He shook his head. “The things I’ve done—especially since Juliet died—I’m not the man I was the day we came over. You don’t know me anymore. There’s a lot I deserve, probably none of it good. But I know one thing for sure—I don’t deserve you, Trish.”
I grunted, disgusted with his self-pity. “Screw it,” I muttered, going around him to get to the door. I didn’t know where I was going; I just knew I didn’t want to be there with him at the moment. “This is bullshit. I’m done.”
“Trish!” Nicky called as I reached for the door.
“I don’t think you could possibly have anything else to say to me,” I shot back, hand on the doorknob. “I told you I love you, and you threw it back in my face. I think how you feel is pretty freaking clear. I see now that I’m just another notch in your belt.”
“I wasn’t finished,” he said, suddenly standing behind me, his body wrapping around mine, his breath hot in my ear. I shuddered as his arm slid around my waist and pulled me into the curve of his body. “I don’t deserve you, but that doesn’t make me want you any less.”
I peeled his arm away from me and stepped out of his grasp. “You want me?” I repeated, not about to let him off the hook that easily. “Is that the best you can do? Don’t think you can just kiss me and make everything better, Nicky. I’m still pissed at you!”
He shoved his hands into his pockets, his expression more tortured than I’d ever seen it. “You have every right to be. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. You never should’ve had to call Gideon. You needed me, and I wasn’t there for you.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “And?”
He clenched his jaw, a fiery look coming to life in his eyes. “And, it would’ve killed me if you’d been hurt, if I’d—” His voice caught and he looked away for a moment and had to clear his throat a couple of times before he turned his gaze back to me and continued, “If I’d lost you.”
I swallowed hard as he came slowly toward me. His steps were tentative, but as he took my face in his hands his gaze was so intense that I frowned at him. “Nicky? Are you okay?”
“Not without you,” he ground out, cupping my face, his thumb caressing my cheek. He smoothed my hair, his amber gaze boring into mine. “Trish, when you saw my soul that day we came over, I saw yours, too. And I got another look that day you held my hand after the attack, kept me alive by what had to be willpower alone. But it wasn’t until I started reading all those damned reports, getting into your head, that I really started to see what an amazing woman you are. And I don’t know when it happened—hell, maybe it was when you threw yourself into my arms that first time—but somewhere along the way, I fell for you.”
I blinked, tears blurring my vision. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, couldn’t believe that the words I’d dreamed of for so long were hanging in the air between us.
“I love you, Trish,” he said, his thumb skimming over my bottom lip. “And, I swear to God, I won’t ever let you down again.” Then he was kissing me, his lips so loving and tender, they stole my breath. If he’d never uttered another word of love to me, that kiss would have assured me what was truly in his heart. And when I snaked my arms around his neck, drawing him closer to me, his kiss became more insistent.
“Goddamn,” he muttered against my mouth, his hands roaming over the satin of my negligee, “where the hell did you get this thing?”
I chuckled as I pressed a line of kisses along his jaw. “You don’t want to know,” I whispered, nipping at his ear. “Want me to take it off?”
“God no,” he said, his voice gruff. “It’s sexy as hell.” His hands were rough as he shoved the nighty up, baring me to him. I gasped as he hefted me up and wrapped my legs around his waist, pressing my back against the wall. His mouth was on mine again as he tore at the fly of his pants. Then he was pressing into me, each rough stroke sending me careening toward ecstasy. I grasped fistfuls of his sweater, moaning against his kiss, urging him on. I came quickly, my scream strangled in my throat for fear of drawing Gideon’s attention, but Nicky apparently had no such reservations.
“Damn,” I panted, smoothing the damp hair from his brow. “Maybe I should take this nighty home with me.”
He chuckled, already starting to grow hard again. “Doll, I’ll buy you a whole frigging wardrobe of ’em.” He kissed me then, slowly, languidly, his lips caressing mine. I groaned in protest as he pulled out, not wanting our lovemaking to end so soon, but then I realized he was shedding his clothes, leaving a trail as he walked me toward the bed. His sweater was the last to go.
I ran my hands over his chest and shoulders, loving the way his breath hitched a little at my touch. I pressed a kiss to his chest over his heart and let my hands smooth over his abs and down to his hips and then around to his back, pulling him to me.
“I want to hear it again,” I said, peering up at him.
He pulled back a little. “Yeah? You don’t mind me sayin’ it over and over again? You don’t think you’ll get sick of me sayin’ it?”
I shook my head. “Never.”
He swept me up in his arms and tossed me onto the bed. I bounced once and was still giggling when he settled between my thighs. He was grinning when he pinned my arms over my head. “I love you, doll,” he said, punctuating his words with a hard thrust. “My God, I love you.”
I rolled my hips, arching into him, loving the way he filled me, body and soul. And when I rolled him onto his back, I met his gaze as I peered down at him. The connection I’d felt that first day we’d met jerked at the center of my chest and pulled him toward me until he was sitting up, our chests pressed close together, his arms wrapped tightly around me.
And when we finally collapsed together, panting, and he drew me into his strong arms, I didn’t fear what the dreams would bring that night. Whether it was spiders or vampires or whatever else hell might decide to unleash, the man I loved loved me back, and nothing else mattered.
Chapter Twenty
I awoke to a quiet clinking in Gideon’s guest room. When I bolted upright, I luckily remembered I was naked and held the covers over my breasts or the fairy bodyguard would’ve caught quite an eyeful.
Gideon held a finger to his lips and nodded to Nicky, who still snored softly on the bed beside me. Then he swept his arm toward the breakfast that was laid out on the table, which he’d somehow set up along with chairs while we’d slept. When I gave him a rather apologetic smile for the uninvited houseguest, he peered at me over his sunglasses, revealing his eyes for the first time. To my surprise, they were the color of molten silver and seemed to be morphing into a crisp arctic blue even as I watched. What the hell? He offered me a wink, letting me know he’d expected Nicky all along. Then he vanished.
Curious to see what Gideon had brought, I slipped from bed and tiptoed over to the table, the smell of bacon making my mouth water. My stomach grumbled when I lifted the silver lid that covered the nearest plate and saw a beautifully fluffy omelet, toast, and hash browns. And in the carafe in the center of the table was piping hot chocolate.
“How in the world . . .” I mumbled.
“I was just wondering the same thing.” Nicky’s voice so near my ear made me start with a laugh. “I was just thinking to myself, ‘How in the world does Trish expect me to keep my hands off her when she’s running around naked,’ ” he continued, pulling me into his arms and pressing a kiss to the curve of my neck.
“Well, I could put some clothes on,” I told him, turning to face him and looping my arms around his neck. “But that would imply that I want you to keep your hands off me.”
Nicky’s kiss was hot on my lips, and the stubble on his jaw scraped against my skin as he pressed kisses along my neck and shoulder, down my stomach, the inside of my thigh. And when his tongue caressed the center of me, I gasped, my knees buckling. He chuckled as he sat me down in one of the chairs, then knelt before me, hooking my legs over his shoulders as his tongue resumed its caress. I writhed against his mouth, shattering apart with a loud cry, no longer caring if anyone heard.
As soon as Nicky stood, I pushed him down into the other chair and straddled him, groaning as he slid into me. “At this rate we won’t eat breakfast before noon,” I gasped, gripping the back of the chair.
Nicky took hold of my hips, making sure I didn’t get any ideas about stopping now. “I wasn’t hungry—not for breakfast anyway.”
It probably was around noon by the time we’d managed to get enough of each other and take a shower—which probably should’ve been taken separately, considering lathering each other up was just too much of a temptation to resist. But, remarkably, the breakfast Gideon had set out for us was still hot when we finally sat down to eat. Gotta love fairy magic.
“So, what’s the plan?” I asked Nicky after polishing off half of my omelet.
He took a long drink of orange juice to wash down the last of his breakfast, which he’d apparently consumed at warp speed, before answering. “We need to visit the Pigg brothers, find out what they know about Dracula’s lair. Drac’s obviously playing it safe by not coming out in person to attack you or Tess. If we want to take him out, we’re going to have to track him down in the flesh.”
I nodded. “Okay, so how do we find the Pigg brothers?”
Nicky shrugged. “Not too hard, really. I know a guy who’s been my eyes and ears around this town for years. If anyone knows where to find the Piggs, Jack will.”
“Jack?” I echoed. “Which one? There are like a hundred Jacks from fairytales and folklore. And every other rhyme is named Jack. You’re going to have to narrow it down for me.”
“Let’s just leave it at Jack.” Nicky leaned back in his chair, giving me a great look at his pecs. And suddenly I was hungry in an entirely different way.
Blushing at my insatiable desire for the man across from me, I quickly finished off my breakfast and went to the wardrobe to find something to wear. To my surprise, it now also held a collection of clothes for Nicky. I laughed, shaking my head. “I’ll be damned.”
Nicky joined me at the wardrobe, as astonished as I was. “What the hell? How did—”
I pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I’m learning that nothing about Gideon is quite what it seems.”
Nicky grabbed a fresh set of clothes and gave me a warning look. “Yeah, well, he can be as mysterious as he wants as long as he keeps his damned hands off you.”
I cast an arch smile his way as I pulled on my jeans. “Jealous?”
He ran his hands through his hair, causing a thick, dark lock to fall over his forehead, making him look way too rakish for his own good. “Jealous doesn’t even begin to cover it. I could’ve murdered that bastard when I saw you in his arms.”
I patted him on the chest. “No need for that, lover—your arms are the only ones I ever want around me.”
When I opened the door a few minutes later, the object of our discussion was standing across the hall, leaning casually against the wall with his arms crossed.
“Gideon,” I greeted, “we were just talking about you!”
The corners of his mouth twitched with the hint of a smile. Then he inclined his head toward Nicky. “I see you have . . . made amends.”
Nicky shifted a little, still surly. “Something like that.”
“Thank you, Gideon,” I said, extending my hand. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”
Gideon took my hand and raised it to his lips, pressing a kiss to my fingertips. “It was my pleasure. If you have need of me again, you have only to call.”
“Okay, okay,” Nicky said, stepping in and taking my hand from Gideon’s grasp. “That’s enough of that. I’m grateful and all, but that gratitude only goes so far, Tiny.”
Nicky was still frowning as we got into his Escalade, which Gideon, of course, had waiting and warmed up in front of his home when we opened the door. “How does he do that shit?”
“Anticipate what others need before they even know it?” I asked. “Hell if I know. But now I see why the king likes having him around. Who better to protect him than a bodyguard who knows how to take care of the threat before it even happens?”
Nicky looked in his rearview mirror as we drove away, catching a glimpse of Gideon still standing in the doorway. “Yeah, well, everybody’s got a blind spot.”
I shuddered, wondering what manner of being it would take to get one up on Gideon. I hoped I wouldn’t have to be around to see that happen. Or get called to the scene after the fact . . .
At some point during our drive I dozed off, my hand clasped in Nicky’s. I wasn’t sure how long we’d been driving when we hit a massive pothole that jolted me awake as my head bounced against the back of the seat.
Nicky cursed under his breath. “Sorry about that,” he said, giving my hand a squeeze. “The roads in this part of town aren’t for shit.”
I sat up straighter, blinking away the last vestiges of sleep and looking around, trying to get a feel for our surroundings. The buildings were mostly boarded up, the result of the economic downturn that had put the businesses in the area under and left the buildings just empty shells, eerie reminders of what once had been. A few rusted-out cars lined the street, and trash blew across the dirty snow that spotted the sidewalk and gathered in the corners like arctic cobwebs. “Where the hell are we?”