by Addison Fox
“Maybe you can answer one more question for me.”
“I’ll answer what I can.”
Cool, calm and vague. Yep, she was a business executive all right.
“There’s still the matter of the gun found in Ace’s apartment. Ainsley and Santiago have been working on that matter, as well as the MVPD. It’s moved Ace up on the suspect list.”
“Which is exactly the reason I wanted you to investigate him in the first place. The goal here is to determine who shot Payne.”
“I’m well aware of that. But there is something about that gun I can’t quite wrap my head around.”
“What’s that?”
“A gun is magically discovered under Ace’s floorboards and suddenly you show up at my door asking me to investigate the man. You didn’t have anything to do with putting it there, did you?”
That calm, cool visage crumpled as Selina began to laugh. “Oh, Nikolas, you do have an imagination.”
Nikolas didn’t see what was so funny about any of it and held his ground, not even cracking a smile. “In my line of work, I like to think about it as considering all the angles.”
Selina’s laugh continued on, but she finally sensed that he wasn’t laughing with her. “You’re serious.”
“As serious as the coma that still has Payne Colton in its grip. And equally as serious as ensuring the wrong man doesn’t go to prison.”
“That is why I hired you.” Selina moved up closer and laid a hand on his cheek. “You are a sweet young man. And I can promise you this. I might not have any deep, abiding affection for my former stepson, but I didn’t frame him or set him up. If he tried to do in poor Payne, that was all his own doing, not mine.”
Selina laughed again, shaking her head. Her hair was still perfectly styled around her face but she’d laughed hard enough to make her mascara run. She ran the tips of her fingers under both eyes, wiping away the last vestiges of tears. “You are thorough. It looks like I made the right choice after all.”
Damn straight you did.
Only he didn’t say that. He waited until she collected her purse and shot one last glance toward his office door. Then she turned on her heel and was out the door as fast as she’d sailed in.
Nikolas was still processing the visit when he heard a soft voice behind him.
“Whatever possessed you to take a job for that woman?”
Nikolas turned to face Nova. “It’s my job. People hire me to find answers.”
“Yet you didn’t tell her who I am.”
“That’s not her business to know.”
Nikolas knew he played a dangerous game. He’d known that since Nova walked into his office and told him who she was. He’d believed himself well able to manage the conflict between Nova’s identity and Selina’s case, but he was forced to again question that belief.
He’d dodged a bullet today, but he suspected Fate had several more loaded in her gun.
It was about time he started to accept the distinct possibility that he was going to have to face down one of them.
* * *
Ferdy watched the high-heeled woman hightail it out of the PI’s office twenty minutes after she’d stomped in. He wondered who she was, but after the quick visit, chalked her up to a client, nothing more.
He’d been watching the place for a few days, surprised by how easy it had been to run down Nova in this little Podunk town. The IP address Wally had tracked down had paid off, and he’d found the condo complex his IT whiz had triangulated. A day watching the comings and goings at the complex had easily produced Nova, her head peeking above the dash on some old car.
She looked good. He hadn’t seen her full-on yet but that face staring out over the dash was prettier than he remembered and she looked happy.
Too bad she wouldn’t be for long.
He’d had a long time to think about what he’d say to her and, for starters, he wanted some damn answers. Why’d she leave and what did she know?
The town was a piece of work. He’d driven it from one end to the other, trying to find the right place to drag her for their little conversation. He needed some room to work and privacy and, most of all, a place to dump the body once he was done. There was a small park near the end of town that he thought would work but he wanted one more look at it.
He also needed to figure out who this PI was.
It was clear Nova was shacking up with him. Had she told him what she knew about Ferdy or had she tried keeping it all to herself? He wasn’t opposed to killing the bastard but he needed to minimize his presence and two bodies got even more notice than one. People started connecting the dots with two bodies and he wasn’t interested in having any of those dots lead back to New York.
The boss had finally given him a decent opportunity to prove himself again and he needed to get home. Much as he’d have liked to stick around and play with Nova for a few days before he got out of town, he had work to do.
And in the end, dead was dead and that was all that really mattered.
He settled back into his seat. The piece of crap sandwich he’d picked up at a convenience store was a far cry from one of his beloved subs but he ate it anyway to keep up his strength. Once he got back to New York and managed the next job shipment coming in, he could dine on an eight-course meal of caviar and steak if he wanted.
Right now was a means to an end.
He unwrapped the sandwich, the scent of oil and vinegar wafting back at him. He bent his head to take a bite and when he looked back up, he saw the door opening again to the PI’s office.
The guy walked out first. Tall, dark hair, solid build. He wasn’t heavily muscled but Ferdy figured he wouldn’t go down easy. Nor did he think this one would be easily lured into the woods like that recent job in New York. One more reason to find out what she’d told him and how much he knew.
He reached for his phone to take a picture when Nova stepped through the door.
The sandwich in his hands fell, splattering oil and vinegar all over his slacks, but Ferdy didn’t notice.
All he saw—all he could see—was the large mound of her stomach that preceded her out the door. The PI held the door for her and he didn’t miss the way the bastard looked at his woman.
And for the first time in five months, Ferdy had an idea of just why Nova had run.
* * *
Once again, Nova was forced to consider another facet of Nikolas’s life she hadn’t expected. This whole job with Selina Barnes Colton had her wondering about the realities of his work.
He’d proven himself to be a good guy. She didn’t question that.
Not one single bit.
But his job did involve a strange, shadowy place she still couldn’t fully understand. Nor could she fully comprehend how he seemed more than comfortable with living and working in those shadows. Which, she acknowledged to herself, was a bit hypocritical, based on her history with Ferdy.
But this wasn’t about her. It was about Nikolas and whether or not she was comfortable with his choices.
“You’re quiet. Everything okay?” Nikolas had helped her into the car and then come around to his own side. It was only now, as he started the car, that Nova realized just how loud her thoughts felt, closed up in such a small space.
“I’m thinking.”
He smiled, but even from just looking at his profile as he pulled out of his parking space and navigated the traffic, she could see that it didn’t reach his eyes. “You’ve been thinking ever since Selina showed up.”
“You said the reason you didn’t tell her who I was is because it’s not any of her business.”
“Because it isn’t.”
She’d been thinking about it since the woman came screeching into Nikolas’s office, seeking answers.
“Did you mean what you told her? That you wanted the truth?”
“T
hat’s my only goal. I don’t take on cases to hurt people or to ruin their lives.”
“But what if that’s a by-product?”
The drive through Mustang Valley didn’t take long and they were nearly to Nikolas’s condo. “Is that what you really think of me?”
“No, I don’t. And that’s the problem. I’m trying to reconcile the man I’ve come to know with the private investigator who takes on cases for horrible people.”
“I’m sorry if you think Selina’s horrible but you’re going to need to get used to her. She’s part of the Colton family, no matter how hard it is to understand why Payne’s kept her around.”
“But she believes my father is guilty.”
“Which is why I’m working to find the truth. I don’t believe a planted gun is sufficient evidence that he did Payne harm.”
“And you don’t think the fact he ran is proof, either?”
“Not really. Like I told you before, I can work in the shadowy areas law enforcement can’t. I’m going to keep digging because the more time I spend on this the more I lean toward the ‘Ace Colton is innocent’ column.”
“Are you just saying that to placate me?”
“I’m saying it because I want the truth.”
Nikolas pulled into his parking spot and cut the engine. He shifted his attention fully toward her. “Nova, look, I realize that it’s something of a leap to take me at my word, but hear me out.”
“Okay.”
“I realize that my job has something of a duality in it. Right and wrong aren’t nearly as clear-cut in my world as it is in law enforcement and, as I told you before, that gives me some leeway in working my cases. What it also means is that to be the man I want to be, I can’t ever forget that.”
“I understand. It’s just that...” She let her words fade off, not sure if she should say what she really felt or keep dancing around the truth of the matter.
She wanted him. But she couldn’t quite get past the fact that she’d leaped quickly with Ferdy and was now paying the price.
Was her judgment off when it came to men?
Or could you question some of the things a person did because you wanted to better understand them, yet still care for them?
Because she wanted him. And she wanted to know that he wanted her in return. Not because he felt sorry for her. Or because she was a stepping-stone in his case investigating her father. Or even because she was handy.
That he wanted her. That he saw her.
As if sensing she stood on a precipice, Nikolas suggested they move inside, and she agreed, following him toward the elevator. Their ride up to his apartment was quiet and she kept wondering if there was an easier way to say what she wanted.
No, Nova amended to herself. What she needed.
Nikolas unlocked his door and gestured her through and Nova went straight to the kitchen, getting herself a glass of water.
“Nova, are you okay?” Nikolas followed her in.
“I’m fine. Good. Just thirsty. Would you like something to drink?”
“I’m good.” He stood at the counter, staring at her as she drank down the glass of water.
He waited until she was finished before he pressed. “Are you sure? Because I get the feeling there’s something you want to say to me but you’re holding back. I’m good with what I do for a living. I can handle your opinion and not break.”
“That’s not what I’m afraid to tell you.”
“What are you afraid of then?”
She set the glass on the counter and walked over to where he stood. Moving in close, she placed her hands on his chest and stared up at him. She knew she took a risk and she also knew that in a few short months her life would change yet again with the baby’s arrival. But now. Here. She just wanted to take something for herself.
Just for herself.
“I’m afraid that this will all be over soon and I won’t get a chance to tell you how I feel.”
“Nova, I—”
She stepped up on her toes and pressed her lips to his, effectively silencing his words. She didn’t want rejection right now, even though she knew he was well within his rights to give her one.
Only...
She’d caught glimpses. Since that very first day together, she’d had moments where she would swear he felt he same. Where the heat in his eyes was all for her. Just for her.
It was the hope from those small flashes that beat in her chest now.
His fingers were gentle but firm on her upper arms as he held her still, pulling back from the kiss. “Nova, I don’t want to take advantage of you.”
The hazy fog that had wrapped around her at their kiss lightened. “Advantage? But that’s not how you should feel.”
“How should I feel? You’re here. Under my protection and pregnant. What else would you call it?”
And that was when Nova heard it. The very thin thread of control that he was hanging on to. It wove through his voice, quavering low in his throat, and Nova knew exactly what to do.
“I want you. Me. Nova. The woman. Not pregnant Nova. Or on-the-run Nova. Or illegitimate-Colton-daughter Nova. Just me. The woman who wants to be with you.”
“I’d like that.” He swept the tip of his finger over her forehead, pushing away a lock of hair before tucking it behind her ear.
“Make love to me, Nikolas. Please.”
That tender look faded, his hazel eyes going wide. “Can we? I mean, I don’t think that we. Um. Well, it’s just that—”
He stopped and Nova couldn’t hold back the light giggle that rumbled up in her chest. “Yes, I can do that. We can do it together. In fact, it’s good for me.”
“Excuse me?”
“Most pregnant women are lucky enough to get regular sex. It’s healthy and normal.”
“Oh. Wow.”
“It doesn’t gross you out?”
The confusion that had lit his gaze only moments before faded, replaced with something she couldn’t quite define but would happily look at every single day for the rest of her life.
“Not at all. And don’t you even think it. Not for one single minute.”
And she wouldn’t.
She had far more pleasurable ways to spend her minutes.
Chapter 16
Nova followed Nikolas down the hall to his room, her body humming with anticipation. She wanted this. Wanted him. But now that she was faced with the chance to have exactly what she wanted, she was suddenly attacked with a case of shyness.
Although she’d peeked into his room in passing through the condo, she’d never actually walked in. The masculine furnishings were impressive, the large wooden furniture dominating the room.
She wasn’t a total innocent, but as she looked around, collecting herself, she had to admit another truth to herself. She hadn’t actually had sex since she’d found out she was pregnant. Ferdy hadn’t been her first, but the sex had begun to taper off after those initial halcyon days when they were first together and getting to know one another.
She’d obviously gotten pregnant, the outcome of a broken condom from an old pack in her bedside drawer, but they’d only had sex a few more times after that. After that she’d been so sick during the early days of her pregnancy that she’d begged off several events.
And then she’d gone on the run.
So here she was. With a new man and a body she wasn’t entirely sure what to do with. All the bravado she’d had in the kitchen faded at that reality.
“What is it?” Nikolas moved in close, the top few buttons of his shirt open at his throat where she’d managed to undo them on their walk to the bedroom. Dark hair was visible through the open shirt and she wasn’t sure she’d ever seen anything sexier.
“Nova, if you want to stop, we’ll stop. Now or any time.”
“I don’t want to stop.”
Is it fair to add on having designs on the man? I’ve got a large set of responsibilities on my own. It’s a lot for a guy to take in, is all.
Don’t you think Nikolas is capable of making that decision for himself?
It struck her in that moment just what Marlowe had meant. For all the responsibility she’d faced over the past year, very little of it had been the result of factors within her control. Because of that, she’d learned to control the things she could around the chaos. Her life. Her attitude. Even the slow and steady drive west had been another act of taking charge of her life.
It was fine to take responsibility for her own life, but in learning the lesson, she needed to do the same for others.
And assuming Nikolas didn’t know what he wanted was a bad place to start from.
“I don’t want to stop at all.”
He smiled down at her before bending his head and murmuring against her lips. “I don’t want to stop, either.”
True to his promise, he didn’t. From the slow drift to the bed, their clothes coming off one fascinating piece at a time, until the point he laid her down on top of the covers, Nova felt as if she were in a dream.
An erotic, amazing dream, but a dream all the same.
Had she ever been with anyone who so innately knew what she needed?
As each piece of clothing fell, his hands found more of her. She thought she’d be embarrassed when her bra finally came off and all of her swollen, heavily pregnant body was exposed, but he only stared down at her in wonder. For a moment, his hands settled on her stomach and she saw that wonder take on new shape and dimension before he looked back up at her.
The baby had quieted after dinner and wasn’t moving, but she felt the connection. The protection he offered them both and his amazement at the new life that grew inside of her.
And then the moment shifted once again, the focus back to the two of them. Nova reveled in how he made her feel. Tentative strokes grew stronger as he asked what she liked and she responded with the truth in a mix of breathless moans and the laying of her hand over his to show him the exact spots that felt like heaven beneath his hands.