Ryan fought the urge to knock some sense into the man. Smith might be a criminal, but he wasn’t stupid. The fake-death gambit never had a chance of working. Nate was lucky he’d survived as long as he had.
“We are here to take you back to New York. Nadia is adamant that we not turn you over to Smith, even though it’s what would be safest for her. And it’s no more than you deserve.”
Nate’s head snapped up. “You don’t think I know that? I know what a coward I am. I don’t need you to remind me.”
“We can try to get you out of this mess, but you need to come back to New York with us.” Ryan paused for a second, letting his words sink in. “So what are you going to do, Nate? Are you coming with us, or are you going to leave your sister to face Smith on her own?” Ryan challenged.
It didn’t matter that Nate didn’t have a choice. He was going back with them one way or the other. But maybe hearing how much Nadia was willing to sacrifice for him would compel Nate to man up.
Nate stared at the floor for several long minutes.
“Nate?” Nadia said.
Nate raised his head, locking gazes with Nadia. “I’ll go with you. I’ll go home.”
Chapter Seventeen
The time neared two in the morning when they arrived back at the safe house in New Jersey. Nadia couldn’t remember ever being more emotionally exhausted. Nate hadn’t spoken to her at all on the flight, and a part of her welcomed his silence. There was so much distance and anger between them, and she wasn’t sure they’d ever get back to where they used to be. The relief she felt at Nate being alive would have to be enough for now.
Until they sorted everything out, Nate would stay with Ryan and Nadia at the safe house. Given the late hour, Shawn decided to stay with them as well.
Nadia slid into bed and stared up at the ceiling. As tired as she was, sleep wouldn’t come. Too much worry and...anticipation.
The soft click of her bedroom door opening finally came.
“Are you awake?” Ryan whispered.
She pushed herself up on the pillows. “Yes. I hoped you’d come.”
Ryan snapped the door closed and slid into bed, drawing her to him.
“How are you doing with all this? Really?”
His hand trailed up and down her side, sending zaps of electricity running through her.
“It’s almost surreal. I’d just started getting used to Nate being gone, and now he’s back.”
She pressed her hand to Ryan’s chest and felt his heart rate pick up when she threw one of her legs on top of his and pressed in closer to his side.
“I’m glad he’s alive, but...”
Ryan pressed a kiss to her forehead. “It will take some time for you and Nate to sort this all out. Don’t rush yourself.”
She tilted her head back so she could look into his eyes. “I don’t want to talk about Nate or mobsters or either of us getting hurt right now. I just want to forget.” She skimmed her hand down his bare chest to the waistband of his pajama pants. “Make me forget everything but you, Ryan.”
His lips took hers softly, exploring slowly. She had been the initiator their first time together, but this time Ryan took control. His hands trailed over her body, stripping her of her nightgown before doing away with his own bottoms. He pressed his mouth to every inch of her flesh, learning what she liked, teasing and tantalizing her with every swipe of his lips or sweep of his tongue.
That they were attempting to be quiet so they didn’t wake their brothers only heightened their passion.
“Ryan, please,” she whispered his name, reaching for him.
He caught her hand, raising it above her head. “Unh unh unh, Miss Shelton. I’m in charge of this gorgeous body right now. I want to know every part of you tonight.”
He continued to caress and tease until she was sure she couldn’t take a moment more. And then he rose above her, his eyes locking on hers as he pushed himself inside her so exquisitely slowly that she was on the verge of breaking apart by the time he’d seated himself completely.
They stayed frozen that way for a moment. Then Ryan’s breath hitched. Their eyes stayed locked as they moved in time with each other, slowly at first, and then faster until they reached a fever pitch.
He covered her mouth with his own as her climax hit. He followed her over the crest moments later.
They held each other afterward, whispering honeyed words of affection that led to a second round of lovemaking.
She awoke some time later, the room still too dark, even with the curtains pulled, for dawn to have broken.
She’d been too consumed with need earlier to consider whether their lovemaking might not be wise considering the injury to his side. She touched the unbandaged wound now, happy to see that it didn’t appear that they’d done any more damage.
“It’s fine,” his sleepy voice rumbled.
“I’m just making sure. I don’t need another thing to feel guilty about.”
Ryan rolled, so he was on top of her. “You definitely should not feel guilty. I’d suffer through a lot more than a little cut for you.”
As corny as the line was, it still brought a smile to her lips.
He kissed her, pulling away much too soon.
“Maybe I should head back to my room.”
She stiffened beneath him.
“I just mean, I don’t know if you want Shawn and Nate to know that I spent the night in your bed.”
Nadia relaxed, a chuckle rushing through her. “It’s a little late to be concerned about my virtue, don’t you think?”
“Make fun if you want, but it’ll be awkward walking out of this room together, half-dressed since I don’t have a shirt, I might add, with our brothers out there.”
She wrapped her arms tighter around him. “I don’t care if your brother or my brother or anyone else knows I spent the night with you. I...care about you.”
She more than cared about him. She loved him. But she suspected he’d pull away again if she told him that now. “I think we could have something real, here. If you want to try for it.”
Ryan pushed a lock of hair from her forehead.
She didn’t think last night was just about them letting off steam, but she wouldn’t beg him to be with her either. He had to be in this as much as she was or it would never work.
He dropped his lips to hers, brushing a soft kiss over her lips. “I want to try.”
That was all she needed to hear. She knew she wanted Ryan, and if they tried, they could have something incredible.
The next time she awoke, the sun peeked around the edges of the curtains, and the other side of her bed was empty. She glanced at the clock and pushed back the irritation she felt at finding Ryan gone. It was after eight in the morning, and as much as she didn’t want to, they had to get up sometime.
As soon as we settle this chaos, we’ll pick a day to stay in bed all day.
A tremor of excitement shot up her spine.
Unlike Ryan’s apartment, the four bedrooms in this house shared a single bathroom.
She opened the bedroom door, and voices drifted toward her from the front of the house.
“You’re the best strategist we have. We need you. Dale can cover the hotel today.”
“I can coordinate with you from the hotel. We’ll brief the team via video conference if we have to.”
They both fell silent as Nadia stepped into the kitchen.
“Don’t stop your arguing on my account,” she said, grabbing a mug and pouring herself a cup of coffee.
“We’re not arguing. We’re just making a plan for the day,” Ryan said.
Shawn frowned at his brother. “We are arguing, because your plan is stupid and won’t work.”
Nadia took another sip of coffee, hiding a smile. “What is—”
“My plan is not stupid.” R
yan crossed his arms over his chest.
Nadia tried again. “What—”
“You are the best man we have when it comes to planning ops,” Shawn said.
Irritation brewed inside her. She set her coffee mug down and turned to the sink.
Ryan and Shawn continued to argue.
Nadia gathered a bit of water in her cupped hand and flung it at the brothers.
“Hey!”
“What the—”
They broke off their staring contest to glare at her.
“Don’t ignore me. Why is it a problem for Ryan to do the planning for dealing with Smith?”
“I need the team and the resources we have in our office, so I couldn’t be at the hotel with you.”
“I didn’t come all this way to screw it all up because the best man on the team was playing babysitter instead of doing his job.”
“Hold it, now. I didn’t say he was the best man on the team,” Shawn interjected.
Both she and Ryan rolled their eyes and ignored Shawn.
“If you need to be in the office, that’s where you need to be.” Nadia threw her hands in the air. “Smith gave us forty-eight hours. I’ll be safe until they are up, but we have less than a day left.”
“What is going on out here?” Nate appeared at the kitchen entrance, his T-shirt and mesh shorts bedraggled, his feet bare.
Shawn strode across the kitchen and cupped his shoulder. “Come on in the living room. I think this conversation is headed for a place no sibling wants to witness.”
Ryan growled at Shawn’s back as he and Nate left the kitchen. “Jerk.”
Nadia smiled. “He loves you, and you love him. Be grateful for every day you have together.”
Ryan faced her, contrition painted across his handsome face. “I don’t want to leave you alone.”
Nadia rolled her eyes. “I’ll hardly be alone at the hotel. And Dale will be there, right?”
“Yes,” he muttered.
She kissed him, a smile on her lips. “I’ll be fine.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
Chapter Eighteen
Gideon arrived at the safe house to stay with Nate while Ryan escorted Nadia to work, making sure she was safely under Dale’s watch before he left. Being with Ryan had been good for chasing away thoughts of mobsters, real-estate options and the millions of dollars she and Nate didn’t have to pay back Smith. But now, all those worries came flooding back. What if the plan to hand Smith over to the authorities didn’t work? What if it did? There would still be the problem of Nate faking his death. He’d almost certainly broken some laws. She hadn’t touched the money she’d collected as the beneficiary on his insurance policy, so that wasn’t an issue. Still, she wasn’t sure whether there was legal liability for having accepted it. She’d have to consult a lawyer. Under normal circumstances that would be her Uncle Erik, but she wasn’t ready to speak to him.
That fear and worry stayed with Nadia all morning, through her usual meetings with her managers and into the early afternoon when she would have bombed a conference call with the bank’s loan officer if not for Olivia’s presence.
“Why don’t you go home? Take the rest of the day off?” Olivia said after Nadia had disconnected the call.
Concern stabbed Nadia. “You think it went that badly?”
“No, it’s not that. You just seem so distracted. Your mind isn’t here, and that’s understandable.”
“I’m sorry, Olivia. I’ve been leaving you to deal with the hotel for the last several days, and even when I’m here I’m not.”
“It’s fine. I can handle it.”
“No, it’s not fine. And yes, you are handling it well, which is why I wanted to talk to you about taking on more responsibility if you’re interested.”
Olivia scooted to the edge of her chair. “I’m interested.”
“I’ve been handling most of the tasks Nate used to do with the general managers’ help, but that’s not a long-term answer. I need another executive, someone who can look across all the properties and help me grow the business. I thought that could be you.”
“Yes!”
Nadia laughed. “You’ve more than proved you can handle it, even before this last week. Does the title of VP of Hotel Operations have a nice ring to it?”
Olivia squealed and bounded around the desk, catching Nadia in a hug. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”
“Thank you. Honestly, I wouldn’t have made it through the last eleven months without you, much less this week. You deserve the position.”
Olivia returned to her seat. “You’ve been through a lot.”
Nadia exhaled deeply. “You can say that again.”
She hated keeping a secret from Olivia, but it was for the best at the moment. It wasn’t clear exactly what Nate had gotten himself into, and until they knew, it was safer if no one knew he was alive. She hadn’t even told Olivia about the man that attacked her and Ryan in his home, not wanting to give her friend another thing to worry about.
As if she could read Nadia’s mind, Olivia asked, “Where is Ryan? He’s been sticking to you like glue lately. Did something happen between you two?”
Nadia felt her cheeks heat with the memory of exactly what had happened between them.
“Oh, my goodness. Something did happen. Did the two of you—” Olivia made a gesture.
“Olivia!” Nadia thanked her lucky stars that Dale preferred to station himself outside the door to the outer office rather than sit in the office suite as Ryan did. Although, Dale’s presence may have tempered Olivia’s more inquisitive inclinations.
Olivia sprang out of her chair. “You did! I knew it. It’s about time. You two have been circling each other like wolves for over a year. I’d begun to think it would never happen with you two.”
Nadia felt her blush spread to the back of her neck. “I have not been circling anyone.”
“You have. So, give me all the details.” Olivia reclaimed her seat, an avid expression on her face.
“I will not. This is a place of business.”
“Okay, let’s go out for drinks after work tonight.” Olivia held up a hand, warding off Nadia’s refusal before it came. “You have to. We need to celebrate my promotion, anyway.”
Nadia hesitated. “Okay, but we are celebrating your promotion. Nothing else.”
“Got it. But just tell me if Ryan’s a good kisser. He looks like an amazing kisser.”
He’d kissed her more thoroughly than any man before him ever had, but Nadia wasn’t about to confirm or deny that to Olivia. At least not without several cocktails first.
“Olivia.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll bug you when we’re out later. But seriously, where is he? Is everything okay?”
Nadia wasn’t ready to tell Olivia everything, but she wouldn’t lie to Olivia either. “He’s in Richmond tracking down a lead. He’ll be back in the offices tomorrow.”
“Oh, good. That means he’s making progress. I’ve been so worried about you these last few days. That’s part of the reason why I’ve wanted to do whatever I could to take some of the burden off your shoulders.”
“And I’m so grateful for it.” Nadia sat back. “I’m worried about Ryan. Not only did he get hurt because of this mess I’m in he also got arrested because of me.”
Olivia grimaced. “Mike Dexter is such a jerk. I can’t believe he wanted you to be some fawning bubbleheaded woman when you dated. And now to manhandle you the way he did.”
“Ryan and West are doing all this stuff for me—protecting me and investigating to figure out who’s behind everything that’s been happening. I just feel like I should do something to get Mike off of Ryan’s back.”
“Why don’t you go talk to him? I know Mike isn’t known for his compassion, but he has to have a heart in there
somewhere.” Olivia shrugged. “You’ve got nothing to lose, at least.”
“I’m not as sure as you are that he has a heart, but...” An idea formed in her head.
Appealing to Mike’s heartstrings would get her nowhere, but he was all about business. And she not only had something he wanted, the more she thought about it, she realized she also held his career in her hands.
“I’ve got an errand to run. I’ll be gone for a few hours.” Nadia grabbed her purse and headed for the office door.
Olivia laughed. “You’re going to enjoy having a second-in-command, aren’t you?”
Nadia laughed along with her. “I think I am.”
* * *
FORTY-FIVE MINUTES later Nadia stood at the receptionist’s desk at Aurora Hotels’ headquarters in Tribeca, Dale standing a discreet distance behind her. Upon hearing that Nadia did not have an appointment, the brunette’s smile had fallen, and she’d lost interest in feigning politeness.
“As I’ve explained, Mr. Dexter does not take meetings from just anyone walking off the street.”
Nadia’s breathing quickened, and she glared at the receptionist, fighting to keep her temper in check.
“And as I have explained, I am not just anyone off the street. My name is Nadia Shelton. I am CEO of Shelton Hotels, and Mr. Dexter and I are in the middle of a business negotiation. While I don’t have an appointment, he will want to see me.”
The woman’s gaze slowly traveled from Nadia’s head to her toes, as if she couldn’t believe the woman standing in front of her was CEO of anything. The receptionist took another hard look at the business card Nadia had given her before sliding it back across the top of her desk. “Be that as it may, Mr. Dexter does not take unscheduled meetings.”
Nadia didn’t have the time or the patience for this little power trip.
“Tell Mr. Dexter if I’m not in his office in the next two minutes, the police will be here hauling him out in handcuffs in twenty.”
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