Relentless (2 page)
“I met your old man. He changed my life.”
Nikki caught her dad’s eye across the room and smiled when he winked at her. In spite of their differences, she was proud of him and knew the feeling was mutual. “How’d he do that?”
“I was playin’ dive bars, just trying to make a name for myself. Your dad heard me sing, and the rest, as they say, is history.” His hands fell to his sides. “You’ve gotta trust me on this, Nikki. Your dad knows what he’s doing.”
She sighed, wishing she could refute Trey’s statement but knowing in her heart he was right. “I know, but that doesn’t make it any easier.”
“I know it seems like a lifetime, but the next few years are gonna pass in the blink of an eye.” He pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head. “And in the meantime, keep writing music, rehearsin’, learnin’ everything you can about the business. So that once you have that piece of paper in your hot little hand, you can hit the ground runnin’.”
Music was the last thing on her mind when her gaze landed on the hottest cowboy she had ever seen in the flesh. “Ohmigod, who is that guy?”
Trey followed her eyes, chuckling when he discovered the object of her lust. “That’s J.T., Ty’s younger brother.”
Ty was the artist opening for Trey on his upcoming tour. He had already developed a following among country music fans and would be opening his own show the next time around. In fact, her father had hinted that if all went well, she might be his opening act. “Wow, so what’s the deal with J.T.? Has he got a girlfriend or what?” She made a valiant effort to pick her chin up off the floor when his face split into a grin, revealing a flicker of white teeth and shallow dimples.
Trey chuckled. “Or what. That boy has quite a reputation with the ladies.
Ladies
being the operative word. He’s not into little girls, sweetheart.”
She tore her eyes away from J.T., scowling at Trey. “Who’re you calling a little girl?”
Tongue in cheek, he replied, “Sorry, not you. Still, J.T. has quite a few years on you, and let’s just say he’s been around the block a time or two.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“He’s a professional bull rider, and from what I’ve heard, those buckle bunnies can get a little wild.”
Nikki felt the heat rise up her neck, staining her cheeks. “So, he’s a player? Is that what you’re telling me?”
Trey put his arm around her shoulders, turning her away from J.T. “I’m tellin’ you a sweet little thing like you has no business with a guy like that.”
“What makes you think I’m so innocent?” She had dated, a lot, but she had yet to meet the guy worthy of taking her virginity. Not that she was willing to admit as much to Trey.
He raised an eyebrow. “If you weren’t, your daddy would be donnin’ his shit-kickin’ boots and taking names.”
She rolled her eyes, even though she knew Trey was probably right. If her father found out some guy had taken advantage of her, he’d tear him apart. “I’m not a little girl anymore, Trey. My dad is just going to have to deal with it.”
Trey nudged her shoulder, smiling. “Yeah, good luck with that.”
“If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to the ladies room.” She couldn’t help it if she happened to cross paths with a certain sexy cowboy on her way.
Trey leaned over, whispering in her ear. “Do me a favor. Stay out of trouble, okay?”
She reached up to kiss him on the cheek. “Don’t worry. I will.” Unless J.T. saw fit to introduce her to a whole new kind of trouble.
Shoulders back, chest out, she took a deep breath and made her way across the crowded room. She had never been shy or tongue-tied around the opposite sex, unlike some of her girlfriends back home. She would treat J.T. like any other guy. Just because he was centerfold gorgeous with rippling muscles and a barbed wire tattoo spanning his massive bicep didn’t mean he deserved preferential treatment.
She snagged a glass of champagne from a passing waiter, hoping no one would notice. At the last minute, she lost her nerve and veered left, pausing to give herself a pep talk by a potted plant.
A deep male voice whispered in her ear, “What’re doin’ over here all by your lonesome, gorgeous?”
She felt the timbre of his deep voice spread over her like warm honey. “I, uh…” So much for playing it cool. After squaring her shoulders, she turned to face him. Instead of looking into his eyes, she admired the pearlescent buttons running the length of his broad chest. She took a sip of champagne to coat her dry throat and looked up, way up.
He rewarded her with a playful grin. “What’s your name, darlin’?”
Looking up into his light blue eyes made it nearly impossible to speak, but she forced the breathless word past her dry lips. “Nikki.”
He extended his hand. “Pleasure to meet you, Nikki. My name’s J.T. Tell me, how’d you manage an invite to this shindig?”
She slipped her hand into his and tried not to stutter when his calloused palm brushed against hers. “My dad’s hosting it.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Your dad? You mean you’re Luc Spencer’s little girl?”
If one more person called her a little girl tonight, she would live up to their expectations by throwing a temper tantrum that would bring the house down. “Yeah, Luc’s my father,” she said between clenched teeth.
He withdrew his hand, shaking his head. “That’s a damn shame.”
“Excuse me?”
“I just thought you were older. I mean, you look older.”
She crossed her arms, emphasizing her ample cleavage. She watched with satisfaction as his eyes landed on their intended target. “I’m mature for my age.”
Nikki had spent so many years dreaming about this moment, she could scarcely believe her time in the spotlight had finally arrived. A nod from the Academy in the new artist category meant everything to an up and coming musician. Trey and Ty had both won the award in their day, and now it was her time to take home the big prize. With two hit songs under her belt, insiders felt she was a shoe-in for the coveted award, but that did little to ease the knot in her stomach as she pivoted in her seat, awaiting the big announcement.
Her date, Brad, leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Don’t worry, Nikki. It’s in the bag.” He was the son of her mother and stepfather’s best friends. They had practically grown up together, so when she asked him to hop a plane so he could be there to hold her hand, he didn’t hesitate.
“You’re just saying that,” she whispered, trying to sneak a peek at the other nominees in her category. She couldn’t help but wonder if she was the only one at risk of throwing up all over her designer shoes.
“No, I mean it.” He tipped her chin, forcing her to look him in the eye. “Hey, you deserve this. God knows you’ve earned it. Now it’s time to sit back and bask in the glory.”
If work ethic alone was enough, she wouldn’t be concerned. She knew very few people were as driven to succeed as she was. Maybe because of her father’s connections, she felt the world assumed fame and fortune was hers for the taking. But those who were a part of their inner circle knew the truth. Luc pushed Nikki harder than any of his other artists, demanding all she had to give. He routinely urged her to dig deep to build a connection that would set her apart in the hearts of country music fans.
She took his advice seriously. Opting to wear her heart on her sleeve in the songs she wrote and the interviews she granted hadn’t been easy, but it was obviously paying off. She got thousands of letters and emails from fans every month telling her how much they appreciated her honesty and vulnerability. She knew her music was a catalyst for healing in the minds of some fans and that was the biggest compliment she could ever hope to earn.
Brad smiled. “What’re you thinking about?”
She sighed. “You’re right; I’m being silly about this. Regardless of whether I win this award, I’ve been given this amazing opportunity to connect with people through my music. As long as I walk out of here tonight with that in mind, I’m a winner no matter whose name they call.”
Brad put his arm around her, hauling her against his side. “That’s my girl.”
Gripping his armrests, J.T. watched Nikki cozying up to her date. “What’s the deal with Nikki and that dude she’s with?” he asked his brother Ty.
J.T. watched Nikki’s rise to fame from a safe distance. Although she was going on tour with his brother soon, he made sure their paths had never crossed, until tonight. Their age difference and life experience made a relationship out of the question, yet he couldn’t help but be intrigued by this sexy little temptress who’d elicited ideas that would provoke her old man to come after him with a shotgun.
Ty’s eyes drifted to Nikki before he popped a lozenge in his mouth. “Name’s Brad; he’s a friend of Nikki’s from Florida.”
He scowled at the pair. Brad was whispering in her ear, and she seemed enthralled, as though the world began and ended with the man at her side. “You sure he’s just a friend?”
“How the hell should I know? It’s none of my business.” He elbowed him in the arm. “It’s none of your business, either. I’m warning you now; don’t even think about going after her.”
J.T. forced himself to tear his eyes away from Nikki long enough to glare at his brother. “Who the hell are you to tell me what to do?”
“She’s a kid, asshole. Way too innocent to get mixed up with the likes of you.”
J.T. knew his brother was right, but he didn’t appreciate being reminded that he wasn’t fit to shine her designer shoes. His eyes drifted down her shapely legs to a pair of mile-high, black stilettos. He shifted in his seat, barely suppressing a groan of frustration. She might be sweet, but everything about her, from her luscious curves to the silky russet waves falling down her back, begged for his touch. Not that he would ever indulge his darker side with a girl like her, but the fantasies she stimulated could bring a grown man to his knees.
“Luc would go crazy if he found out you were sniffin’ around his little girl.”
Never one to back down from a challenge, his brother’s warning set him on edge. “His
little girl
is a grown woman now. She can make her own decisions about who parks their boots under her bed.” Unlike that night five years ago when he’d headed home to take a cold shower instead of giving in to the impulse to steal her innocence. He had wanted her with a ferocity that scared the hell out of him, given her age. He knew if he was the man to introduce her to intimacy, she would be traumatized for life. She deserved a slow and gentle initiation, two words that weren’t in his vocabulary.
“Listen, Nikki’s a great girl. I like her a lot. I don’t want to see her become another casualty,” Ty said.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Ty rolled his eyes. “It means you’re a pig when it comes to women. One after another. Your goddamn bedroom has a revolving door for all those little buckle bunnies.”
Being a champion bull rider came with perks, and as far as J.T. was concerned, he’d paid for them in blood, broken bones, and concussions. “Hey, those women know what they’re gettin’ with me, a good time, no strings attached.”
Ty raised his hand to Trey and Sierra, who took their seats a few rows ahead of them. “That’s my point. Nikki’s too good for that shit.”
His brother was right; Nikki Spencer was definitely in a class by herself. Gorgeous, talented, sexy, yet she had this sweet vulnerability about her that turned him inside out. He’d bought her first CD the day it came out and memorized every song, word for word. In no time, it had become the soundtrack to his life.
The host reclaimed the stage, and J.T. watched Nikki take her date’s hand. Though irrational, it irked him, watching her cozy up to another man. She had starred in so many of his late night fantasies the past year he felt like he knew her intimately.
He had an ear on the presenter and an eye on Nikki when they called her name. She jumped out of her seat and her escort framed her face with his hands, planting a fierce kiss on her full lips.