Page 29 of Built of Illusions

He nodded and chuckled. The sound was far huskier than it should be. “Don’t apologize. I like you touching my things.”

Her eyes widened but she kept her fingers to herself, making him regret his words.

“I appreciate you letting me stay here. I’ll be braver tomorrow, but I didn’t sleep enough last night to fill up my courage quotient for the day.”

Nico didn’t bother to resist the urge. He took the couple of steps and wrapped his arms around Josie and pulled her in for a hug. “You’re plenty brave, Josie.”

She relaxed into his body and her arms wrapped around his waist. Slowly, the tension eased from her shoulders and eventually she sighed into his chest. Still, he didn’t move and simply held her, giving his own nerves a chance to settle. Her curves felt like they fit perfectly against him.

When she started to pull away, he kissed her hair and eased back. “Thai, Mexican, or something else?”

“Whatever you like.”

He didn’t hide his eye roll this time. “I eat anything. What’s your favorite?”

Another small smile. “Today? How about Mexican?”

Most people’s favorites didn’t change by the day, but he loved that hers did. “There’s never a bad time for tacos.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

He gestured at the room. “Go ahead and get settled. I’ll have delivery in a bit. Then we can just chill and watch a movie if you want.”

Her smile widened. “Sounds good.”

In the living room, he paced a bit before placing an online order for tacos and more. He had a good idea what she liked from their time in Vermont.

Nico went through the routine of checking his locks and pulling his curtains. The security system and cameras were online but he would do everything in his power to have Josie feel safe.

His own blood pressure was more settled now, but it wasn’t near normal. Where was this prick?

Knowing Josie was safe, Nico was able to let the new information sift through his mind. They’d have to find out if the victims had been recipients of the same kinds of trinkets. Had he bought a specific number of each item? Did he have his path and victims picked out before he’d started? Or did he have a large supply of each item?

Or was Josie special?

If she was the only one receiving every piece of the tourist crap, the whole situation changed. Then she became the victim’s specific target. His end game. It would be far better for Nico’s mindset if they discovered that all of the other women had received all the trinkets, not just the ones the killer had set out in the crime scenes.

Unfortunately, the items were innocuous and the women had likely tossed them. If they found even one copy, Nico would feel a lot better.

The air changed for the better and Nico closed the curtains over the window he’d been staring through. When he turned, he saw Josie had changed into a t-shirt that would have fit Sam, and a pair of leggings. If she was trying to look as unsexy as possible, she’d missed the mark by a mile.

“Neither of us probably needs coffee. Would you like wine, beer, or water? Don’t know if I have anything else.”

“Any of the above.”

Laughing, Nico gestured her to the couch and then moved to the kitchen. He grabbed a couple of glasses and a bottle of Pinot Noir from the rack. When he returned, she was looking at his shelves. He set the wine and glasses on the table before joining her. “I figure the Pinot goes well with veggie tacos. That work?”

She nodded while she picked a photo off his shelf. It was him, Sam, and Joe after one particularly muddy football game.

“Great photo. Was it a competition to see who could be the biggest mess?”

“Pretty much. For once, it had rained for days and the field was a mud pit. Tackling anyone was a major frustration. Catching the ball was even worse.”

“And you had a blast.”

It wasn’t a question, but he nodded. “Best game ever.”

“Did you win?”

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