back to his bedroom. Along a hallway, turn left, turn right, through a door...okay, I was lost again. Anyhow, we made it, and as soon as the door closed, he pushed me against it and fisted his hands in my hair.
“I’ve been waiting all day to get you naked.”
I stilled his hand when he started to lift my top. “Should we be doing this? We’re guests in somebody else’s house.”
“I practically lived here for years. It’s fine, trust me.”
“But Emmy’s husband’s home. What if he hears?”
“He and Emmy sleep in a different wing. Nobody wants to be anywhere near her. Even if you screamed, he wouldn’t hear you.” Nick grinned. “And I’m gonna make you scream.”
“Hang on. Why doesn’t anyone want to be near Emmy?”
“Shit. I probably shouldn’t have said that.”
“Well, you did, and now I’m curious.”
Nick sucked in a deep breath. “Emmy has some issues with sleeping. She acts out without knowing what she’s doing, and it can get dangerous.”
“Like sleepwalking?”
“Among other things.”
“What does she do? Try to jump off the balcony or something?”
“More like tries to throw other people off the balcony.”
“Has she ever hurt anyone?”
He gave a sheepish look. “Yeah. Me.”
“Seriously? But you’re so much bigger than her.”
“The devil himself lives in her when she’s asleep. She caught me by surprise. Broke my nose and a few ribs, and she didn’t even know she was doing it. Took two people to pull her off me.”
“But...how? I don’t understand how she could do that.”
“Don’t think about it. I try not to. Just promise me that if you ever see her sleepwalking, you’ll get well out of the way.”
“I promise.”
He pressed against me, and all thoughts of Emmy, her husband, and their freaky house fled from my mind.
“Oooh.”
“Exactly. Now, why are you still wearing clothes? I wanted you in bed ten minutes ago.”
Put like that, I wasn’t about to argue.
CHAPTER 50
OVER THE NEXT few days, we got into a routine. Nick spent his mornings and afternoons searching for Detective Jonas, then after he’d dropped Emmy off at my apartment each evening, he’d sneak over to Riverley Hall and we’d spend the night together. And every time he made love to me, the memories of Billy receded further into darkness.
Speaking of darkness, Nick was right about the house—it did grow on you. As prisons went, I had to concede it wasn’t bad. On the second day, I discovered the library with its floor-to-ceiling shelves and ladders that slid along on rails to reach the high-up books. It was a scholar’s paradise, and judging by the number of first editions I found, a very rich scholar’s paradise. I spent hours in there, curled up on the old brown leather couch next to the middle balcony with a mug of hot chocolate, tangled in the adventures of a different literary heroine each day.
In between reading and getting lost, I made friends with Mrs. Fairfax, who was often the only person to talk to during the day. Logan was in the house, but he mostly stayed in an office on the first floor, working. Other people flitted in and out, but nobody hung around for long.
“Don’t you get lonely?” I asked her, thinking of my own experiences at Adler House.
“It’s not always like this, dear. Your Nick’s got everyone spare out looking for that awful Detective Jonas.”
My Nick. I still found that difficult to believe, but with every look, every caress, and each murmur that he loved me, I became a little more convinced. He’d already talked about taking a trip to his villa in Italy when this was over, just the two of us.
“I’m so grateful they’re helping. I don’t know what I’d have done by myself.”
“You’re not alone anymore, dear. These people take care of their own, and they’ve claimed you as one of them. You belong here now whether you like it or not.”
“I think I will like it, even if those suits of armour still give me the creeps.”
“Emmy and Dan hid in them one Halloween. That was something to behold. Bradley took off in his Lamborghini and didn’t stop until he reached North Carolina.”
“Oh my gosh! Poor Bradley.”
“He got his revenge, don’t you worry. Emmy was walking around with purple hair for a week.”
Yes, I was going to like this place, although I made a mental note not to go anywhere near the hallway at the end of October. And I wanted to fit in.