Page 22 of Rush

By the time Nora was done, Sophie looked like a little mummy, eyes closed, lying comfortably on the chaise. With her late night of travel the day before, Nora wouldn’t be surprised if she fell asleep even with the short nap she’d had in the car on the ride back to the hotel.

After getting comfortable on her own chaise and slathering on a fresh coat of sunscreen, Nora took another glance at Sophie to see she was sleeping before pulling a book from her bag, opening it to where it was marked.

She was just getting to an exciting part when a masculine voice spoke from nearby, capturing her attention. “Is this lounge taken?”

She pried her eyes away from the page to see a twenty-something blond with a nice tan, pointing to the chaise beside hers.

He gave her a twisted smile. “Sorry to interrupt, you looked very engrossed but there’s not many to choose from.”

Nora smiled back. “We had the same problem. Feel free to use it.”

“Thanks. I wasn’t sure if you were saving it. For your husband, maybe?” He raised both eyebrows to indicate he was hinting for an answer.

A bit baffled, Nora faltered, “Oh, I’m not married.”

The guy peeled off his shirt revealing a nice set of abs and got comfortable on the chaise. “I just assumed from Sleeping Beauty over there.”

Ah, now she understood. Smiling, Nora explained, “I’m her nanny.”

“Well, Miss Nanny, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Rick.” Pulling off his sunglasses, he leaned over extending his hand which—she couldn’thelpbut notice—was attached to a well-defined muscled arm.

“Nora,” she said, taking his hand with a firm shake.” He had nice eyes—a striking blue with long, dark lashes.

“What are you reading?” he asked once settled again with his shades firmly back in place.

She flashed him the cover. “It’s a thriller. I’m just getting to the part when we find out how the wife killed her husband.”

“Well, now I’m doubly sorry for interrupting you.”

Nora laughed. “That’s the good thing about books, no matter how many times you need to put them down, you never miss anything.”

“True. Although there is a pause button on the TV remote.”

Nora shook her head and laughed. “That’s hardly the same thing.”

“You have a nice laugh.”

She felt her cheeks heat. “Thank you.”

“Maybe when you get off duty I can take you out for coffee or a drink?”

While the guy was cute and seemed nice, she just wasn’t interested. “Um…” All thoughts of how to politely turn him down flew from her head when she spied a very unhappy looking Linc bearing down on them.

Mistaking her hesitancy and unaware of the storm approaching at his back, Rick went on to say, “I promise I’m not in the habit of picking up women at hotel pools. It’s just that I find you very—”

Nora never got to find out what she wasverybecause Linc arrived at that moment, cutting Rick off mid-sentence. “Is there a problem here?”

“Problem?” Rick’s brows rose in shocked surprise, most likely from Linc’s aggressively harsh tone. “No. No problem.” His eyes moved from Link to Nora and then back again, confusion clearly written on his face.

“Good.” Linc turned to look at Nora, eyes narrowing and jaw locking. “Get your stuff. We’re leaving.”

Never having seen Linc in such a state, Nora threw Rick an apologetic smile before hastily throwing her clothes on over her suit and grabbing her bag. By the time she was done, Linc already had the still sleeping Sophie in his arms. Nora wasn’t sure what was going on, but she knew something was very wrong.

“I thought you said you weren’t married,” she heard Rick say as they headed for the gated exit, but neither of them acknowledged him or stopped.

It wasn’t until they were tucked away alone in the elevator amid uncomfortable silence that Nora dared ask, “Is everything okay?”

“Yes.” His terse reply, rigid jaw, and pissed off expression told a different story.

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