A corner of his mouth quirked. “Works for me, but I might have to borrow a pair of earrings from you.”
My lips twisted. “I can’t wait to see her face when she realizes they’re not hers.”
“My thoughts exactly.” Nate’s phone began to ring, and my heart quickened. Was it Aubree again? He glanced atme. “It’s Razor.” He answered and listened while Razor filled him in on the aftermath of the explosion.
“Did you find my gun in time? … good … yeah, I got a few stitches, but I’m fine otherwise.” Nate paused, then glanced my way. “No…she’sthe one who saved your life. You should be thanking her.”
His lips flattened. “No. I’m not coming over there for a while. You can have one of your boys deliver it to me.” He paused to listen. “I don’t know, but we think your office might be bugged.”
He pulled the phone away from his ear while Razor said a few choice swear words. “Yeah, that’s too bad, but at least you have insurance, right? … sure. We’ll talk later.” He ended the call.
“I take it he’s not happy?”
“Nope.”
“You can’t blame him. How bad was the damage?”
Nate shrugged. “It only got that side of the garage, so it wasn’t a total loss. Razor’s checking his office for a bug, along with the rest of his place. I sure hope he finds one, otherwise it means someone’s playing us both.”
“Would Joint do that? Don’t forget that you humiliated him yesterday.”
“No. He’s a hot head, but he’s loyal to Razor.”
His phone rang again. “It’s her.” He swiped to answer. “Hi Aubree.” He paused to listen. “At noon?” He met my gaze and nodded. “Yeah. I know the place. Sure. See you then.”
He disconnected, and my lips turned down. “A lunch date?”
“Yeah. It’s a public place, so I’m not real worried it’s a trap. I can introduce you as mygirlfriend. She’ll love that.”
“Yeah… no doubt. And then evenmorepeople will be trying to kill me.” I began to clean up the dishes and put things away. “Do you need something for the pain?”
“Yeah. I’m glad the stitches are low enough that I can still sit down, but they’re starting to hurt.”
“Now you know how I felt.” I smirked, handing him the pills. I put the dishes in the dishwasher. “I’m going to take a shower. Will you be okay?”
“Only if I can join you.”
My brows rose. “Sorry, but the Doc told you not to get the stitches wet for twenty-four hours, remember?”
“Damn.” He reached for me, pulling me into his arms. “I’d like to thank you properly for saving my ass back there.”
I closed my eyes, luxuriating in his embrace. Would I ever get enough of him? “You scared me, going after him like that.”
“But you held him off… even if you missed.” His lips twisted into that sexy half smile of his, turning my insides to mush. Still, I struggled to get away, but his hold only tightened around me.
His head dipped, bringing his lips to gently brush over mine. He nipped on my lower lip before kissing the sides of my mouth, then taking my lips in a searing kiss. My heart began to race, and everything but him faded away.
His phone began to ring. Swearing softly, he broke the kiss and glanced at it. “It’s Vanetti.”
I nodded and stepped away. While he answered, I headed toward my bedroom, knowing this was my best chance to get in a shower. Nate watched me go, his eyes hungry with desire. He blinked and turned away to talk, and I made my escape. As much as I wanted it, now was not the time for a repeat of last night. We had a job to do, and we were getting closer to figuring everything out.
Aubree had to be involved. It couldn’t be a coincidence. And talking to Brandon was a good move for me as well. Maybe we’d have this whole thing figured out by tonight?
My heart stuttered. What did that mean for us? Would Nate go back to his place, leaving me here alone? If he didn’t need me to protect him, would he forget all about me? Just the thought of being without him sent a crushing wave of pressure through my chest.
What had I done? Was one night with him all I’d get? I swallowed, knowing deep inside it would never be enough. But the last thing I wanted was to be like Aubree, clinging to something that wasn’t returned. He’d said he couldn’t lose me, and that gave me hope. As long as I had that, even if it didn’t last, I wouldn’t regret one minute of our time together.
After showering, I got ready for the day. With not a lot of sleep, I spent a few extra minutes making sure I looked and smelled good. I found Nate in my office, working on my computer. I leaned against the door jamb and drank in the sight of him. Even in my office, he looked like he belonged.
