Chapter 66

"Whatever." She hopped off her chair and dug her vibrating cell from her back pocket. "I don't..." Eyes on the screen, her face paled several shades and she went rigid.

Olivia frowned. "What's up?"

"My Uncle Clint is coming for a visit." Her hand trembled as her throat worked a swallow.

"Blech. When?" Olivia peered at the phone.

"I don't know. Kyle just texted." Amy's thumbs went to work in reply.

Nakos's gut bottomed out as her complexion slipped from an insipid shade of white to green. "I don't remember you mentioning him before." More over, why would the uncle elicit this kind of reaction from her?

"My mother's brother. He lives in Texas." Her voice shook almost as badly as her hands. "He doesn't come up very often. A couple times when we were kids and once when Chris and I were married. That was the only time my ex proved useful. He told my parents we wouldn't be around, that we were camping. Since Chris hates familial things, it worked for him."

Olivia shuddered. "Total creep. What were we, like thirteen when I had dinner at your place and he was there?"

"Twelve," Amy breathed, gaze still on her cell. "That was the last visit until the one two years ago."

Glancing between Nate and Nakos, Olivia scrunched her nose. "He reminds me of a used car salesman. Greased hair, too much cologne. He tells foul, lewd jokes. I swear, he spent the whole time staring at me like I was candy. Ugh." She shuddered again.

Nate's gaze hardened to cement. "He did what?" Teeth flashed as he growled.

"Relax. It was years ago. He never touched me. He's harmless, if not disgusting." Olivia looked at Amy. "Still needed a shower afterward."

Regardless of whether he'd laid a finger on Olivia, what kind of sick asshole looked at a little girl that way? Or told filthy jokes to them at their age? Nakos's own temper was reaching critical. No wonder Amy was shaken. Anyone would be uncomfortable as hell with that sort of person around.

"Next week Friday." Amy closed her eyes a beat and re-pocketed her phone. "He'll be up then and is staying with my parents."

"Well, at least there's one good thing about your folks disowning you." Olivia squeezed Amy's hand. "You don't have to play nice. Or see him at all."

"Very true." A deep breath, and her color returned. She resettled on her chair, and since she seemed all right, Nakos's stomach quieted down. "What did we miss while I kicked Liv's butt at pool?"

"Nothing much." Nate flicked Nakos a smirk. "What's this I hear you've taken up an interest in photographing cowboys?"

Her grin was wicked. "And leaning toward tatted ex-soldiers."

Nakos chuckled. "I told you." He gave it under five minutes before the guy said yes.

A shake of his head, and Nate zeroed back on Amy. "No."

"Come on." She wiggled her brows. "You need to be captured on film."

"No."

"Just try it out. One shoot." She batted her lashes. "You bought me the camera, after all. Plus, Olivia will enjoy it."

He glanced at his wife, and his shoulders sank at her nod of agreement. "Traitor." Mouth thin, he looked at Amy once more. Paused. "No showing my face, like you did with him." He jerked a thumb at Nakos.

"That can be arranged." Amy jived in her seat like she knew she had him.

"And I keep my shirt on."

"Off."

"On."

She strummed her fingers on the table. "Partially off. Open chest? Or a tight t-shirt to show that ink and your guns?"

Nate studied her a beat. "Fine. Deal."

"Yay." She did a fist pump and slid her gaze in a once-over as if imagining the shot now. "You're going to be so yummy through my lens."

"Yummy, huh?" Nate frowned and looked at Olivia for a reaction.

Olivia tipped her head. "I agree." She gave him a quick kiss, smiling, and focused on Amy. "Are you going to say yes to Sam?"

Amy shrugged. "Maybe."

Wait. What? "Sam our employee?" Nakos glanced between the ladies. These two switched topics faster than a brush fire got out of hand. "Yes to what?"

"Yep, our Sam. He asked Amy to dinner." Olivia pinned Nakos with a whatcha-gonna-do-about-it glare. "Unless you can think of a reason for her to decline."

Ah, so Amy had told Olivia about the kiss. Great. Perfect. Why didn't she just take up ad space? And no way was Amy dating the ranch hand. Sam was a great worker and nice enough, but hell to the no. Nakos wouldn't stand for it.

Hihcebe. He froze. Nate was right. He was sunk.

"Weird he's worked for you for five years and just now asked me out."

Olivia waved a dismissal. "You were married for three of those. He just broke up with that waitress from the diner."

"Yeah, I suppose." Amy dipped her chin as if considering.

As Nate rubbed his mouth at a poor attempt to hide a grin, Nakos sighed. He got the distinct impression they were trapping him. Which didn't matter because his first gut reaction wasn't something he could control any more than he could control Amy.

Resting his elbows on the table, he looked her dead on. "Do it. Go on a date and have fun." His left eye twitched, and he bit his tongue in order not to retract his statement the second it passed his lips.

Her irritated gaze narrowed while she measured him, but... Yes. Yes, yes, and hell yes. Finally, some confirmation. Hurt lay under her blue-green depths as if she despised his response. She clearly didn't want to date the guy and Nakos sure as hell hated the idea.

All week the situation between them had been driving him nuts. Questioning what she wanted. Dissecting his own feelings.

No more. This whirlwind stopped tonight, starting the moment he got her home. He might not come out alive, but it was a risk he was willing to take. It didn't matter how fast or slow he had to go, didn't matter what confusing thing flew out of her mouth.

This chemistry? The undeniable pull? Irrefutable.

The fact he'd never felt anything like it was enough of a green light. He had no idea why she'd thrown roadblocks or was running the opposite way. Her defense mechanisms had been in place from the beginning of their crazy shift. However, he was going to unearth the reasons if it took until his last breath to accomplish the feat.

Because she wanted him, too. And she might be the loose cannon in their pair, but he very much wanted to be the trigger that made her go boom.

"Totally didn't expect you to say that." Olivia glanced at Nakos, Amy, and back again, then did a double-take on Nate. "Why are you grinning?"

Nate scratched his jaw, his expression dialed to should I or shouldn't I. "Amy never listens to him. Ever. Actually, ninety-nine percent of the time, she does the opposite of what he says." His brows lifted in a get-me.

Digging his thumb and forefinger into his eye sockets, Nakos shook his head. So much for reverse psychology.

"Oh." Olivia straightened. "Ohhh."

He leaned back in his seat, watching Amy's myriad of emotions. Annoyance. Relief. Confusion. Interest. Before she swept into plot mode or agreed to dinner with Sam or any other such thing to render his plan useless, Nakos cut her off. "You ready to head home?"

If the startled widening of her eyes was any indication, the answer was... "No."

He nodded, a smile teasing his lips. "I can wait, anim." Oh yeah. He'd wait her out however long she decided to take.