Page 54 of Hidden Shadows
“No. It would have beenhis.”
Tears she couldn’t stop filled her eyes. Tears of anger. Of frustration. “I hate this! I hate that I can’t do my job without feeling unsafe. I should be able to live my life without being scared.”
“Finley—”
“Why is he doing this? Why won’t he leave me alone?”
His thumb grazed her cheek. “He’s sick. It has nothing to do with you and everything to do with him. But hewillbe stopped. I promise you—I will personally make sure of it.”
His words seeped deep inside her, slowing her racing heart. Calming her.
Gently, like she was made of glass, he leaned in close and held her. She breathed him in, letting his strength and power soothe her.
He was the only thing keeping her from going over the edge. He was her anchor. Her sanctuary. Her safe place.
CHAPTER18
Finley rolled onto her belly before reaching out a hand, expecting to find Nixon, but instead brushed her fingers over cold sheets. Frowning, she opened her eyes to see his empty hotel room. Her gaze shifted to the closed bathroom door. Water hitting tiles registered next.
She closed her eyes and lay back down, the events of the previous day washing over her for what had to be the hundredth time. After she was released from the hospital, Nixon had brought her back to the hotel and not left her side. He’d been attentive and caring. The complete opposite of how he’d acted just minutes before the incident.
They’d ordered room service and eaten it on the couch while watching some romantic comedy in pajamas. The movie had been her choice, of course, not his. Then she’d fallen asleep on his shoulder and woken during the night to find she was in his bed, in his arms.
He’d woken her every two hours after that, on the doctor’s instructions.
Turning her head, she spotted two pills and a glass of water beside the bed. Her pain medication. Anyone would have thought their fight yesterday morning hadn’t happened, considering how gentle and sweet he’d been.
Sitting up, she noticed her head didn’t actually feel too bad today. There was a dull pain at the back of her skull, but nothing like yesterday. Good.
The shower in the bathroom turned off, and her heart started to thump. It was crazy, but she still got nervous around the guy. Nervous when he looked at her. Touched her.
A minute passed and Nixon stepped out, a towel wrapped low around his waist. And yep, her belly did a dozen little flips. Because God, he was beautiful. Thick cords of muscle. A wide chest. And right now, he had small drops of water running over his skin.
His intense gaze beamed straight to her. “You’re awake. How are you feeling?”
“Okay, considering.”
When the towel dropped, her mouth went dry. As he tugged on briefs, jeans, and a shirt, she couldn’t take her eyes away from him. He was just so…powerful. In every way.
He looked at the pills on her bedside table. “You haven’t taken your pain medication.”
“It doesn’t hurt much today.”
His brows flickered and he crossed the space between them. He lifted the pills and touched them to her lips. “You shouldn’t push it. I don’t want you in any pain.”
She opened her mouth. The press of his fingertips against her lips was intoxicating. He slipped her the pills before lifting the glass to her mouth.
“I tried getting us a flight out today, but the earliest they had was tomorrow in the middle of the day,” he said quietly.
A Christmas Day flight. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Not only because of her stalker but because that was the end of this bubble she had with Nixon in Canada.
“Thank you for organizing that,” she said softly before nibbling her bottom lip, debating how to word what she wanted to ask. But hell, there was no easy way to do it, so she just needed to rip off the Band-Aid. “What are we going to do when we get back? About us?”
There was a small flexing of his muscles. She was sure he’d tried to hide it. “I don’t know.”
Her chest constricted. Because shewantedhim to know. She wanted him to be as sure about them as she was. If he asked her to, she’d move. She’d pick up her life and rebuild it wherever Nixon needed to be. But he hadn’t asked.
She swallowed, heart thumping far too hard and fast in her chest. “Are you wanting to continue this thing between us when we get back to the US?”
