Off Limits (Off 2)

This man is infuriating. Hot, but infuriating. "Then how can I make a check out to you if I don't know your last name?"

"You don't," he says in a low, husky voice. "Bring me cash. Just call me when you have the first two thousand. I expect it within thirty days or else I'll come looking for you. And trust me...you don't want that to happen."

A shiver involuntarily runs through me and I can't tell if I'm scared or turned on by the danger in his voice.

And even though I'm pissed as hell that I've just blown $10,000 over my own stupidity, I can't help the fact that I'm looking forward to seeing this man again.

CHAPTER 4

Emily

I knock on Danny and Ryan's door and wait for them to open it. I've finally gotten my heart rate under control after that terrifying but surreal experience with Nix.

And what the hell kind of name is Nix anyway?

The door is thrown open and Ryan is standing there. I throw my arms around his neck and he picks me up, swinging me around.

"There's my baby sister," he says with overt fondness and I love it. I love how much our relationship has changed over the last few years. "How did the interview with Linc go?"

Ryan drops me to the ground and I put my purse and keys on his foyer table. "It was fine. Lincoln's a nice guy. Got exactly what I needed."

"Awesome. Well, come on into the kitchen. Danny is pulling stuff out of the oven right now."

I follow Ryan back into the kitchen. Danny is bent over the oven, pulling out what looks like an amazing pork tenderloin. Ryan notices her position and immediately goes over to her. "Here, let me get that for you."

Danny swats his hand away. "I can do it. I'm not an invalid you know."

My eyes narrow as I watch Danny pull the pan out, her hands dwarfed by two huge oven mitts. Ryan stands nearby, holding his hands out as if she might fall.

What. The. Hell?

"What's going on with you two?" I demand.

Both of them turn to look at me, guilty expressions on their faces. They look at each other then back at me. Neither of them says a word.

"I repeat...what...is...going...on?" I punctuate every word with enough menace that they know I'm expecting a truthful answer.

Ryan seems to have forgotten that Danny is holding a steaming pan of pork loin in her hand. "Um...well...um..."

I turn to Danny and raise my eyebrows. She'll need to answer because Ryan has apparently been struck stupid.

"That pan looks hot, Danny. Put it down."

Danny turns and sets the roast on the counter top. She turns back to me and she has a little smirk on her face. She's hiding a secret but I can tell she wants to spill.

"Okay, if you two don't tell me what's going on right this minute...I'm going to..."

What am I going to do? What threat will work?

Oh, I know.

"I'm going to pick up the phone and call Mother. And I'll tell her that Danny cheated on you, Ryan, with a midget from the circus and you are going to have his midget baby. Then you, Ryan, can deal with the fallout."

Danny busts out laughing and Ryan looks horrified. "You wouldn't," he accuses.

"Would."

Danny takes her oven mitts off and slaps them into Ryan's chest. "Get the rest of the vegetables out of the oven."

I start jumping up and down like a kid at Christmas because she's getting ready to spill her guts I can tell. "Tell me, tell me, tell me," I implore. "I can keep a secret."

Ryan pulls the veggies out and shuts the oven with his foot. After setting them down, he takes the mitts off and pulls Danny into his arms. He nestles her backside into him and wraps his arms around her stomach. Placing his lips on her head, they both look at me.

"Think we should tell her?" he asks.

Danny looks at me appraisingly. "I don't know. I'm not sure she could keep the secret."

I pull my iPhone out of my pocket with flourish. "That's it...I'm calling Mother."

Danny leaps out of Ryan's arms and grabs my phone away. "Fine, you brat. We'll tell you."

Ryan pulls Danny back against his chest and nuzzles her neck. He then looks at me and he has the most joyful smile on his face. Tears are in his eyes. "We're pregnant."

The most delicious, languid and comforting warmth spreads through me. It starts in my chest and seeps outward, touching every nerve in my body with a gentle caress. My breath catches as I watch Danny and Ryan watching me for my reaction.

"HOLY CRAP!" I scream. I dash across the kitchen and throw my arms around both of them, sandwiching Danny in between me and Ryan. "I'm going to be an Aunt!"

All three of us are now crying, and hugging, and laughing. I start hurtling questions, still with my arms wrapped around them.

How? When? Boy? Girl? Names?

Danny finally pushes me back and I release my hold. I stand there--just grinning--and I don't think I've ever felt such happiness in my life. I behold my family...Ryan and Danny...and I hope that one day I can have what they have.

***

Ryan's gone as he had an evening team meeting. Dinner was fantastic, made better by the wonderful news. I learned more about pregnancy than I ever knew was possible to learn in one sitting.

Danny is only two months along and they are not telling anyone other than me at this point. They want to wait until she gets into her first trimester. I apologize--insincerely, of course--for making them tell me, but Danny admits that they were going to tell me tonight anyway. They felt that I was the one person in the world they wanted to know right now.

That thought alone has me practically melting into a puddle of snotty goo.

We talk about morning sickness, and baby clothes, and whether my niece or nephew will play the violin or hockey. Or both.

We start spouting out names, giggling over the more ridiculous ones like Horowitz and Tangerine.

Danny goes silent for a second and then she looks at me with solemn eyes. "We want you to be the baby's godmother, Emily."

Ohhhh, I think, as I suck in a wisp of air through my teeth.

"I don't know...are you sure...isn't a godmother supposed to be like a good role model or something?"

All of my insecurities come gushing forth. I know I've tried to be a better person...a better woman. But I was rotten for so long. How could they entrust me with something so important?

Danny grabs my hand and holds it to her heart. "Emily...I can't think of a better role model for my baby. You are a spectacularly wonderful person and I hope my child grows up to be just like you."

Okay, here's the water works. I smile at her through tear soaked eyes, and then we are hugging each other. She cradles me to her chest, stroking my hair.

"You are a marvel, Emily Burnham," she says softly.

I pull away from her. "You're my role model, Danny. Always."

The evening e

nds on a high note. Danny breaks out the wine to celebrate but because she's pregnant, I'm the only one drinking. I get a little bit drunk and Danny insists I stay the night.

We start in on the baby names again, and I throw out, "What do you think about Nix?"

"Nix?" she says, gently letting it roll off her tongue. "For a girl or a boy?"

I shrug my shoulders. "I suppose it could be both, but if your kid is a boy, then Nix will stand for asshole for sure."

"What in the world are you talking about?" she asks.

I shrug my shoulders again and don't answer. I don't want to think about the amazingly perfect looking man I ran over today who turned out to be a world-class jerk. I'd rather keep my fantasies of him on the pleasurable side.

CHAPTER 5

Nix

I pop the top off my beer and lean up against the wall. I'm watching the party in progress, always comfortable to observe and never to be drawn into conversation. I've always been, by nature, a quiet and introspective person. My time in the Marine Corps, doing deep reconnaissance missions for MARSOC had taught me well the virtues of patience and silence. Some of my time in Afghanistan had been sitting in the frigid mountains, watching the Taliban movement below and reporting it to Command. I could sit for hours at a time and stare at a single spot if I had to. And I had no problems being quiet about it. It was, after all, my nature.

It's not that large, noisy crowds bother me. I like a good party as much as the next guy. As long as I can sit back, drink my beer and observe. And not be bothered. I'm just not overly fond of people in general.

Tonight, my brother Linc has gone all out and thrown a whopper of a party. Almost his entire hockey team is here, along with a slew of beautiful women. Linc never has a hard time coming up with a throng of ladies to ogle. They are basically hockey groupies, accepting the invite with the hope of getting laid and possibly landing themselves a hockey husband. But the ratio of single Rangers to the hungry ladies is vastly disproportionate and I will be able to take one of them to bed if I want.

For now, though, I'm just watching.

Finishing off my beer, I head into the kitchen and throw the empty in the recycle bin. I pull a new beer out of the refrigerator and twist the cap off. I feel like getting shit faced tonight for some reason.

Walking back into the living room, I resume my perch against the wall. Harley is mingling with the crowd. That dog will do anything for a scratch or soft word. And he is so fucking cute, he always gets it. I often wonder if there is something wrong with the fact that I like dogs more than I do people. All I know...Harley has never let me down.