Page 66 of Faith

He pulled back before she was ready. She opened her eyes and found him shaking his head at her. When he spoke, his voice wasn’t that steady.

“You are one dangerous woman, Nicola McCann.”

Then he was walking away from her. She couldn’t go right back to the table. The guys would know something was up. Instead, she went into the bathroom and splashed some water on her face. After grabbing a few paper towels, she dried off her face and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Maybe it was her imagination, but she looked different. Happy. Had she not been happy before? She had but there had been some element missing in her life. Dammit, she didn’t need this, didn’t need the heartbreak that was definitely going to follow. They weren’t made for each other.

Although, when they were together in his bedroom, it felt perfect.

She shook her head.Get your head out of your ass, Nicola, she thought to herself. This was not forever. It was for right now.

She straightened her shoulders and headed back out into the restaurant. When she sat down, both men looked at her as if she had grown a horn in her forehead.

“What?”

“We have something to talk to you about, and we don’t want you to say no right away,” Ben said.

Oh, God, they were going to ask her to work for them. Damn Jensen for being right. She would never admit it to him.

“Guys, I love you, you know that. But working for you is just not a good thing.”

Jeff threw his head back and laughed so loud it drew attention. Ben smiled at her.

“Jeffy, cut it out.”

“Oh, I struck a nerve,” Jeff said. “That’s not what we want to talk about. Our PA has to work on the show, in front of the camera, and while you make a pretty picture, you have no patience these days. No. We have something much more serious to ask you. And, like Ben said, don’t answer us right now.”

She looked from one man to the other. “Okay, lay it on me.”

* * *

When Jensen left the restaurant,he ordered John to just drive to H-3. He didn’t realize it at the time, but he was headed to Serenity’s home. Going home would leave him at loose ends and that was never a good thing for an addict. Nicola didn’t keep any liquor in the house when they were on the island. She would buy wine specifically for a meal if they were hosting, but she knew it was important for him not to be tempted.

Still, he wasn’t in the mood to be there without her. He was relieved when they pulled into the parking area where Serenity and her men lived. There were two houses on the property. Serenity had lived in one until she moved in with her men. The smaller house was now just for her studio for her photography business. He slipped out of the car and started toward the bigger of the two houses.

“Hey, Jensen,” Serenity called out from the porch of her studio. “Guys aren’t home today. They had a job on Maui.”

“Oh.”

“Nicola isn’t here either.”

“I know.”

She said nothing as she sipped from a coffee mug. “Come on in. I’m just playing with some pics I took. I’ll make you real coffee.”

He nodded and followed her into her house.

“What do you mean real coffee?”

She frowned. “The guys won’t let me have caffeine. Someone has been doing research and found out that it’s really bad for the fetus.”

“Ah,” he said wandering over to her computer. Then he saw the pics she was working on. It was from his house, by the pool.

Nicola.

She was wearing that stupidly big straw hat she loved. A pair of glasses hid her eyes, but the smile was genuine. In fact, she looked to be laughing. He loved that sound, the way it always seemed to dance through the air and make the atmosphere so much better.

“She’s an easy subject,” Serenity said.

He didn’t take his gaze from the screen. “Yeah. And the woman does love to laugh. Usually at my expense.”

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