Innocent Next Door (Military Men Book 1) (14 page)

His friends sobered, but Louie’s grin took flight again without warning. “You know, Nik, I almost believe you.” He leaned close and whispered, “But the babe looks as though she’s had more than a sleep. In fact, if I was being crude, I’d say she’d had a good f—” The air exploded from his lungs, encouraged by Nikolai’s fist applied to his stomach. He danced out of range to complete his sentence. “Fuck.”

“No one asked you.” Nikolai wanted to slam the door in his friends’ faces, but the soft footsteps behind him indicated Summer had made an appearance. Nikolai smelled his soap as she stopped beside him. Desire kicked him in the gut when he glanced at her. Damp curls framed her face while her lips were red and swollen.

Damn, he’d wanted to share a shower. The first woman he’d ever met who took quick showers and he missed the occasion. His gaze wandered her body, noting she’d raided his wardrobe. The long navy-blue T-shirt plus the pair of black boxer shorts looked damn fine.

Taking advantage of his distraction, Louie pushed past him, and ran a quick hand across Summer’s cheek. “Nik said someone tried to hurt you.”

Nikolai suddenly felt very possessive. If Louie didn’t step away, he risked an injury. He growled under his breath, but of course, Louie didn’t back off.

Jake stepped inside his hallway too, taking Nikolai unawares and forcing him to take a step backward. His friend slung his arm around Summer’s shoulders. “You okay, cupcake?”

“I’ll make coffee,” Nikolai muttered. No one took the slightest notice. With a last glare at Louie and Jake, he stomped into the kitchen.

Eventually, they all ended up sitting around his wooden table, nursing cups of black coffee—black being mandatory since the milk was off. Jake and Louie looked comfortable, as if they’d settled in for the duration. They chatted away with Summer and generally made themselves at home.

“Is there a reason for this visit?” Nikolai asked, doing his best to keep his voice calm. It didn’t come off. He sounded plain testy.

“Captain wants us to go in this afternoon.” Louie’s gaze skimmed across Summer in silent warning.

“So, why are you here? I’m on sick leave.”

“Captain wants you on the mission too.”

Nikolai glanced across at Summer and saw she was watching him. A faint smile twitched at her lips, and it made him wish his friends to Outer Siberia. The need to claim her lips leapt inside him, but the last thing he wanted was an audience, spectators who were likely to critique his performance.

Summer stroked her fingers across his forearm. Nikolai barely suppressed the shiver of awareness that raced through him. Damn, he had it bad. He was sick—definitely too ill to go on a mission. But no, that wasn’t good either.
Remember Henry
.

The smile widened as if she read his confused thoughts. “You don’t need to worry. I’ll be fine.”

“As far as I know, it’s a strategy meeting,” Louie said. “We’ll be gone a few hours.”

“No problem. What can happen in a few hours?” Summer said.

Nikolai snorted. “Where you’re concerned—quite a bit.” She’d lived in Auckland for a few days short of a month and so far had hooked up with a gangster, had two break-ins, been taken in for questioning by the police and someone had run her off the road. And that was just for starters. Nikolai didn’t intend to add losing her virginity to an older man to the list—not when he was trying to convince himself that sex didn’t count in this situation since it was consensual.

“I’m not a child.”

“No one implied you were.” He glanced away from her to see Louie and Jake observing them closely. “How long? Two hours? Three? Okay. You’ve got my number. You can ring if you need us.”

* * * * *

Summer watched the three men leave with something like relief. The testosterone in the kitchen had been so thick she’d thought about opening the window. It was the same when her brothers were at home with their friends. One on one was fine, but with a herd of the big he-men things could turn ugly, particularly if you were unlucky enough to be related to some of them.

She shut the front door and wandered into Nikolai’s kitchen. The room was functional and basic with no feminine frills. The gray counter, the color of her father’s goslings, which her mother muttered about tossing into the soup pot, and the teal-blue cupboard units were newly installed. Nikolai had furnished the floor with tiles a shade lighter than the counter. The wooden table in the middle of the tiled floor still needed sanding and varnishing. Add a few plants and a blind or some curtains and the place wouldn’t look too bad.

From the little her uncle had told her about Nikolai, he’d purchased this house some time ago but hadn’t started renovations until his recent sick leave. Nikolai’s bedroom was completed, while the other rooms were stripped back to basics, waiting for a coat of paint and tender loving care.

She wrinkled her nose at the acrid paint scent. It was worse in this part of the house. Despite breathing in slow, shallow pants, the paint was affecting her breathing. Her chest tightened, her breathing strained enough for her to need her inhaler.

Summer collected her clothes from the previous day along with her handbag and keys. After peering out the windows for a long time, checking for anything remotely suspicious, she decided it was safe. Living with SAS brothers and an uncle had taught her a thing or two—not to mention the
Heroine’s Handbook
.

She let herself out of Nikolai’s house, navigated the missing boards on his deck and ducked through the gate in the boundary fence.

The door was locked when she tried it and nothing seemed out of place. She fished her keys from her bag, unlocked the door and stepped inside, flicking on the safety chain after she entered. First stop—her bedroom and an inhaler. The thought of an asthma attack hurried her along. She grabbed an inhaler off her dresser, took a quick puff and headed back to the kitchen.

A small red light flickered on the answering machine. Guilt stabbed her for an instant as she reached for the play button. She knew Nikolai wouldn’t approve of her being here alone, but he wouldn’t want her to have an asthma attack either. Nah, no problem. She had a cast-iron excuse if—when—he started to holler.

Summer listened to the messages. Two heavy breathing calls. Charming. Then Dare’s voice floated into the kitchen. “Summer, it’s Dare here. I wondered how you were. I rang the hospital but they said you’d gone home. I’m glad you’re feeling better. I presume you’re at work, so I’ll ring you later this afternoon. Perhaps we could get together for dinner?”

Dare’s message was the last one. She pressed the erase button and checked her watch. Maybe she should go to dinner with Dare and let him know she couldn’t go out with him again. A frown wrinkled her brow at the thought. She’d slept with Nikolai and enjoyed it, but were they actually together?

Hard to say. She pulled a rueful face when confusion poured through her. But the truth stood out. If she wanted to go farther along Relationship Road with Nikolai, she needed to talk to Dare. She was strictly a one-man-at-a-time kinda girl.

Decision made, she started to dial Dare’s number before having second thoughts. It wasn’t difficult to imagine Nikolai’s reaction if she went out to dinner with Dare. Besides, she rather liked the idea of exploring more positions. There was an article in
Miranda
magazine, which offered lots of suggestions.

Summer picked up the phone again. She’d propose lunch and arrive back before Nikolai returned. What the big, bad SAS man didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

Or her.

Chapter Eleven

“Summer, how are you?” Dare rose from behind his desk and came around to greet her, hands outstretched in welcome. Dressed in a smart charcoal-gray suit with a black shirt and black-and-gray tie, he appeared handsome and successful.

But he wasn’t Nikolai.

“I’m fine.” She wondered how to avoid a kiss without making a big issue of it. Dare aimed for her lips and in the end, she turned her head so his kiss landed on her cheek.

He grasped her hands in his and stood back to study her, seemingly unperturbed by her action. “I’ve tried ringing. Your phone was switched off. I wasn’t sure if you were going to work or not.”

“I slept in this morning.” Summer felt the crawl of heat in her cheeks and knew she needed to change the subject fast. “Thanks for meeting me for lunch. I’m not a good invalid. Got bored with my own company.” She found herself thinking about Nikolai’s assertions—about Dare and his family’s involvement in illegal activities. If criminal propensity was written on his face, she couldn’t see it. He appeared the same as always.

Sophisticated. Attractive. Sexy.

Dare cleared his throat. “Do I need to wipe my face?”

She blinked, irritated at her transparency. Could she be any less subtle?

Amusement glittered in his eyes. “If there’s lipstick on my face, it came from my mother. She popped in to see me about an hour ago.”

Summer imagined her parents meeting Dare, and knew that although her mother was no pushover, she’d like him. Her father might take longer to warm to a man dating his daughter. Ditto her brothers.

“Sorry,” Summer said, aware she was woolgathering yet again. “Are you ready to leave?”

“I’ll let the restaurant staff know I’m going out then we’re all set.” He paused by the door to his office to smile at her. After tucking a curl behind her ear, he leisurely kissed her, taking her by surprise.

When they parted, she gasped for breath. Her pulse throbbed faster than it had mere seconds ago. There had to be something wrong with her. She’d spent the morning in bed with Nikolai, relished everything they’d done together and wanted to repeat the experience, yet kissing Dare was enjoyable too. A topic for rapid thought because her family wouldn’t approve of her stringing along two men. Heck, she disapproved since the object of the luncheon exercise was to end the budding relationship.

“You look beautiful,” he murmured, his eyes skimming her body.

She’d dressed carefully for the meeting, needing to bolster her nerves. Maybe she should have settled for casual jeans and a shirt instead of her favorite black skirt and the cream knit top that clung to her breasts. Too late now.

“Thanks.” Summer nibbled her bottom lip as she tried to think of the right way to put a halt to their romantic liaison yet remain friends. Not a single word came to mind.

Dare hustled her from his office with a warm hand at her waist. “I thought we’d have lunch at the Sky Tower today.”

“Really?” Call her shallow, but she’d wanted to see the penis-shaped tower from the top. There hadn’t been an opportunity so far. “That sounds great.”

Minutes later, they were in a cab heading for the Sky Tower in Central Auckland.

“What are you doing for the rest of the day?” Dare asked.

“I’m not sure. I might stop by the bookstore on the way home. I want to see if my special order has arrived.” She also intended to explore an adult shop and the different sex toys available, although she wasn’t about to inform Dare of her intentions.

An arc of energy buzzed from breast tips to her pussy at the idea of trying out toys and exploring her sexuality with the help of Nikolai. The naughty thought solved her dilemma.

Yes, while she enjoyed Dare’s kisses, she hadn’t once thought of him and sex toys in the same sentence. She’d let this thing with Nikolai run its course, whatever that might be, and take each day as it arrived. She found herself wriggling on the backseat while her heart jumped in acute anticipation.

Dare took possession of her hand, a small and private smile playing on his lips. “Were you a hyperactive child?”

“Not as bad as my brothers.”

“Hmm. I think I’d like to meet them.”

Summer didn’t think so. “I enjoyed meeting your family,” she said, changing the subject.

“I was sorry about being called away on business.” Dare picked up her hand and pressed a kiss on her wrist. It tickled, making her uncomfortably aware of her body and the way her knit top clung to her breasts.

The cab pulled up outside Sky Tower.
Thank goodness
. He’d have to let her go. The man hadn’t acted so touchy-feely on previous dates. Yes, he’d kissed her but he hadn’t acted with such possessiveness. What was going on here? Whatever it was, his actions were doing her head and giving her pulse a hell of a roller coaster ride.

He climbed from the cab, helped her out and paid the driver. Taking her arm, he held her close to his side, and whisked her into the Sky Hotel. Then they were in the lift speeding to the top of the tower.

“Wow, that was quick.” Summer yanked her hand from Dare’s warm grasp to clutch her stomach. “I think I left my tummy on the ground floor,” she said with a rueful smile.

They stepped from the lift and walked straight into the restaurant.

“Is this the revolving restaurant?” She peered out the closest window in awe. Auckland harbor stretched out in front of her with the dormant island volcano of Rangitoto in the foreground. Boats of all shapes and sizes dotted the blue water. It was no wonder people called it the city of sails. To her left was a marina of yachts while to her right a cruise ship disgorged tourists for their Auckland stopover. She turned to Dare. “Thank you for bringing me. The view is breathtaking.”

A pleased smile softened his mouth. “I thought you’d enjoy it here. Once we get to our table, I’ll point out some of the sights for you.”

They were seated and had drinks before she had time to blink. She picked up her tall glass of orange juice and took a quick sip to wash away the dry cotton nerves in her mouth.

Dare consulted the menu and ordered for both of them without bothering to check her preferences.

“How do you know what I wanted to eat?” She didn’t bother to hide the tartness in her voice. He’d done this before.

“I don’t have much time. It speeds things up if I order.”

The man was a control freak in all facets of his life as she was learning. Each date underlined the annoying habit a bit more.

“Would you like to go out to dinner tonight?” he asked, ignoring her protest in typical fashion.

“I’m sorry. Not tonight.”