Page 14 of Hidden Shadows
“Yes.” The reply was so quiet that she wasn’t sure if it had actually touched air or if she’d just mouthed the word.
He stared at her, an odd expression in his eyes. Almost involuntarily, her gaze shifted to his mouth. When she looked up again, his eyes were darker.
For a split second, she thought he might close the distance between them and kiss her. It made her lips tingle and her belly do a funny little flip.
Suddenly, he was on his feet and just like that, the spell broke.
He reached down, wrapped his fingers around her wrist, and tugged her up. His hand was warm and sent sparks of awareness down her arm.
With one hand on the back of hers, he set her phone in her palm. “Don’t post shit while you’re in the location.” His words were short and clipped. “Let’s go.”
Then he turned and walked away, while she was left wondering what the hell had just happened.
CHAPTER6
Nixon counted out his push-ups, forcing his body to move while ignoring the tremble of his arms and the groan of his muscles.
He’d been working out so long that sweat beaded on his bare chest. But he needed to keep moving. He needed to chase the feeling of Finley’s body under his out of his damn mind. The soft curves of her hips. The way her eyes had darkened before shifting to his mouth.
Fuck. He’d only met the woman yesterday—she shouldn’t have such a goddamn effect on him.
He didn’t date women under his protection. Even if it wasn’t a company policy, it would behisrule. What kind of an asshole hit on women they looked after?
More than that, though, he didn’t date. Never had.
He counted three more push-ups before rolling to his back and starting on sit-ups.
Every so often, he heard Finley in the room beside his. Moving around. Typing on a computer.
Notes were scattered across his bed. Printouts he’d made of every comment the asshole had posted on her socials. At the start, the comments had been innocent enough. Compliments about her looks. Her smile. Her voice. But they’d escalated quickly, shifting to comments about looking forward to meeting her. Touching her. About Finley belonging to him.
Nixon bit back a curse.
Memories of another asshole popped into his mind. Of his sister’s ex. The wayhismessages became more frequent. More vile. Telling her that she was his. That they belonged together.
He’d only been a teenager then. He hadn’t understood what those messages could escalate into. None of his family had.
He flipped onto his stomach and started on one-handed push-ups, welcoming the ache to his limbs.
There were too many parallels between his sister’s stalker and this case, and it was messing with his head.
When he heard Finley’s voice in the room next door, he paused to determine if she had a visitor. Then he heard her say Andi’s name, and he continued.
She was talking on the phone. Good. He’d told the woman not to answer the door unless he was there, but at this point, he wasn’t sure what the hell she would listen to and what she wouldn’t. She was fighting him on every goddamn thing, and he didn’t like it. He was used to the people he protected listening to him.Wantinghis help.
When his phone rang, he rose to his feet, seeing it was his boss, Jacob.
He pressed the phone to his ear. “Hey.”
“Hey, Nix. Everything going okay over there?”
He could have laughed. Depended on what the man meant byokay. “It’s fine. The asshole hasn’t shown his face yet, and there have been no messages. But she’s posting her first video tonight. She might have already done it. So we’ll see.”
“Good to hear it’s all been quiet.” There was a small pause. “You doing okay?”
A muscle in his jaw clenched. Jacob was more a friend than a boss, and he knew exactly what Nixon had been through and where his hatred of Christmas stemmed from. “Not really, but I’m managing. And I’m making sure my client’s safe.”
That was his priority. That was what he was focusing on.
