Chapter 22
Lexie couldn’t move. She sent the message to her legs, but they flat out refused to obey. When it became clear she was frozen in place, Nico stalked toward her. His eyes glinted like coals, warming her already feverish skin. She did not protest as he crowded her space, ran sure hands down her bare back, cupped her bottom, and lifted her with ease into his arms. Lexie wrapped her legs around his waist, loving the feel of him against her. She glided her hands up his arms, over his strong biceps to his shoulders. His skin was warm and smooth beneath her fingertips. Her breasts swelled against the firm wall of his chest. Nico kept his gaze fixed on hers as he carried her to the kitchenette and placed her atop the counter. The cold granite shocked the skin of her thighs so much that she gasped. He stepped back. His eyes raked brazenly over her unclothed flesh. He was completely masculine. Totally lewd. Insanely sexy. The sheer eroticism of having him see her like this was so unlike anything she had ever experienced. Lexie felt herself burning up.
Nico exhaled, the ghost of a smile touching those perfect lips. “You’re going to ruin me.”
“What happened to you?” she whispered, seeing the cut on his cheek, the bumps, bruises and scratches covering the rest of him. His knuckles were especially damaged.
“Later,” he said, pulling his shirt over his head.
Her jaw dropped at the sight. All taut, tanned skin, he stood between her legs wearing nothing but a pair of faded jeans that hung low enough on his hips that the muscles of his pelvis displayed a crisp vee. A thin layer of black hair spanned the length of his chest, telescoping down a wall of solid abs toward his navel. He took her face in his hands.
“Right now, I just want to taste you. Every. Inch. Of. You.” He kissed her between each word, her mouth, her throat, her shoulder . . .
Lexie let her hands wander across the warm, broad expanse of his chest, skimming the hair-roughened skin with a whimper. She felt his heartbeat under her palm, felt the rise and fall of each heavy breath he took. Shifting her lips to his cheek, she hummed into the graze of his stubbled jaw. His firm grip on her hips tightened with every little nip of her teeth.
Nico sucked in air, muttering, “Christ,” as she licked a sensuous line to his mouth.
Lexie savored his reactions, marveled at the power she held over him. She let her hands travel lower, found his belt buckle, and unfastened it.
Déjà vu.
The last time she’d done this, it had been to save his life. Her hands shook then too.
Cradling the back of her neck, Nico kissed her with an unhurried passion that curled her toes. He was taking his time, building the tension with superb slowness. He slipped his tongue inside, exploring her mouth with thorough, practiced finesse. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back like he was as essential to her existence as oxygen.
Nico rocked into her. The rough fabric of his jeans grinding along her pussy was electrifying. Sweet, thrilling torture. Lexie’s heart pounded. Her bones liquefied. Every nerve ending in her body came to life under his big, roughened hands as they moved over her. She pined and moaned, needing him closer. Needing more. She plunged her fingers into his hair while her other hand began rubbing him through his pants. Nico groaned. It was the sexiest sound she’d ever heard. Desire coiled and throbbed, a terrible ache building.
She was touching the button on his jeans when the sharp shattering of glass exploded behind her.
Lexie yelped as Nico pulled her behind the protection of the bench and covered her with his body. In the moonlight, he’d seen the rock hurtling through the kitchen window a nanosecond before it hit, sending glass spraying across the room and landing on the floor with a thud. His muscles tensed. A cold sweat broke out on his skin as he waited for what might come next, but nothing did. Seconds passed. The cabin stayed silent. Hair-raisingly so.
He pulled Lexie into a crouch. She was white as a ghost, her bare body trembling uncontrollably.
“Stay quiet and don’t move,” he whispered, taking his cell phone from the pocket of his jeans. He pressed it into her hand. “Call for help.”
She nodded, terror in her eyes. Whoever put it there was going to be sorry.
Nico crept to the end of the counter. He risked a lightning glance around the corner. Nothing. One last look at Lexie, and he went for his gun. He kept fast and low, pulling the Glock from its holster. He checked the clip and racked the slide. Now armed, Nico felt centered. Capable. In control. He swept the small open plan room, careful not to reveal his position as he tried to see who was outside.
“Is it Kyle?” she asked.
“Don’t know yet. Where’s your gun?”
“My purse. The bathroom.”
Nico pushed her in that direction. “Go. Hide. Lock the door, and don’t come out until I tell you.”
“Nico, please be careful.” She squeezed his arm. “He’s dangerous.”
“Go. Now.”
Nico waited for the telling click, then shot toward the back door. The locks were solid, something he’d been happy about when he moved in. Now he winced at the noise of the deadbolt sliding, loud enough to announce his exit to anyone who might be listening.
Outside, rain still fell in a light sheen, a prequel to the oncoming storm. Save for the occasional boom of distant thunder, the night was quiet. No twigs snapped. No foliage rustled. Just the soft pitter-patter of water on leaves. Nico slithered into the shadows. The trees provided good cover as he made a wide circle to the front of the cabin, hoping to flank the bastard if he’d been stupid enough to stick around and watch the fallout. After two full laps, he knew whoever it was, was long gone.
An hour later, Lexie had finally stopped shaking. Frank—who happened to be the officer on call that night—had come back to search the surrounding streets, finding nothing. He promised to check around a third time to be sure once they’d finished nailing up a few boards against the shattered windowpane. West had showed up too, catching wind of their misadventure through whatever magic channel it was that ensured the chief of police knew about everything happening on the island in real time. Though he wore casual clothes, he’d donned his wide-brimmed police hat for the occasion, walking the stoned pathway with an air of pride and authority that Nico had come to expect. An air that rapidly changed to disapproval when he spotted Lexie—now fully clothed—retreating to the bedroom. He didn’t ask questions, just got to work helping Nico and Frank secure the cabin, both from the elements, and from further attack.
“This could have been kids, you know.” West spoke with a nail pinched between his lips as he hammered another into the frame. “Believe it or not, we do have our fair share of troubled youth around here.”
Lining up his own nail, Nico flicked an irritated glance his way. “You can’t be serious.”
West sighed. “I’m just saying, this might not be what you think.”
“And it might be exactly what I think.”
“Well, either way, we can’t jump to conclusions.”
“Your favorite line, right?” Nico banged in the last nail with more force than necessary.
West finished his side and put the hammer down. He hesitated, then stepped closer. “You got something you want to say to me?”
“I’ve said plenty,” Nico replied, testing the finished board for weaknesses. He dropped his own hammer onto the kitchen table. “You know where I stand.”
“Look, you’ve gotta let this go. I did my job. I questioned Kyle Garrett. I warned him off. She never came back to say either way what happened after that.”
“Your job was to make her feel safe,” Nico hissed. “Heard. Protected. You failed. And now he thinks he can get away with anything, including this shit.”
“This could have been anyone,” West argued, mimicking Nico’s angry gesture to the non-existent window, where Frank stood still as a statue and just as quiet. “Including retaliation from Logan Hayes and his cronies for that little stunt you two pulled tonight.”
Nico blinked.
Shit.
“Did you really think I wouldn’t find out about that? Or were you just too gutless to come to me yourself?”
Frank cleared his throat. “Uh, sir, we just thought—”
“Shut up, Frank. You—” West jabbed Nico in the chest. “Explain.”
“I made a judgment call on behalf of the investigation.”
“Behind my back?”
“We planned to fill you in as soon as—”
“No!” West bellowed. “You do not fill me in on plans and strategies. You do not let me know about executed searches after the fact!”
Nico lifted his hands in a helpless shrug. “Fine. Let’s say I pitched you the idea beforehand. What would you have said?”
“I would have told you to wait for a goddamn warrant.” West’s voice came out almost a growl.
“Like that would have mattered to them?”
“It would have made it legal.”
“Law enforcement has the right to conduct a search and seizure in the field without a warrant if there is probable cause,” Nico stated matter-of-factly.
West fumed. Silent. If you looked closely, you could see a tiny muscle twitching in the corner of his left eye.
“Sir, respectfully,” Nico said as gently as he could. “I don’t need your permission to pursue a lead, nor do I need it to assign staff to assist me.”
“It’s a professional courtesy.”
“Like the courtesy you showed me the day I arrived, when you basically told me I wasn’t welcome here?”
Frank’s head lifted at that.
After a notable silence, West said, “You gave me your word that there would be no more recklessness.” He swept his eyes up and down Nico’s battered body. “And look at you.”
“I gave you my word that what happened with Garrett wouldn’t happen again, and it hasn’t. This,” Nico said, pointing to his shiner, “was self-defense.”
West gave an unbelieving sneer, then began picking his way toward the door, dodging the broken glass Nico had yet to sweep up. “You call it whatever you want. It’ll be up to the judge to decide whether it was justified when you turn in your report.”
He walked out without another word.
“What about Garrett?” Nico called to his back.
West stopped, leveling Nico with a look over his shoulder. “I’ll deal with him.”
“What the fuck?” Nico muttered once West was out of earshot. “What is it with him and Kyle? Am I missing something?”
“They grew up together,” Frank said, coming to stand beside Nico as the chief’s taillights disappeared into the night. “That man spent more than half his childhood under the Garrett’s roof on account of his parent’s tendency to regularly beat the crap out of each other. They’re closer than most brothers, though he’d never admit it to you. I suppose he feels like he owes him.”
Nico sighed. “Fantastic.”
“There’s a lot of history between folks around here. Stick around long enough, you’ll catch up.” Frank looked around. “You all set here?”
“Yeah, we’ll be fine. Appreciate the help.”
“No problem. I’ll let you know if I find anything.”
Nico watched Frank drive away too, then closed and locked the door. When he turned around, Lexie was there. He couldn’t quite gauge the look on her face, but it seemed like she was about to say something difficult.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “This is my fault.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said.
Even to his own ears, his voice was tight. Between the fight with West, a murder investigation unraveling at the seams, his ever-failing new career path, and the dull ache in his balls from pent-up sexual frustration, he’d admit he was not in the best mood.
Saying no more, Nico grabbed a broom and began cleaning up the glass on the floor. When Lexie attempted to join him with a dustpan and brush in her hand, he shook his head. “I got it.”
“Nico, I can help—”
“I said I got it.”
“Fine.” For a moment, Lexie stared at him. She folded her arms. “I embarrassed Kyle in front of half the town tonight. I’m sure he’s furious with me.”
Nico paused briefly, then kept sweeping. He stayed quiet. Her tone set off warning bells all through his head. Wherever she was going with this, it was nowhere good.
“You know it’s not over, right?” she continued. “I stood up to him, told him we were through, but . . .”
“But what?”
Blowing out a long breath, she shrugged. “I just want to make sure you’re up for this. As unfair and ridiculous as it is, being with me means you have to fight for it. Fight for me. And I don’t know how long we’ll be dealing with his crap.” She stepped closer. “Is it worth it to you?”
“Jesus Christ, Lex.” Nico dropped the broom to the floor, his hands finding perch on his hips. “How many times do I have to tell you that I’m not going anywhere before you’ll believe it?”
“We barely know each other,” she argued. “Who knows how you’re going to feel in a month’s time? A year if that’s how long it takes to get all of this behind us?”
“You’re gonna stand there and question my loyalty now, after everything that’s happened? I broke his nose in front of witnesses and risked my job for you.”
“You did that because you were angry.”
“You’re damn right, I was. And I’d do worse if he ever laid another hand on you.”
“I just—” She choked up, tears brimming in her eyes. “I don’t want to make a mistake with you.”
“A mistake?”
“I mean, I don’t want to risk losing you—losing this—by trying to build something good when there’s so much bad trying to pollute it. Everything is already such a mess thanks to him.” She took a moment to gather herself, then cupped his face in her hands. They were soft and cold. “I want this. I want you. But if we’re going to make this work, shouldn’t we at least give ourselves the chance to start fresh, at the right time?”
“And when will that be?”
“I don’t know, just”—Lexie hung her head—“not now.”
Nico felt like she’d punched him in the gut. His whole body began to tremble with rage, with denial. He felt cheated. Wronged. Problem was, the person responsible was also the one he couldn’t stand the thought of hurting. Her baby blues shone with sorrow as he took the blow.
When he’d regained the ability to speak calmly, he grasped her forearms, slid them down so her hands were no longer touching him and looked her dead in the eye. “You know what I think? I think you’re lying to yourself. I think you’re just trying to push me away, not because you’re afraid that I won’t fight for you—you know I will—but because you’re afraid of what this fight might require of you.”
Lexie’s brows drew together. She blinked in rapid succession. “What?”
“Don’t you ever get tired of running?” he asked, knowing he was about to cross a line but couldn’t stop himself. “You’re so good at it now, you don’t even realize you’re doing it. Trying to feed me some bullshit about this being the best option for us—the best option for you, you mean. You cut me loose, you’re off the hook, right? Everything goes back to the fucked up that you call normal.”
Lexie snatched herself out of his grasp and looked at him as if she was seeing a whole different person. “You don’t know anything about me, what I’ve been through,” she said, her voice like ice.
“I know that you’re stronger than you give yourself credit for. I know that you’ve got friends who would do anything for you, people who would protect you, and yet you keep backing down from the one thing you need to do to gain your freedom. You just keep hiding, hoping that he’ll go away. He’s not going away, Lex. You know that. It’s time to face this thing.”
“You’re one to talk,” she scoffed.
“Excuse me?”
“Why are you even here? On this island?” she asked. “What is it that you’re hiding from, Nico?”
“Who says I’m hiding from anything?”
“Come on. Nobody packs up their entire lives to move here. You’re either born here, married to someone born here, or on vacation.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize there was such a strict criteria to call this place home.”
“Does it have something to do with Sara?” she pushed. “Your name is in her case file. You’re telling me that’s just some crazy coincidence?”
Nico broke eye contact. “That’s my business.”
“When I found you in that wreck, you said ‘she’s dead.’ You told me it was your fault.” Lexie searched his face. “You said you were sorry.”
Her words caught Nico off guard enough to render him temporarily mute. He’d lost the moral high ground. He knew it. So did she. Now, she was trying to save face by turning the whole thing around and make him out to be the bad guy. But he wasn’t the bad guy, and this wasn’t about him. Why should he have to rip open old wounds just to prove a point?
“Maybe you’re right,” he said bitterly. “Maybe we shouldn’t see each other anymore. I can’t catch a killer and deal with your personal drama at the same time. It’s the best thing for both of us.”
“You are such a hypocrite,” she spat. “You talk about trust, wanting me to be open and honest with you, but the minute I ask you something personal, you just shut down. How many skeletons are in your closet that I don’t know about, huh?”
“It doesn’t matter,” he all but shouted. “My skeletons aren’t throwing rocks through my goddamn window!”
“Are you saying that this was my fault?!”
“Your words, not mine.”
Lexie huffed. “You’re unbelievable. For the record,” she said, roughly retrieving her purse and stomping to the front door where she paused, hand on the knob. “I never asked you to protect me. I never asked you for anything.”
And then she was gone.
The lamp was the first thing to go flying across the room, shattering against the wall with a satisfying crash. It didn’t help. Nico threw the decorative bowl from the sideboard next, his keys still resting within, then a framed print of the sunlit shoreline that hung on the wall above it. None of it made a difference. He ran both hands through his hair as he counted backward from ten and told himself to stop acting like a child having a temper tantrum.
Could he have been any more stupid? Any more cruel?
She’s gone.
The things he’d said to her . . .
The things he couldn’t say to her . . .
Nico paced in circles, registering the stinging pain in his foot when he encountered a shard sharp enough to penetrate his skin, too lost in thought to care. She probably never wanted to see him again. And he didn’t have anyone to blame but himself.