“Rambo’s already in his crate.”She glanced down at Dakota, sitting quietly at their feet.“Hello, pretty girl.How about you have a serious talk with Rambo about chewing up my shoes.”
“One way to avoid that is to remove temptation.”
She sighed.“I know.I’m used to kicking off my running shoes right inside my back door, a habit I need to break.He chewed up a second pair today, so he’s not been a good boy.”
They left Dakota inside, and as Jack walked out with Nichole, he put his hand on her back, her skin warm under his palm.“Have I told you how much I like this dress?”
“I think you might have mentioned it.”She paused at seeing the car.“Oh, I was expecting to have to climb into your truck.”
“This was my dad’s.”His father had been a car nut, and the silver 2004 Thunderbird Roadster had been his last car.It was a good memory of his dad, so he’d kept it.
“It’s super cool.”
He opened the door for her.“I think so, too.”After she was seated, he walked around to the driver’s side.He slid into his seat and glanced at Nichole.She smiled at him, and there went his heart, doing that twitchy thing again.It was disturbing, but not quite as alarming as the first time it happened.
Her gaze roamed over him.“You clean up pretty nice, too.”
“Thank you.”If she knew how much time he’d spent debating what to wear, she’d laugh.He’d ended up with a pile of clothes on his bed before settling on the dark gray pants, a light blue button-down, and the gray sport coat.The surprise had been that he even owned the coat he’d found in his closet.He tried to remember why he had it, but nothing came to him.
As he turned out of her driveway, a motorcycle approached, and Jack recognized the man as the one he’d seen before, the one she’d said was nobody.The motorcycle slowed, the man staring hard at him.
“Keep going,” she said, glancing behind her as they drove away.“Damn it, why can’t he just go away?”
“Who is he?”
“My ex-boyfriend.He refuses to believe we’re over.”
Jack pressed down on the pedal.Personally, he’d like to have a few words with the asshole who was bothering her, but that probably wasn’t the best way to start their first date.“Is he stalking you?”
“Not really.He just keeps coming by, expecting me to get over my snit and fall back into his arms.”
“Is there a chance of that happening?”He braced for her answer, not liking how much he wanted to hear a no.If she had any feelings for the guy, though, he wanted to know now, before he got comfortable with having a twitchy heart.
“Not a snowball’s chance in hell.”She glanced behind her again.“Is he following us?”
Jack was wondering the same thing.He turned at the next corner, his gaze on the rearview mirror.The motorcycle followed them.Turning on his blinker, he pulled onto the shoulder.Her ex wasn’t going to ruin his first date with Nichole.
“Jack.”She put her hand on his arm.“Please just go.”
“And what?Have him follow us into the restaurant?”Her face paled, which only made him more determined that the asshole was going to leave her alone.“No man should harass a woman who doesn’t want his attention.He needs to understand that.”He opened his door.“Stay here.”
She grabbed his arm.“Please don’t fight him.”
He couldn’t promise that.It depended on her ex.He wouldn’t start a fight, but he wouldn’t run away from one.“Just stay in the car, okay?”
Without waiting for an answer, he strode to the motorcycle stopped behind them.He straddled the front wheel and put his hands on the handlebar, curling his fingers around the steel.“You’re upsetting Nichole.That doesn’t make me happy.How about you get lost.”
The man lifted the black-tinted visor of his helmet.“You gonna fucking make me?”
“Not me.The cops.I already called them.Told them some asshole was following me.”He had a feeling this man wouldn’t want the police nosing around.
Mean brown eyes slitted.“There’s one thing you need to know, dude.Nichole’s mine, and I don’t like you sniffing around her.”
“Some valuable intel,dude.Nichole isn’t anyone’s property.”He glanced at his watch.“I figure a police cruiser should be pulling up in about three minutes.I’ll be more than happy to let them sort this out.”
“You’d be wise to watch your back.I got friends who can make you disappear.”He snapped his fingers.“Just like that.”
This was like watching a bad B movie, and Jack considered laughing in the man’s face.Instead, he let his eyes go ice-cold.“You don’t know me, so you have no reason to believe me, but you should.I’m not a man you want to mess with.”He let go of the handlebars and stepped to the side.“Pretty sure I hear a siren headed this way.”
