Page 90 of Ten

“He’s upstairs having a bath.”

“Ah, well, I suppose it’s time for Stas to start the hard part of his on-the-job training.”

Ten had a smile on his face as he left Nikolai and Vivian’s grand manor for the last time as a bodyguard. He carefully placed the basket of produce on the passenger seat of Nisha’s orange jeep. He had taken her vehicle for the day while his was in the shop having the tires replaced.

She had started leaving the salon early on Fridays for self-care. He wholeheartedly supported that decision and was glad to see her more relaxed and enjoying life. Now that he was looking forward to regular hours, they would have more time together.

No longer tied by the constraints of his parole, Ten could finally start working through the list he’d been keeping of places he wanted to travel and things he wanted to experience. Nisha had been going through the list with him, helping him prioritize each activity. She was most excited to take him to Disney World, a place she enjoyed escaping to once a year.

Only Vivian, Nikolai, and Zoya knew that he intended to propose there. He had already booked the resort and arranged everything with Vivian’s help. Instead of flying out, he planned for them to drive and make that part of the trip as well, stopping at beach hotels along the way to enjoy some sun and sand.

I just hope she says yes.

He worried he might be rushing things. It was very quick. He had to admit that. Four months was nothing compared to some of the longer relationships other couples had before taking a step toward marriage.

But that wasn’t their way. He and Nisha had done the will-we-won't-we dance for nearly two years before that first kiss. They had both spent a decade of their lives in prison, him in an actual honest-to-goodness cage and her in a mental prison of Kiki’s making.

We’re free now.

We did our time.

We get to live.

Kostya and Gabe had worked overtime to clean the scene of Nisha’s rescue, making sure no one would know that they had been there. Nisha had been left to call 9-1-1 with a carefully crafted story that law enforcement accepted. They may not have believed it completely, but they accepted it.

He had been able to “prove” he had been in Houston while all of that went down with help from Kostya’s spiders. Those women had terrifying skills, and he found himself questioning whether those conspiracy theorists who swore that the whole world was nothing more than a matrix might be right.

He had seen videos of himself in places where he had never been—a Walmart, a Dairy Queen, traffic cams, and a toll booth on the Beltway. It was fucking scary knowing that Fox could manipulate reality so cleanly that she could fool everyone.

But her skills had kept him from getting spanked for parole violations. They had allowed him to finish his program and earn his release. So, yes, if she ever came to him asking for a favor? He’d move heaven and earth to make it happen.

When he reached Nisha’s house, he pulled into her garage and parked. As soon as he stepped inside the laundry-slash-mudroom, Wilford appeared, yowling and whining for a treat and pets. Ten bent down and gave the cat a scratch between his ears and a few strokes before leading Wilford into the kitchen. He took the lid off the treat jar, grabbed a handful, and placed them on the floor.

“Don’t tell your mother I gave you all these extra treats.” He eyed the cat with a warning look. “And don’t come investigating any interesting sounds you’re about to hear.”

Wilford was more interested in his crunchy fish-flavored treats than what Ten had to say. Certain the beast would sneak into Nisha’s bedroom to swipe at him, he made sure to shut the door firmly. The last thing he needed was another bite from those sharp teeth on his ankle while he was mid-thrust in Nisha.

“Nisha?” Ten made sure to be loud enough that she would hear him over the shower. “I’m home.”

The bathroom door opened, and she stood there naked with one of those natural sponges she preferred in her hand. “I was just about to get in. You want to join me?”

“Like you have to ask.” He already had his hand on his belt buckle, and he didn’t miss the hungry way she stared at his hands. “How was your Pilates class?”

“Good.” Her gaze lingered on his arms as he drew his shirt up and over his head, baring his chest for her.

“And Eric?” She had been planning to meet the detective for lunch.

“He’s great,” she said, tearing her gaze away from his body. “He looks so healthy and strong. He’s been cleared, and he’s back out on the streets doing what he loves most.”

“Good. Houston needs him.” Ten actually meant that. Decent cops like Eric were rare, and the city needed as man of them as they could get.

“Savannah comes back to the salon on Monday.” Nisha’s eyes brightened. “I’m so glad. We’ve missed her so much.”

“I know you have.” He sat on the bed and removed his boots and socks. When he stood again, he asked, “Did you and Tiara have a nice breakfast?”

“We did.” She walked across the bedroom and placed her hands over his, drawing down his jeans and underwear. “I think she’s finally starting to forgive herself. It’s not as if she meant for it to go the way it did.”

Stupid girl, he thought rudely. She had been fooled by Chad into feeding him information about Nisha. When she’d realized he wasn’t the man he presented himself as, it was too late. She was embroiled in his scheme and couldn’t get out.

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