Page 31 of Built of Illusions

They kept the conversation light, talking about movies, music, and everything except the reason she was there in the first place.

When he turned on the TV, his movie choice had her laughing. “Back To The Future?”

“I figured it was one of your faves after your Marty McFly reference the other day. Besides, Michael J. Fox is good for the soul.”

He was right about that. By the end of the movie, she was more relaxed than she’d been in days.

For the second movie, Nico popped some popcorn and moved to sit beside her. She grinned as she picked up a handful. “You only have one bowl?”

He waggled his eyebrows and faked a yawn, stretching so his arm dropped over her shoulders. Then he tucked her into his side and kissed her hair. “It’s a ruse to let me snuggle in close to this woman I can’t stop thinking about.”

The intentional cheesiness of the line and the move had Josie laughing and snuggling right in. “Way to address the elephant in the room.”

Nico put his feet on the coffee table and settled the bowl on his lap. With one hand, he played with her hair and with the other, he picked up a piece of popcorn and held it up to her lips.

She opened up and he set the piece on her tongue. She sucked on his fingers before chewing and swallowing the puffed kernel.

Nico’s eyes darkened and his lips quirked. Then he cued up another movie and had her smiling.

“You don’t seem like a Princess Bride kind of guy.”

Nico covered his heart with his hand. “Inconceivable!”

Josie rested her head on his shoulder and settled in.

When the credits rolled, she’d learned a couple of things. Nico was a world class snuggler and he’d seen the movie enough times to say many of the best lines along with the actors. Josie couldn’t remember the last time she’d enjoyed an evening so much.

Nico clicked off the television and stood to collect the glasses and popcorn bowl. She’d known he was the type to clean up right away. Josie helped tidy the kitchen and then he turned to her. “You going to be able to sleep okay?”

“I think so. It’s been a long couple of days and I’ve only had a few hours here and there. I should crash.”

His eyes were soft and serious. “You’re safe here. You’re safe with me. The house is completely protected. If you have dreams or want to just sit and chat, all you have to do is let me know.”

Her heart softened a little more. She’d always liked Nico. Learning more about him, seeing him in his natural habitat only made her like him more. A lot more.

“Thank you. For everything.” She reached up to press a kiss to his cheek.

Instead of trying to turn it into a real kiss, he smiled and brushed his fingers along her jaw. “Good night, Josie. Sleep well.”

“You too.” Then she fled to her room. Once inside, she closed the door and leaned back against it. “The man is potent. What are you doing in this room?”

But she knew what she was doing. Taking her time. Making sure she was making the right choice. Even if the right choice wasn’t her favorite at the moment.

When she crossed the hall to the bathroom, she found the hallway lit by a soft night light. Nico’s door was open a crack, letting her know he’d been serious when he’d said to call him if she needed him.

God, she was falling hard and she was falling fast.

Chapter 11

Draw You In

Nico went from a fitful doze to fully awake with a blink of his eyes. The clock showed it was just after one in the morning. He checked the app, but the alarms hadn’t been disturbed and no one had tried to breach the system.

He listened for a long minute, but he didn’t hear Josie moving. Had she had a nightmare? Was she afraid?

Unable to keep his ass in bed where it belonged, he moved to the door and listened again. If she was asleep, he didn’t want to disturb her. Thanks to the nightlight he’d left in the hall, it was easy to see that her door and the bathroom door were open.

Panic wanted to bloom, but he’d checked the system. No one had entered. No one had left.

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