About That Night (26 page)

He kissed her. Hard. Just swooped right down and claimed her mouth, the kiss stealing her thoughts and her breath. When he finally broke away, he scowled at her, took hold of her upper arms as if he wanted to give her a shake. “Does that feel like I want to leave? I’m the one who came here, asking you to give me a chance. Don’t push me away, Ivy.”

He wanted assurances she couldn’t give him, so she hugged him. But even as she held on, she knew she’d have to let him go eventually.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

C
.
J
. STEPPED INSIDE
O’Riley’s the next afternoon, tipped his hat back and scanned the bar for his brother. Pearl Jam’s “Even Flow” played over the jukebox in the far corner. It wasn’t nearly as crowded as it had been when he and Ivy had been there for dinner. Only a few tables had customers, while the booths lining the wall were empty.

C.J. would have thought the bar would be busier on a Friday, but maybe midafternoon was slow no matter what day it was. Then again, today was July third. Maybe people were at home, gearing up for the Fourth, getting ready for picnics, parades and fireworks. All of which he would like to share with Ivy. If he could convince her to spend the holiday with him. He thought he could. Especially after last night.

Ivy had opened up to him. Had trusted him with a piece of her past. And since he hadn’t pushed for more, the rest of the evening had been relaxed and fun. They’d eaten a delicious dinner then watched the latest Tom Hanks movie. It’d all been very normal. Almost as if they were a couple.

But it wasn’t enough. He wanted to spend more time with her. And what better way than celebrating their country’s independence?

He’d call her about it, maybe charm her into having dinner with him tonight, as well. Right after he figured out why his brother had texted him and invited him for a drink.

He didn’t believe for one minute that the impromptu invitation was Kane’s way of extending an olive branch. For one thing, Kane didn’t drink. Not since becoming clean and sober over fifteen years ago. For another, Kane had never reached out to C.J. first, preferring to stay hidden. Letting his family make all the moves.

Now suddenly Kane wanted to pal around?

Something was up. Whatever it was, C.J. figured there was a good chance he wasn’t going to like it.

He started walking across the room, spied Kane in the last booth. Kane looked up, caught C.J.’s eye and gave him a smug grin that set all of C.J.’s instincts humming. Had his footsteps slowing, his muscles tensing as if waiting for a blow.

A blow that landed squarely in his midsection when he reached the booth and saw Ivy sitting across from his brother.

“Look at that,” Kane said. “You’re right on time.”

C.J. couldn’t take his eyes off Ivy. “What are you doing here?”

She scowled. Then turned that glare on Kane. “Did you call him?”

Kane lifted a shoulder, all badass in his white T-shirt, with his tattoos peeking out from the sleeves. “I may have sent him a text inviting him for a drink. But only because I thought it would piss him off to find you here. I didn’t think he’d actually show up.”

“God save me from idiot brothers and their stupid sibling rivalry,” she muttered.

“You want to avoid idiot brothers and sibling rivalry,” Kane said in a slow drawl, “you’d best keep away from any and all members of the Bartasavich family.”

Ivy sighed. Patted her stomach. “Hard to do that now.” She stood and met C.J.’s gaze. “Did you need something?”

You.

He frowned, hoped like hell the word that had popped into his head hadn’t also popped out of his mouth. But neither Ivy’s nor Kane’s expression changed, so he guessed it hadn’t.

“What are you doing here?” he repeated. “With him?”

“He,” she said with a nod at Kane, “is doing me a favor.”

C.J. stepped toward her. “Anything you want from Kane,” he said, his voice a low growl, “you can get from me instead.”

She raised her eyebrows, her expression cunning. “I doubt that,” she purred. She trailed her hand up his chest. Gave his cheek a pat. “What I want from him is a job.”

C.J. blinked. Shook his head. “What?”

“He advertised for a bartender. I applied for the job, and you—” she gave him another pat, this one harder than the first “—are interrupting my job interview.” She turned to Kane. “Do you want me to come back?”

“I don’t mind finishing up now, if you don’t.” Kane stretched his arm across the back of his seat. “You can head on over to the bar, Junior. I’ll join you as soon as we’re done.”

Ivy sent C.J. a glance, but as he was still standing there like an idiot, she just lifted a shoulder. “Okay.” She retook her seat. “As I was saying before we were so rudely interrupted, I have a bit of experience behind the bar, enough to cover the basics, but I’ve mostly waited on tables.”

Kane nodded. “I’ve already got enough waitresses. My future sister-in-law worked behind the bar but decided during her maternity leave she’d rather take interior design classes in Pittsburgh than come back to O’Riley’s.”

“I’m a quick learner,” Ivy told him, sounding desperate to work at Kane’s dive bar. “And I’m good with people.”

“Wait a minute. Wait a minute,” C.J. said, shoving Kane over so he could slide into the booth next to him. “I won’t stand here and listen to you beg this moron to hire you.”

“Then leave,” Ivy told him in a tone so sweet, it had to be fake. “Because I need this job.”

“You already have two jobs,” C.J. pointed out. “At Bradford House and King’s Crossing.”

“Yes, I do. But since I’m no longer employed at the River View—”

“What’s a River View?”

“The River View is a very nice family restaurant over on Rockland Avenue, where I used to waitress a few nights a week until I told the owners I was pregnant.”

“You work three jobs?” Why hadn’t he known that? Was this information in the private investigator’s report? What else would he have learned if he’d read it?

“I
used
to work three jobs,” she corrected. “Like I said, Mr. and Mrs. Mongillo didn’t like the idea of having an unwed, pregnant woman working for them, so they let me go.”

C.J.’s hands fisted. “They fired you? That can’t be legal.”

“Probably not,” she said as if it didn’t matter that her civil rights had been violated, “but it’s what happened.”

“You should sue them.” He took his phone out. “I’ll call Oakes—my brother. He’s an attorney. He can—”

“Simmer down there, cowboy,” she said, her tone amused, a smile playing on her lips. “I can’t afford an attorney and, honestly, have no desire to fight a legal battle. I’d much rather just find another job. Which is why I’m here.”

He didn’t know what to do with his phone. Settled for holding on to it. “But you already have two jobs.”

“Yes,” she said slowly as if he wasn’t all there, “that’s right. One job plus one job equals two jobs. Math’s not your strong suit, is it?”

“He would have failed it freshman year,” Kane said, feeling the need to put his two worthless cents in, “but our father stepped in. Donated a new gymnasium to the school and Junior here suddenly got a passing grade.”

“Junior,” C.J. repeated, his jaw tight, “studied his ass off for the final.” The seventy-five he’d gotten had been enough to save his ass. Though his father liked to take credit for it.

“I guess maybe adding isn’t something those Texas schools focus on?” Ivy said. “To make it crystal clear, yes, I work two jobs and will hopefully be adding another to that. As soon as I find a third one.”

“Why?” C.J. asked.

“Why what?”

“Why do you need a third job?”

“How else could I afford to buy all the pretty, sparkling things I love?” she asked.

Something wasn’t adding up—and it wasn’t because of his less-than-stellar math skills. “I gave you money. Fifty thousand dollars.”

Had she spent it already?

“I remember the amount.” Her shoulders stiff, her voice sharp, she glanced at Kane. “You really want to discuss how you paid me to take my pregnancy claims and get out of your life in front of your brother?”

He realized his mistake immediately, but it was too late.

Kane leaned back, a mean grin on his face. “Junior’s a chip off the ol’ block. That’s for sure.” He turned to Ivy. “If you still want the position, it’s yours.”

“She doesn’t,” C.J. ground out.

“She does,” Ivy said. “When do you want me to start?”

Before Kane could answer, C.J. got out of the booth, took a hold of her arm and pulled her to her feet. “I’ll be damned if you’ll work for my brother.”

She didn’t try to tug free. Just smirked at him. “Then I guess you’ll be damned because, in case it’s escaped your notice, I’m not your property. I’m not your wife. I’m not even your girlfriend. I’m just some random woman you slept with.”

“Who is carrying my child,” he reminded her. “That takes the randomness out of it.”

“Not really. What do you think is going to happen here, Clinton? Do you think that I’m going to suddenly roll over and do everything you want? Because I’m not. That’s not how I’m made. I’m going to continue living and working here in Shady Grove while you go back to Houston and your regular life. Back to your fancy position at your father’s company, back to your heiresses and country-club dates and fund-raisers and black-tie events. And I’ll be here, raising my child and probably waiting on people just like you.”

Her words hit him like sharp jabs and he let go of her. He hadn’t thought it through, he realized. And now he had to wonder if she was right. His life was in Houston. Hers was here. That wasn’t going to change because the baby was his. He wondered, though, if it should.

“I’ll take care of you and the baby,” he told her. “I’ve got the means to make sure you never have to work again.”

“How nice for you,” she said drily. “But while I appreciate you wanting to support your child, and I’ll definitely take you up on that offer, I take care of myself. Always have.”

Because she’d never been able to count on anyone to take care of her? If so, he wanted to change that. Wanted to be the one to prove to her there were still people who kept their word. People she could count on.

He edged closer. Lowered his voice. “You can count on me, Ivy. I’m not going to leave you out to dry.”

Something flashed in her eyes, something that looked like hope, but then the cynical glint he was so used to returned and she shook her head. “Who are you kidding? You’re not going to stick. This is just one more thing on your to-do list. I have no desire to be one of the many, many people you take care of.”

Damn it, he was sticking. Why couldn’t she see that? He’d thought they were getting closer, that she was finally letting him in, opening up to him the way she had at her apartment last night. If she’d needed help, she should have come to him. Instead, she tossed his offer back in his face, refusing to believe he wasn’t going to abandon her or their child.

Instead of turning to him, she’d gone to his brother.

It stung. More than it should have. Somehow, he’d given her the power to hurt him.

And wasn’t that what this whole episode was about? Power. Control. This was Ivy’s method of pushing him away.

Kane joined them, seeming to enjoy C.J.’s pain and suffering way too much. “I have some paperwork you need to fill out,” Kane said. “In my office.”

“Lead the way.” She turned back to C.J. “See you later, cowboy.”

The hell she would. They weren’t finished. Not by a long shot. Kane brushed past C.J., heading toward a set of swinging doors behind the bar. Before Ivy could follow him, C.J. snatched her wrist and pulled her through the first door he came to.

That it was the men’s room and possibly not the best choice didn’t occur to him until he’d slammed the door shut behind them and locked it.

Too late to go back now.

Ignoring the three urinals lined up against the wall, he widened his stance in front of the door and crossed his arms. “Now. Let’s talk about this.”

* * *

“
Y
OU MUST BE
wearing your cowboy hat too tight,” Ivy said as she gaped at Clinton. “Because you have done some serious damage to that brain of yours.”

He didn’t look mentally deranged, she had to admit. He looked...well...
hot
was the only word to describe it. He was all glowering and broad-shouldered and sexy as he blocked her path to the door. The door he’d locked.

Okay, maybe she was the mentally deranged one for finding it sexy that he was taking control like this. She wasn’t afraid of him. She knew he’d never hurt her, but she had to admit having him all alpha male was sexy.

Except for the part where he dragged her into the men’s room, of course. That part was just disgusting.

“You are not working for my brother,” he said as that brother pounded on the door.

“Damn it, Junior,” Kane called. “Open the door.”

But Clinton didn’t even glance back, just kept advancing on her as if he was some well-groomed lion and she one of those baby gazelles or whatever it was lions stalked in the savanna. “I don’t know how the hell Kane convinced Charlotte to marry him,” Clinton muttered.

Ivy couldn’t help it. She laughed. “Yes, that’s a toughie. Let’s see, your brother is extremely good-looking, completely sexy and has that dangerous, bad-boy vibe girls—especially good girls like Charlotte—can’t resist. It truly is a mystery.”

Clinton went still, his eyes narrowed. “You think Kane’s good-looking?”

“Have I gone blind? Of course I do.” She gestured to the door where the knocking had stopped. “The man is a walking fantasy.”

“He’s an ass,” Clinton spit out. “He’s irresponsible and cocky and needs a goddamn haircut.”

Her eyes widened. “You’re jealous.”

The idea was completely crazy and absolutely wonderful.

“I’ve never been jealous of Kane, not once in my life.” But he frowned thoughtfully, as if considering her words and his own. “All my life I’ve heard about how wild he was, how dangerous, how magnetic. That go-to-hell attitude and the huge chip on his shoulder has attracted women to him his entire life, but it never mattered to me because any girl I wanted wasn’t interested in him. But now, hearing you say that...” He shook his head. Lowered his voice. “It kills me, Ivy.”