Chapter 14 Georgie
GEORGIE
God, how had my lumpy motel bed turned so soft and comfy?
Hmm, I must be having a good dream.
I opened my eyes. Sunlight filled the room in the way only bright Las Vegas sunshine could.
I froze.
This was not my crappy motel room. I blinked rapidly.
The room was decorated in dark grays and blues. A sleek, wooden dresser was pressed against the wall. A framed photo of Las Vegas at night hung above it.
I turned my head and noted three things. One, there was a vase of gorgeous orchids on the bedside table. They were white and purple, and so beautiful.
Two, I was hurt. I felt a familiar tightness in my face and my ribs were aching again. I lifted my hand and gently probed the swelling around my eye. Yep, it wasn’t good, but I wasn’t in agony. I had vague recollections of someone urging me to take some pills. A deep voice cloaked in darkness.
Three, the sheets smelled like Nash.
Nash.
Oh God.
I shot into a sitting position, which jolted me and sent several shots of pain through me. I swallowed a moan and touched my ribs. Bruno hadn’t gone easy.
Hell. The entire 3 AM attack hit me in gory detail. I’d blundered in and almost gotten myself killed.
Nash had saved me.
I was in Nash’s bed. And it looked like I was wearing his T-shirt. I plucked at the soft cotton that looked like it had been washed many, many times.
The bedroom door opened and the man in question strode in.
Suddenly, my aches faded. He wore a pair of jeans that looked ancient and hugged his strong thighs. I suspected they hugged his ass, as well, but I couldn’t confirm from this angle.
I didn’t have time to contemplate that, because he wasn’t wearing a shirt. His chest was fully on display.
Oh. The jolt of desire I felt was at odds with getting beaten nearly to a pulp. Yet, all that tan skin, all those muscles…
The man had abs that made me itch to touch. I twisted my hands together in my lap. He had a light dusting of brown hair across his pecs. A man’s chest. Not some pretty, waxed and oiled calendar model.
“Hey.” He was carrying a wooden tray. “How are you feeling?”
“Um… Okay.”
He set the tray down beside the flowers on the bedside table.
Where had ex-military badass Nash gotten orchids?
“I made you some breakfast.” The bed depressed as he sat down.
He was so close to me. All that glorious chest was so close. I swallowed.
“How’s the pain level?” he asked.
Pain? Oh, right. “Okay.”
His gaze narrowed. “You telling me the truth?”
I nodded.
“Good. You can’t have more painkillers for a little bit. But now, you need to eat.”
“Nash.” I grabbed his wrist and his blue eyes met mine. Then his gaze wandered to my eye, and I saw his face harden. I winced. “It looks bad, doesn’t it? It’ll be even worse tomorrow.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Snyder and his guys are dead men.”
I shivered. “Thank you. For saving me.”
He cupped the uninjured side of my face. “I won’t let anyone ever hurt you again.”
My heart felt like it swelled to twice its size. I wanted to believe him, but life had shown me time and again that I was one of its favorite punching bags.
Nash handed me a glass of orange juice. “Drink.” Then he leaned over and shoved some pillows behind my back.
My nose was an inch from his pec. I felt a rush of heat between my legs. I sucked in air and breathed him in.
“Here we go.” He flicked out the legs of the tray and settled it over my lap.
I looked at all the food and blinked. There were pancakes—a tower of them—a bowl of sliced fruit, toast, scrambled eggs, and bacon.
“You made this?” I asked bemused, sipping the juice and setting the glass on the tray.
His lips twitched. “I want to say yes, but I ordered it from room service.”
“Room service?” I looked around again. “But this is your house.”
He nodded. “It is. I live in a villa at the Avernus Casino.”
“Oh, wow.”
“Living in a casino has some benefits. Now eat up.”
“Nash, there is no way I can eat all of this.”
“You’re too thin. You haven’t been taking care of yourself.”
“I’ve been a little busy.” I thought of Viv and sadness welled in my chest.
Nash leaned over and cut off a piece of pancake, then held the fork to my mouth. Obediently, I ate. The sweet taste of maple syrup exploded across my tongue.
“I had your car brought here. Do you have a hotel room somewhere?”
“Such as it is. At the Park Pines.”
He gave a quick nod. “I’ll send someone to check you out and grab your things.”
“What?” I shot him a confused look.
He lifted another forkful of pancake to my mouth. “You’re staying here. With me. You’re going to get better, and I’ll take care of you.”
I hurriedly swallowed my mouthful of food. My lips parted and I felt a burning prickle in my eyes. How long had it been since someone had taken care of me?
Not since Elliot had been alive.
“Nash—”
“No arguing, Georgie. Not today. Snyder is still a risk to you, and I need to keep you safe. And you need to rest, eat, and heal.”
There was no way I could fight him on this. I couldn’t even get out of bed.
So I ate until I was stuffed. He helped himself to some of the bacon that I couldn’t eat, grabbed the tray, and set it on the nightstand.
“I really can’t impose on you.”
His face got a mutinous look. “You’re not going anywhere.”
“Nash, I can’t—”
Suddenly, he whipped the sheet back, and before I could worry about everything being covered, he lifted me out of the bed.
“What are you doing?” I asked breathlessly.
“Showing you something you might like.”
You naked? God. Heat hit my cheeks. “I think you’re just trying to distract me so I can’t argue with you.”
He carried me through the living room and shot me a crooked smile. “No idea what you’re talking about.”
The living room definitely said ‘single man lives here’. There was a large, black leather couch, large TV, and a distinct lack of knickknacks or collectibles. I did note lots of books on the bookshelf against the far wall.
By the front door, he set me down, then nabbed a brown suede jacket off a hook. He wrapped it around me.
“It’s sunny today, but still cold. Don’t want you getting a chill.”
He opened the front door and scooped me up again. I squinted at the bright sunlight. He was right, the air was cool and swirled around my bare legs. He strode down a path, but didn’t go far. I saw our destination was a small greenhouse.
Oh. The glass walls were filled with green. He managed to hold me and open the door.
Inside was lush and humid, and I was assaulted by different scents. The rich scents of earth, of green things growing, and fertilizer.
“What is this place?”
“My greenhouse.”
“Yours?” I looked up at his rugged face. “You grew all of this?”
Suddenly, he looked uncomfortable. “Yeah. Seemed like a good hobby.”
I wriggled and he set me down. He held my elbows until I was sure I had my balance. Clutching the jacket with one hand so it didn’t slide off, I studied a yellow orchid beside me and reached out to touch it. “It’s incredible, Nash.”
He relaxed. “Ah…thanks. I was pretty surprised to find I was good at growing things.”
There were lots of different plants and flowers, at differing stages, but most of the flowers were orchids.
“I make some of my own hybrids.”
My attention flew to a gorgeous, pretty, white one. “Really?”
“People buy them from me.” He almost sounded surprised.
“Wow. I think this one is my favorite.” I pointed to a smaller orchid. It was white, with a pink center, tiny purple dots across it, and a frilly edge.
“Mine too.” His voice was thick. “It’s one of mine. One of the first ones I created.”
I glanced over my shoulder. “What’s it called?”
He paused for a second and I thought I saw a blush in his cheeks underneath the stubble.
“Georgiana. It’s called Georgiana.”
My heart stopped.
He’d created a flower and named it after me. Had he thought of me all these years?
He hadn’t forgotten me?
“Come on, you should sit down.” He led me to a bench nestled in the greenery. “I want you to rest.”
For just a little while, I wanted to hide from reality. To stay here in the lush greenery, just the two of us.
Where I had no dead parents, no dead brother and sister.
And there was no Dean Snyder.
I sank onto the bench and breathed deeply.
But I knew I couldn’t run away from reality. No matter how much I wished I could.
“Nash, about Snyder—”
Nash sat beside me and held up a hand. “Not today.”
“But—”
He shook his head. “Today, you let me take care of you and nothing else. Okay?”
I bit my lip, then nodded.
“Good. Now, I’m going to fill the watering can and I’ll let you water the flowers.”