Reckless by Maya Banks Read Free Book Online

her didn’t need to wait around on a man like him.
    But she had waited, and he couldn’t figure out why. Why him? She had to have had men dying to take her out in college.
    Even as he thought it, an image of her mother came readily to mind. And the expression on a much younger Nikki’s face the night he’d had to tell her that her mom wasn’t coming home.
    That night had been a catalyst for so many things. He’d taken Nikki to his home so she’d have a place to stay until Lucas got into town. He hadn’t wanted her to be alone in the house she’d grown up in. Not when her mother’s boyfriends paid call at all times of the night. When they discovered Tricia gone, who was to say they wouldn’t turn their attention on Tricia’s teenage daughter?
    Nikki hadn’t reacted with surprise to the news that her mother had skipped town with a new boyfriend and left Nikki to her own devices. It was that stoic acceptance that made J.T. grieve for the little girl trapped behind Nikki’s abrasive façade.

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    Maya Banks
    It made perfect sense why she was still a virgin. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out she wouldn’t want to be tarred with the same brush as her mother.
    What didn’t make sense was why she’d chosen him to be her first.
    He swore and pounded his desk with his fist. Then he glared at the window unit that had quit earlier in the afternoon. Damn repairman was supposed to have been here hours ago. He was tired of sitting here sweating his ass off with the ridiculous hope that Nikki might burst through the door with her million-dollar smile and those big blue eyes shining with mischief.
    Instead, all he could remember was the hurt shadowing those gorgeous eyes. Hurt that he’d been responsible for.
    Toby stuck his head in the door. “J.T., you might want to head over to Tucker’s.”
    The urgency in Toby’s voice spurred J.T. to action. He quickly stood and strode toward the door, his hand automatically checking his weapon at his side.
    “What’s up?” he demanded.
    Toby gave him an uneasy look and J.T. knew. He sighed. “What’s she done now?”
    Toby grimaced. “There’s a disturbance. Uh, Tucker said Nikki is pretty drunk.”
    J.T. bit out a curse even as he started for his car. Toby was right behind him.
    At first, J.T. wondered if this was just another ploy on Nikki’s part, her calling his bluff on locking her up overnight. But when he walked into Tucker’s a few minutes later, he quickly hung up that notion.
    In a word, Nikki was plastered. And he’d never seen her drunk. Hell, he’d never even seen her take a sip of alcohol.
    She was on top of the bar, ignoring Tucker’s pleas to come down. She wore a tight miniskirt that afforded anyone in a three-foot radius a prime view of her underwear. He only hoped to hell she was wearing underwear.
    Her midriff was bare as her tank top rode higher, brushing the undersides of her breasts. She was most definitely not wearing a bra.
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    Reckless
    She teetered precariously on three-inch heels, and no less than four sets of hands reached up to steady her. A peal of laughter escaped her as she dodged and continued gyrating atop the bar in time with the blaring country music.
    She looked like she was having the time of her life. Only J.T. could see the pain flashing in her eyes.
    Then one of the guys reached up and yanked at her hand. She tumbled down with a surprised yelp, right into the asshole’s arms. He grinned and plastered his mouth to hers.
    She began to struggle and kick wildly, but the guy wasn’t inclined to let her go. If anything he tightened his grip. Her whimper of fright spilled out. It was all J.T. could hear. No music. No loud conversations. Just her sound of fear.
    J.T. exploded into action, shoving men out of his way as he closed in on his goal.
    Tucker gave J.T. a relieved look as he saw him.
    Without a word, J.T. reached out and snagged her wrist. He pulled, but