Page 15 of Dirty Rumors

Nikki shakes her head, allowing her soft brown waves to swirl around her shoulders. “I’m glad you’re not angry. I’m sure you know me well enough to know that I wouldn’t be gathering anyone’s secrets.”

“Well, people don’t usually talk about their secrets in the coffee shop anyway. So yeah, I think I get it. General public conversations.”

“Exactly.” She shoots me a sideways glance. “Although I did overhear what somebody is giving her husband for his birthday, and holy crap, is he going to be surprised.”

Damn, I love the sound of this girl’s laugh. By the time we get to the library, I really don’t want her to leave. I park, then jump around to help her out of the truck. My hands feel perfect around her waist, and I find myself standing in front of her, wondering what level of kissing is acceptable for this hour of the day.

There’s a question in her eyes. “What is it, kitten? You can ask me anything. I hope you know that by now.”

“Not so much a question as a comment.”

“Okay. Shoot.”

Her hand moves slowly up my chest to rest on my shoulder. “I kind of wish I stayed over last night. But…”

I hate that she hesitates, looking unsure. “Please tell me.”

“I don’t want to lead you on,” she finally whispers. “Or let you think that things are happening that might not be happening because…” Her head shakes. “Honestly, I’m just too inexperienced to know what I want, and I’m terrified I’m going to screw everything up.”

My arms pull her into a bear hug. “One step at a time, gorgeous. I’m sure you can tell that I have huge feelings for you. But if we aren’t on the same page, that just means we have to keep reading the book till we catch up to each other, right?”

Her head tips back as she laughs, squeezing me just as tightly. “That’s a great way to put it. Thank you.”

Dipping my head, I give her a gentle, sweet kiss that becomes heated within seconds. I reluctantly force myself to pull away. “Let’s be good secret agents and get our butts to work on our respective missions. You compile the information, and I’ll fix the getaway vehicles. Okay?”

“Sure.” She looks up at me as her palm strokes my cheek. “Thank you, Carson.”

“Anytime, kitten.” I kiss her forehead, then give her a tap on her perky round behind as she heads to the library.

It hits me that I don’t know when we’ll hang out again. Whether for a date-date, or just grabbing coffee. I’d never pressure her, but Nikki clearly understands that I’ll keep gently pursuing her until she tells me not to.

I’m already head over heels for my incredible girl, and I don’t think I can hide it anymore.

9

NIKKI

Idecide to spend a little time in the library doing research before moving out to the bench in front of it to take notes of conversation fragments. For a while, I allow myself to sink into the quiet, mellow vibe of being surrounded by so many books.

It occurs to me that Carson was completely chill this morning. Sure, there was that intense, fiery spark between us. But he didn’t make a move. There we were, in an empty house, after what we just did last night, and he didn’t…make any assumptions.

Meanwhile, a lot of the problems that happened with my mother, my sister and my friends were all because their men hadn’t respected their boundaries, or their jobs.

I mean, I don’t know exactly what Carson thinks of my work. But it’s only a summer gig. What’s important is that he respectedmeand didn’t take advantage of the opportunity.

Plus, he jumped right into help at a moment’s notice, even though he knew it would make him late for his own job. I guess that just feels…wholesome. Like he understands responsibilities.

I finish some of the conversation compilation datasets I’ve been working on, then glance outside to see the wind becoming so gusty that there aren’t many people lingering out on the street. I might as well stay inside and work for a bit longer. I sip my coffee, then pull up the research on the family histories I’ve been putting together.

There are several families who have been here for at least a couple of generations, but by all accounts, the Wolfe and Dirty families were here first. I sink into the data, zoning out as I sift through old documents and property ownership maps.

Apparently, this section of the mountain wasn’t developed until the main road was blasted through a chunk of the mountain around 1860. Then Carson’s great-grandfather Aiden Dirty and his friend Adler Wolfe moved here and bought up some land. A lot of land. Like…damn.

It’s interesting that they both purchased quite a bit but left certain areas very deliberately. The center of the slight valley is the most logical place for the town center, and they left that entire area up for grabs, except for the land for anything municipal like the town hall, which they paid for and built. Several other families moved in shortly after. The names Cooper, Brody, Robards and Armstrong all come up several times. It makes sense that a family group would move together.

My fingers drum on the table as I look outside to see that the wind is still blowing hard. Then my gaze flicks back to the laptop, as I stare at the map of town and the surrounding area.

Oh, interesting.

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