Page 16 of The Sinner's Touch

“Nik’s downtown apartment.” He nodded toward the entrance. “We have to check in at the front desk and collect the keys.”

The doorman greeted them, and Kade nodded abruptly, pushing Angel through the doors ahead of him. The front desk was occupied by a young woman in a brisk business suit. Security took up the position beside her, the man’s eyes on the monitors.

“May I help you, sir?” She smiled politely at them.

“I’m Kade Kincaid. My brother, Nikoli, said he called ahead to let you know we’d be staying here for a while?”

“Ah, yes, Mr. Kincaid.” Her smile brightened, and her eyes took on a hooded look. It was one he’d seen more times than he liked to count. “We’ll just need you to fill out some forms, register your vehicle, and let our security officer here take a photo for our files.”

“Photo?”

“Yes, sir. It’s an extra layer of security. Our goal is to keep our residents as safe as we can.”

He wasn’t sure how taking their photo kept them safer, but he wouldn’t argue if it meant getting the keys then raiding Nik’s medicine cabinet for some ibuprofen. His headache had morphed from unpleasant to jackhammer sharp over the last hour.

It took them about twenty minutes to fill out the paperwork and get the SUV registered. The front desk lady took his keys, informing him they’d park the car for him tonight. He could come down in the morning and someone would show him where Nikoli’s parking spots were. He wasn’t too pleased about them keeping his keys, but when they handed over the set of apartment keys, it almost made up for it.

“One more thing. If anyone calls asking if I’m here, or Miss Lemoraux, the answer is no. It’s a police matter.” He flashed his badge.

Kate, as her name badge read, nodded, unfazed. “Of course, sir. We do not give out information about our residents or their guests.”

Once he was satisfied, he picked up Angel’s bag, and they walked in silence to the elevator. He slid in the key for the elevator and turned it before hitting the penthouse apartment button. Nikoli hadn’t been kidding when he said the place was secure. No one could get up to the penthouse floor without a key. That didn’t mean his unsub wasn’t capable of lifting a key from the staff.

He watched her from the corner of his eye. She hadn’t said a word since they left her apartment. Her silence unnerved him. Angel was a chatterbox. She could fill the most awkward of silences with nonsense small talk. It was one of the things he loved about her. To see her so quiet didn’t sit well.

The elevator door dinged, and she all but ran out. He cocked his head. Was he misinterpreting her mood? Maybe she was running for the same reasons he’d tamped down all night.

Or she really did hate him.

Either way, she was stuck with him. He found her leaning against the wall, eyes closed. He stopped and studied her profile. Old feelings fought to surge up. Feelings he’d never dealt with. Feelings he didn’t deserve to have. Not after everything he’d done.

But his instincts refused to listen to him. He wanted to kiss her, to hold her, to promise her nothing bad was going to happen. But he knew that was a lie. Bad things happened all the time.

Kade unlocked the door, startling her. She gasped when he brushed up against her. Stifling a grin, he opened the door and flicked the lights on as he entered. A massive room spread out before him. A large kitchen took up the back side, and the living area had been decorated in warm colors. Lily’s touch, he’d guarantee it. Nik preferred darker colors. The place still looked sparse, utilitarian. Then again, they were moving to New York after graduation. Why invest in making it homier when they were only going to sell it anyway?

“Your brother lives here?”

The awe in Angel’s whispered comment made him laugh. “No, the kid stays on campus most of the time. He comes here to get away from all that for a little while.”

“I don’t understand.”

His eyes flickered to her, and she looked lost. He’d bet money she had no idea Nikoli owned his own gaming company and made millions every year.

“He makes good money.”

“He’s a student.” She turned, taking it all in. “This is…”

“Too big, too sparse?” He set the bag down and went to the fridge. He found three bottles of water.

“Expensive.” She walked over to the bank of windows and looked out over the Boston skyline. He could see it from here, lit up with Christmas lights. Gorgeous. But not nearly as gorgeous as the woman admiring the view.

“There are two bedrooms upstairs.” Kade took several long drinks of water to distract himself from the image her backside presented. “The master has its own bathroom, so if you’d rather take that one, it’s fine. Whatever you didn’t bring, I’m sure Lily has something you can use.”

When she said nothing, he set the bottle on the counter and joined her at the window. “You’re safe here, Angel.”

“Am I?” she whispered.

All the things he wanted to say to her stuck in his throat. He couldn’t get them out. All he could manage was to breathe in the sweet scent of her. She smelled like apples. She used to smell like raspberries, but he found this new fragrance just as intoxicating. He leaned in, inhaling deeply as he met her eyes in the glass reflection. They were large, luminous, and vulnerable.

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