Page 25 of Mine This Time

Chapter Twenty-Two

Mari

In the dim lighting of Nash’s bedroom, his eyes held mine. The look there was so intense it stole my breath and set my heart to pounding so hard every beat echoed into the next.

Emotion caught me in a riptide, its current so fierce I couldn’t have stopped it if I tried. The only anchor to hold onto was Nash. So I did.

He began to move in slow, steady strokes. As he filled me again and again and again, I felt pleasure spinning faster and faster. Everything tightened in my core.

Pleasure spiraled through me faster and faster. Just when I thought I couldn’t bear it any more, I chased after my sweet release. Nash reached between us. With a tease of his fingers at the very heart of me, the pleasure drew tight before snapping loose as I flew apart.

As if he’d been waiting for me, he surged inside once more, and his body went taut with a rough shout. He shuddered above me as I collapsed into the pillows, sated, and nearly limp from the depth of my release.

I opened my eyes, to find him waiting, his gaze searching mine. I felt strange, almost frightened for a moment. The intense physicality, and the intimacy of our joining spun into the tumult of emotions that had caught me in their wake.

Before I could start to overthink it, Nash was rolling to the side and holding me close. I was distantly aware of him getting up to dispose of his condom and then returning to the bed to wrap me in his strong embrace again. I drifted to sleep, warm in Nash’s arms.

Despite all the insanity of my life and all the reasons to be worried and anxious, I felt completely secure and safe.

“Perfect!” I called as I snapped a photograph with my camera.

Elaine, the woman who owned this lovely inn, smiled as she stepped away from the pretty purple door on the old renovated farmhouse. “Do you need more photographs?” she asked as I approached from where I’d been standing in the front yard.

“I think I have enough. That’s the great thing about the digital world when it comes to photography. I’ve taken over a hundred already,” I explained with a small laugh.

Elaine smiled again. “Thank you so much for including us in this.”

“You can thank Hannah Grantham. She’s the one who recommended your place to me.”

Elaine replied, “Hannah is wonderful. Creek’s End Inn is definitely our first recommendation when we’re full. It’s always a pleasure to coordinate with other local business owners who support each other. Do you know when the story will be on the website?”

She followed me to my car as I opened the passenger door and set my computer tablet and camera down on the passenger seat.

“I put out some feelers to several business networks here in the area to see if they’d like me to include them in the spread.

My editor is checking with some print publications as well, so there’s a possibility the story will be in one of those.

Once we firm up the details, we’ll make a decision on the timing. ”

Elaine’s brows hitched up, and she rubbed her hands together. “Excellent. Please keep me posted and enjoy the rest of your stay in New Orleans.”

“Absolutely. Thanks again, and I’ll be in touch.”

After I climbed in my car and drove down the winding drive, I turned off on the main road that would take me back toward downtown New Orleans. I scanned for a place to pull over to take a few minutes to check my voicemail and email on my phone.

I took an exit where there was a sign for a gas station.

As I slowed to turn, I glanced in my rearview mirror and experienced a little jolt of recognition.

That jolt was followed immediately by a sense of uneasiness crawling through me.

I recognized the car several cars back behind me.

It was also turning on its blinker to take the same exit.

I’d seen the car on my way out to Elaine’s inn.

It was a charcoal gray sedan. It was nondescript enough that it would be easy to assume it was a different vehicle. Yet, I recognized the license plate holder because it was bright royal blue and stood out in contrast to the gray.

With my stomach churning with anxiety, I stayed the course. I slowed and turned off when I saw the gas station. I told myself it must be nothing and filled the car with gas.

Once I was back in my car, I tucked the receipt into my wallet to turn in for work. I tapped Nash’s number.

He answered immediately. “Hey, how’s your afternoon going?”

“Well, everything went fine. I’m calling because I think someone might be following me.” My heart was pumping too fast in my chest, and I hated the fear coiling in my gut.

Nash’s tone shifted instantly from his relaxed drawl to sharp and focused. “When did you notice this, and what does the car look like?”

I quickly summarized, ending with, “What should I do? Maybe I’m just paranoid.”

“I’ve already texted one of the guys from the security crew at our office. He’s headed out your way to rendezvous and follow you. For now, just stay right where you are. You’re not in the middle of nowhere, and I’m sure there are security cameras there.”

“Nash, I thought you talked to those people.” I hated how squeaky my voice sounded.

“I did. But it doesn’t mean they’re still not gonna try to put any pressure on the situation. Sit tight, and my guy will be there any minute. Come straight to the office. I’m going to get off the phone so I can call the police station.”

“Okay,” was all I could manage in reply.

After I hung up with Nash, I was restless, so I called Max. My brother answered just as quickly as Nash had. “Hey, Mari, what’s up?”

After I summarized the situation for him, Max swore, “Fuck. I don’t like this. How are you? You know you can come out here today if you’d like.”

“I know, Max. I just want this resolved. I don’t like feeling like I’m running from something that I wasn’t even responsible for.”

“Between Nash’s contacts with his PI and the police, I think they’ll be arresting Brett any day now.”

“Really? Sounds like you know more than I do.”

The moment that statement crossed my lips, a sense of frustration rippled through me.

Max appeared to know far more than I did.

I wanted to vent to him about that, but that meant potentially revealing what had passed between Nash and me.

I sure as hell didn’t want to do that. I could already predict Max’s lecture.

This time, he’d probably tell me I was moving too soon and ask me what I’d been thinking.

Of course, those were my very own questions.

Just then, a car pulled up beside me, and I glanced over to see one of the security guards I recognized from Nash’s office building. He gestured for me to pull in front of him.

“Max, the security guy’s here, so I’ll call you later.”

“Got it. Call me when you can.” Max paused briefly before continuing, “And sis…don’t forget you can get on a plane today, if it helps you feel safer. We aren’t trying to run roughshod over you.”

Before I pulled out of the gas station, I didn’t miss the fact that sitting on the opposite side of the street was a familiar charcoal gray car.

As I drove back to Nash’s office, the security guy stuck to me like a burr.

I likely would never know whether it was pure coincidence or not.

However, with the security detail following me so closely he was practically an extra bumper on my car, the charcoal gray sedan didn’t follow me this time.