14. Liar #2
“Not at all,” I said, beaming at him. “This whole world is so fascinating, and Nix hasn’t described in detail the complexities of his work, so naturally I’m interested, but I don’t mean to pry. Why don’t you two talk outside while I pick the color of my phone case?”
Nix and Tom exchanged glances and then Tom crossed his arms and looked more immovable than before. “Nix says you need a bodyguard? I can do that. You won’t even notice I’m here.”
I glanced at Nix then back at Tom who was a brick wall. One always noticed those in the middle of a phone store. “I don’t need a bodyguard. My psycho stalker has no idea where I am.”
His brows rose then lowered as he settled deeper into his guard pose. He wasn’t moving unless I moved. I definitely shouldn’t have mentioned my psycho stalker if I wanted any kind of independence, because he took his job seriously. Apparently.
“Really, you don’t need to worry,” I said looking at Nix and Tom, waving my hands like that would help.
“I’m just going to get a phone and go back to the hotel and talk to my aunt.
Then I’ll do some preliminary sketching for my next project.
” I glanced at Nix and saw him like he’d been last night, looking up at me with that burning beauty.
“Project?” he asked with a raised brow.
“I’m an artist. I can’t just not do art. It’s one of my jobs, only I’m not paid for any of mine.”
He smiled slightly, showing a dimple in his cheek. Gah, so cute! “All right. When I get home with dinner?—”
“You’re not going to the dinner with the crew?” Tom asked then cleared his throat at the look of irritation Nix gave him. “Sorry. I guess you could take Sunshine with you.”
“You may call her Mrs. Death-Hammer. I suppose I didn’t make that clear. My apologies, Tom. Please accept them.” Nix squeezed Tom’s shoulder in what should have been a friendly way, but Tom just kind of sank down, trying to look unnoticeable. He was definitely failing.
“Oh, a dinner with the crew? I could meet everyone? Trix, the metal worker, she’d be there?
” I asked trying to dispel the awkwardness but feeling weird.
Was Nix really Tom’s boss, or just the head of the crew?
Tom called him boss, and once Nix suggested he be my bodyguard, he was on it.
Also, people were starting to stare at us, actually mostly at Nix, and some people pulled out phones and started taking stealth videos of him.
He really was gorgeous, but it seemed extra invasive of his privacy. Maybe it was a Las Vegas thing.
Nix turned to study me before he slowly nodded. “Yes, I suppose you’d better meet the crew, sooner rather than later. I suppose dinner would be…” He frowned and glanced at Tom. “You’ll get her phone set up, get me the contact information, and see that she’s comfortable?”
Tom just nodded.
“Kitten,” Nix said, drawing me to the side, glancing around and finally noticing the people taking video of him and frowning slightly.
“Tonight’s dinner is going to be a mess.
It’ll be mostly dealing with paperwork unless Pinkie’s stayed on top of it, but she’s been busy with her latest album’s release, all the video and stuff with Dirk.
I don’t know if we have a secretary who can pick up where she left off, and then there’s Jezebel.
She’s…” He took a deep breath and exhaled.
“She’s a Texan who doesn’t relate to people as well as animals.
That’s putting it nicely. She’ll make you feel uncomfortable, because that’s what she does with everyone unless she’s particularly fixed on having good manners, which she won’t have because everything’s kind of up in the air with the beginning of the season.
Trixie will just want to talk about vehicles.
She does jewelry making sometimes, mostly started because she had all these odd auto parts and needed money, so it all kind of evolved.
” He tugged me into his arms and gazed down into my eyes like he wanted to memorize how I looked.
“I wanted a few more days alone with you, but I don’t suppose it can be helped.
We’ll always have our days in the cabin to look back on fondly. ”
I gripped his shirt and gazed up at him, feeling lost in his eyes, his strength, the scent of him. “The season? So it’s not always so crazy?”
“That’s right.”
“I didn’t know there were seasons in home health care.”
“Yeah, I don’t do that all the time, just when things are slow in other areas.”
“And the self-defense training? When do you do that?”
“It’s ongoing. I actually usually have that at my place. Just a small group of?—”
I cut him off with a kiss, as hard as I could kiss him without hurting myself, which wasn’t very, and what I got in return was the sweetest thing, like we weren’t in public and like Nix couldn’t resist me if he tried.
When I pulled away, feeling self-conscious and also really crazily happy and depressed at the same time, I beamed brightly.
“Cool. You’ll have to show me the schedule so I don’t hang my underwear in the living room to dry on your group days.
You’d better go rescue the mayor, and I guess I’ll order in for dinner.
You don’t have to babysit me, and neither does the brick wall. ”
He smiled easily. “Tom’s not doing anything else today. He’d feel better if he was watching out for you after he ruined our time together.” That’s what I got for bringing out Nix’s overprotective streak so he’d marry me. He was going to protect me. No sense fighting the inevitable.
“Well, I’d hate for Tom to be bored.” I kissed his cheek and then grabbed the nearest phone. “Go on, now. I’ll see you tonight.”
He nodded, but he didn’t let go of me for another long moment while he studied me, drinking me in like he wanted to make it last a long time. It’s like he thought I might drop dead at any time and this was our last sure thing.
“I’ll come home as soon as possible.” He gave me one last kiss and then walked out, sliding through the ogling tourists like he didn’t see them.
Once he was on the street, he vanished while I watched, my heart going with him.
How was this possibly going to work? No idea, but I was going to try to enjoy it however long it lasted.