“Now. First things first, you push my head down like that again, and you’d better have a damned good reason.” Her face flushed hotly again when she realized what she’d said. Nick only cocked a brow at her, but she decided to ignore him for now. “Secondly, I’d like to know when I can leave here. There are, from what I’ve been told, several people looking for me, and I’d very much like to avoid having them find me here. There are…you guys are not a part of this and I don’t want you hurt.”
“Your grandmother is on her way.” She looked at the man standing there…Billy, she thought his name was. “She’s a mite more like you than I would have thought. Bossy little thing too. Should have heard her arguing with that hotel—”
Everyone looked at Nick when he said Billy’s name. “Just the highlights for now, okay?”
Billy nodded and smiled at her. Nick was looking at her like she was some sort of bug on a peg board. Addie gave her full attention to Billy and the others.
“She’s coming. Put her house on the market and gave your parents the boot too. Only reason I know all that is ‘cause I’m on the good side of Mr. Harrison, her lawyer. Well, he’s not her lawyer anymore, but his son is. Good man, he was. We’ve been hanging out together for a while now. And he’s the one that helped me clear up my will for—” Nick cleared his throat. “Dang it, man, I’m getting there. Can’t a man have a little side trip on occasion? Well, she’s on her way. You want more information, then you ask me, darling.”
“Why is she putting her house on the market? Wait, because of Joel being killed there. I’d say that’s a smart thing to do.” She smiled at Billy. “You have things to tell me, no matter how many side trips you need to take, I’ll listen to you. Now, tell me about why she’s giving my parents their walking papers.”
Steele burst out laughing and sat beside her at the big kitchen table. Another woman came in, and after she was introduced to Beth, mother of Aster and Steele, and the rest of the people in the kitchen, they were asked to move to the dining room. Steele sat on one side of her and Nick the other. She felt like she was being crowded, closed in, and turned to Steele.
“I need to leave.” He didn’t say anything but looked at Nick. “This is my decision, last time I looked. I’m well past the age of asking for permission for anything. Not that I did all that much anyway, but I’d like to leave here. You have my money, right?”
“I do. It’s in the safe. May I ask you why you were living in an abandoned house and barn when you had all that at your disposal?” She told him she was hiding. “I see. Did you know that he’s been looking for you, or had you only supposed he was?”
“He told me once that he’s not a man that gives up. I just…I had some contact with people who could give me information that I might need. Not Grandmother, though I wanted to contact her, but her lawyer. He told me…my parents made no bones about disowning me, and then Joel made it clear that he was going to get me back no matter what I had been up to. He made it sound as if I’d been out whooping it up with a dozen men instead of—” The growl behind her made her turn to Nick. “You have something to say to me? If so, use your words, not those animal sounds. I’m a person, not a dog.”
The feeling of being lifted up quickly made her dizzy again, and when she was pressed against a wall, Nick’s body keeping her there, she looked into his chocolate brown eyes and saw something she doubted anyone had ever seen before: Fear.
“He won’t hurt you. I won’t let him.” He nodded, but still said nothing. “What do you want? Tell me, Nicholas.”
“I want to kiss you.” Nodding at him, she watched as he lowered his head to hers. The smallest of touches sent her heart beating wildly. “Then I want to take you to my bed and make love to you for hours. I’m not even sure that’s going to be long enough to have my fill of you for the moment.”
“We don’t even know each other all that well. You think this is moving kind of fast?” He brushed his mouth over hers again, this time longer and harder. “Okay, just this one time you can kiss me, but we need to talk about a few things before we end up in the bed together.”
“If you want.” His mouth touched hers again, but only lingered there without taking. “But I have news for you…you’re mine. Forever.”
Chapter 7
She tasted not of paradise but of something more. Her body fit against his like she’d been made for him, and Nick had a feeling that she had been. When he lifted her up by cupping her firm ass in his hands, she moaned against his mouth and curled her arms around his shoulders. Nick thought for sure that he’d just gone to another place, heaven.
Rocking into her, he knew on some level that this was wrong. Not what they were doing, but where they were. He kept telling himself that he’d have to let her go soon, to either move to another part of the house or stop what they were doing. But the moment that her naked breast filled his hand, he knew that he was screwed. Leaning his head to her pert nipple, he watched her face while he suckled at the morsel.