“You cuddle?” Nicole asked with interest. That seemed to be something most men avoided like the plague as far as she could tell.
“Oh, baby,” he said, dropping the remote in her lap and placing his hands flat on the bed to lean in and growl, “I’m just a big old teddy bear when it comes to cuddling.”
He was close enough she felt his breath on her lips as he spoke, and then Jake kissed her. She suspected he’d meant it to be a quick brush of lips before leaving, but it didn’t end up that way. Quite simply, it couldn’t end up that way. The moment his lips touched hers, the passion that always seemed to lie in waiting roared up between them like a backdraft exploding up a long hallway when a door was opened. In the next moment, Nicole somehow found herself flat on her back in the bed with him crawling on top of her, his hands seeking out all her hot spots through the flannel pajamas she’d changed into on getting home.
Nicole wasn’t still under the onslaught; her own hands were pulling at his clothes, tearing at them desperately as she alternately sucked at his tongue and thrust her own out to tangle with it.
“Yo, Stephano!” Dante said from the open door. “Your mom wants you in the kitchen . . . now. And get off that poor girl or I’ll find a pail of water to dump on you. Nicki has a concussion.”
Jake groaned into her mouth, then slowly disentangled himself and crawled off the bed, saying, “I’ll make you grilled cheese and tomato soup . . . and ginger ale and orange juice.”
Nicole blinked with surprise. “That’s what my mother always made for me when I wasn’t feeling well.”
“Yeah? So did mine,” Jake said with a grin and then he was gone.
Nicole stared after him for a minute, and then glanced to the television. She picked up the remote and pulled up the guide, looking for something interesting, but it was the middle of the afternoon on a weekday. Talk shows seemed to be the only thing on and she wasn’t big on talk shows. She continued to click through the guide, but her mind began to wander to wondering what Jake was doing. He was making them lunch, of course, but how far had he got? And did he like his tomato soup made with water or milk? Her mother had always used milk and Nicole did as well. It was too acidy for her taste with just water.
Maybe she should just go out and see if he used water or milk. She could always sit at the island and chat to him while he cooked. That would still be relaxing, wouldn’t it?
“Ugh,” Nicole muttered as she realized how pathetic she was. The man had just left her and she wanted to follow him like a lost puppy following a kid home from school. How pathetic was that?
It was the nanos’ fault, she told herself. Elaine had said so. She wasn’t supposed to judge herself by normal—or mortal—standards. This situation was neither normal, nor mortal.
Gad, Nicole realized with a grin. The woman had basically given her permission to just follow her instincts and act like a ho’ . . . guilt free.
“Cool,” she muttered. Tossing the sheet and blankets aside, Nicole looked around for her robe. She’d donned it over her pajamas after changing out of her street clothes at Jake’s insistence on arriving home. Now she couldn’t recall what she’d—oh, there it was, she’d laid it over the end of the bed and then tossed the blankets over it to get up.
Pulling it on, Nicole left the room in search of Jake.
“So she now accepts that someone is out to kill her, but still doesn’t accept that it’s her husband,” Elaine Notte murmured thoughtfully and Jake glanced around to where his mother sat at the kitchen table with his brother, stepfather and the twins.
“She doesn’t?” he asked with a frown. “Still? After everything that has happened?”
“No, I’m afraid from the thoughts I’ve read she’s completely bewildered as to who could be causing these events, but she’s quite sure it’s not her husband.”
“Ex-husband,” Jake growled, turning back to give the soup in the pot a stir and flip the grilled cheese in the frying pan.
“He’s not quite yet her ex, dear,” his mother said gently.
It made Jake want to growl. He didn’t like the idea that any man had a claim to Nicole, no matter how short term or tenuous.
“Well, it doesn’t matter what she thinks, someone is out to kill her and they aren’t going to stop now,” Neil said quietly. “I suggest the two of you stick close to home until this is resolved.”
Jake frowned at the suggestion. “I was thinking of taking her out for dinner and a movie either tomorrow night or the night after . . . if I can drag her away from work,” he added wryly.
“Well, that’s just not really a good idea right now, bro,” Neil said and then pointed out, “She’s mortal, which makes her vulnerable, and someone’s trying to kill her.” When Jake turned a scowl on him for his advice, Neil added, “Although, I suppose if we came with you, we might be able to keep her safe between us all.”
“I believe Stephano was thinking more along the lines of a date than a family outing,” Roberto said with amusement.
“Oh.” Neil frowned.
“Neil wouldn’t know about dating,” Dante said, sitting back in his chair with a grin. “His head’s too full of numbers and quarterly reports to think about such things.”
“I date,” Neil said defensively.
“When?” Tomasso asked with amusement.
“Last—” He frowned and muttered, “Well it couldn’t have been more than—” Shaking his head, he scowled and said, “I have a very busy life now that Stephan—Jake isn’t there to carry the daytime burden at V.A. Inc.”