4 Pageant and Poison (9 page)
Read 4 Pageant and Poison Online
Authors: Cindy Bell
"What's all this?" Bekki asked
with an appreciative smile.
"This is for you," he said as he turned off the water. "The people in room service were quite happy to help me out."
"This is amazing," Bekki said as she stepped to the edge of the bathtub.
"I'll keep this warm in the oven," Nick said as he took the food from her and carried it into the kitchen. Once it was set to stay warm, Nick returned to the bathroom to find Bekki already submerged in the water.
"Are you going to join me?" she asked with a devilish grin, her dark hair floating along the water amidst the rose petals.
"Not this time," he replied and knelt down beside the tub.
"What? Why not?" Bekki pouted as she leaned over the edge of the tub to look at him.
"Because, this is
for you to relax," he said calmly as he began running a loofah along her upper back, spreading the warm water along her skin. "And to listen, because I think it's time I told you the truth."
"The truth?" Bekki asked, so relaxed by the motion of the loofah that she didn't even remember to be concerned.
"Yes, about the investigation and Agent Fox," he said quietly and swept the loofah lower along her spine.
"Mm, okay," Bekki said mildly, though the name did get her attention.
"It wasn't really an investigation into a cold case," he explained as he rubbed the loofah up along her side and then over the curve of her shoulders. "It was an investigation into me."
"What?" Bekki asked with surprise as she glanced over at him.
"Well, since a few of my cases lately have been a little off," he cleared his throat slightly. "It warranted an investigation, and Agent Fox was the one evaluating me and my cases."
"Oh wow," Bekki frowned as she studied him. "They investigated you because of me?"
"Not just because of you," Nick said firmly. "But I knew you would think that, that's why I didn't want to tell you the truth. I couldn’t contact you."
"Oh," Bekki sighed as she shook her head. "I think I'm losing my knack for detective work
, Nick."
"No," Nick kissed her temple lightly. "You're not losing anything. You could tell I was lying to you, keeping something from you, and I'm sorry that I did. But I didn't want you to get upset. That's why I bought those tickets to the spa for you and
your mom because I thought we'd be reviewing my cases through the weekend. But Agent Fox was so impressed with what she saw when she looked into the cases that she dismissed the investigation early."
"Of course sh
e did," Bekki smiled proudly, "because you're amazing at what you do."
"Maybe I did a good job before," Nick said quietly and met her eyes. "But I didn't become amazing until I met you."
"Please, won't you join me?" Bekki batted her eyes at him pleadingly. Nick laughed and then smiled politely.
"Well, I certainly can't deny a lady," he said with a playful accent that Bekki couldn't quite place. But it didn't matter. The moment he sank into the water with her and she felt his arms wrap around her, she was lost in the sense of comfort that he provided. It had been a rough couple of days, and she had felt lost in all the chaos. In Nick's arms all of that disappeared.
"I love you, Nick," she murmured to him as he covered her neck with soft, sensual kisses.
"I know you do," he replied and tilted her chin towards him so that he could kiss her on the lips. "Even if you can't always tell me, and even if sometimes you hang up on me…"
"Hey that's not fair," Bekki protested.
"No Bekki, this is unfair," Nick said mockingly and then kissed her so passionately that her whole body slid back in the water, and water sloshed on the tiled bathroom floor. Bekki laughed through the kiss but she was soon lost in the pleasure of sharing her life with Nick, whether in New York City, or in Harroway, as long as she was with him, she knew it would never matter where she was.
The End
Other Cozy Mysteries by Cindy Bell
Bekki the Beautician Cozy Mysteries
Heavenly Highland Inn Cozy Mysteries
