Page 18 of Hidden Shadows
“We did.”
“Only took us…” She looked down at her phone. “Holy crap, it took us an hour and a half.”
He glanced at his own watch. Damn, she was right. Where had that time gone? And why did he suddenly wish they could linger? “Good work.”
If possible, her smile got wider. Then she threw her arms around him for the second time in two days. Just like yesterday, the affection surprised the shit out of him. He wasn’t a hugger. Hell, he’d barely hugged another person in his entire adult life.
Today, he was a bit quicker at pulling himself out of his shock and wrapping his arms around her. Because hewantedto hug her. To hold her.
God, she was soft. Her skin. Her breath. Everything about her was his complete opposite, and he was drawn to all of it.
“Finley Dunkley?”
Nixon’s gaze shifted to the man beside them.
Fuck, he’d been so consumed by her and the feel of her against him, he hadn’t heard or seen the guy drawing close. As they separated, Nixon angled his body in front of Finley.
She smiled at the guy. “Yes?”
“I’m Rad, Beth’s cousin and the other event coordinator here.”
Rad? What the fuck kind of name was Rad? And since when were there two event coordinators? In the notes he’d been given on the fair, only Beth’s name was listed.
“Ah, yes. Beth told me about you. You take all the jobs she doesn’t want, right?”
He laughed, and the sound grated on Nixon’s skin. “Unfortunately. I’m usually the emergency guy when something’s not going right.”
Finley nodded. “A very important job.” She looked up at Nixon. “This is my assistant, Nixon.”
His teeth ground together at the fucking title. The guy dipped his head, a fraction of his smile slipping. The action was small, but Nixon saw it.
“Hi.” The guy turned back to Finley. “I was hoping we could meet up and talk about the event.”
“Sure. I’m free now.”
“Actually, I have about a dozen fires to put out. I was thinking I could come by Copper Ski Resort this evening, and we could talk about it over a drink in the bar.”
Fuck off.What, was this asshole trying to get into her pants? He looked at her like she was a fucking prize to be won.
“Oh, um… To talk about the event?”
Rad nodded. “Yes. I have some great content ideas I’d love you to film.”
She nibbled her bottom lip.
Say no, Finley. Hell, tell him to fuck right off.
She didn’t. She smiled and nodded. “Okay. Should we say eight in the resort bar?”
* * *
“You’re not wearing that.”
The smile slipped from Finley’s lips. God, she’d only just opened the connecting doors between their rooms, and he was already being a pain in her ass. “I am. I love this outfit.”
She’d matched her tight black jeans with red heels and a spaghetti strap red top. Not to mention the jacket.
His jaw clenched, and when he spoke it was through gritted teeth. “The man will already be all over you. Don’t you have a big, baggy top or something?”
