who was standing in front of Nick and peering up at him seductively while sliding her hand up and down the buttons of his shirt, didn’t seem to be far behind. What the hell kind of corner was Kinsley in that would make her want to come back to this?
A slow song came on, and Olivia tugged him away from the railing wobbling slightly as she did. “Dance with me.”
He seized her around the waist and pulled her back into his arms to steady her. They started to dance. Casually, he leaned in pretending to kiss her and whispered into her ear. “Get any information?”
“Lots, the girl’s a spiller.”
“Him, too. What’d ya get?”
“Aw Jackson, later. Don’t make this all about work. Besides, it was girl talk. Nothing important.”
She slid her hand up his chest and around the back of his neck, pulling his lips to hers. He hesitated, but kissed her closed mouth for show. The music moved on to a faster beat. All of them seemed ready to move on.
With his arm still draped over Mia’s shoulder, Nick turned to Jackson and Olivia. “Jackson, it’s getting late, almost two. Kinda crazy to go back to the hotel now. Stay here. We have plenty of room.”
Things played out perfectly for him and Olivia. “Thanks, that’d be great.” He looked at Olivia. “Okay with you, Olivia?”
Smiling, she bounced on her toes a bit appearing more than pleased. “Sure.”
The three of them traipsed up the stairs behind Nick.
“Mia, you can take the second guest bedroom. Jackson, Olivia, go ahead and take this one. Kinsley keeps some extra toothbrushes and anything you might need in the bathrooms.”
“Thanks,” Jackson said, feeling a little odd he was being all but tucked in by Kinsley’s husband and sharing a room in her home with Olivia. Everything about the night was strange. How would Kinsley react when she found out he’d been here, poking into her life and riffling through her things?
Olivia grabbed his hand, hauling him in the direction of the bedroom as he spoke. The door closed behind them, and she pushed him back against it, kissing him while working on stripping him bare. When her hands landed on his fly, he grabbed her shoulders and turned, reversing their position. In an instant, he seized her wrists with one hand and lifted them above her head, pressing them and her against the door with his body. He maintained the pressure that held her while looking at her intently.
“Knock this shit off Olivia; I’m not interested. I’ll take the floor.” He released her with a little more force than he’d meant to. Angrily, he snatched a pillow and a small throw from the bottom of the bed and tossed them onto the plush carpet.
She began to protest. When her open mouth clamped shut, he was relieved, and settled himself on the floor as comfortably as he could. She did the same on the bed, passing out within minutes. He waited about an hour before venturing out to scour around.
Darkness and silence met him when he peered around the doorway. He turned on the small flashlight he brought along. Noticing the master bedroom door was open, he headed in. The room was empty. The whole house had the appearance that Kinsley still lived there. Jewelry on the dressing table, cosmetics in the bathroom. He picked up a bottle of perfume and sucked in an extended breath, taking note of the fragrance: Estée Lauder’s Beautiful. When he opened the walk-in closet, her clothes were still hanging, along with shoes, handbags, and some decorative boxes. He took one down. There was nothing in the box but some memorabilia. The same with the others. In the bureau drawers, he came across some nice lingerie and slid the fabric between his fingers, sizing it up. In a hurry, he stopped short of imagining her wearing the slinky black teddy he caressed and closed the drawer to get it out of sight.
Bedside tables. There’s always something telling in those. He saved them for last. Nothing of consequence in the first one, the drawer contained only a couple of novels, a book light, and a few hair bands. Apparently, Kinsley slept there, on the right. He smiled. He was a left side sleeper. Nothing much in Nick’s side table either, but after examining the drawer for a minute, he noticed the inside didn’t seem as deep as the outside. He sat on the bed beside the table, bent down, and felt underneath. Sure