Nic nodded but still made no move to take it. Instead, he said, “Toni and I seem to be having a little communication problem with this lesson. I think we need a professional’s help.”
Professional, huh? Well, she was by no means a professional, and frankly, she’d had no idea Nic knew she danced. Janey must have told him.
“Do you teach dance?” Toni expression lightened a little.
“No, but I’ve been dancing all my life. Ballet until I was nineteen, then I got into ballroom dancing. So, what sort of problem are you having?”
Toni snorted loudly. “Nic’s not all that good.”
Nic shrugged, but the smile he gave the girl was indulgent. “Yeah, well, I was born without the dancing gene. Sue me.”
Toni’s upper lip curl was worthy of Elvis. “Two left feet and absolutely no rhythm. He’s got no clue.”
Annie watched the banter between the two of them and couldn’t believe the jealousy she had to beat back. Awful as it sounded, she envied Nic’s young cousin and the easy camaraderie they shared.
“So, can you help us out here?”
Nic’s question snapped her back to the conversation. The DeMarcos looked at her with identical expressions of expectation. They could have passed for father and daughter.
Swallowing hard, Andrea put on a smile and walked over to Toni.
“What kind of dancing are we talking about? Your basic boy-girl dance or are you looking for something with a little more…energy?”
Toni sucked in her bottom lip. “Slow dancing.”
Annie nodded gravely. “That can be tricky. But really it’s just a matter of moving to the music, getting a rhythm with your partner. Do you like to dance?”
Toni nodded. “Yeah. Everybody says I get that from my dad. Mom said he loved to dance.”
“Then that’s all you need. Come stand in front of me.”
Toni moved to face her with a wry expression. “You’re not gonna get all ‘Dirty Dancing’ on me, are you?”
Annie grinned. “Only if you promise not to subject me to any more Zeppelin. Got anything from this decade, Nic?”
His slow smile made the air drag in her lungs. “I think I can dig up something appropriate. Hang on.”
Beating back the sudden need to throw herself at him, she focused on Toni and shook out her arms. “The key to dancing is not stiffening up. Don’t lock your knees or your arms. Start out simply swaying to the music.”
A slow-paced Dave Matthews Band song streamed from the CD player, and she flashed a smile at Nic, whose intent expression sent her pulse pounding.
Ooh-kay.
“Nic, come over here and let’s try this again.”
He walked over, gaze never leaving hers. “Maybe she needs to see it demonstrated first.”
Annie swore her blood thickened. When he looked at her like that, the world could stop because nothing else mattered. Not their history. Not the fact that she’d spent years telling herself she hated him.
He looked at her with those blue eyes and she wanted to drown in him. Instead, she took the hand he held out and let him draw her into the circle of his arms.
It wasn’t close enough. It would never be close enough unless he told her he loved her and took her to his bed. It didn’t have to be in that order.
And beggars can’t be choosers.
She placed her left hand on his shoulder as he put his right hand on her hip.
Nic started to move in a slow circle and Annie followed, years of training allowing her to follow his every move perfectly even while her brain was disconnected. He wasn’t a great dancer—too stiff—but that didn’t matter. For years, she’d longed to be right here, in his arms.
Drawing in a deep breath, she let his scent seep into her system—a hint of spice, motor oil and pure Nic.
He stared into her eyes, that steady blue gaze hypnotizing, and she nearly stumbled.
“Easy, hon.” His voice brushed against her skin, raising goosebumps. “I’m the one with two left feet, remember?”
“Sorry.” She shook her head, not wanting to shake off his spell but realizing Toni was watching their every move. “I lost my rhythm for a second.”
Easing away, she noticed how Nic’s hand tightened on hers for just a second before he released her. With a deep breath, she motioned for Toni to trade places. And saw Nic’s expression transform with love.
As they moved in a small circle, Annie watched as Toni finally loosened up enough to find her rhythm. The girl was a natural, and with some instruction, she could be great.
“Have you ever considered taking classes, Toni? You definitely have talent. The studio where I study has all different types of classes.”
Toni shrugged, but her eyes widened with interest. “Sure, I could look into it. I’d have to ask my mom.”
Nic nudged her. “So you think you got this down, kid?”
Toni nodded, smiling. “Yeah, I think so.” She flashed a quick look up at Annie. “Um, thanks for the dance lesson.”
“No problem, Toni. It was very nice to meet but I should probably get back to work.”
Nic watched Annie turn toward him, her expression hard to decipher. Then she smiled her patented “Everything’s fine” smile. Which meant she was hiding something.
“I’ll walk you to the door.” He turned to Toni, who continued to watch them with the eyes of a baby hawk. “Hey, smart girl, see if you can get that nut off for me. Be right back.”
He waved a hand toward the door where she’d entered and fell into step beside her. “Thanks for bringing that over. You didn’t have to make a special trip. Hope we didn’t make you late for something.”
Annie shook her head. “No problem, but I’ve really got to get going.”
Nic couldn’t help but think she was running and he didn’t like that she was running from him. But what was he supposed to think when she wouldn’t meet his gaze. What had happened between dancing in his arms and this second?
They reached the door and Annie was ready to push through before he stopped her.
“Annie—”
His cell rang and pulled it out while still holding onto her with his other hand. The number was blocked.
Shit.
Annie’s gaze narrowed. “What’s wrong?”
“Don’t go.” He answered the phone. “DeMarco.”
“She’s beautiful,” the electronically distorted voice said. “And she looks so lovely in blue, don’t you think? You don’t deserve her.”
Sonuvabitch. The guy was watching him. Pulling Annie back into the garage, he shut the door. His expression must have scared her into silence because she didn’t say a word.
“Who the hell is this?”
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out eventually, Dominic. But until then, it’ll be fun to watch you squirm. You can’t be with her 24/7, can you? So you’ll wonder every second of every day if she’s safe. Because I know what you don’t want anyone else to know. Just how much she means to you. When I hurt her, it’ll kill you.”
The call ended and, for several seconds he stood there, burning hot with fury, biting back the foul words that wanted to spew from his mouth.
He wouldn’t swear like a soldier in front of Toni. She’d never heard him say more than an occasional hell or damn.
So he counted backwards from one hundred subtracting seven each time. Mal swore by the technique.
“Nic, are you okay?” Annie asked before her eyes widened. “It was him, wasn’t it?”
His jaw set. “Not in front of Toni.” He turned to call for the girl, somehow managing not to bark out orders. “Hey, kid. We gotta get going. Something’s come up.”
Then he looked down into Annie’s worried eyes. “I’m gonna take Toni home then I’ll drive you home. No,” he cut her off before Annie could respond. “I’ll take you.”
Annie shook her head. “I wasn’t going to object but I’m not going home.”
His gaze sharpened on hers. “Why? Where are you going?”
“I have a meeting, across town.”
“Fine. I’ll take you. But I’ve got to talk to Mags first.”
* * * * *
Annie had met Magdalene DeMarco before but hadn’t seen her in years.
Mags hadn’t changed much. She still reminded Annie of a gorgeous Italian painting with her long dark hair, high cheekbones and full mouth. She had curves Annie could only ever dream of having and Nic had loved her once. Maybe he still did.
“Hey, Nic, you’re—” Mags stopped and her gaze narrowed on his face. “What happened? Is Toni okay? Are you okay?”
Toni sauntered through the door, hands in her pockets, smirk in place. “I’m fine. Nic’s all charged up over some phone call he won’t talk about. I’m gonna get a drink. Anybody want one?”
Annie smiled at the wealth of teenage disgust in Toni’s tone. Neither Nic nor she had told Toni about that call. The girl truly was a DeMarco.
Mags pinned Nic with a look. “What’s going on?”
Annie shut the door and leaned against it as Nic took Mags’ arm and led her to the couch.
“You know I’d never intentionally put Toni in danger, right?”
Mags nodded as they sat side by side. “I know that. But you’re lookin’ pretty scary right now, Nic. What the hell happened?”
“Just a few phone calls from some asshole who wants to rattle me.”
Mags just stared at him. “Jesus, who’d you piss off this time?”
He shook his head, expression tightening. “I don’t know. But when I find the guy, I’m gonna make sure he doesn’t do it again. In the meantime, I can’t be around Toni for a while. I don’t want this guy getting any ideas about her. You gotta keep her close for a while.”
Mags snorted. “She’s gonna love that. What about you?” She looked deep into Nic’s eyes and Annie’s heart tripped over the emotion there. “Are you okay?”
Nic nodded and his gaze skipped to Annie’s for a brief second. “Yeah.”
Mags followed Nic’s gaze then smiled at her. “I’m sorry. Please, come over and sit down. You’re Annie, right? Janey’s friend.”
Annie nodded but remained where she was. “Yes.” She held out her hand to Mags, who took it for a firm shake. “But I really can’t stay. I’ve got a meeting in ten minutes I can’t miss. Nic, I’ll just get my car—”
“No.” That one word held a wealth of anger and a hint of fear. It was the fear that made Annie bite back sharp words. “I’ll take you.” He turned back to Mags. “Keep her inside tonight. Just to be safe. I’ll call you later. And don’t say anything to my parents. I haven’t told them what’s going on yet.”
Mags nodded, her gaze flipping between Nic and Annie. “Sure. Stay safe, Nic. I worry about you.”
When she leaned on to kiss Nic on the cheek, Annie’s blood pressure threatened to give her a stroke. She refused to believe she was jealous but no other emotion fit.
“I know, but I’m not going anywhere. Talk to you tonight.”
He stood, walked to the door and took Annie’s arm, never looking at her face.
“We’ll take your car.” Nic led her outside and headed straight for her car, which he’d obviously seen. His gaze never stopped moving. “I’ll pick mine up later. Give me the keys.”
She gave them up without a fight, still trying to come to terms with the fact that she was jealous of Mags.