Page 45 of Unchained

“Nash,” Lexi hissed. “You’ll both go to jail.”

“Given that he’s had a drug in his system that affects his behavior and reactions, it might be hard to convict him.”

Lexi scoffed.

Nash reached into his pocket and twisted a key off a key chain. “I’ve got a place on the other side of town. It’s my safe house. You two are welcome to stay there until you accomplish what you need to. We’ll arrange to have groceries delivered. I’ll come by tomorrow after you rest, and we’ll devise a plan.”

Gratitude filled him. He closed his hand around the cool metal and met Nash’s eyes. All this time, he’d thought that his family was gone.

Nash had just proved to be more than that. He was a friend, too.

CHAPTER 15

Cam peeled off her cardigan as she followed Brooks inside Nash’s safe house. Citrus hung in the air, suggesting the floors had been freshly cleaned. The polished walnut floors confirmed her suspicions.

“This is nice,” Brooks said, striding down the hall to the combination kitchen and living room. The space was easily half the size of Nash and Lexi’s house, but cozier.

Fatigue pulled Cam into one of the chairs at the island, and she studied the smooth countertops. They’d spent hours at Nash and Lexi’s, the conversation finally becoming light after Brooks and Lexi finished their heart-to-heart. Cam ached to ask Brooks what had been said, but given the tension she’d felt in the living room when she and Nash had walked in, she figured it was probably best she let him tell her on his own time. She’d enjoyed getting to know Lexi and Nash. It’d been a long time since she’d been able to let her guard down around people. Even before Isaac had stolen the drugs, she’d been too caught up in his drama and making sure he didn’t make her mom’s life difficult to spend much time with friends or dating.

But Nash had the air of a man with secrets. Ones she wanted nothing to do with. His vow to help Brooks kill Conrad made her tremble. Lexi had been unsurprised by his declaration—what kind of family had she stumbled into?

It was evident they didn’t care she was wanted by the police. Which was a pretty good indicator that they had some skeletons in their closet.

A safe house. What the heck did that mean? Questions burned her tongue, but it wasn’t as if Brooks would know the answers. Even if all his memories came back, the fact remained that he’d only met Nash today. And anyway, as uneasy as that conversation had made her feel, Nash and Lexi had welcomed her with open arms and given Brooks a great deal of peace and contentment by helping him remember more about his past.

“You okay?” he asked, a wry grin pulling at his lips. “You look a little anxious.”

She tilted her head. “I should be asking if you’re okay.”

He lifted a shoulder and crossed his arms in front of his chest, leaning back against the counter. With the island in the middle, there was just too much space between them. At some point over the last few days, she’d gotten used to having him near. More than that, she craved the attention of his hands, and right now she wouldn’t get it with him way the heck over there.

“I’m fine.” The steadiness of his voice confirmed his statement. “It was a little weird seeing Lexi, though.” His gaze dropped to his feet as he dragged his toe over the hardwood floor. “I recognized her, but I had a hard time putting her face to some of the memories.”

She nodded. “That makes sense. It was a draining day, I’m sure.”

He sighed and glanced at the clock. “What do you want to do? It’s still early.”

“Nine is hardly early,” she said, chortling.

“Let’s find the bedrooms then.” He pushed away from the counter and she got up to follow him.

Bedrooms. Plural. Now they’d have no reason to share a bed. Except for the blistering fact that she wanted him next to her. Holding her. Inside her.

Crap.

The wide expanse of his shoulders and his tapered waist made her belly constrict. She ascended the stairs in his wake and pinched the bridge of her nose as she clung to the rail. She bumped into something hard—Brooks’s abdomen—and started. Firm hands gripped her shoulders, preventing her from teetering backward down the stairs.

Brooks stood on the stair above hers, which brought her nose to his midsection. Titling her head back, she took in the straight slash of his brow line.

“You okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine.”

“Really? Because you were holding your nose like you were going to pass out.”

A deep tingle started in her loins and swept up her body at warp speed. Her cheeks buzzed. “I was thinking.”

His grasp on her shoulders loosened, and one hand dropped to catch her elbow. He assisted her up the rest of the stairs as if she were a ninety-year-old woman, making her confidence take a beating. They turned down the hallway, and Brooks flicked on the light of what had to be the master bedroom.

---