Nate in his car. To have him park near her apartment, and kill the engine, and sit there in the dark with her, the silence heavy with that burning question that she wanted so badly to answer. Yes.
She couldn’t. It would be stupid to give into temptation now, after fighting for so long. But either way, she was the loser. Either choice led to a lifetime of regret.
She wanted desperately to make love to Nate Murphy at least once before she ran away. To feel something real. Something hot and beautiful and bracing, before facing the cold that lay ahead.
But Nate Murphy would not be an easy man to run away from. Getting involved with her could get him killed.
She wouldn’t survive that guilt. Not a second time.
Nate waited patiently by the DJ station as she puttered around.
Then he leaned over, flipped some switches, manipulating the buttons.
“Don’t turn that on,” she said. “It’s so late.”
“There’s something I wanted to hear again. Yeah…here it is.”
The music started. After the first few chords, she realized that it was the same romantic ballad that had been playing when she’d refused to dance with him earlier.
He held out his hand. “No cake to cut,” he said. “No coffee to pour. Nobody snickering or whistling or giving us a hard time. Dance with me now.”
Oh no. Panic surged, along with excitement. Her heart accelerated. “Nate, that’s crazy,” she said. “It’s been a long day—”
“Just a dance. It’s not such a big deal.” He kept his hand out.
He knew damn well she wanted this. He’d felt it in yesterday’s kiss. He’d felt it probably from the day she met him.
And it was a very big deal. Huge, in fact.
Suddenly they were closer together. She hadn’t meant to move. It was inevitable. A force of nature. His arms circled her, and they began to sway to the slow, hypnotic pulse of the music. He was so big, so hot. So solid.
The music was loud. He hadn’t turned down the volume at all. She lifted her voice. “Nate, the neighborhood will call the cops if we—”
“Shhh,” he murmured. “It’s just for a few minutes. They’ll live.”
He leaned over her, dropping a delicate kiss on her ear. Shivers of intense awareness made her melt as his lips moved, on her jaw, her cheek.
Then he found her lips again, and claimed them. That sensual sorcery again, holding her in thrall with the sweet dance of lips and tongue, coaxing, teasing.
She clutched his neck and gave in to it. The wild, incredible sweetness of it. The freedom. Flying across the night sky, unleashed, unbound. Full of power.
If he asked to come to her bed, she would say yes. Hell, why even wait for a bed? Her breath caught as he bit her earlobe. Then he pulled her closer.
“Don’t react,” he whispered. “But this place is bugged.”
5
Damn. He’d miscalculated. Gotten the timing wrong. Her body was rigid.
She tried to pull away but he tightened his grip. “Don’t move yet,” he whispered. “Kimball’s bugs won’t pick us up with the music for cover. I know where they are. I was bug-sweeping when you threw me out earlier. Couldn’t tell you then.”
“Where?” She barely breathed the word.
“Air vent, smoke detector, and one of the lamp sconces. We’re all being monitored. Demi’s house, restaurant, Mace’s place, Fiona’s, Anton’s. Our cell phones are hacked. Our cars bugged. Kimball’s going all out.”
“Shit.” Her voice was barely audible. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”
He hesitated for a moment. “Later,” he whispered into her ear. “We’ll talk outside. Assume that any public place or indoor space is bugged from now on. I’ll give you a dedicated burner phone that’s clean. We can text on it.”
“But why to me?” she asked. “I have nothing to do with any of this. I draw cute chalkboard menus. I bus dishes and chop onions and do data entry. I’m a freaking errand girl around here.”
“Kimball knows that you exist, and he knows that Demi cares about you, which already makes you a target. And we’re all safer with you in the loop.”
“Well. Um. I’m honored, I guess.”
Her voice was tight and nervous. Her body had gone stiff. He missed that boneless softness she had before, when he’d been kissing her. She felt brittle now.
The song ended and Elisa stepped back. “Time to go.” Her voice had a forced brightness. “It’s really late.”
“Where’s your cell phone?” he asked.
“Don’t have one. I have a burner, but I seldom use it.”
Nate switched off the DJ station.