Witness Protection (14 page)

Nick sat on the couch, flipping through TV channels. He did a double take when she stepped into the room wearing only a towel.

She stopped in the living room, completely aware of how naked she was underneath the towel. His reaction had set off a small fire inside her.

“You, uh, want to sit down?”

If she wasn’t so tired, she would’ve experienced a thrill that her femininity seemed to rob his ability to speak clearly. “Okay.”

She curled up on the other end of the sofa.

“You want the remote?” He held it out toward her, but his gaze didn’t leave hers. He pushed off the sofa and disappeared into the bedroom, returning a minute later holding a comforter. “This should keep you warm.”

The blanket was thick, warm and soft. She pulled it up to her neck and thanked him. “This is perfect.”

He stood there for a long moment and raked his fingers through his black-as-night curls. “I, uh, should probably go get cleaned up.”

Sensual heat vibrated between them. “I found a towel for you and folded it on the counter.”

He double-checked the locks on the window in the living room and kitchen. “You want this?” He held out his weapon.

The sight of a gun sent her body into a full-on shiver. “Yeah. I should be prepared. Just in case.”

“No one will find us here. I trust Paul. No one in the agency knows about him.” He hesitated outside the bathroom door. “I won’t be long. You need anything, yell. I’ll be here in a snap.”

The image of him naked, wet, muscled, lit another small fire. Combine the two and the blaze could get out of control quickly.

True to his word, he wasn’t ten minutes in the shower. He strolled into the living room with a towel secured around his hips. Beads of water trailed down his muscular chest.

Now it was Sadie’s turn to flush.

“Found these.” He held up toothbrushes still in their wrappers.

She turned off the cooking show she’d been watching and joined him next to the sink in the bathroom.

He handed one over, and she opened it immediately, put toothpaste on it and scrubbed her teeth. “This is heaven.”

They hovered over the sink, their heads so close they almost touched as they took turns under the faucet.

“I can throw your clothes in the wash with mine.” He picked up his jeans and shirt.

“You found a washer?”

“In the hallway leading to the bedrooms.”

“Wouldn’t hurt to run them through a cycle.” She made her way back to the sofa as he turned on the washer. Was there anything sexier than a half-naked man who knew how to take care of himself and everyone around him? She didn’t think so. She couldn’t imagine Tom washing his own clothes. Everything had to be sorted by color, placed in the correct bins and dropped off at the cleaners who knew exactly how he liked his things washed and pressed. She was almost embarrassed to remember that he had his summer shorts ironed. He had good qualities, she reminded herself. Manly? Not so much.

Nick, who was nothing but all-man and muscle and smart, walked into the room. Her gaze dipped to his towel and the line of hair from his navel to...the trail ended at his towel. His raw sensual appeal lit another little fire.

“You can change the channel if you want. There wasn’t much on earlier excerpt for crime shows.”

“I don’t mind watching whatever.” He settled next to her. His thigh touched hers and the power of that one touch ignited little blazes all down her leg.

She pulled the blanket over her and turned the cooking show back on.

“Want to share?”

His gaze intensified on the screen. “I’m, uh, okay.”

Did he feel it, too?

He must have. He’d never had so much trouble putting together a string of words before. Another trill of excitement rushed through her at the thought she had the power to affect such a beautiful man. His body was perfection on a stick. He didn’t seem to realize or care, and that just made him even sexier.

He put his arm around her, and she settled into the hollow of his neck. His body radiated warmth.

It would be a mistake to get too comfortable in his arms. The reasons were clipped onto the waistband of his jeans most of the time. His gun. His badge.

Two excellent reasons to keep her emotions under control and not fall into the trap of thinking this could be any more than what it was right then.

Nick was her handler.

It was his job to protect her.

Making her feel safe was part of his assignment. Making her feel sexy wasn’t. He stirred another part of her she shouldn’t allow.

Sadie didn’t want to think about that tonight.

The cooking host sliced an onion in half, running the blade through each side again and again until it was chopped.

The sounds from the TV in the background couldn’t drown out the beating of Nick’s heart.

She burrowed deeper into the crook of his arm and closed her eyes.

Chapter Fourteen

Sadie woke to the smell of fresh coffee. She sat up and realized she must’ve dozed off on the couch last night. Naked save for a towel wrapped around her. Embarrassment sent a rash crawling up her neck. She immediately checked to make sure all her body parts were covered.

The blanket still covered her.

Nick sat at a desk that was tucked into the corner of the small dining room. His back was to her, his face toward the screen. She glimpsed cold metal from the waistband of his jeans—a constant reminder he lived in a violent world—one she might never get used to. His job was dangerous.

She pushed the thought aside, preferring not to think about many reasons they would never be able to be a couple. Even though there wasn’t exactly an offer of a relationship on the table. The draw she felt to him was unexplainable. Then again, he was one seriously hot guy who was strong to boot. Who wouldn’t be attracted to that?

“That coffee I smell?”

He held up a foam cup. She hadn’t even heard him get up or go out.

“It is. And good morning to you.”

“You didn’t happen to buy two of those, did you?”

He turned to face her, and her heart stuttered. His black hair disheveled, stubble on his chin, only made him more irresistible. Damn that he was gorgeous in the morning. In the afternoon. In the evening. Hell, he looked good all the time.

He was also a man with a gun and badge.

“As a matter of fact, I did.” He grabbed a small paper bag from the desk and removed another cup. “And I picked up food. Breakfast tacos. I got one with bacon and one with sausage. I wasn’t sure which you liked.”

Scrambled eggs with cheese, bacon and salsa rolled in a warm tortilla. A Tex-Mex treat she’d grown to love since living in Texas. “That smells amazing. I’m all about the bacon. Definitely bacon. On second thought, this is too good to be true. You’re probably just a hallucination, a figment of my overtired imagination. Am I even awake yet?” She blinked, taking the treasures from him. “If I am, I should get dressed.”

“It’s real.” He bent down and kissed her forehead. “I’m real. I happened to like what you’re wearing. But if you don’t stop looking so damn adorable, you’re going to find out just how very real I am.”

“Oh.”

“So you better distract me by telling me how well you slept last night.” He smiled and stroked her cheek.

“Best night of sleep I’ve had in a long time.” The fire he’d lit last night blazed to attention again. She half remembered his body curled behind hers, and the feeling of everything being right in the world while she was nestled against him. She’d never felt like that in another man’s arms.

There was something special about Nick.

Did she just blush again? “How about you? Did you get any sleep or did you stay awake all night at that computer?”

“And miss out on feeling your body against mine? Hell, no. I was right there all night.” He pointed to the space behind her. “And I slept like a rock.”

She took a sip of coffee, welcoming the burn. “Let me guess, job hazard?”

“Yeah. It’d be dangerous for me to let my guard down.” His smile tightened. His gaze focused on a square on the carpet.

Based on the change in his expression, she had the very real sense they were about to talk about a heavy subject.

They hadn’t finished their conversation from yesterday. He would most likely want to know more about the man in the picture. And what he’d done to her. Her body shuddered, thinking about it. She didn’t want to relive the past. She’d much rather stay in the present, the here and now. A primal urge had her wanting to trace the muscles of his back with her finger, follow the patch of hair from his navel down to where his blood pulsed.

First, she’d enjoy her meal. “Have you heard from your family this morning?”

“Luke called first thing. Everyone agreed to check in every few hours until this is over and he’s heard from everyone but Lucy. Said she’s probably tied up on a case. He says Reed took Boomer out for a run this morning.”

“I bet he loved it. I used to take him out back and throw the ball. Half the time he’d end up splashing in the lake. What was supposed to be a quick outing turned into an ordeal. Muddy paws. The smell of lake water. I’d have to give him a bath before I could bring him back inside.” She took a bite of her taco, washing it down with a sip of coffee. The warmth felt good on her throat.

“I’m sure he misses you. I know I would.”

The statement made tears prick her eyes. Not being with Nick? Her stomach lurched at the thought. Yet, there would come a time when this case was over and they’d go their separate ways. Her heart squeezed and she couldn’t deal with thinking about it right now. “What about the others?”

“Meg and Riley are in Fort Worth with his parents, so they’re good. She’s started contractions.”

“Oh, how exciting for them. They must be thrilled.” Thoughts of having a baby tugged at her heart. Would she be around to meet the little one? She hoped so. If not, maybe there could be a special arrangement worked out. “I’m so happy for them both. That’s going to be one lucky little kid.”

“Yeah, they’ll be great parents.”

“They sure will. This little one will also be surrounded by an amazing family. I can imagine spending summers out on the ranch with Gran. The place would burst with people on the weekends with cousins, aunts and uncles. And there’d be food everywhere.” It was exactly the environment she’d want for her child, if she ever had one.

“I like the sound of that.”

His smile warmed her heart.

“For now, they sounded nervous as hell. And my little tough Meg in the background sounded like she was in pain.” He chuckled.

“She’ll do great. It’ll all be worth it when she holds that baby in her arms.”

“Doc says a first labor can go on for days before the baby comes.” He shrugged. “I’ll make sure and check in with Meg later. Almost forgot. Luke said the last time he spoke to Lucy she said there’s some big news about her and Stephen but they won’t say what it is until we’re all under the same roof and can celebrate together.”

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” She took another sip of coffee anticipation lightening her heavy heart.

“I’m guessing they’re announcing an engagement.”

Sadie was genuinely happy for Lucy. “I hope so. He did say it was good news, right?”

Luke’s smile reached his eyes that time. “Yeah. They also said it was scary. Marriage can seem that way. So I’ve heard.”

His brown eyes sparkled. He got that glittery look of pride every time he talked about his family. His love for them was written all over the sappy smile on his face and the pride in his eyes. His smile might be sentimental, but the way those lips curled at the corners was sexy, too.

She didn’t want to ruin his mood, or make him think about the past but curiosity was getting the best of her. “What about you? Ever have any plans to take the leap with anyone?”

* * *

N
ICK
COULDN
’
T
EXACTLY
pinpoint why he wanted to tell Sadie about his past, but he did. Whatever the hell it was, it must be the same driving force making him want to share details about his family. Something he rarely ever did with anyone. “Yeah. There was someone once. It was a long time ago.”

“Do you mind if I ask what happened?” She offered him her coffee.

“No. Ask me anything.” He paused long enough to take a sip and hand her cup back to her. “I was young. Thought I had life all figured out. What did I know? She and I had been going together for years already.”

“Was she your high-school sweetheart?”

“How’d you know that?”

“I hope you don’t mind. Lucy told me a little bit about her.”

“Lucy is the most protective of me. I’m surprised she told you anything. She’s the quiet one in the family.”

“I sensed you two were close. She told me about what happened to her.”

A set of surprised eyes stared at her. “That she told you anything about me is shocking. I have no words for her telling you about what happened to her. I can tell you this, though—when that bastard hurt her, I nearly lost my mind. I wanted to kill him with my bare hands.”

“If I’m being honest, I’m surprised you didn’t. Your family stopped you?”

Tension had him grinding his back teeth. “Thankfully. When he went to trial, I sat in the courtroom and listened to his testimony. All I could do was sit there, helpless, trying to figure out how many punches I could get in before the bailiff could pull me off him.”

“But you didn’t.”

“Not with Gran sitting next to me, holding on to my arm. She knew exactly what I was thinking.”

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Smart woman.”

“It almost killed me to let the courts handle him. I was young and angry. The world pissed me off, and I was ready to take out my frustration.”

“What happened?”

“I signed up for the military, ready and willing to fight just about anyone. Rachael didn’t want me to go to war. She wanted me to go away to school with her.”

“But you didn’t.”

He intensely focused on the patch of carpet at his feet. “Nothing like nonstop fighting for four years to screw your head back on straight. Before my tour was up, I’d planned to ask her to marry me. I’d sent money home to help Mom and Gran take care of the others. I had a little tucked away for college. Rachael wasn’t thrilled I didn’t listen to her before, but I thought we had it worked out. She had no idea I was about to surprise her with a ring.”

“And then...”

“We argued about where the relationship was going. She decided to party with her friends on New Year’s Eve instead of spending it with me. A drunk driver crossed the median and hit her car head-on.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“The crazy thing was I’d had that ring in my pocket for a year. For some reason, I didn’t ask. I held on to it. Even though she’d made it clear she wanted me to. Guess I thought I had plenty of time. Or maybe I had my doubts about taking the plunge. Marriage seemed so permanent. When I finally realized I wanted to ask, I wanted everything to be perfect. Maybe make up for not asking before. I had it all planned out. I was going to ask first thing New Year’s Day...”

He heard Sadie mumble a few words meant to comfort him, like
I’m sorry,
and
Life can be so unfair.

This was the first time he’d spoken about Rachael with anyone outside of his family. Hell, he didn’t say much to his family about the topic.

God, it felt good to finally talk about it. To get it off his chest. He’d been holding everything in for so long, erecting an impenetrable barrier around his heart.

Sadie got up, stood in front of him, her arms around him. He leaned forward, resting his forehead on her stomach, holding on to her around her waist.

“I can’t help thinking if I’d asked her sooner, somehow things would have turned out differently.”

“You don’t have a crystal ball.”

He still felt the burden of wishing he could go back and change the past. “My timing sucked.”

“You couldn’t have known what would happen.”

“Maybe if I’d asked her the night before, she would’ve been with my family celebrating instead of going out with her friends.”

“That might not have changed the outcome.”

He clenched his fists. “Yeah, well I’ll never know now. I could’ve been the one to run into her for how responsible I felt after.”

“It wasn’t your fault.”

Those four words were more effective than a bullet, piercing the Kevlar encasing his heart.

He sat up, keeping his gaze on hers the entire time, waiting, expecting her to tell him to stop or give him a signal this couldn’t happen.

Instead, her tongue slicked across her lips and he couldn’t tear his gaze away from the silky trail.

“Do that again and I won’t be able to stop myself from doing things I’m not convinced you’re ready for.”

He could see her heartbeat at the base of her throat. It took everything in him not to lean forward and press his lips there.

“You didn’t try to kiss me last night. I thought you’d changed your mind about making love to me.”

Damn, she was sexy with her big green glittery eyes staring at him. “I don’t flip-flop. I just wanted you to be sure you’re ready for this—this changes things between us.”

“Are you telling me you’ve never had sex for sex’s sake before?”

“Sure, when I was young and stupid. I’m a grown man now, and I like to know I’ll be welcome back before I go down that road. I don’t do one night.”

“I like the sound of that.”

“Then make sure you’re good and awake because I want full awareness for what I plan to do to you.”

She sucked in a little burst of air. “Hold that thought.”

She disappeared down the hallway, and he could hear the sink water running in the bathroom and the swish of her toothbrush.

He clasped his hands together and rested his elbows on his knees. The debate about whether or not this was a good idea was a lost argument at this point.

Nick wanted Sadie more than he needed air.

His pulse hummed when he saw Sadie standing there. Her wavy brown hair layered around her shoulders, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around her and tied at the top.

“You want me, Nick?”

His chest hurt for how bad he needed to be inside her. His erection was already painfully stiff. “I think you already know the answer to that question.”

“Then I’m all yours.” She untied the knot in one quick motion, and the towel pooled at her feet.