Page 198 of Things We Hide from the Light
“Can we please not talk about my ass?”
“We can stop, but I don’t think you’re gonna shut the whole town up, Studly Do-Right,” Nolan warned.
Muttering under his breath, Nash got out of the SUV and tossed his keys to Nolan. “Stay here and keep Piper entertained. We’ll be back.”
“Try not to get shanked,” Nolan called out.
I stiffened when Nash slung his arm around my shoulders as we headed across the lot.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“We’re working,” I pointed out.
“And?”
“And it’s not professional of us to be hanging on each other, making out.”
“I think we’re gonna have to revisit your definition of making out.”
“You know what I mean,” I said, hating how bitchy I sounded.
Nash pulled me to a stop just shy of the entrance. “You’ve been busting my balls all day, and when you aren’t busting my balls, you’re turning me on. And when you’re not doing either of those things, you’re locked away in that head of yours thinkin’ deep thoughts. Now, I’m gonna go out on a limb here and guess that you’re still in a tailspin over the whole extended sleepover thing.”
“I’mnotin a tailspin.”
“Did you know you overemphasize words when you’re freaking out?”
“I donot.” Okay. He had me there. I’d never spent enough time around a man for him to detect my tells before. This wasannoying.
And now I was doing it in my head.Great.
“Listen to me, baby. You freak out all you want. I’ll still be here when you’re done. It’s an extended sleepover. That’s it. You’re not locked in a dungeon. You’re not being held against your will. You’re just keeping your clothes in a different closet. We’ll deal with the real decisions after. Okay?”
I was nodding with overemphasis now. Baby steps. “Okay. Yeah. Okay.”
“Good girl. Now help me crack Tina like a walnut.”
I shook my head to clear it. “Fine. Let me think. She likes that you were always nice to her. She said you never treated her badly even when you arrested her.”
“Then why’d she let her boyfriend put a few rounds in me?”
“She says she didn’t know until after the fact. And I’m wondering if Hugo may have decided to start with you because Tina had heart eyes for your ass.”
Nash looked over his shoulder. “Is it really that nice?”
“Yes. Yes, it is.”
Tina strolledinto the room with her usual attitude but came to a halt when she spied Nash next to me. Hastily, she brushed her hair out of her face and then approached the table with shoulders-back-boobs-out posture.
Nash did not glance at the bust line beneath the khaki prison garb, but he did smile. “Hey, Tina.”
“Chief.” Tina’s laceless shoe met the leg of her chair and she stumbled, catching herself against the table.
“You all right?” Nash asked.
“Fine as fuck. I mean, yes. I’m fine.” The tough girl trying to be strong enough to resist falling for the cute guy. I didn’t care for the obvious parallels.
“Nash has a few questions for you,” I said.
