Part 25 (1/2)
The pizza in her stomach suddenly felt as if it might make an unscheduled appearance. She tossed her napkin on her plate. ”Are you done here?”
Nick made no response.
”Okay, fine.” She got up and collected the pizza box and plates, and put everything away in the kitchen. He didn't seem to notice.
”I'm going to take Dave out.” Rosalie threw her coat over her shoulders, grabbed Dave's leash, and stepped into her shoes, not stopping to put Dave's leash on until they were outside. She took a deep breath and then another, trying to calm her racing pulse. She'd had it. Nothing she'd done reached Nick-h.e.l.l, one time, she'd even sat on him, and all he'd done was hold her and stare off into s.p.a.ce. He didn't laugh anymore. He didn't play. It was as if he'd had a personality transplant. He still held her at night, and they still made love, but that was different, too. It was serious, sad.
Rosalie took Dave for a long walk. She walked until Dave tugged her back in the direction of home. He was done, and unless she wanted to carry him, she was, too.
When they returned home, she tossed her coat on the couch. Nick watched her. He didn't get up and hang her coat, and he didn't tease her. He just watched. She cleared her throat and s.h.i.+fted from foot to foot under his scrutiny. ”I've got a long day tomorrow. I'm going to bed.”
”I'll turn in, too,” he said and rose from the couch.
Nick followed her into the bedroom. She undressed while he brushed his teeth, and he was in bed by the time she was done in the bathroom. Rosalie climbed into bed and fought the urge to cuddle up to him, fought the urge to smack him, fought the urge to cry.
Nick was miserable, and worse yet, he knew he was making Rosalie miserable. At dinner, he'd been unable to eat, trying to decide what to do. He wasn't ready to leave. She was lying beside him in bed, and for the first time since they'd been together, she wasn't on top of him. He missed the way her hair caught in his five o'clock shadow. He missed the way she felt against him. h.e.l.l, he even missed that little noise she made when he moved and jostled her.
It seemed to take hours, but she'd finally fallen asleep. He heard it in her steady breathing. She rolled on top of him, and he was able to relax for the first time all day.
When he'd met Rosalie, his relations.h.i.+p with her brother was an inconvenience. Not telling her about it was simpler than digging up the whole mess. Nick was almost sure she wouldn't hear about the hints he'd dropped about Premier Motors. There was nothing in writing. So, okay, he felt guilty about it, why, he wasn't sure. It wasn't as if he knew Rosalie was the rumored interim CFO. But, his luck being what it was, he'd be better off confessing all right now, before Rich came home. For reasons Nick didn't want to examine too closely, he wasn't ready to cut Rosalie loose. So, he'd take his chances and tell her everything. Even if she tossed his a.s.s out, it would be better than this incessant waiting.
Nick just wasn't sure how to go about telling her. He'd never seen the point in explaining his actions to a woman before. It had always been easier to leave. Vinny had been married to Mona since Nick was a kid. Knowing Vinny, he'd become such an expert at doing the explanation mambo, he could be an instructor on Dancing with the Stars. Dancing with the Stars. It was going to be as embarra.s.sing as h.e.l.l, but Nick would have to ask for advice. He hoped Vin didn't make the experience too humiliating. It was going to be as embarra.s.sing as h.e.l.l, but Nick would have to ask for advice. He hoped Vin didn't make the experience too humiliating.
At least now he had a plan. He'd come home tomorrow and begin the weekend doing the ol' explanation mambo, which would lead to Rosalie getting fighting mad, him apologizing, and if he were lucky, the two of them having make-up s.e.x. If he wasn't, at least he'd put an end to this torment.
Nick ran his hand over Rosalie's hair and let the ends curl around his fingers while his other hand skimmed over the thigh she'd thrown over his and headed for her a.s.s. He fell asleep in that position-with one hand in her hair, the other on her a.s.s, and a smile on his face.
Nick got up early and stopped at Vinny's on the way to work. He parked down the street and walked Dave a few houses up the road. Before they made it to the top of Vinny's stoop, Nick saw the error of his ways. This was not a good time. Every light in the house was on, and Mona was already yelling at the kids. Nick turned around and would have made a clean escape, if Dave hadn't lifted his leg on the fire hydrant in front of the house. Before he could pull Dave away, Vinny stepped onto the porch to pick up the morning paper and gave Nick the once-over. ”Who died?”
Nick opened his mouth and closed it. He shook his head and turned to walk away. A big beefy hand reached out and grabbed his collar.
”Oh, no, not so fast. You don't show up on my doorstep at six a.m. and walk away without a word. I smell woman trouble. Come on, let's go to the restaurant.”
Nick sat at the bar with one hand wrapped around a coffee cup and the other holding up his head while Dave lay behind the bar and snored.
”You're an idiot.” Vinny stood behind the bar, leaning on the counter, took a sip of coffee, and topped off Nick's with a shot of Jack Daniels. ”Let's recap. This whole thing began when you picked up Rosalie in the wrecker on your way home. The next day you brought her here. Am I right?”
Nick nodded and took a swig of his spiked coffee.
”So that kiss I walked in on-you know, the one so hot I could have brought in a bra.s.s band and neither of you would have noticed-that was your first kiss?”
Nick nodded.
”Is she always that hot?”
Nick shot Vinny a warning look, and then, disgusted with himself, he nodded.
Vinny added a shot of Jack to his own coffee, drank it, and sat down. ”d.a.m.n, if that was your first kiss... You say you took her home and never really left. It's been what, three months?”
Nick nodded again.
”So you dropped the bombs to the lenders about Premier before you were practically living with Lee-and way before you found out she took over the joint.”
”Yeah.”
”And you say she still doesn't know who you are. She still thinks you're a mechanic.”
Nick didn't bother nodding this time. He was starting to feel like a freaking bobblehead doll.
”Nick, I never thought I'd say this, but you don't know jack about women.” Vinny held up his hands in surrender. ”I know, I know, you've been with half the female population of Manhattan, but I've been married to Mona for eighteen years. Let me tell you, there's not a man alive who can keep his ident.i.ty a secret from the woman he's sleeping with-not a smart, Italian woman, anyway. Rosalie knew who you were within forty-eight hours of your first date. No nice Italian girl sleeps with a guy unless she knows his first, middle, and last names-at least, not more than once.”
Nick had to admit, Vin had a point. Rosalie had never asked his full name. He'd thought she was too embarra.s.sed. What was she supposed to do? Roll over and say, ”The s.e.x was great, and by the way, what was your name again?” He'd never questioned it because, well, he was a guy, and it served his purpose.
”If she's known all along, why didn't she say something? Why wasn't she mad? Why'd she make me lie to her?”
Vinny poured another shot into both their coffees and shook his head. ”Women.”
”Christ, I'm a f.u.c.king idiot. Here I thought I was pulling the wool over her eyes, and all the while, she was the one keeping me me in the dark.” Nick stared into his cup. ”I've only driven the Viper once since I've met her. I've been running around, changing clothes everywhere I go, so she won't see me in a f.u.c.kin' suit. I never introduced her to my mother, Nana, or the rest of the family. s.h.i.+t. If she knew, then how come she never asked for anything? She gets p.i.s.sed if I pay for pizza twice in a row.” in the dark.” Nick stared into his cup. ”I've only driven the Viper once since I've met her. I've been running around, changing clothes everywhere I go, so she won't see me in a f.u.c.kin' suit. I never introduced her to my mother, Nana, or the rest of the family. s.h.i.+t. If she knew, then how come she never asked for anything? She gets p.i.s.sed if I pay for pizza twice in a row.”
”Don't ask me to figure out women. You can ask Mona if you want. But if you tell her I knew anything about this stunt you pulled, I'll have to kill you.”
”Hey, I'll admit I'm stupid, but even I'm not that dumb. Besides, you'd never get the chance to kill me. She'd do it first.”
Vinny sat back with a s.h.i.+t-eating grin on his face. ”So, you're in love with Lee?”
Nick looked up and shook his head no.
”You like her?”
Nick liked Rosalie a lot. He nodded.
”Okay, so you like her. She's a hot piece of a.s.s.”
Nick was on Vinny so fast, he made his own head spin. He reached across the bar, grabbed his cousin by the s.h.i.+rt, and lifted him off his feet. Dave woke up and started barking. Vinny only smiled and patted Nick on the shoulder.
”Yup, you love her. No guy moves as fast as you did to protect the honor of a girl he's not in love with. Now, put me down, and I'll tell you what you have to do.
Nick put Vinny down and gave him his best scowl.
d.a.m.n. Nick should have known Vin would be anything but helpful.
”Okay, first thing you need to do is spill your guts. Just remember, never, ever, say anything about the fact that she was the reason you did wrong. You've got to suck it up and say the dreaded words. You might want to write these down and practice in front of a mirror.” Vinny handed Nick a bar napkin and a pen.
”It's all my fault. I was stupid, and I wasn't thinking. You're absolutely right. I don't want to lose you, and I'll do anything if you'll give me another chance.”
Nick stopped writing; he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
”Why are you looking at me as if I grew another head?”
”You actually say s.h.i.+t like this?”