Page 33 of Impossible Thrills

“I knew you were after Julie,” Jagger taunted.

“I would never come between Shawn and Julie,” Hays said quickly, then his face reddened.

“Shawn and Julie?” Nick had never been more confused. It was obvious to the entire world that Shawn Holister was the bodyguard and live-in boyfriend of Mercedes Belle. What inside scoop did these two have?

Hays’s eyes flickered to the camera and his jaw tightened. He focused on Nick. “Waiting for Darcy?”

“Yes, sir.”

“We’ll meet you at dinner.”

The men walked past him, but Jagger stopped and lowered his voice. “We’ll act like we’re all hot tubbing together to watch the sunset, but Hays and I won’t show up.” He winked and strode past.

“Thanks, man,” Nick said.

They both tilted their chins up to him. Nick wished they were all fighting on the same team. Great guys.

Their footsteps retreated, and Darcy’s door clicked open a few seconds later.

Nick stepped forward but faltered. Darcy was wearing the white dress with the red and blue lace trim they’d bought for her on Cozumel. Her tanned skin and dark hair were a beautiful contrast to the white material, and the dress fit her trim shape perfectly. The locket he’d seen her wear was hanging down the front of the dress.

She smiled, a little shyly, and twisted the skirt between her fingers. “It’s pretty, isn’t it?”

“Pretty?” He let out a heavy breath. “It’s miles past pretty, Darcy. You are miles past pretty. You’re exquisitely beautiful, breathtaking truly.”

Her smile grew.

He wanted to have her to himself, kiss her, hold her, and talk for hours. Instead of moving in like he longed to, he offered his elbow. She stepped out into the hallway, slid her hand through to cup his bicep, and leaned against his side. Even that much connection threw him into a tailspin.

He had to force himself to consider if it was possible that Darcy had known before she came on the show that Aiden had the green light from Interpol to investigate and hopefully demolish her ex-husband’s business. Maybe as soon as she’d heard who Nick was, she had started working an angle. What if she was playing him?

She smiled sweetly up at him. She smelled like fresh rainfall and spring flowers, and her sapphire eyes were lit up despite his rejection under the waterfall. No way could Darcy be deceiving him, or still be ‘in bed with Johnny’ like he’d heard in some rumor mills.

That phrasing made his gut sour and his face distort in a scowl.

Blinking, she stopped at the bottom of the stairs and asked, “Are you all right?”

“Yes, sorry. I had an awful mental image.”

“Of what?”

He looked her over. What to say? “Can I tell you later?” He couldn’t tell her what he’d imagined, but he could come up with something. Maybe if the other two really did ditch them in the hot tub, they could talk with the bubbles going and the cameras wouldn’t pick it up. If they got really close together, they could. But that might be playing with fire. The only other option for a conversation he didn’t want recorded was going into one of their bedrooms. That could be even more dangerous.

Her brow wrinkled. “Sure.”

He lowered his voice and leaned in. “I don’t want the cameras recording everything I say.”

“Oh.” She nodded. “That makes sense.”

They proceeded up the stairs.

Nick knew he’d confused her earlier by not going for a kiss behind the waterfall. There were so many things he wanted to ask her, but he had to be very careful. If he blew the op with Johnny Trattori because he fell for Darcy, spilled all his secrets, and she ratted him out … that would not only reflect badly on him and Aiden, but it would also mean drugs spilling into the streets and schools that could’ve been prevented.

His own mother had died of a drug overdose. He loathed drug dealers but especially ones like Trattori who could hide their filth and pretend to be an upstanding citizen.

This was more important than him and Darcy.

But as she gazed up at him with that sweet smile, he found himself wondering how he could let anything be more important than her.

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