Page 68 of The Meaning Of You

I didn’t press. “So, what do you think about Lachlan?”

Nick sighed and shook his head. “Fucked if I know. I’m still caught between relief that Davis wasn’t cheating on me and furious with him for keeping all this stuff a secret. What the fuck was he doing messing around with these characters? The investigators never once hinted that the crash was anything other than an accident. And Samuel is one of their own, forfuck’s sake. He followed the whole thing close enough to piss them off. If something had been awry, he’d have heard about it.” He dropped his head to the table with a tired groan. “Bloody hell. What a mess.”

I slid my glasses from my nose to the table and rubbed my tired eyes. “Whether it’s true or not, I think Lachlan was right when he said we need to be careful. You should stay here for a bit.”

Nick’s head shot up. “Here?”

I snorted. “No need to make it sound like a death sentence.”

“I didn’t mean . . . that . . . it’s just . . . my cat . . . and stuff.”

It wasn’t, and we both knew it. “Then tell Samuel to pick her up on his way tomorrow. I have no problem hosting a feline guest as long as she doesn’t claw the furniture or piss on my books. Same goes for human guests, as it happens, you included.”

He snorted. “She doesn’t. Can’t say the same about me though.”

I stood and squeezed his shoulder. “You call Samuel and I’ll clean up. And tell him to bring her food, and a bed if she has one.”

“She sleeps with me.” Nick started typing a text while I pondered that surprising fact. The prickly man slept with a cat in his bed while professing to not really be a cat guy. Go figure. A few seconds later the phone dinged and Nick read the reply.

“Samuel says fine, but I’ve apparently got some explaining to do.” He looked up. “Shocker, right?”

I snorted. “Then we’ve done all we can for now. How about you take yourself into the lounge and make some notes on what we’ve learned while I finish in the kitchen? After that I’ll show you to the guest bedroom.”

“I can help.” He made as if to join me.

“No,” I rushed to answer, raising a hand. “It’ll only take longer if I have to tell you where to put everything.”

He smirked. “And you don’t want me messing up your cupboards, right?”

I rolled my eyes. “AndI don’t want you messing up my cupboards.”

“Fine.” His chair scraped back and he got to his feet, tucking the laptop under his arm. “This is me getting out of your hair.”

“A wise decision.” I was halfway to the kitchen when I spun back around. “Oh, and what’s the deal with Mads? The only people who ever called me Mads were my first boyfriend, which is no recommendation in case you’re wondering, and my high school art teacher who shortened every noun in the known universe with a shocking disregard for syntax and grammar.”

Nick’s mouth turned up in a slow sexy smile that definitely did not make my knees wobble. “And then there’s me.”

“No, not you,” I argued a little too weakly for my liking.

Nick’s head tilted to the side. “But Madigan is such a mouthful, don’t you think?”

And good god, he never even blinked. I, on the other hand, blinked enough for the both of us and suddenly couldn’t find my words. “I, um... that’s not the... Jesus, Nick.”

The smile slid off his face and he unexpectedly apologised. “Sorry. That just slipped out.” Then he snorted. “Oops. Did it again.”

I bugged eyes at him.

He grinned and circled a finger at me. “Equally juvenile, just so you know.”

“Has anyone mentioned how exasperating you can be?”

Another grin. “What do you think? But okay, if you prefer Madigan, then Madigan it is.”

A perfect bloody answer, of course. Because I did prefer Madigan. Idid.Unequivocally, I did. So, why then did I findthe idea ofNickcalling me Mads ridiculously appealing? Like it meant something. Like we were back in the studio talking in circles around an idea neither of us was ready for, let alone able to voice. Something fragile and still finding its legs. Something little more than a whispered thought.

“Mads will be fine.” The words burst from my tongue like a shotgun round and about as subtle.

Nick arched a brow, looking surprised. “It is?”

---