Page 121 of The Hitman and the Psychic

I stepped to the refrigerator and pulled out a diet soda. I held the can up and Nate nodded, so I popped the lid and handed it to him. He closed his eyes and tooka swig while waiting for Vanetti to pick up. “It’s me. Did Ricky tell you what happened?”

He listened for a few more seconds before explaining his phone call from Dino. I held my can to my forehead, feeling drained and tired. All I wanted was to fall into bed with Nate, but from his conversation, I wasn’t sure that would happen.

“She’s okay, but she got shot.” Nate met my gaze. “You want to talk to her? She’s right here.” He held out the phone and I took it, setting my soda on the counter.

“Hey there.”

“I can’t believe what happened, but I’m not real clear on how Johnny got you.” I stifled a yawn and limped over to the couch, tugging Nate along with me. We sat down, and I explained the whole thing. Nate listened in, since he didn’t know that part either.

“Good work. You’ve earned every bit of that money. In fact, you should come in tomorrow and I’ll cut you a check.”

“Thanks. I’ll do that.”

“I guess, with the job over, Nate can go home now.”

I glanced at Nate. “Uh… yeah… I guess he could. Did you want to talk to him again?”

“Sure.”

I handed the phone over. “Your turn.”

Nate held the phone to his ear, and glanced my way. “Yeah?” He gently rubbed the dirt from my forehead and brushed his thumb across my lips. “Uh… sure. No. I’m staying here tonight.” He shook his head. “Don’t give me that … Yeah? … Whatever. See you tomorrow.”

He put his phone away. “He wants us in his office first thing in the morning.”

“Did you just tell him you were staying the night?”

He chuckled. “Yeah… he said he’d known something was going on between us, and we hadn’t fooled him. But I think he just likes to act like he knows everything.”

My brows rose. “Well, he kind of does.”

Nate stood and tugged me to my feet. “Look at us. We’re a mess.”

I smiled. “Maybe we should take a shower?”

He pulled his shirt out and began to unbutton it, revealing his bullet-proof vest.

“Need some help getting it off?”

He nodded. “I’d appreciate it. My chest is a little sore.”

We got the vest off, along with the t-shirt underneath, and I got a good look at the purple bruise where the bullet had hit him. “Ouch. That looks painful.”

“It is.”

“Should I kiss it better?” I stepped close and gently kissed his bruise. “Anyplace else that needs a kiss?”

“Yeah. Lots of them. But let’s shower first.”

That was all it took for us to head into my bathroom. There were a lot of bruises on both of us, but that didn’t limit the amount of places that needed kissing.

By the time we were done, the water was running cold, but it was easily the best shower I’d ever taken in my life.

∞∞∞

I woke the next morning, cradled against Nate’s chest. My heart expanded, knowing something special was happening between us. It was the start of something new and more exciting than I could have imagined.

“Sen?”

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