Page 21 of Wine & Whiskey
Shae purses her lips together and pats Marta on the hand. “It means she’s very intrigued with what I’m doing.”
Nick hides his grin at Marta’s naiveté. Shae’s kindness toward Marta matches Jason’s assessment of his friend. She looks after the people she cares about.
They finish their conversation while the guys gobble down their sandwiches. Marta stacks up the cookbooks in a tall pile. Putting her hand on her chest, she tilts her head, studying Shae. “You good girl. You come back and cook with me.”
Her eyes sparkling, Shae pulls Marta into a small hug. “Thank you. I would love that.”
Fucking shit. He can’t help but shake his head and smile to himself. Marta’s getting more than he is. He’s got to find a way to reach Shae too.
They walk outside to the waiting limousine with his driver standing next to it. “Shae, this is Jacks. He’s part of my security team.”
She smiles at the man, thanking him as he opens the door for her. As they drive, Nick lifts her hand to his mouth and kisses it. She glows with happiness, the calmest she’s been since they arrived at the house.
“You made Marta’s day.”
“Well, she made mine too. My mom and I used to cook together all the time, and I miss it.”
He kisses her hand again and entwines their fingers, her ivory skin and short pink fingernails so delicate against his. “When can I see you again?”
She drops her eyes as she smiles, making his heart pound at her shyness. “You know I’m always at the gym at seven.”
He must find a way for her to understand how much more he wants with her. That working out together will never be enough. “Will you come over tomorrow night and let me make you dinner? Sunday is Marta’s day off, so I’m on my own. I’m not much of a cook, but I do have one good recipe I could make.”
Jacks pulls into the gym parking lot, and she reaches for the door handle as if she’s going to hop out before the car even comes to a stop. “Can I think about it and let you know in the morning?”
Nick rubs the back of her hand, trying to soothe the uncertainty clouding her face. “You’re like a little bird. Whenever I get too close, you get scared and fly away. Please don’t be frightened of me.”
Jacks opens the door and she climbs out, hesitating before turning back to meet his gaze. “Okay, I’ll let you make me dinner.”
She strides to her vehicle, not giving him the chance to say anything more.
* * *
Carrie standsin the living room doorway staring at Shae, her green eyes sparkling above a wicked smile. “Is he naked?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Well, with that dreamy look on your face, I figured you must be fantasizing about Nick.” She cocks her head and raises her eyebrows. “So, is he naked?”
Almost everything her best friend says and does relates to sex somehow. And, with Nick, it’s way too easy to let her mind drift there too. Heat creeps up her cheeks at the thought of him wearing nothing but his running shorts. “Stop it.”
“I know he’s hot from his picture, but in person, is he really as fuckable as he seems?”
“Carrie!” She admonishes her friend, but can’t hold back a smile. “Yes.”
“Shae Armstrong! I can’t believe it. You reallyarethinking dirty thoughts about him! What has this guy done to you?”
Made her the happiest and most terrified she’s ever been, destroying all of her normally logical thinking and letting her heart make decisions she doesn’t understand but can’t seem to change. “Nothing! I wasn’t fantasizing. I was worrying. I’ve been chewed out and stood up all in the same day, so I’ve had a lot to think about.”
Carrie pushes the white blanket covering Shae’s lap out of the way before plopping down next to her on the sofa. “By who?”
“Gail called and said she was doing damage control from my bodyguards pulling a gun on some aggressive fans.”
“Oh, shit.”
“I know. There isn’t any video because the place didn’t have its security system set up yet. It’s only a picture the girl took of us sitting at a table and the kids’ version of what happened.”
Max’s bribe was not enough to keep the teenagers from selling the story to a gossip site for more money than they probably ever imagined. No doubt the talk of their friends, basking in the sudden stardom of a drama they misinterpret. She smiles at the fun they must be having, grateful only her reputation is hurt, not their lives.
