Jacked Up (15 page)

No backing out now.

He liked her and now everyone and his brother was going to figure that out.

While he was a little nervous as to Eve’s reaction, he couldn’t help feeling a little pleased. This was a surprise party. This was a whole table of food and desserts and ten bottles of champagne. If he had done this himself, it would have been a few cases of beer, some chips, and a cake.

“Thanks, Suzanne. I have a mother and seven sisters, so they always muscle me out of anything like this. I had no idea what I was doing.”

“You have seven sisters?” Suzanne looked down at her baby, who was sleeping, his tiny hand clenched into a fist. “Lord, I can’t imagine squeezing out eight of him.”

“Actually nine. Rhett is also my brother.” Who was supposed to be showing up for the party, but had been oddly silent all day. Then he forgot all about his brother entirely as a terrible thought hit him. “Shit. I didn’t actually get a gift for Eve. What the hell is wrong with me?”

What guy doesn’t get his girl a gift for her birthday?

Of course, she wasn’t even his girl. Which made him wonder what the hell he was even doing. But you know what? Screw it. He was in it to win it.

“You’d better hit the pavement,” Suzanne told him. “You have forty minutes before Eve gets here.”

What the hell could he buy in forty minutes? It would be a nightmare if he wasn’t actually in the room when Eve got there, and God knew she would be on time. She thought she was arriving at the Jeffersons’ suite for a photo shoot of the Hinder Motors drivers, and he knew full well she took her job seriously.

But he didn’t really know Eve’s tastes that well. He’d only been to her condo once, and he’d spent most of his time in the bedroom. Added to that was the fact that he was only going to be able to shop in the hotel retail spots. So he ran and discovered as he slid into the lobby that his options were Vegas shot glasses or beaded bags that brought to mind older ladies on tour buses.

“Can I help you?” A blue-haired woman who was wearing a beaded top that matched half the bags on the wall next to her approached him with a beaming smile.

“I’m just looking, thanks.” He scanned the shelves, hoping something would miraculously pop out at him and guarantee that Eve would fall in love with him.

He almost knocked a Vegas Strip ashtray onto the floor. Did he want Eve to fall in love with him?

Duh. The answer was pretty fricking obvious. He had allowed himself to stroke inside her condom free, something he hadn’t ever done. Not once. Plus he was throwing her a surprise birthday party in Vegas with all of his last paycheck. There was no way he’d do that for a roll in the hay. Sex just wasn’t that hard to come by. No, he wanted her to want him. He wanted her to love him.

It should have been a terrifying realization, but instead he just felt exhilarated as he stared at T-shirts with tigers on them.

“I’m buying a birthday gift for my girlfriend,” he blurted out to the clerk. “I’m throwing her a party but I forgot to get an actual gift.”

Maybe if he called her his girlfriend, he could make it so. Or maybe that was a psychotic junior high thing to do. Either way, it felt pretty damn good to speak the words out loud.

“Oh, dear.” The clerk gave him an admonishing look. “What does she like? Jewelry?”

“No.” Eve wore very basic jewelry and makeup. “She likes cars. Being on time. Salads.” His tongue between her thighs.

“Oh, dear,” she repeated. “That’s not a lot to go on. How about a scented candle? Does she like poker? We have a bedazzled set of poker chips.”

Maybe he shouldn’t buy her a gift after all. Looking around, the pickings did seem to be on the wrong side of tacky. Though there were worse gifts than an Elvis poster. Nolan distinctly recalled the Christmas his father had bought his mother a Shop-Vac. That had not been a pleasant dinner. Or the time his brother-in-law had gotten his sister a rifle for her birthday when she’d never been hunting a day in her life. Those were fuck-up gifts. He didn’t want to give Eve a fuck-up gift.

Then he turned and he was fairly certain applause sounded as he spotted a leopard print bra and panties. It was the kind of bra that pushed everything up and out. What woman didn’t want that? Plus it was an inside joke between them that she’d popped her button and this thing would cause her whole blouse to burst. The panties said
PUSSYCAT
across the front of them, which was perfect. It was like the whole set was designed for Eve. She would appreciate the humor in it.

Plus if she was a good sport and actually put them on, he was going to have a very happy ending to this shopping excursion.

“I’ll take this,” he told the clerk, lifting the bra off the rack. “With the panties.”

She looked dubious. “Are you sure? Most women want something more personal for their birthday.”

What was more personal than underwear? Besides, it was essentially a joke. Eve would get that. “No, this is good.”

“What size?”

“Um.” Like he knew. “Small panties. Big bra.”

“Like a D cup big?”

Nolan put his hands in front of him. Eve had a nice rack. “Like this big.” He was going to have to make sure he looked at the tags on her clothes next time they were all lying on the floor. He’d put them in his phone for future gift giving, of which he planned to do plenty.

“I’d say that’s a large C.”

Noted. Though he might need a second job. The register read $97.23 when the clerk was done ringing the bra and panties. Seriously? For two inches of leopard print material? Nolan swallowed his doubts and tried not to think about how much money he had spent today alone. More than he normally spent in a month.

Nope. He wasn’t going to think about it.

“I hope she enjoys it.”

“Thanks, I’m sure she will.” He may not have a lot of money, but he’d always had a fair amount of confidence, and Nolan took the package and strolled out of the store.

He had a feeling this was going to be a night to remember.

CHAPTER

ELEVEN

EVE
sat in the car with Evan and Kendall, feeling cranky as hell. She didn’t want to be going to this photo shoot. She wanted to eat dinner, go for a run, then lie in her hotel room feeling sorry for herself.

She’d barely heard from Nolan in the last three days. There had been a couple of text messages every day, but he hadn’t called her and she hadn’t seen him. He kept saying they would see each other on Saturday, but she didn’t believe it. What she believed was that men sucked.

This was just so typical. He had pursued her, gotten her into bed, and now he was retreating. Asshole.

Not to mention that even right now at this moment cells could be dividing into a fetus in her uterus since he’d been inside her without a condom. Oh, so it hadn’t been the right time, but that wasn’t foolproof. Nor was pulling out. He should have talked it over with her before sticking it in. Asshole.

What was she going to do with a baby? Nolan was on the road all the time. Asshole.

She noticed Evan was looking at her. “What?” she snapped at him.

He put his hands up. “Nothing. Jesus Christ, you’re in a mood.”

“I am not.” Okay, she totally was, but fuck him. Why did Evan have to always point out her crankiness? Like he was never cranky? “Tell me this—why do men have sex with women then disappear?”

“They don’t always do that.”

“No, but they do a lot of times.” They were in a limo coming directly from the airport so Eve was across from both her brother and sister-in-law. “Don’t they, Kendall?”

“It seems like a stereotype, the commitment-phobe guy, but stereotypes are usually based on something.”

“I don’t think it’s a commitment issue. I think most men are just seeing an opportunity and taking it.”

“But why can’t they at least hang around long enough to see if they like the woman or not? Why is it like, ‘Well, I’ve touched her vagina, now she can’t possibly be interesting.’”

“Where is this coming from? Are you worried that Nolan is blowing you off?” Kendall asked.

Yes. Eve just made a sound with her lips. “I’m not worried about it. I know he is.”

They exchanged looks. Great, they felt sorry for her.

“Eve, that is most definitely not the case.” Evan nudged her foot with his boot. “Trust me.”

“He mentioned you all are going out for your birthday on Saturday,” Kendall said.

She appreciated the pep talks, but really, she was just determined to be miserable. It was all for the best really. The sooner he shit on her, the sooner she could stop seeing him, and the less she would get hurt.

God, that was seriously the most pathetic thought she’d ever had.

Maybe she should just assume they were going out on Saturday and stop worrying about it. That couldn’t honestly be that hard.

Though she wouldn’t mind a drink. It had been a long flight to Vegas the day before and an early morning press event today. She was tired. Crossing her leg, she flicked lint off her pencil skirt. She wanted to ditch the heels, too. Work clothes after 5 p.m. were just rude.

“You’re right. He did say that. Though I’d rather forget about my birthday.”

They exchanged another look as the limo pulled up in front of the hotel. “What?” she asked again.

“Nothing.” Evan opened the door and put his foot out onto the pavement. “But if there winds up being something of a celebration for your birthday at any point this weekend, don’t be pissed.”

That gave her pause. “Are Mom and Dad here?”

He didn’t answer, just hopped out of the limo.

She looked at Kendall, who shook her head. “I’m not saying a word.”

“My parents planned a party for me?” That was sweet, she had to say, but at the same time, she didn’t want any attention paid to her impending old age. “Wait, is it tonight?”

Kendall exited the limo right behind Evan without saying a word, which to Eve was confirmation.

Great, she was tired from traveling and dressed like the wait staff. But it was nice to know she was loved, that was for sure. Sometimes she questioned why her family didn’t just wash their hands of her.

Climbing out of the car, she felt a wave of nostalgia wash over her. She had no right to bitch. She had a good life, a family that loved her, financial security, and a career a lot of women would love to have.

Plus she was getting jackman action.

Maybe thirty-three wasn’t so bad after all.

As they went up in the elevator together, Eve brushed her hair and put on a neutral lipstick. “Thanks for giving me the heads-up. I’m not big on surprises, you know.”

“I know. I told No—”

Evan stopped talking when Kendall elbowed him in the gut.

Suddenly suspicious, Eve followed them down the hallway. “What are you two not telling me? Is there a male stripper here or something? I don’t do male strippers, you know that.”

Evan snorted. “No, there isn’t a male stripper. Why would any of us order that? I don’t want to be anywhere near male strippers. And by the way, how would I know you don’t do male strippers?”

He knocked on the suite door then opened it.

Eve muscled past him, ready to get this over with. “Because you should know if I have a dollar, I’m not sticking it in a G-string.”

She entered the room, pasting a smile on her face. And was met with neither a male stripper nor her parents.

It was Nolan, surrounded by a lot of pink and yellow tulle, and a giant sign behind him proclaiming,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CUPCAKE
.

Oh. My. God.

Stunned speechless, she stared blankly at him beaming at her, then looked left and right. There were balloons and a giant towering cupcake display. Elec was there, as well as the Jeffersons, Tuesday and Diesel, Ty and Imogen. Behind an explosion of flowers were her parents, the table next to them lined with a shit-ton of champagne bottles. The owner of Hinder Motors, Carl, was there with his wife, Trudy, and both of her brothers’ secretaries. Even Nolan’s brother, Rhett, was there, already popping cheese cubes in his mouth.

“What the hell . . .” was all she managed before they all launched into a rousing, but off-key version of “Happy Birthday.”

Nolan came toward her as they sang, and she found herself both hard-core blushing and fighting the urge to turn and run back to the elevator. Everyone was staring at her. No one ever stared at her. Certainly fifteen people didn’t ever at the same time. She was the background fader, the woman with the clipboard and the phone, in the most nondescript outfits possible.

So while part of her wanted to crawl into a hole in the carpet and die, the other part was squealing in girlish delight.

Nolan wasn’t a commitment phobe. He hadn’t blown her off.

He was so into her that he was wearing a cupcake button on his shirt and had pulled off a surprise party on just a few days’ notice.

It was equal parts mortification and magic.

Everyone was smiling and singing, and she was blushing. No one had ever thrown her a surprise party before. They knew her better. But Nolan didn’t walk on eggshells with her. He just dove in, forcing her to enjoy herself.

It was both messed up and touching.

“Wow,” she said, while everyone was still singing, because it seemed like she should say something.

Nolan was almost to her, and to give herself credit, she didn’t run away. She met his smile with a smile of her own. Truthfully, it was easy to smile at him. He was so damn cute. You’d have to have no soul not to respond to his sheer adorableness. He was like a kitten you had to touch and pet and soothe. Only he was a lot hotter than a kitten and mostly she wanted to kiss him, not soothe him. So maybe he wasn’t like a kitten at all. He was like a hot jackman who was adorable and he had thrown her a surprise birthday party. There were no words for that.

“Happy Birthday, baby,” he told her, leaning in and kissing her cheek as the singing petered off.

“Holy shit, Nolan,” she told him, because that was how she was feeling.

He laughed.

“Thank you. This is . . . unexpected.”

He took her hand and turned so he wasn’t blocking the room from her view.

“Thank you,” she repeated to everyone. “Wow, this is awesome.” The weird thing was, she actually meant it. It was very cool to know that everyone had managed to fit her birthday into their busy schedules. She hadn’t had a thirtieth birthday party because she hadn’t wanted one, and to see everyone here, beaming at her, for such an uneventful birthday as thirty-three really touched her. “I really appreciate you all coming, this is amazing.”

What was equally amazing was that she was holding hands with Nolan and didn’t want to throw up in her mouth. Everyone could see they were holding hands, too. That was a first.

They were all still sort of staring at her expectantly, so Eve realized she needed to make a bigger statement. “So let’s party! Have some of this delicious-looking food and a glass of bubbly. It will keep you all from noticing my growing crow’s-feet.”

They all laughed and Eve squeezed Nolan’s hand. “You’re a nut,” she told him. “You didn’t have to do this.”

“I wanted to. I just happen to like you a whole lot, you know.”

He did. And it was making her feel a bit giddy. “I like you, too. As much as I like champagne.”

Nolan leaned closer to her, his eyes dropping to her mouth. “Lucky you, you get to have both on your birthday.”

Her heart rate was increasing and she felt warm in her pencil skirt. Her nipples pushed against her blouse. “You weren’t supposed to be here until Saturday.”

“I know. But my boss happens to be your brother.” He winked. “I pulled the family card with him, and he was more than willing to let me come early. I just have to promise never to talk about our sex life.”

Eve laughed. “That sounds like Evan. Now I’m going to get a glass of champagne and mingle with my guests.”

If she expected him to just wander off, she was dead wrong. Nolan stayed with her like he was, well, her boyfriend. It should have been unnerving but instead it felt good. Like finally she wasn’t the odd one out, the cranky single girl. Like she was capable of having fun with someone.

Admittedly she could have done without the hand-holding at a certain point—was she fifteen?—but overall she was feeling pretty damn happy with the whole situation. She approached Suzanne, who was jiggling her baby. “I know you had something to do with this. Nolan did not put tulle on the ceiling by himself.”

Suzanne laughed. “No, he did not.”

“I don’t even know what tulle is, so I can’t argue with either of you.” He let go of her hand and asked Suzanne, “Can I hold the baby?”

“Hell, yes, you can hold the baby. My arm is about to fall off.” Suzanne passed baby Track over to Nolan and rolled her shoulders. “Lord, Eve, you need to hold on to this man. He plans surprise parties and holds babies.”

“He is something.” Eve wasn’t sure what he was exactly but she was starting to really like the idea that he was hers. At the moment he was holding the baby and cooing down into his face, making goofy expressions, which pleased her more than she liked to consider.

“Yes, you’re a handsome little dude, aren’t you? Don’t look a thing like your daddy. You’re all your mommy.” Nolan leaned forward and put his ear toward Track’s mouth, like the baby was actually talking to him. “What’s that? Yeah? Eve is beautiful? Yeah, I think so, too.”

Eve rolled her eyes, blushing again. She blushed more around Nolan than she had in her entire puberty.

Suzanne laughed. “If my son was going to say anything about Eve, it would probably be to express regret that she’s not the one breast-feeding him.”

“Suzanne!” Now Eve was totally horrified.

“What? You have what women pay big bucks for. You should display them more prominently. I’m envious myself.”

“I wholeheartedly agree with Suzanne,” Nolan said, nodding seriously. “You should display them more.”

Awkward. “Can we stop talking about my breasts in front of an infant?”

Ryder strolled up. “Do you want me to take Track so you can talk about your breasts?” He held his hands out to Nolan for the baby.

“No. I want no one talking about my breasts.” In fact, Eve crossed her arms across her chest to emphasize her point.

“The baby’s asleep. I don’t think we’ve scarred him.” Nolan leaned down and kissed his petite nose. “You’re a cute little man.”

“You’re good with babies,” Ryder said.

“Seriously.” Suzanne looked awed. “I’ve been trying to get him to sleep for the last hour.”

“I have fourteen nieces and nephews.”

Suzanne gave Eve a searching look that made her uncomfortable. “I see,” Suzanne said.

Eve didn’t want to see anything. How had this turned from her birthday party to Nolan’s potential as a father?

“I’m getting a glass of champagne.” She beat a path across the carpet for the makeshift bar that had been set up. Nolan was good with babies. He looked very natural and very, well, sexy holding baby Track so easily in his arms. It was scary as hell.

Especially considering that their condom-free incident meant she could be pregnant right now. Of course, she wasn’t. She knew it wasn’t possible, given her ovulation app on her smartphone. So she wasn’t going to worry about the fact that for a split second she had liked the idea. Nor was she going to stop herself from indulging in a glass of champagne. They said you should drink wine if you were trying to get pregnant so surely if wouldn’t be harmful if she was.

There wasn’t an open bottle yet, but she unwrapped the foil and untwisted it until the cork was accessible. Then grabbing a hotel napkin off the sideboard, she covered the cork and yanked and pulled until it popped. Unceremonious, but that suited her style better. She was pouring herself a glass when her mother appeared at her side.

“Hi, Mom.”

Her mom bussed her cheek. “Happy Birthday.”

“Thanks. Thanks for coming.” She took a big sip, a gulp really, of her bubbly. “Were you planning to be here this weekend?” She honestly couldn’t remember. She’d been too preoccupied with a certain jackman to make note of her parents’ schedule. They usually attended half a dozen races or more a year, especially the big ones like Daytona. Vegas offered more than just racing, too, so it wasn’t out of the question they’d already been planning to attend this race.