Drunk Dial (Hard Core #1) (Hard Core Series) (3 page)

“Smart. You mind if I steal your sister away for a few minutes?”

He glanced at Lacy, probably trying to get a read on whether she wanted to go with me. “No problem. I’ll cover for her.”

I looked over my shoulder at my brother, who already had a blonde sitting on his lap and a beer in front of him. Not that I was surprised. He had a way of getting everything he wanted in record time.

“Thanks.” I shook Ash’s hand again. Something told me I’d want to make an ally of this man if I wanted to date his gorgeous sister. “Nice meeting you. If you’re serious about getting into jiu-jitsu, let me know. I’ll hook you up with my instructor. He’s the best.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, York.”

“Any time you wanna see a fight, just let me know.” I slid a card with my number across the counter. “I’ll get you the best seats in the house.”

“Cool, thanks.” He pocketed my card. “Take your time, Lace. You haven’t had a break since you got here.”

She smiled before nodding, and she reached for my hand as she led me outside. “Well played. My brother likes you already.”

Mission accomplished. “Where are we going?” I asked, tugging on the small hand tucked firmly in my mine.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. I came straight here after a class, and I didn’t have time to eat.” She pointed at a diner down the street. “You wanna walk or hitch a ride with me?”

My jaw dropped when she pointed at a Harley. “That is not your ride.”

“Uh, yeah, it is.”

Imagining her riding that thing was hotter than hell, but I couldn’t help fearing for her safety. I’d been riding since I was sixteen, thanks to my old man, but I’d never dated a girl who rode a hog. I didn’t know how I felt about it.

“Let’s just walk.” My Hummer was parked a few spots away, and the idea of getting her alone in a dark, enclosed space appealed to me, but as much as I wanted to kiss her, I wanted to talk to her first, get to know her better, so she wouldn’t think I was only after one thing.

“Sure.”

“Your brother seems like a nice guy.” By comparison, mine seemed like a dick, and I was glad she didn’t have to meet him yet. Especially since I knew, despite my warnings, he would make a play for her.

“He’s the best,” she said, smiling up at me.

She was wearing four-inch heels and just grazed my nose. Good thing we’d be spending a lot of time horizontal. “You guys are close then?”

“Yeah.”

“He your only sibling?”

“Nope. I’ve got two older brothers and no old man. Believe me, dating wasn’t easy when I was a teenager.”

“What happened to your father?” We stopped at a red light, waiting to cross the street, and I could see the play of emotions cross her face. Whatever had happened, she clearly still held a grudge against him.

“He bailed on us,” she said, shrugging. “Said he wasn’t cut out to be a family man. Too bad it took him three kids before he realized that, huh?”

“I’m sorry, Lace.” My mom died of cancer when we were young. I didn’t know what we would have done without our dad. He was our rock. “What about your mom?”

She rolled her eyes, a bitter laugh slipping through her lips. “What about her?”

“She still in your life?”

“When it’s convenient for her, which is code for when she wants something.”

I heard a world of hurt in those few words, and for the first time in a long time, I felt my protective instincts kick in. “That sucks.”

“It is what it is. I don’t waste time feeling sorry for myself. I’ve got it better than a lot of people.”

I loved her attitude. She wasn’t looking to throw herself a pity party even though life had clearly dealt her a few hard blows.

“So Ash got you into kickboxing?” I asked as we crossed the street.

“Yeah. He said I couldn’t date until I learned to defend myself.” She smiled at the memory. “Turned out most boys weren’t all that interested in dating a girl who could kick their ass, so I still didn’t get many dates. I suspect my brother knew that would happen.”

I laughed, thinking I’d gone to some crazy lengths to protect my little sister too. “Well, you can’t kick my ass, so how’re you gonna scare me away?”

She seemed to consider her options before she said, “The jury’s still out on whether I want to scare you away. If I do, trust me, it won’t be a problem.”

Her warning sounded cryptic, making me wonder what kind of secrets were lurking behind those gorgeous green eyes.

I opened the door of the diner for her, not at all surprised when the few guys tucked into a corner booth turned her way. Fortunately for them, they noticed me soon after and looked away.

“What’ll you have?” she asked, scanning the overhead menu. “They make a great meatball sandwich. They melt this smoked mozzarella on it.” She licked her lips. “Mmm, it’s making my mouth water just thinking about it.”

Watching her lick those plump lips was making my mouth water… and my mind wander. I bet she could do amazing things with that mouth.

When I realized she was waiting for a response, I tore my eyes from her face and glanced at the board. “I’m not all that hungry. I had pizza before we got here.”

She laid her hand across my stomach and grinned when she pulled it away. “Just wanted to make sure you weren’t getting soft. You’ve got to be on your game if you want to beat Morales.”

I smiled back, appreciating that she felt comfortable enough to tease me. I was so used to women who pretended to be what they thought I wanted in order to impress me, I’d forgotten what it was like to be with a real woman who was comfortable in her own skin and didn’t feel the need to sell herself. “Don’t worry, baby. I’m back at it next week. When training starts again, the diet will have to be tight too.”

She nodded before gesturing to the board. “You have to eat something, or I’ll feel like a pig eating in front of you.”

I was glad she wasn’t the type to order a salad and call it a meal. She was an active woman with a healthy appetite. I liked that, especially since I ate thousands of calories a day when I was training. “The chicken wrap looks good.”

“It is.” She walked up to the counter, smiling at the older woman wearing an ugly beige-and-brown uniform. “Long day, Rosa?”

“You know it, girl. Tiffany called in sick again, so I had to do a double.”

“I don’t know why Donald doesn’t just fire her ass.”

“Probably ‘cause he’s—” She glanced at me, blushing. “Never mind.”

Something told me old Donald was giving Tiffany preferential treatment for a reason.

“Rosa, this is my friend, York.”

I didn’t know how I felt about Lacy referring to me as her friend. I had no right to expect more, since we just met, but I definitely didn’t intend to get stuck in the dreaded friend zone with this girl.

“Nice to meet you, Rosa,” I said, offering her my hand.

“You too.” Rosa winked at Lacy. “So what can I get you two tonight?”

“I’m going to have the meatball sandwich, and York will have the chicken wrap.”

I wasn’t used to women ordering for me, but something told me this girl was used to taking care of herself and everyone else too.

“Anything to drink?” Rosa asked.

“Just a bottled water for me.” Lacy looked at me. “You?”

“Same.”

“You got it,” Rosa said, ringing up our order.

Lacy reached into the pocket of her jeans and grabbed a few bills before I stilled her hand with mine.

“I got this,” I said, frowning at her.

I didn’t know what kind of guys she’d been out with—ones who’d let her pay for her own food and left her unsatisfied in bed, apparently—but that wasn’t happening when she was out with me. I paid the bill, then slid a five across the counter to Rosa and stuck another five in the plastic container for some children’s hospital.

Lacy smiled at the gesture. “You do a lot for charity, don’t you?”

I attended a lot of events when I felt it would help the cause. I knew how blessed I was to be making a good living doing what I loved, and I never forgot it. I shrugged before turning toward the front door when a couple of loud guys walked in. “I do what I can.”

“Well, well, if it isn’t the sexiest little barkeep in Cali,” one of the guys said with a lecherous grin as he stumbled toward Lacy.

I stepped in front of her, putting my hand out to stop the guy from falling into my chest. “Back the fuck up, buddy.”

Lacy curled her hand around my bicep. “It’s okay, York. They’re regulars.”

I didn’t give a fuck who they were. If they didn’t stop looking at her as if they were gauging how long it would take to get her out of her clothes, I was gonna knock them both out.

“Hey,” the guy with long hair said, peering around his friend’s shoulder. “This your boyfriend, Lacy? He’s some big-ass dude.”

Lacy chuckled. “No, he’s not my boyfriend, Charlie. Just a friend.”

There was that word again. I was beginning to hate that fucking word.

Rosa pointed the two men toward a table. “Sit down before you fall down, boys. I’ll be there to take your order in a minute.”

The fact that Rosa didn’t seem appalled by their inebriated state told me she dealt with a lot of drunks after-hours.

“How late is this place open?” I asked her.

“We close at two.” Rosa rolled her eyes. “We get the worst of them after midnight.”

“You’re not here alone, are you?”

“No, the cook’s in the back.” She hooked a thumb over her shoulder. “But poor old Barry’s not much good. He’s got a bum leg and a bad ticker. He really should retire, but he needs the money.”

I knew what that was like. My father had been an outboard marine mechanic all of his life and still wouldn’t have been able to retire if I hadn’t paid off his house and bought him a new car a few years back.

“You ever need backup and you don’t want to call the police,” I said, passing her one of the non-descript cards I’d given Ash, “you call me.”

She held the card between her fingertips. “What kind of business are you in? Security?”

Lacy laughed. “No, he’s a professional fighter.”

“That’s where I know you from,” buddy with the long hair said, snapping his fingers. “York, right?”

“Right.” I rolled my eyes when they started snapping pictures of me with their phones. “Just give me a call when our food’s ready, Rosa. We’re gonna snag a table.”

I grabbed Lacy’s hand and led her to the back of the restaurant, then I slid into a booth across from her. “You have to deal with tools like that all the time?” I asked, gesturing to the two men.

“Comes with the territory,” she said, sounding too nonchalant for my liking.

I knew she could handle herself, but I didn’t want her to let her guard down, especially with guys like that. In my opinion, the ones women underestimated could be the most dangerous.

“Let’s talk about something else. Like why you’re here,” she said.

I appreciated her directness but wasn’t quite sure how to respond. Before I could, my phone beeped. My brother.
WTF, man? Where r u?
I was surprised he’d even noticed I was gone.
Took Lacy to get a bite. Be back soon.

“Sorry about that,” I said, setting the phone on the table.

“Hook-up later?” she asked, raising an eyebrow as she stole a glance at the phone.

Some douche must have burned her bad. “Would I be here with you if I was hookin’ up with someone else later?”

“I don’t know,” she said, folding her arms on the tabletop. “Would you?”

Before I could defend myself, Rosa appeared with a plastic tray containing our food.

“You didn’t have to bring it to us,” I told her, reaching for it. “I told you I’d come and get it.”

She put her hand on my shoulder, smiling at Lacy. “This one’s a keeper, honey. Not like that last loser you were going out with.”

I was torn between asking about the last loser and not wanting to think about her with another man. Finally, curiosity got the better of me as I set her plate on the table. “Is that the guy you mentioned on the phone last night?”

“Yup.” She unscrewed the top of her water before taking a long pull.

“What happened?” I shouldn’t pry, but I needed to know what I was up against. If this guy was going to make it hard for her to trust me, I wanted to know the whole story.

She took the foil off her sandwich before digging in. “Same old, same old. I didn’t have enough time to spend with him. He said he was getting lonely—code for horny as hell—so he found someone else. Only he didn’t bother breaking up with me first.”

“Sorry, baby. That sucks.” As my dumbass brother’s warning rang in my ears, I watched her closely for any sign that she was still hung up on him. I really hated myself for letting him mess with my head.

“Whatever,” she said, rolling her shoulders. “Not like I was gonna marry the guy or anything.”

Having a man cheat on them would have been a serious blow to most women’s egos, but Lacy seemed to take it in stride. She was either more resilient than most, or she’d built a wall so strong no one was busting through it.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked after she’d taken a bite of her sandwich. She reached for a paper napkin from the dispenser on the table and wiped her chin. “Do I have sauce on my face or something?”

“No.” I shook my head, tearing my attention from her to focus on the food in front of me. “Just trying to figure you out.”

She laughed. “Good luck with that.”

Lacy

I couldn’t believe it was closing time and York was still there. His brother had stumbled out with some hot blonde over an hour ago, but York was still there. Watching me. If I wasn’t so turned on, I might be creeped out by the attention. But one look at this guy, and I was good to go.

I had no intention of sleeping with him tonight though, ‘cause I knew if I did, I’d never see him again. I wanted to prolong this, have a little fun with him first.

“York taking you home?” Ash asked, unlocking the cash drawer.

“No, I brought my bike.”

He scowled. “It’s raining. You’re not taking that fucking thing home.”

My brother hated that I rode a Harley, even though he did too. He said he could handle it but I couldn’t. I told him to go fuck himself. “Watch me.”