Page 54

A blush swept up Dorcas’s neck and heated her cheeks. Her first impulse was a flat-out denial, but her former roommate and closest friend always knew when she was lying. “I don’t know if I should say. You’re besties with his sister.”

Nina scoffed. “Oh, come on, you know me better than that. Whatever you say stays in this room, I promise. I won’t even tell Austin.” She propped one elbow on the desk and rested her chin on the palm of her hand. “Now spill it. When, where, how far did it go, and how good was it?”

Even without the promise, Dorcas knew Nina would keep her mouth shut. She’d just been hoping for a valid excuse not to discuss her feelings for Nate, because, well, she wasn’t quite sure of them herself, so how on earth was she supposed to explain them to someone else?

“We kissed at the hotel. It was...good.” Now there was a major understatement. It had rocked her freaking world. Just thinking about it made her whole body hum and had her wondering what else Nate could do with his mouth, his hands, his—Nope, not going there.

“Just a kiss and nothing more?” Nina asked, doubt plain in her voice.

“That’s right.”

“Why not?”

“Good question.” Dorcas sighed as she struggled to find the right words to describe her conflicted emotions. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t attracted to him. The man’s smoking hot. But there’s a lot more to him than that. He’s smart, and funny, and he was really amazing when those guys came after us. I never knew about his work with the homeless, and that adds a whole new dimension to his character. On the other hand, he’s cocky as hell, and he’s not exactly the kind of guy who’s known to stick around.”

Nina gave her a sympathetic look. “So what are you going to do about it?”

“Nothing, at least until I know what’s up with Rita.”

“You can’t put your entire life on hold for your sister.”

“Sure I can. Consider it motivation.”

“Or an excuse to avoid your feelings for Nate.”

True, but she wasn’t about to admit it. She’d much rather kick that can down the road than own up to her feelings. That kind of connection made a woman vulnerable, and she didn’t want to find herself following in her mother’s footsteps. “It doesn’t matter. It wouldn’t last.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Sure I do. He’s a one-night kind of guy. When this is all over, he’ll move right on to the next flavor of the week.” And damn, that just made her mood a hell of a lot darker.

“Maybe he’s just been waiting for the right woman to come along.”

Dorcas scoffed. “Don’t kid yourself. I’m not in possession of the magical vag that makes players monogamous.”

AFTER A PIT STOP ATthe break room for a can of much-needed energy drink, Nate delivered the flash drive to Larissa and then made a beeline for his office. If he hurried, he could clear out his email and make a few calls before Dorcas finished catching up with Nina.

There were seventeen messages in his inbox. Fewer than he’d expected, considering he hadn’t bothered to check his email for almost a day and a half.

Methodically, he worked his way down the list, sending assurances, putting out fires, and forwarding a handful of leads to members of his sales team. One message was from his support group, reminding him of their weekly meeting, which happened to be tonight.

He frowned. Typically, he attended the meetings a couple—three times a month. Sometimes more, if he was having a rough patch. It helped him to connect with people who understood the daily struggles of addiction. They supported one another, provided coping strategies. It kept him grounded. Most important, it kept him from looking for a fix.

Unfortunately, tonight’s meeting wasn’t going to fit into his schedule, not with everything going on. He sent a quick reply to let them know he couldn’t make it but would be there for the next meeting.

A problem with one of his larger accounts had him on the phone for the better part of fifteen minutes. Actually, it wasn’t all that much of a problem, but it was a problem in the client’s mind, and that’s what really mattered. By the time he finished, the client was happy and referred Nate to a business associate who was in the market for a new security company.

After hanging up, Nate typed the referral into his calendar, a reminder to call in a day or two.

As he clicked the icon to shut down his computer, his phone sounded with Ryan’s ringtone.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“I’m at your truck.”

The tone of Ryan’s voice had Nate bracing for the worst. “How bad?”

A heavy exhale came over the phone. “From the looks of it, somebody’s got some serious anger management issues. I don’t think it’s totaled, but I doubt you’ll be driving it anytime soon.”