“Cal Kittredge.”
“Nice to meet you, Cal. The store’s closed.”
Jordan shot him a look for his rudeness. “Nick.”
He held up his watch and tapped it. “See? Nine o’clock.”
Cal looked from one to the other. “I get the feeling I’ve stepped into the middle of something here.”
Nick smiled mock-pleasantly. “Yes. And here’s your chance to step out of it.” He grabbed Cal’s coat off the back of his chair and handed it over.
Jordan glared at him. “You can’t be serious.”
“As a heart attack, sweetie. We need to talk.”
She turned back to Cal. “I am so sorry about this. You really don’t need to leave.”
Cal held up his hand and stood up. “No worries, Jordan. It’s probably better that I go. We can talk later when I come back for the wine.”
Nick’s scowl deepened at that.
Jordan stood up from the table, brushed past Nick, and followed Cal to the door. She went for a joke, trying to cover her embarrassment. “Not the way DeVine Cellars usually treats its customers. I guess I should’ve warned you that it’s ‘Take a Tall, Dark, and Scowly Guy to Work’ day.”
“Remind me about that day next year. I think I’ll stay home,” Cal said. After a quick good-bye, he was gone.
Needing a moment to calm down, Jordan locked the door and pulled down the shades on the front windows. No need to let any random passerby see that she was about to have a very real argument with her jackass of a fake boyfriend.
When she’d composed herself, she turned around to face Nick. “I cannot believe you just did that.”
He had taken off his coat and set it over a chair, an indication that he planned on going nowhere. He leaned back against the table and folded his arms, his light gray sweater pulling tight across his broad chest. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did I interrupt something between you and your customer?”
“Yes, you did interrupt something. It’s called a conversation . And aside from being a customer, that was Cal Kittredge from the Food and Wine section of the Tribune. People in my business don’t usually piss him off by throwing him out on his ear.”
“I didn’t realize he was so important to you,” Nick said sarcastically.
Jordan glared at him. “What has gotten into you tonight?”
Nick pushed away from the bar and closed in on her. “I’ll tell you what’s gotten into me. How do you think it would look if anyone was watching you tonight? They’d see my supposed girlfriend having drinks with another guy.”
Of course, Jordan thought. The investigation. The only thing he cared about.
“Why was he here anyway?” Nick asked. “Are you . . . interested in this guy?”
She stalked away from him. “I don’t have to answer that.”
He followed her. “Yes, you do. It could be relevant to the undercover op.”
Jordan whirled around. “Oh, blow your undercover op out your ass. I didn’t ask any questions when your ex-girlfriend waltzed into my store and told me about the numerous women you’ve screwed. And how you don’t give a damn about any of them because you don’t do relationships. So the same rule goes for you: no questions. Which means that if I want to have drinks with Cal Kittredge, or any other man, that’s my business, not yours.”
She put her hands on Nick’s chest and shoved. Take that.
He didn’t budge.
Instead, his hand clamped down on her wrist and he pulled her closer. “The hell it isn’t,” he growled. “I’m making it my business.”
His mouth came down on hers and he kissed her. His hand swept to the back of her head as he claimed her lips, rough and possessive. Jordan was pissed off and fired up, and she grabbed his sweater to push him away, but . . .
God, yes.
Instead of pushing, she clutched his sweater and pulled him close. He kissed her until she was breathless, then pulled back and peered down at her with blazing green eyes.
“There. See if the douchebag can kiss you like that,” he rasped, his tone both angry and satisfied.
Jordan’s cheeks flushed hot, flamed by fury. “I bet there are plenty of douchebags around who can kiss me like that.”
“Then I’ll have to work harder to stand out from the crowd.” Nick grabbed her again.
They slammed against the brick wall next to a shelf of wine bins. Nick’s mouth slid down to her neck, and Jordan felt as though her legs melted right there. She had to stifle a moan when his stubbled jaw scraped against her skin.
Rough. Just like she’d imagined it.
“I shouldn’t be doing this,” she murmured against his ear. “I don’t even like you seventy-five percent of the time.”
His voice was a silky, hot caress. “But what do you think about the other twenty-five percent?” Not waiting for an answer, his hands slid up the front of her shirt and gripped the collar. He pulled impatiently, and the first button popped open. Then the second.
He pushed back and took in her now exposed bra. His eyes moved to her face and he heatedly held her gaze. He popped open the third button while she watched.
“You could tell me to stop,” he said huskily.
Yes, she could.
When she remained silent, he yanked harder and popped open the fourth and last buttons at the same time. She felt the rush of cool air against her heated skin as he captured her mouth with his. While his tongue swirled around hers, he pulled down one of the cups of her bra, groaning deep in his chest when her breast spilled free.