Page 19 of Canvas of Lies (Spruce Hill #3)

Chapter Fourteen

Kat

B y the time I bid him goodnight and closed the door fifteen minutes later, I was still too keyed up to sleep.

I treated myself to a hot shower and a mug of tea, did a little bit of research on the painting from my laptop, and then carefully sewed an embroidered mermaid patch over the tear in my jacket sleeve.

With a contented hum, I set it all aside and finally went to bed.

Though there was one hell of a highlight reel playing through my head, I thought back to the way Nico had spoken about his feelings for me, his reasons for staying away.

How was I supposed to respond to that? I’d loved him as long as I could remember, had spent most of my childhood dreaming of fancy magazine-worthy weddings and imagining all the clichés—barefoot walks on the beach, cozying up in front of the fire together.

That last one had distracted me into commenting on the cabin’s lack of a fireplace, for fuck’s sake, and the man had simply smiled like I was some kind of prize.

Where other people might get huffy or roll their eyes at my abrupt change of conversational direction, Nico had always followed along seamlessly, like it was a gift instead of a fault of mine.

As I lay in my own bed, it felt strange not to have him there at my side: holding me, kissing me, teasing me, making me feel like I finally had everything I’d ever wanted.

Except . . . I wasn’t really sure what I had.

Our lives were a tangled mess, twisted up in the painting and with my father.

We were stuck in limbo, unable to move forward with any kind of real relationship until those threads unraveled.

If we succeeded in getting the painting back, what then? Would Nico want me around, a constant reminder of what my father did to him? Would he even stay in town, at constant risk of discovery?

Would he ever truly be safe?

And if we failed, how long before he started to resent me for all that he’d lost, especially if he sacrificed the chance to get it back in exchange for keeping me safe?

When I finally dozed off, I dreamed about being inside the Beaumont cottage. Like a scene from a cartoon, the painting on the wall grew and grew until Nico and I walked right into the field of lavender ourselves, never to return .

Monday morning dawned far too quickly. I was disoriented by waking up alone instead of beside Nico, even though it had only been a few days—maybe a lifetime of anticipation was the reason it felt so normal .

Under typical circumstances, it would’ve felt like moving at warp speed. With him, it seemed so right .

Still, I delighted in rolling out of my own comfortable bed, selecting clothes for the day from my own wardrobe instead of Nico’s extras, and following my usual morning routine. As I left my favorite coffee shop with breakfast in hand, a familiar broad frame ranged easily beside me on the sidewalk.

“You know, if you were anyone else, I’d be calling the police to report a stalker,” I said lightly as I lifted my chin in an attempt at haughty disdain.

Nico wasn’t put off by it, not in the least. He simply handed me a gift bag and gave a lopsided grin.

“I just thought you’d be eager to get your hands on your new phone, that’s all.”

Even as my eyes lit with pleasure, I shot him a suspicious glance. “And will you be monitoring all my phone calls? Tracking my whereabouts?”

“Only the calls you make to me,” he vowed. “Pinky swear.”

I choked on a laugh, but I believed him. “Yeah, yeah. Is it ‘bring your lover to work’ day, or are you just killing time walking to the office with me?”

“Your lover, hmm? I like the sound of that. ”

Though I rolled my eyes, Nico caught a glimpse of the smile on my face before I managed to school my expression. He gave me a world class puppy dog look, batting the long, black lashes that framed his dark eyes.

I’d forgotten how cute he could be.

“If you want to invite me in to see this remarkable business you’ve been building, I wouldn’t say no.”

“Consider yourself invited, though it’s not nearly as exciting as it might sound. I hope you had breakfast already, because I’m not sharing my bagel.”

Nico only grinned and strolled along beside me. When we reached the back door of the warehouse, my gaze caught on the stack of pallets next to the dumpster and he grimaced at the broken wood.

“I’m really sorry, Kitten.”

I turned suddenly to beam up at him. “In good news, the trash doesn’t get picked up until tomorrow, so while you’re here, you can dig through and find my old phone.

Then I can get the SIM card out of it, since you didn’t ask me before tossing it into the dumpster, and I won’t need to play cloak and dagger to find Evelyn’s private contact information. ”

“I should’ve expected that,” he grumbled, but he slid one hand around to the small of my back and kissed me. “But for you? Anything.”

Fierce heat infused my cheeks as I turned to open the door.

When it swung in, I gestured for him to enter.

Nico took a few steps forward to survey the space and I tried to see it through his eyes.

It was large and bright, lined with shelves.

Along each shelf were stacks of labeled boxes, loose merchandise, and a huge array of packing supplies.

His gaze paused on a row of garage sale finds, ranging from a wind-up circus lion to a vintage Ouija board to the Teddy Ruxpin I’d just repaired.

“Oh, this is just beautiful,” he said, grinning at me. “I don’t know what I was expecting, but this—it’s so you. Absolute chaos contained in tidy little rows.”

When I scowled at him, he took the bags and coffee cup from my hands and set them aside so he could tug me into his arms.

“I’m not chaotic,” I mumbled.

“I mean that in the best possible way. For such a competent, organized woman, you’ve always had a touch of chaos inside you. Such a delicious study in contradiction.”

I made an impolite sound, but everything he said was true, so I nestled myself more comfortably against his chest. The business was something I’d always thought he would appreciate, something so quirky and peculiar compared to my father’s lifestyle that it couldn’t help but be an affront to the man’s sensibilities.

It gave me a feeling of accomplishment and I truly loved what I’d built, but it had often been a lonely venture. Though Erin’s bubbly presence helped mitigate that, Nico’s approval warmed me in a way that little else could.

“Hey,” he said, smiling broadly as he fingered the patch on my sleeve. “You fixed the tear. ”

“I am a woman of many talents, Mr. Beaumont.” I lifted my chin proudly, but a grin snuck through. “Besides, I’ve been waiting six months to find a reason to use that patch, so it seemed like a match made in heaven.”

“Or a match made through gross negligence and idiocy on my part?”

I laughed. “That, too.”

Nico tucked a curl behind my ear and smiled. “This might sound patronizing as fuck so please don’t punch me in the balls for saying it, but I am so fucking proud of you.”

For a moment, I was simply trapped in his gaze, warm and gentle and just the tiniest bit misty as he looked down at me.

“Nico,” I said softly, but whatever else I’d been about to say flew out of my head.

His mouth dropped down to whisper over the curve of my ear. “Yes, Kitten?” he breathed.

The shiver that ran up my spine rippled under his palm like lightning. Instead of answering him, I tipped my head back. Nico willingly obeyed my unspoken request and I sighed as his lips trailed down my neck. My hands curled into his shirt, tugging him closer.

Just when a soft purr of pleasure from my throat caused a noticeable response from his lower body, the door swung open and a startled Erin gaped at the sight of us.

“Oh! I’m sorry!” she gushed, averting her eyes as though we were standing in the middle of the warehouse naked.

I laughed—a little breathlessly, even to my own ears—and shook my head. “It’s fine, Erin. This is Nicolas Beaumont. Nico, this is Erin.”

Erin’s enormous green eyes widened. “You mean the Nico?”

Nico, damn him, turned to me with raised brows. He caught me making a frantic “stop talking” face at my assistant, so I forced my expression into a pleasant smile despite my flaming cheeks.

“My childhood friend, Nico. Yep. That’s him. He was just leaving, weren’t you?”

The man gave Erin his most charming smile and nodded. “I was, actually. I have a date with a dumpster.”

Erin’s bafflement was evident, but she returned the smile. “I’ll just go check on our auctions,” she said, moving away from the pair of us. “Nice meeting you, Nico, and I’m glad you’re feeling better, Kat!”

Nico waited until my assistant had closed herself in the office before turning to me. “Been talking about me?” he asked, eyes wide with mock innocence. “I’m flattered.”

“Shut up,” I muttered.

He couldn’t hold back a broad grin at my discomfort. “Don’t get all shy on me now. What did you say? That I’m tall, dark, and handsome? That you’ve been dreaming about making love to me since you were sixteen? Give me just one morsel to get me through my lonely dive into that dumpster.”

I glared at him. “I told her you were a worthless swine. I hope that will keep you company, darling. ”

“You’re adorable when you’re annoyed,” he murmured.

His hand tangled in my hair as he tugged me against him for one last kiss. Even an expert grudge-holder like me couldn’t resist the lure of his mouth. I melted into the embrace so quickly I might have been embarrassed, had it been anyone other than Nico.

“Better get to work, you’re already off schedule,” he teased when he released me.

“And whose fault is that?” I replied, shooing him toward the door.

He threw a wink over his shoulder as he went outside, leaving me standing there in the silence I usually appreciated but now found curiously empty.

After a few calming breaths, I grabbed my breakfast and the gift bag containing my new phone and joined Erin in the office.

My assistant had booted up the laptop and was pretending to be busy checking the filing cabinet when I dropped into the chair behind the desk.

“Please, please tell me that you weren’t really sick and actually spent the weekend banging that gorgeous hunk of man-flesh out there,” Erin said immediately, clasping her hands to her chest like it was the most romantic thing she’d ever heard.

I lowered my head to the desk with a groan, which Erin clearly took as confirmation.

“Oh, thank god. He is just beautiful. And built . And clearly way better suited to you than that dusty old professor, anyway. I’m so glad you ignored me about texting him so you could sleep with Nico instead. You’ve only been in love with him for what, ninety-five percent of your life?”

“Please stop talking,” I begged, not bothering to lift my head.

Erin huffed good-naturedly. “Fine, but my sex life is a pitiful desert right now so you could really do a girl a favor by sharing some exciting details in the near future—and don’t even bother trying to convince me that a man like that doesn’t have some amazing tricks up his sleeve, because I could see it in his eyes when he looked at you.

Definitely a step up from the professor. ”

The problem, I realized, was that even after Erin left me alone, those little details my assistant had mentioned continued to play through my mind. A tremor crept up my spine as I sipped at my coffee.

Tricks up his sleeve, indeed, I thought, allowing myself to savor the memories for two solid minutes before forcing my focus back to my work.

I’d finished breakfast and done some research on the items from the yard sale when I heard Nico talking to Erin out in the warehouse. After giving myself a quick, bracing pep talk, I rose to join them.

Nico looked only mildly disheveled, but I could smell him from across the room. He grinned when my nose wrinkled.

“Not the most glamorous aroma, but I found the phone. You might want to, ah, sanitize it first.”

“I’ll do you one better,” I countered, grabbing a plastic baggy from one of the shelves. I held it open for him, then zipped the foul odor inside. “I’m afraid I don’t have any bags big enough for you, so you’ll have to go home and shower.”

“Shame you can’t join me,” he murmured, “but do try to enjoy your day, Kitten. Don’t work too hard.”

He raised a hand in farewell to Erin, who smiled radiantly as she waved, then he winked at me one last time before leaving the warehouse. I stared after him for a moment, just long enough for Erin to start laughing to herself across the room.

When I shook myself out of the trance Nico managed to put me in, I shot a useless glare in Erin’s direction and we both got down to work.