theater over, murdering the bastard with his bare hands?
Something on the screen had all the kids shrieking with glee while Wade sat thinking about making the man next door into a eunuch.
He managed to calm himself on the drive home. This was the first time he’d seen them together. In fact, Nikki was always alone. So maybe this was just a one-time thing. After all, she wasn’t completely indifferent to him, and as honest as she was, if she was serious about this guy she would have told him.
Hell, Nikki would rejoice in telling him she was unavailable. Not that it would have stopped him. She would have rubbed it in his face time and time again, just like a sadistic slave master would rub salt in the wounds of slaves he beat.
No… There was nothing going on. Right?
He’d calmly go talk to her the next day while Abby went to the big community picnic with the twins next door. And if he didn’t like the answers he heard, he would…he would… Hell, he’d figured that out then.
But Nikki wasn’t home the next day, and it wasn’t until he got back into town that he figured out why.
She was also at the community picnic.
With the same damn guy.
www.samhainpublishing.com
59
Chapter Nine
A man could only be so patient.
Wade sat in the shadows of the porch, staring into the darkness. She wasn’t home and it was nearly midnight. She hadn’t been home all night. He knew because he had been sitting here waiting for her.
Nikki was out with him again. No big surprise. She had been out with Dale Stoner nearly every weekend for the past month.
He would give it an hour more, then he would go looking for her. And God help them both if they were at the mechanic’s house.
A tiny little voice in his head berated him while he sat brooding.
You’re being an idiot. She doesn’t want you. Haven’t you figured that by now? You need to get over it, go home, because when she sees you playing stalker on her porch she’s going to kick your ass.
Shut up , he thought, grinding the heels of his hands into his eye sockets. Just shut up .
“He can’t have her,” Wade said aloud.
But she wants him. Not you .
“Too damn bad,” he snarled, rising to his feet and pacing. He’d wear a damn hole in this wood if she wasn’t home soon.
Wade was right here waiting for her to settle down and let the past go, and she was running around with Gomer Pyle.
And God help Gomer if he tried to go inside with her.
God help them both if—
Down the hill gravel crunched. And he could see headlights. He retreated back to his shadowed corner, waiting.
Nikki sat quietly in the seat. Dale was acting…odd. Even for him. In fact, he had been acting different the past few nights they’d been out. And she couldn’t figure out what could be wrong. He didn’t seem mad, but he wasn’t exactly happy either.
Out of the silence he said, “I want to come inside. I need to talk to you.” She turned her head but could hardly see anything in the darkness of the car. “Okay,” she said, her voice cautious. “Is something wrong, Dale? The book giving you trouble?” No Longer Mine
Dale was a writer too. It was how they had met. He had actually just sold his first book—a fairytale, modern-day version of The Princess and the Frog . Not only had he written the story, but he had also illustrated it.
“No,” he said, his voice rough. “Not a damn thing wrong with the book. Unless you consider a hillbilly mechanic who fancied himself a storyteller a little strange.”
“You’re not a hillbilly, and there’s nothing wrong with being a mechanic. Hell, I was a high school kid who fancied herself a storyteller,” she said, her brows lowering over her eyes at the cynicism she heard in his voice.
“You’re different,” he murmured, a soft sigh escaping him.
“No, I’m not. I want to tell stories. You want to tell stories. We both do it… That’s what we are. No difference at all.”
The silence stretched out until Nikki just
Something on the screen had all the kids shrieking with glee while Wade sat thinking about making the man next door into a eunuch.
He managed to calm himself on the drive home. This was the first time he’d seen them together. In fact, Nikki was always alone. So maybe this was just a one-time thing. After all, she wasn’t completely indifferent to him, and as honest as she was, if she was serious about this guy she would have told him.
Hell, Nikki would rejoice in telling him she was unavailable. Not that it would have stopped him. She would have rubbed it in his face time and time again, just like a sadistic slave master would rub salt in the wounds of slaves he beat.
No… There was nothing going on. Right?
He’d calmly go talk to her the next day while Abby went to the big community picnic with the twins next door. And if he didn’t like the answers he heard, he would…he would… Hell, he’d figured that out then.
But Nikki wasn’t home the next day, and it wasn’t until he got back into town that he figured out why.
She was also at the community picnic.
With the same damn guy.
www.samhainpublishing.com
59
Chapter Nine
A man could only be so patient.
Wade sat in the shadows of the porch, staring into the darkness. She wasn’t home and it was nearly midnight. She hadn’t been home all night. He knew because he had been sitting here waiting for her.
Nikki was out with him again. No big surprise. She had been out with Dale Stoner nearly every weekend for the past month.
He would give it an hour more, then he would go looking for her. And God help them both if they were at the mechanic’s house.
A tiny little voice in his head berated him while he sat brooding.
You’re being an idiot. She doesn’t want you. Haven’t you figured that by now? You need to get over it, go home, because when she sees you playing stalker on her porch she’s going to kick your ass.
Shut up , he thought, grinding the heels of his hands into his eye sockets. Just shut up .
“He can’t have her,” Wade said aloud.
But she wants him. Not you .
“Too damn bad,” he snarled, rising to his feet and pacing. He’d wear a damn hole in this wood if she wasn’t home soon.
Wade was right here waiting for her to settle down and let the past go, and she was running around with Gomer Pyle.
And God help Gomer if he tried to go inside with her.
God help them both if—
Down the hill gravel crunched. And he could see headlights. He retreated back to his shadowed corner, waiting.
Nikki sat quietly in the seat. Dale was acting…odd. Even for him. In fact, he had been acting different the past few nights they’d been out. And she couldn’t figure out what could be wrong. He didn’t seem mad, but he wasn’t exactly happy either.
Out of the silence he said, “I want to come inside. I need to talk to you.” She turned her head but could hardly see anything in the darkness of the car. “Okay,” she said, her voice cautious. “Is something wrong, Dale? The book giving you trouble?” No Longer Mine
Dale was a writer too. It was how they had met. He had actually just sold his first book—a fairytale, modern-day version of The Princess and the Frog . Not only had he written the story, but he had also illustrated it.
“No,” he said, his voice rough. “Not a damn thing wrong with the book. Unless you consider a hillbilly mechanic who fancied himself a storyteller a little strange.”
“You’re not a hillbilly, and there’s nothing wrong with being a mechanic. Hell, I was a high school kid who fancied herself a storyteller,” she said, her brows lowering over her eyes at the cynicism she heard in his voice.
“You’re different,” he murmured, a soft sigh escaping him.
“No, I’m not. I want to tell stories. You want to tell stories. We both do it… That’s what we are. No difference at all.”
The silence stretched out until Nikki just
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