The single, small bathroom set off from both the living room and bedroom looked snug—or rather, claustrophobic—and included an all-in-one shower and tub combo with a fixed showerhead covered in limescale buildup. The toilet, thankfully, was clean, but it had one of those cushioned seats with little tears in it that reminded me of the nursing home my grandmother had died in.
I ran a hand through my shoulder-length hair and thanked God I’d recently splurged to have it styled at a salon. There was no way I would’ve been able to do it properly in this place. It was going to be a long week.
“Home sweet home,” Nathan mumbled, breaking the silence that had fallen between us.
“I guess so,” I said, looking at the twin-sized bed just beyond the shoddy divider. “You go on and take the bed. I’m good with the couch.”
“Oh, that’s not fair,” Nathan answered, inspecting the floral comforter. “The couch is in better condition!”
I smiled and shrugged, tossing my duffel bag onto the cushions to claim it. “One of the perks of being the girl in charge, I guess. Anyway, it puts me nearest the door in case anything goes wrong, and I can use the window to make sure no more of Wallace’s men come tromping up the stairs without our knowledge.”
“Fair point,” he begrudgingly agreed, setting his own high-end luggage case on the mattress. It groaned in protest. “Well, Candy, given the state of things here, I’d say it’s either takeout or starve.”
“In here, it’s detective,” I said, opening my bag and fishing out my fake ID and credit cards. “Or Sandra, if you’re feeling lucky.”
“Let’s go with that last one,” he said. “If we’re going to be spending this much time together in such a small space, I think ‘detective’ and ‘Mr. Hale’ are going to wear thin pretty fast. Besides, I’d like to think we can get along on a first name basis, seeing as I already know every curve on your body.”
“Don’t push your luck. You know damn well that little fling ended years ago and I’m not about to go jumping back into bed with you.”
“We’ve been a new couple for less than two hours! You’re telling me you aren’t committed to this relationship?”
I looked at him over my shoulder. There was something about the way he said it, something about his inflection or the soft purr of his voice that made him almost sound hurt.
“Look, Sandra, I get it. I’m not your favorite person. I never meant to hurt you. I took you for granted… And I’m sorry.”
“There was a time when I wanted to hear you say those words, Nathan, but I’m not that girl anymore. I’m here for one reason and one reason only,” I replied, turning away from him.
“I’ll stop making light of the situation. This must be uncomfortable for you, but it’s terrifying for me. I’ve barely slept in weeks. You’re the only one I can trust right now. I just thought since we’d be living here together for a few days, we might clear the air.”
His words made me equal parts uneasy and flattered. I’d never seen Nathaniel Hale as anything less than in control. In his little world, things happened the way he wanted them to happen. I’d fallen into that circle of influence once, and it had taken me years to break free. Now, he had no control. I was responsible for his safety, and there were no nets strung out beneath this trapeze act. His eyes were drilling into my own, but the look on his face was grateful, rather than self-satisfied... It almost made him seem… Human…
I lingered in the heat of Nathan’s stare just a little longer. Some secret part of me was reveling in his attention. All those times we had been together, I was so desperate for this man to look at me like this… Like someone he respected, instead of someone he fucked. Breaking away from his gaze, I flipped my hair and stood up straight, reaching out to hand him the credit card with Candy Love printed on it.
“What do you like—Chinese?”
“Seems like the easiest choice,” he said, taking the card from my hand.
Our fingers met for one single, glorious instant, and I felt the ripples of his touch race all the way up my arm and into my chest, heat blooming near my heart. I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly dry and my stomach suddenly filled with a thousand anxious butterflies.
What the hell is wrong with me? He’s an asshole, remember? The man who took what he wanted and used you like some kind of call girl?
Maybe it was because he was starting to change. Maybe it was because he was demonstrating concern for others and a willingness to sacrifice his comfort for the good of the city. Maybe it was because I’d never truly expected him to accept any responsibility for anything…
It wasn’t fair. He wasn’t supposed to change my mind, especially not this quickly. Was he manipulating me? Was all of this just a ruse because he needed protection?
I pulled my hand away and tried to temper my expectations as he pulled the burner phone out of his pocket and began rifling through the kitchen drawers in search of a menu. A few moments later I was on the couch with the TV on, trying to lose myself in some trashy ‘reality’ show while he placed his order with whatever restaurant he’d managed to dig up.
He covered the phone with one hand and called to me from the kitchen-cum-bedroom. “What about you? Maybe some orange chicken?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “How’d you know I like orange chicken?”
He grinned and shrugged. “Who doesn’t like orange chicken?” he said, the moved his hand away and began speaking to the restaurant again.
“You know, we could go out,” he added a moment later, presumably while he was on hold. “I’m pretty sure the Paddies aren’t going to be hanging around some two-bit Chinese place after what happened today. We should be safe as houses. And it’d be a lot nicer than hanging around in here all day.”
“I’m not up for it,” I answered, which was the sad truth. After what had happened this afternoon, I wasn’t in the mood to put myself in a room full of completely unpredictable people. “Besides, we’re safer here with the other officers around. Laying low right now is not the worst idea in the world, you know.”
He shrugged. “It’s no fun, either.”
I rolled my eyes. “We can worry about fun after you’ve testified.”
Nathan smirked as he got back on the line. “Then it’s a date.”
I was going to object, but he was already speaking to the restaurant again. That hadn’t been what I’d meant, but the longer I let it settle, the less I wanted to correct him. Sure, we had fucked, but that’s all we’d ever done. A date was never on the table…
/> I curled up against the armrest of the couch and hide my smile behind my hand. One date when this was all over? That couldn’t hurt, could it?
Chapter 4
“Wake up sleeping beauty. Dinner is served.”
I opened my eyes. The TV screen was flickering in front of me and a soft, warm glow was coming from elsewhere in the darkened room. I could smell the Chinese food we’d ordered, the aromatic mix of soy and spices. It must have arrived when I was sleeping.
But I never heard the driver…
As if sensing my confusion, Nathan sat on the coffee table in front of me and smiled. “You were sleeping so soundly that I didn’t want to wake you. I met him outside and brought the food in myself.”
Then he extended his hand to me. “Come on, before it gets cold.”
Groggily, I reached out and put my hand in his. When his fingers closed around mine, I felt my flesh sizzle. My nerves burned for him, and I realized that I never wanted him to let me go. That’s how it always was with Nathan. It didn’t matter how much I loathed him, or how little respect he showed me… He awakened a desperate need inside me the first time I met him, and that fire had never truly went out.
I curbed those desires, instead letting him help me up and sitting down at the little table he’d prepared for us. “Look, you can’t be taking any chances here. You don’t go out that door without me,” I said firmly.
Nathan just let out a little sigh. He’d managed to find a few plates in the cabinets, and he used them to arrange our meals in a way that looked a hell of a lot more appetizing than it would stuffed in those pagoda-style boxes. My orange chicken popped against the lush green broccoli beside it and the sauce-stained rice resting underneath. He’d even poured me a glass of green tea, probably the kind you could get from the vending machine down the hall.
But the best part was the candles. With the rest of the lights dimmed, they made the room look cozy and quaint. I felt much more at home than I had when we’d first walked in together.