Page 10 of Hidden Shadows
He stepped forward, towering over her. “Nate and I can organize a safe house for you. Somewhere no one will be able to find you.”
“No. And it’s not your job to advise me on life decisions.” She tried to step away, but he grabbed her wrist, tugging her back. The touch singed her skin, burning her.
He lowered his head. “Part of my job as a bodyguardisto advise you. I will do my job and protect you, but I think you being here is a stupid decision.”
Oh, this man…one minute whispering sweet things into her ear about being safe with him, and the next telling her she was stupid. “You’re not the first person to call me stupid. You’re also not the first person I’m choosing not to listen to.”
CHAPTER5
Nixon knocked on the connecting door between his and Finley’s rooms. It had taken him too damn long to get to sleep last night, but then, that wasn’t a surprise. At this time of year, he barely slept at all.
The door opened, and every goddamn muscle in his body tightened. Fuck, she was beautiful. She wore a black beanie and jacket over a pale pink shirt. It was paired with leggings that were so tight they were like a second skin.
“Hey.” She gave him a small smile, swinging a bag over her shoulder. “Ready to go?”
No. Because this woman made all the put-together parts of him tug apart at the seams. And that made him almost dread spending time with her.
He cleared his throat. “Yeah. You?”
“Yep, got all my gear.”
The back of his teeth ground together. A part of him understood that this was her job and what she had to do, but the other part of him, the part that had seen the depth of ugly in this world, wanted to grab that goddamn gear and throw it away. She’d use it to post about her life for the world to see. It was her connection to this asshole who was stalking her.
She slipped past him into his room, and he got a blast of that now-familiar sweet scent.
Fuck, Nate owed him for this.
He followed her into the hall, then the elevator. “So, the fair’s closed today and you’ll just be meeting the organizers, right?”
“That’s right. I’ve been communicating with Beth, and she’s lovely. She’s going to show me around today, then I can take some footage for a video I’ll put together tonight.”
Another ground of his goddamn teeth. “No posting where you’re staying, though.”
She rolled her eyes like he’d just told her not to swim in the icy lake. “I’m not being paid by the resort. I’m being paid by the Winter Wonderland organizers, so that’s what I’ll post.”
When the elevator stopped and a middle-aged man stepped in, his gaze roamed over Finley’s chest, then her thighs. Nixon narrowed his eyes on the guy, and the second their gazes caught, the man’s eyes widened, and he looked away.
When the elevator stopped at the lobby, Nixon placed a hand on the small of Finley’s back and led her out to his rental car. The fair was only five minutes from the resort. Another thing he fucking hated. If the scumbag wanted to know where she was staying, this was the closest place. The only thing that made him feel slightly better was the fact that the resort was big, which meant even if he assumed she was here, it would be hell to figure out which room she was in.
He opened Finley’s door and waited for her to climb in.
She smiled at him. “Looks like chivalry isn’t dead. Thank you.”
When she brushed against his side, his gut tightened. Why did this woman’s touch affect him so much?
As he walked around the vehicle, he scanned the parking lot, searching for anyone’s lingering stare. There were none. Good.
Once they were driving, Finley sighed. “Don’t you love this time of year?”
The only reason he didn’t tense at her words was years of practice. He didn’t answer, but then, he didn’t need to because she didn’t seem to notice.
“And being here in Fallen Ridge almost feels magical, what with the snow and festivities,”
she continued. “And God, I’m excited for the eggnog.”
He frowned. “Eggnog?”
“Yeah. It’s a Christmas obsession of mine. Some like hot cocoa, some cider. I’m definitely an eggnog girl. When I’m not drinking it, I dream about the stuff.”
