Chapter 18 Georgie
GEORGIE
“Here you go.”
I took the candy bar that Nash shoved at me. “I’m not really hungry.”
“Eat it. You need the energy.”
Wrinkling my nose, I unwrapped the Snickers bar and took a bite. We’d just finished our second session at the shooting range. He’d woken me this morning with a huge breakfast again, then told me we were heading to the range.
He was all in with taking care of me. I felt flutters in my belly.
He was feeding me constantly, checking if I needed pain meds, always gauging if I was tired.
Last night, as promised, he’d let me select the movie.
We’d watched the latest Mission Impossible adventure while we snuggled on his big, leather couch, my feet in his lap.
When I’d fallen asleep, he’d carried me to the bedroom, and given me a sweet, gentle goodnight kiss.
Yes, my tough, muscled former assassin could be very gentle.
He was sleeping in the guest room, but every fiber of my being wanted him in the same bed as me.
Guilt trickled in. Viv was dead and here I was thinking about sleeping with Nash.
I swallowed, my throat dry. Besides, I couldn’t let myself get too attached. He’d walked away from me once before. I knew how much it hurt to lose those you loved.
Love was too much of a risk.
The elevator doors opened and Nash pressed a hand to my lower back. When we stepped outside, he didn’t take the path toward his villa.
“I thought I’d show you a little of the casino grounds,” he said.
I was pretty sure that was code for getting me to have some exercise with a short walk. I munched on the rest of my candy bar and followed him down another path.
A huge, circular pool came into view.
It was too cold for swimming, but the pool looked immaculate. It was flanked by wooden pool loungers and dark-wood cabanas. They all had carved metal sides and breezy white curtains. I bet it was amazing in the warm weather.
“It is truly an honor for the Avernus to support such a worthy cause,” a smooth, masculine voice said.
We circled a large garden bed and ahead, I saw a man in a glossy suit standing at a microphone.
He was blindly handsome, with a square jaw, perfectly styled blond hair and very white teeth.
He looked like he should be an evening newsreader or doing commercials.
There was a group of people nearby, some clearly press who were holding cameras and taking notes.
Beside the man was an oversize check resting on a stand.
Nash pulled me into the shade under a tree where no one would spot us.
“The Avernus couldn’t think of a better charity to support than Veterans Village. Ensuring all our heroes have safe, affordable homes, and the resources they and their families need is vital. Thank you.”
Flashes blinked as the man shook hands with a woman and handed over the check.
“Mr. Tyler? Chance?” a reporter called out. “The Avernus has a history of helping veterans. What’s next for your casino in regards to your favorite cause?”
The man smiled. “I believe our Events team is planning a charity golf tournament and a spectacular gala ball. More details to come soon.”
“That went well.”
Bastian’s voice made me jolt. I saw him standing on the other side of Nash. I hadn’t heard or sensed him join us. He wore a suit that was tailored to his trim form. I realized that he was roughly the same height and weight as Nash, but the suits hid it well.
“Looks like it,” Nash agreed.
“That man owns the Avernus?” I really thought he belonged in a commercial, for toothpaste or expensive cars.
Nash chuckled. “Chance? No, he doesn’t, but everyone thinks he does.”
My brow creased.
Nash jerked a thumb at Bastian. “He owns the place.”
Bastian dusted off the shoulder of his jacket. “Considering my previous…employment, I had no desire to be the face of the casino. Chance does it for me and is well compensated.”
Now my eyebrows winged up. “So you can run the place from the shadows?”
He smiled at me. “I’m quite fond of the shadows.” He tilted his head. “Your face is looking better today.”
“Thanks.” He was being nice. The swelling had gone down, but my bruising was still impressive. At least my lip was almost healed.
“I’ll leave you to it,” Bastian said. “I have a meeting to get to. Let’s do dinner soon.” He winked at me. “Georgie, I look forward to getting to know you better.”
Nash scowled. “Don’t wink at her.”
That just made Bastian laugh. I watched him stride away. The way he moved was mesmerizing.
Nash took my hand and we ended up back on the path to his villa. “We need to check the orchids.”
“Can I water them again?”
“Yes.”
“So, you grow orchids, Landon became a doctor, and Bastian owns a casino.”
“Yes. He built the place.”
“It must have cost a fortune.”
“Bastian was CIA. On his last job, he…stumbled across something valuable his target was hiding. Anyway, he had his reasons for leaving the life, and decided to put the windfall to good use.”
“What, like stumbled on a vault filled with gold?” I joked.
“No. Several bags of uncut diamonds.”
My mouth dropped open.
“He built the Avernus with the sale of the diamonds. People fight to get a job here. He pays the highest wages and offers the best health insurance and benefits.”
And supported charities for veterans. “Why Avernus? Where does the name come from?”
Nash’s lips quirked. “It’s the name of a volcanic crater and lake in Italy. It’s said to be an entrance to the underworld in Roman mythology.”
“And he’s a former assassin, so the underworld fits.”
“The best restaurant in the casino is Elysium.”
I gasped. Elysium. I’d heard of the restaurant before. It had a top chef and a months’ long waiting list for a table. “Elysium is like heaven in Greek mythology, right?”
“It was a part of the Greek underworld reserved for the good and heroic, or those chosen by the gods.”
His greenhouse came into view and he tugged me closer.
“What about Cole and Alessio?” I asked. “What do they do?”
“You probably don’t want to know.”
“I can tell they weren’t military.”
“No, they were not.” He opened the greenhouse door, and we stepped into the lush confines. “A story for another day.”
I pulled in a deep breath of mixed scents—soil, fragrance, and fertilizer. Soon, I had a green watering can in hand, watering the orchids that needed it. Nash went to a workbench to work on some orchids he was propagating.
When I finished, I sat on a low, wooden bench nestled right in the center of the space. From here, you couldn’t even tell you were in a city, let alone Las Vegas. I felt a sense of peace drift through me. I wondered how many times Nash had sat here.
My gaze shifted to him, where he was bent over his workbench. I’d dreamed about him so many times, and here he was—big, strong, and oh-so-real. Taking care of me, helping me, keeping me safe.
I knew I couldn’t let myself get used to this, couldn’t depend on him too much. But fighting the pull of him was impossible.
Rising, I set the can down and walked toward him.
His head lifted. “You getting tired? We can head back to the villa.”
“I’m okay.” I saw the orchid on the bench and I gasped. “Nash, that’s incredible.”
The blooms were blue. Several lush flowers were on the stem, with a delicate yellow center. I’d never seen anything like it.
“Blue orchids are rare,” he said. “You can get some in the shops, but they’re regular orchids that have dye injected into them.”
I pulled a face.
“This one is an Australian orchid that is one of the few, naturally blue ones. The flowers bloom in the morning and close in the evening.”
“It’s gorgeous.”
He wiped his hands on a rag and reached up. As he tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear, I suppressed a shiver.
Being with him, it was making so much come back to life inside me.
“Not as gorgeous as you.”
His words speared through me and I met his gaze. “I need something.”
“Anything. Whatever you need.”
“I need you to kiss me.”
He groaned. “Georgie…”
“My lip is almost healed.”
“I couldn’t stand it if I hurt you.”
My hands clenched on his shirt, twisting in the fabric. “You’ll hurt me if you don’t kiss me. I need you to make me feel, show me this is real and not some dream that I’m going to wake up from and—”
His hand slid into my hair, tilting my face up.
My heart tripped, then raced. “Nash…”
His mouth closed over mine. He wasn’t rough, and I knew he was still being careful. I felt the sensation of his beard against my cheeks, his tongue tangled with mine, and I moaned at the taste of him.
With a low sound, he kissed me deeper and hauled me closer. I was plastered against him, my hands gripping his firm arms. I felt the length of his cock, trapped behind denim, pressing into my stomach.
Yes. This. The feel of him, the taste of him, made me forget everything. I slid my hand under his shirt, finding the smooth, warm skin of his back. My fingers brushed over a lump, which had to be a nasty scar, but I didn’t let that derail my exploration.
Then he broke the kiss and pressed his forehead to mine. We were both breathing heavily.
“That’s enough for now.” His voice was low, gritty.
I let out a sigh.
His fingers, and the calluses on them, brushed my jaw, making me look up.
“I thought the best kiss I’d ever had was under that tree in your parents’ yard. This one was even better.”
I swallowed. “You remembered that kiss?”
“Never forgot it. Thought about you a lot, when I was in some…not nice places.” He stroked my cheekbone, then stepped back. “It must be time for you—”
“If you say to eat, I’m going to scream. You just fed me a candy bar. I’m going to pop from all the food.”
He smiled and didn’t look very sorry. “I’ll make you a smoothie.”
I sighed. “That’s food, Nash.”
“You’ll like it, I promise.”