nic straightened but didn’t move away. “No, thanks. I was going to take her and Annie out for something to eat.”

Grace looked into his eyes, smiled. “Have a good time, honey. We’ll see you later.”

Okay, that was way too easy. He was definitely going to get the third degree later.

But he didn’t let it bother him as he took got the girls in his car and drove them to Pastaria. The popular restaurant was known for opera-singing waiters and Toni was looking forward to her first adult night out.

Since it was Friday night in Philadelphia, Nic was lucky to find a parking space only two blocks away. They’d have to walk, but the night was warm and it wasn’t that far.

“I’ve never seen dancing like that before,” Toni said to Annie as they stepped into the street when the light turned green. “It looks like so much fun.”

“It is,” Annie agreed. “You really should take a few classes if you’re interested.”

As the girls continued to talk, the tic of an engine caught Nic’s ear and he turned to look up the street.

And saw a pair of headlights bearing down on them.