bent to fetch the package from the bottom shelf in the refrigerator. Like a laser, they heated my blood to the boiling point. The atmosphere in the room sizzled more than the frying pan.
As we ate, I was free to ogle him in a way I couldn’t before, and after three-quarters of a pancake, temptation got the better of me. I reached out and traced each solid square of his six-pack with a finger, fascinated by the way his muscles rippled at my touch.
“Don’t do that if you want to finish your breakfast.”
I looked at the food, then looked at Nick. “I’ve lost my appetite.”
Nick’s California king was larger than the bed in the guest room, and we made use of every last inch as he showed me positions I’d never even thought of. By the time he’d finished, I’d turned into a wet spaghetti noodle. Even Nick looked sleepy.
“You want to try eating again?” he asked. “Food, I mean.”
“My mouth’s tired.”
He laughed. “Not surprised, baby. I’ll feed you.”
This time, I didn’t try to stop him when he ordered in. Not a pizza or Chinese. No, Nick called Rhodium, the best restaurant in town, and had them send a fancy dinner in a cab.
“That’s too much,” I whispered.
“Nothing’s too much for you.”
We’d got as far as dessert when Nick broached the subject I’d hoped to avoid.
“Open.” He slid a forkful of chocolate orange-mousse between my lips. “What were you talking about last night? When you said someone had been in your apartment?”
All the good vibes slithered away, leaving me with the memory of my wild dash across town.
“You remember in Baysville I thought someone had been following me? I’ve got an awful feeling he might have come here. You probably think I’m crazy, don’t you?”
“You’re lots of things, but crazy isn’t one of them. Tell me what makes you think that. Start at the beginning, and don’t leave anything out.”
So I did. I told Nick how I’d smelled tobacco smoke and cheap cologne, about the objects that moved around, and the warm patch on my bed. I expected him to laugh it off, but his face stayed solemn. Concerned, even. “And last night when I got home, my apartment had that same smell, and I swear someone had used my toothbrush. I always dry it after I’ve used it, and it was wet.”
“You dry your toothbrush?”
“Nick! I’m being serious.”
“Sorry, baby. I know. I’ll get it looked into, I promise. We can get cameras set up in your apartment. Until then, you’re staying with me.”
“Really? I can stay here?”
“Too fuckin’ right. Your apartment’s got no security whatsoever.”
“Bradley said the lock isn’t very good. He picked it.”
“If Bradley managed to pick the lock, you might as well not have one. This place is connected to a central monitoring station, and I’ll warn them to stay extra vigilant. The glass in the windows is bulletproof, and the doors are reinforced with steel. There’s a panic room upstairs you won’t have seen yet, and another in the basement.”
“What basement?”
“Exactly.”
Once I’d stacked the plates into the dishwasher, Nick led me out to the hallway and stopped in front of an alcove. When I arrived, it had been hidden behind a dead yucca, but once the hideous plant found its rightful place in the dumpster, a stunning stone eagle had been revealed. Someone with had talent sculpted that bird. Almost five feet high as it perched on a branch, every detail was perfect, from the way its talons gripped the wood to the textured feathers to the gleam in its eyes. Now, Nick reached out and twisted its beak.
“What the...?”
The mirror next to it slid back, revealing a set of concrete steps leading downwards.
“Basement,” Nick said. He flicked on a light and led me down.
“Wow. It’s...empty.”
The cavernous room stretched the length of the house, and apart from a desk and what looked like a safe in one corner, it was completely bare. Basement? It was more like a bunker. Presumably, the single closed door at the far end was the panic room.
He tipped his head to one side, sheepish. “I never got around to doing much with it.”
“Thank goodness. If it looked like upstairs used to, I’d have cried.”
Strong arms wrapped around me as he rested his chin on top of my head. He sure knew how to make a girl feel short.
“How about we furnish it? Put in a movie theatre or something? Or a game room? You ever play pool?”
I barely heard most of