Page 15 of The Rough Ride (Sanctuary, Inc. #3)
N ick swung the door open. “Hey, beautiful. Glad you could make it.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead and tugged her inside.
She gave him a shaky smile and handed him a bottle of wine.
“Whoa, what’s wrong?” There were worry lines on her face where there’d been none a few days ago.
“Thanks for the invite. It’s been a hellacious day at work. An evening with you is just what I need.” She all but fell into his open arms and held him tight.
Okay, then. He hadn’t expected to have her so close, this fast, but he wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her head.
It’d been a long time since his girl needed him, and for some reason, she needed him now.
He reached behind him, set the wine on the entry table and ran his hands up and down her back, massaging her curves under his palms. “Your shoulders are tighter than a piece of plywood, babe. You want to talk about it?”
“No. Well, maybe. Just give me a minute,” she sighed. “You shouldn’t have visited me the other night. Now, I miss you all the time.”
That’s exactly why he did go see her. “Perfect timing, then. I saw where you lived earlier this week. I figured it’d be a nice idea to show you my digs.
A step up from the barracks.” He kissed the top of her head to the tip of her nose and planted a light one on her lips.
“I could end every work day with you in my arms.”
“Yeah, that’d be nice.” She kissed his neck and leaned back, waggling her eyebrows. “You promised wine?”
“So, I did.” He slipped his hand in hers and urged her toward the kitchen.
“Wow, Nick. These quartz countertops are gorgeous. Stainless steel, chef stove, white lacquer cabinets. This is beautiful.” She wrinkled her nose and laughed. “Did you learn how to cook?”
He grabbed a remote and pressed a button. “Built-in monitor over there for displaying recipes. Contractors finished only a week ago. I haven’t used it. So, no, my culinary expertise hasn’t improved yet.”
“Impressive. You’ve been here only a week?” She accepted the glass of wine he offered and strolled to the picture windows facing the park. “Pretty view.”
“I actually moved in a month ago and lived in the mess until completion. I couldn’t very well run a security agency that caters to the Washington elite from the eastern shore of Maryland.
I put a long-term renter in the bayside Cape Cod.
I’m not ready to sell it. It’s been in my mother’s family for fifty years. ”
“I love that cottage. I remember going there with you our senior year. Glad you’re keeping it.” She looked at him over the rim of her wineglass .
“I remember doing a lot of things there with you our senior year.” He laughed.
The memories kept coming. That was part of the reason he couldn’t sell it.
Someday, he wanted to enjoy the place with her when they were married.
He slipped a hand around her waist. “Do you want to see the rest of the loft?”
“Sure. I love the floors. Is this the original wood? Wow. It’s spacious.” She walked alongside him through a wide hallway.
“Yeah. It’s got three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and an office. I was lucky to find it before they began the renovations. I had the chance to customize a little, and yes, the floors are original for the most part. First stop, master bedroom.” He swept his arms open as they entered the room.
She ran a finger across the footboard of the king-size sleigh bed and turned around.
“Look at the size of that closet. As much as I like your new suit-and-tie style, I can’t imagine you filling that walk-in, Nick.
” She let go of his hand and wandered into the master bathroom.
A huge stained-glass palladium window framed a soaking tub.
“This bathroom is the size of my mother’s living room. ”
He smiled. “Cool, huh? I asked them to take two smaller rooms that used to be offices and make them into a bathroom. I wanted a lot of comfort built into this room.” He leaned against one of the vanities and drank in the sight of her.
She fit in like she belonged here with him, using this space.
He ached to free her hair from the ponytail holder and run his hands through it.
She really had no idea how sexy she was.
Liz stopped mid-step. “You installed one of those sitting tub and shower combinations. They’re handicap accessible. My mom put one in for me.” Her voice drifted off as she traced the edge with a finger. “It has a lovely pearl finish. ”
“Of course.” He had to be careful. Don’t push. Don’t push . Just let it sink in. Let her do the talking.
She looked at him, eyes brimming. “You put this in for me?” She yanked a tissue from the box on the quartz countertop and wiped her nose.
“You can’t blame a guy for hoping that maybe you’d want to use it sometime.” He congratulated himself. It didn’t sound presumptuous at all. Totally her decision. He really couldn’t take it if she pulled away from him again. Slow and easy did it when dealing with his injured bird.
“It’s beautiful and tasteful. It doesn’t look like handicap equipment at all.” She turned away and softly blew her nose.
The doorbell rang. “That’s our food.”
She nodded and followed him. “Let me help. What’s on the menu?”
He tipped the delivery girl and set two large bags on the counter.
“Chinese. Italian. Ice cream and cookies for dessert.” He shrugged.
“I couldn’t make up my mind. You unload the bags, and I’ll get us some plates and napkins.
” He grabbed a stack of serving spoons. “I hope you’re hungry.
I know I am.” He gestured for her to go first.
“This is lovely, Nick. I’m famished. I haven’t eaten since early this morning.”
He made sure she was comfortable at the table and loaded his plate. “I know they give you breaks at DHS. Why didn’t you eat?”
“We got caught up in a situation. I had an older commander call me a little miss. ”
He gave a low whistle. “I hope you hurt him?”
“No, he hurt himself in the long run.”
“Good.” Nick took a bite of eggroll. “And? ”
“And I can’t talk about the rest of it.” She placed a napkin in her lap and dug in to her food.
He raised an eyebrow. “Ever?”
“No. But it was tough.” She slid a forkful of manicotti in her mouth and sighed. “Good choice. Italian is a total comfort food.”
He could think of things a lot more comforting than Italian food, but maybe later. “You signed an NDA for that kind of discretion at work?”
“Yup. I didn’t even question the policy until now. After a day like today, I’d like to be able to talk things out with someone other than a coworker. I won’t bring it up again. There’s nothing you can do about it.” She took a sip of wine and flashed him a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
He wiped his mouth with a napkin and sat back. “We’ve always had different security clearances. Let’s try talking around the details like we used to.”
She spooned Italian vegetables onto her plate. “I guess we could. I’m very uncomfortable right now. A week ago, I loved my job, but as of today, I feel like I should be looking over my shoulder.”
“Co-worker problem?”
“No. For the most part, they’re wonderful people.” She forked a huge hunk of zucchini, then reached across the table and fed it to him.
“An outside entity, then?”
She was quiet a few seconds. “Pretty sure. With a big I’m gonna ruin your reputation sign on it.”
Unease crept across his chest. He nonchalantly twirled fettucine around a shrimp on his fork. “You work in an office, not off the grid, right?” Please say no fieldwork.
“That’s right. Just me and my computer.” She exaggerated a sigh and then snickered. “It sounds so lame. But the work I do really helps people. That was one of my employment goals.”
Of course, it was. Her big brain had always been motivated by her superhero heart. “By the sound of this conversation, I hope you don’t mind me saying that I’m glad you’re working in an office instead of the field. So, why do you feel uncomfortable?”
She paused, set her fork down, and pursed her lips. “Did you ever have a feeling like something or someone behind the scenes was pulling strings and meant to undermine your professional life?”
Dammit to hell. The half-chewed mouthful slid down his throat in one gulp as the unease in his chest spread like an alarm. “Overtly—yes. But then I confronted the person and set the record straight.”
Liz tapped a finger on the table and pointed at him. “Because you could figure out who it was, right?”
“Correct. Sometimes, it took a little digging to determine the who and why.” He grabbed the wine bottle and refilled both their glasses.
She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. “Well, that’s just it. I don’t know if I can nail down who’s doing this. My job is cloaked. It’s all smoke and mirrors. I’m not sure I can determine the source of the problem.” She bit her bottom lip.
He wanted to nibble that lip in the worst way, so he looked directly into her light brown eyes instead. “Babe, the federal government is a behemoth of great minds. Surely, one of them will help?”
“I’ve got a great boss. An awesome support team. I just feel like I’m working a puzzle missing a bunch of pieces. It’s my job to find the missing ones. I recognize patterns that no one else sees. But this is out of left field for seemingly no reason.”
Hell, if she was uneasy, so was he. He tore a hunk off the loaf of rosemary bread more forcefully than he intended. She usually balked at his protective instincts and with good reason. The woman could take care of herself. But still, he had to broach the subject. “Do you feel safe at work, babe?”
She waved his question away with a flick of her hand. “Yeah. The building is very secure. It was just a bad day. I’ll get over it. A good night’s sleep and everything will be right in my world again.” She leaned across the table and fed him a bite of manicotti.