Page 71 of All Wrong
“I don’t like it though,” Nicki said, unknowingly echoing his thoughts. “She hasn’t responded to anyof Lacie’s texts today. Lacie says that’s not unusual—especially these last few weeks—but she’s not responding to Brian’s either, and thatisunusual.”
Nick exhaled, as if bored, and straightened. “I’m about ready to head out. Want me to do a drive-by?”
“Yeah. Do you mind?”
He shrugged, but inside, he couldn’t get out of there fast enough. “No problem.”
After a brief conversation with Shane and Ian, he had both the Katarskys’ address and that of the Airbnb where Corinne was staying. Nick slipped away, mounted his bike, and took the road into town at speeds above the legal limit.
A simple drive by the Katarskys’ place told him Corinne wasn’t there. The party had all but petered out, with only a few randoms still hanging around.
He set course for the rental property next. It was a small place, a Cape Cod–style bungalow with flower boxes out front and a detached garage in the back. Parking his bike in the driveway, he knocked on the front door first. No answer. He worked his way around to the back of the house and checked the garage. Empty.
He fired off a text to Nicki, then shoved his phone back in his pocket, moved his bike out of street view, sat down, and waited.
It had been dark for about an hour when Corinne’s SUV pulled into the driveway. Relief washed over him.
Sitting in the shadows as he was, she didn’t see him until she was at her back door. But he saw her, looking wholesome and beautiful and sun-kissed in her simple shorts and tank top, all the more enticing because he knew with excruciating detail what lay underneath. He leaned forward. His fingers flexed, wanting to touch. His cock hardened, wanting to …
“Jesus, Nick!” Corinne said, jumping back with her key pointing in his direction like a weapon. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Looking for you.”
Corinne glared at him for a moment, then exhaled, murmuring something that sounded a lot like, “Damn it, Lacie.”
He didn’t correct her assumption that her sister had sent him to check on her. Nor did he tell her that even if Nicki hadn’t asked, he would have found his way here anyway. “She’s not the only one worried about you.”
“So, they sentyou?” She gave a derisive yet feminine snort as she pulled open the screen door, then shoved her key into the inner door lock and twisted. “Awkward.”
He stood. “Yeah, well, maybe you should’ve answered her texts.”
She gave the door a hefty shove with her shoulder, and it opened with a creak. “Sorry you made the trip for nothing. As you can see, I’m fine.”
He should go. He’d accomplished his task. Obviously, she was okay. And yet there he was, close as a shadow, stepping over the threshold and following her into her kitchen.
“I didn’t say you could come in,” she said, glaring at him over her shoulder.
“I didn’t ask.”
She huffed, went over to the fridge, and took out a bottle of water. Twisting off the cap, she drank half of it down. She didn’t offer him one. “What do you want, Nick?”
Trick question.He looked around, taking in the space. Soft white walls. White cabinets. Light oak flooring. Simple and cozy, slightly dated. Exactly as he’d expect a small-town rental to look.
Then, he pictured Corinne on the counter, him between her legs, her thighs wrapped around his hips, drawing him deeper, teeth sinking into his bottom lip.
“Nothing.”Everything.
“Great. Don’t let the door hit you on the ass on your way out.”
His scalp tingled with ghostly echoes, as if it remembered the feel of her tugging on his hair in the throes of passion. “Am I the reason you didn’t show up at Maggie’s today?”
Her blue eyes glowed with fire. “News flash: Not everything is about you. Not seeing you was an added bonus.”
Inside, he winced. Instead of turning away, he took a step closer. “What happened between us shouldn’t have happened.”
“Yeah, no argument there.”
Another step. “It can’t happen again.”
