“A very pleasant surprise, Bright Eyes,” he said as he stepped towards her.
“And Gianelli took me because…”
“Because he thought he could motivate me to talk to your brother if he had you as insurance.”
“Insurance?”
“He knew how much you meant to me, even though I tried to hide it from him. I never meant for you to get involved in this, baby. That’s why the timing was unfortunate.”
“So why did you kidnap me the second time? It was you, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah, it was me. You weren’t safe, Kelsey. Gianelli knew how much I cared about you. He’d found my Achilles heel and wanted to exploit it. I had to make sure you were safe. I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to you.”
She cleared her throat and tried to bury the intense feelings he invoked in her. “Why didn’t you just tell me? Why make me believe that I was in danger?”
“Would you have listened to me? You thought I was one of them, and for the sake of argument at the time I had to allow you to believe that. You wouldn’t have come willingly. We may not have known each other for long, but I know you are as stubborn as they come. You would have dug in your heels and put your neck on the line just to spite me.”
“I wouldn’t have…”
“Really?” he asked with a smile. Damn if he wasn’t a charmer. That smile, the gleam in his eye. He was breaking her down and she hated it.
“Fine, you’re right. I wouldn’t have gone with you, but that doesn’t mean you had to kidnap me and hold me against my will! You even had someone else watching me!”
“Not all the time, baby.”
“Oh, yes, you were going to explain that,” she said with her hands on her hips and her foot tapping in irritation.
“Come here and sit down, please. You may not like this part of the story.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
They’d resumed their previous positions—Nick on the bed and Kelsey in the chair. She’d been waiting for several minutes, but he hadn’t said a word. Her nerves were already on edge and every second that ticked by made her anxiety level rise until she wasn’t sure she could take it anymore.
“Well?” she finally asked.
“I’m sorry. I just want to think of the right way to explain this. I don’t want to make you angry.”
“It’s a bit late for that, don’t you think?”
He laughed despite the tension in the room. “Yeah, I guess.”
“So?”
“Well, you know that I was the one who took you that night.”
“Yes.” She sat back in the chair and folded her arms across her chest. With her legs crossed and her foot waggling back and forth, she gave him her best look of impatience that she was confident spoke volumes.
“I wanted to tell you it was me as soon as we got to the safe house, but by the time the drugs had worn off, I’d found out that Anthony was missing.”
“Oh, yes, thank you for drugging me, by the way,” she said with a snarl.
“I used the amount recommended by a physician. It didn’t knock you out completely.”
“That’s comforting.” She rolled her eyes again. “Who is Anthony?”
“He’s Gianelli’s right-hand man, and a very scary dude. Truthfully, he’s the one I’m most concerned about. Gianelli’s getting old, he’s lost a step. He’s not the same guy he was ten years ago. I never would’ve been able to infiltrate his organisation as easily as I did if he was on top of his game. Frankly, I think he’s survived the last few years by reputation alone.”
Nick took a deep breath and adjusted his position. “I tried to hide my anger when they threatened you, but I couldn’t help it. Just the thought of them hurting you… They knew I had feelings for you. When Gianelli kidnapped you, it scared the hell out of me. It scared me even more to know Anthony was probably one of the men who had you.”
Kelsey had known she’d been in danger. This wasn’t a game these powerful men were playing, but the emotion on his face combined with the power of his words made her realise just how serious this situation really was. Considering her connection to both Bart and Nick, she’d been terrifyingly vulnerable. With that realisation, her anger dissipated, and the fear of what could’ve happened began to take over.
“Anyway, after you were secure at the safe house, I asked Tim to come watch you. I made you some dinner and I went out in search of Anthony.”
“I wondered if it was you who was cooking,” she said softly, needing to deflect from her fear.
“Yeah, baby, it was. Did you like the food?”
“It was delicious,” she said as she looked away from him. It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate his gesture, she was just too stubborn to admit he may have been justified in his actions. “Did you find him?”
“No, I didn’t.” He dropped his head. “I came back a couple of times, wanting to see you, but, with the clothes we wore, you couldn’t tell the difference between me and Tim.”
“That’s not true. I did notice.”
“You did?”
“It was you the day I got the new clothes, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah, that was me.”
“I knew there was something different. That’s when I started to wonder if it was you.”
“Tim told me you pulled off his glasses,” Nick said with a slight smile. “It’s hard not to admire your spunk.”
“I can’t believe I didn’t immediately recognise Tim when I saw him downstairs,” she said as she shook her head.
“Must be the painkillers.”
“Why didn’t you just tell me? Why did you have to keep me thinking I was in danger?”
“Because you were. You still are. Anthony hasn’t been found. He’s still out there somewhere and I’d bet my life that he is on the hunt for you. He found out where the safe house was, and that’s why I had to bring you here.”
“But this is your house, right? If he knows how you… How you feel about me,” she said curiously, unsure what that even meant. “Won’t he come here?”
“I don’t think he knows I’m FBI. He may come looking for me because I’ve all but abandoned the Gianelli organisation, but he doesn’t know that I’m an undercover agent.”
“Why is he after me? I thought I was out of it once Gianelli let me go.”
“Gianelli was never gonna let you go—not once he realised the power he had over me when he threatened you,” he said, looking deeply into her eyes.
“What does that mean?”
“Don’t you know what that means?”
Kelsey stood and walked away, her emotions running ragged. Her initial impulse was to open the bedroom door and run screaming from the house just as fast as her legs could carry her, but her gut told her to stay.
What if he’s telling the truth? What if I really am in danger? What if he honestly didn’t know I was Bart’s sister? What if he feels…? No, I’m not gonna go there. I can’t. I can’t be taken in again
.
“Tell me what you’re thinking, baby.” Nick watched as she paced. “I can see the battle your thoughts are waging. I’d love to know which side’s winning.”
She shook her head as she continued to walk back and forth by the foot of the bed. “I can’t believe you. I can’t, not again. I don’t trust you.”
“Kelsey, you know that’s not true.” He stepped in front of her, stopping her. With her arms in his hands, he looked directly at her. “I know you’re confused. I know this is all a shock, but you have to believe me when I tell you I never lied to you. Never. You know I’m telling you the truth, Bright Eyes. You know me.”
Kelsey laughed. “I know you? You’ve got to be kidding me. I don’t know anything about you. Every moment we’ve spent together up until now has been a lie.”
“Stop that!” Nick yelled. “Not a damned thing between us was a lie. Kelsey, you know more about me, have seen more of me than anyone I’ve ever met. I know we haven’t known each other long, but in that time you’ve changed my whole life.”
She turned her head, no longer able to look at the sincerity in his eyes. “I just don’t know what to believe.”
He cradled her face in his hands and shifted her gaze to meet his. “Believe this, baby—I’ve fallen in love with you.”
She stared at him in shock, unable to react as his words repeated in her head.
“I love you, Kelsey.”
“I… I don’t know what to say,” she barely whispered.
“How about telling me you love me, too? Because I know you do, baby.”
“I can’t… I can’t do this.” Kelsey quickly pulled away. She tried to forget it, but the image in her head wouldn’t go away—the face of the hired goon named Wally. He’d told her about Nick’s involvement with the gangsters, and how he was after Bart. He’d told her she was being held because of Nick.
“You can’t deny it, Kelsey. I know you love me.”
“But he said…”
“Who said what?”
She remained still, not moving a muscle.
“Kelsey.” He grabbed her arm and turned her to face him. “Who said what?”
“Wally. He said…”
“The man they found dead beside you?” When she gave him a quick nod Nick released her arm and smiled in disbelief. “I don’t know what he told you, but I can bet he only gave you half the story. I’m not the guy he thought I was. I was playing a part.”
Kelsey buried her face in her hands, the exhaustion of the past month suddenly weighing on her. “This is just too much.”
“Are you seriously gonna believe that piece of shit over me? Really? Kelsey, I don’t blame you for doubting me. I don’t blame you for being confused, but think about this. Who are you going to believe? That crack-head, or me?”
She kept her face hidden but she listened to his every word.
“You know me, baby. You know who I am deep inside, and you know I’m telling you the truth when I say I love you.”
“I just…” she began, but lost her train of thought after catching the fire burning in his eyes. She’d been so sure he’d lied to her, but the sincerity of his confession and the honesty of his words were making her second-guess herself. All she knew was that she suddenly wanted him like she’d never wanted him before. But she couldn’t—not now. “I don’t want to talk anymore,” she said as she turned away from him.
Nick grabbed her arm and turned her towards him. “I don’t either,” he huffed before capturing her lips with his. The kiss was firm but not forceful and her slight resistance waned. He slipped his tongue past her lips in search of hers, which she offered gladly in return.
“Nick, we can’t do this,” Kelsey mumbled against his mouth, barely missing a beat in their continued kisses.
“Yes we can, baby.” He lifted her thigh to settle against his hip before pressing his hardness against her.
“We can’t,” she said breathlessly. She pulled her head back. “We shouldn’t do this.”
“Tell me you don’t want me, and I’ll stop,” he said with half-lidded eyes. “I want you, Kelsey. I need you.”
“Nick,” she groaned when he pulled her close and began kissing her neck. It was her weak spot. She could never resist it when he kissed her there, and he knew it. Without thinking, she enveloped his shoulders in her arms and pressed herself against him as hard as she could. With a small hop, she wrapped her legs around his waist and he carried her towards his bed.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
As their kisses intensified, Nick inched forward until his legs hit the side of the mattress, but he made no move to release Kelsey onto the bed. It had been so long since he’d held her in his arms, he wanted to make the moment last as long as possible. He’d feared she’d throw him out, tell him he disgusted her before sending him on his way, but she was here, wrapped in his embrace, and giving herself to him once again.
“You feel so good,” he whispered in her ear as she kissed her way down his neck.
Unwilling to prise her from his body, he rested his knee on the bed before lowering their entwined bodies to its billowy surface, and revelled in the feeling of finally having her beneath him again. He couldn’t kiss her enough. He couldn’t touch her enough to satisfy the insatiable hunger he had for this miracle who owned his heart. Nick situated himself between her outstretched legs, a groan escaping when he felt the heat of her core press against his hardness even through the confines of their clothing.
They clawed at each other’s clothes in desperate attempts to remove them. Knowing it would be impossible to complete the task in the position they were in, Nick slid himself off the bed and knelt beside it, never once removing his lips from hers.
Kelsey rolled in his direction in an obvious attempt to remain close. She grunted her apparent disapproval when his mouth left hers to travel down the line of her jaw, and she grasped the material of his shirt so tightly her knuckles turned white. “Shh, baby. I’m not going anywhere. I just want to get our clothes off,” Nick breathed into her ear before giving the lobe a little nip. He sat her upright and staring into her eyes, he slowly began to pull her T-shirt up and over her head, revealing the pale yellow bra he’d helped her with only hours before.
Suddenly reminded of the pain she’d been in at that time, he paused. “Are you okay, baby?”
“Don’t stop,” she huffed as she leaned in for another kiss.
Stopping was the last thing he wanted to do. He reached around to unfasten her bra, slid it down her arms and slowly revealed her perfect, irresistible breasts.
Nick sat back, holding slight pressure on her shoulders to keep her from following him. “I just want to look at you, baby,” he said as he tried to regulate his erratic breathing. “Just let me look at you.”
Unlike earlier in the day, when he’d forced himself to look away from her nakedness, this time he sat on his heels and took in his fill. She’d always been stunningly beautiful, but the way she looked now was unimaginable. Perhaps he had a greater appreciation for her because he’d almost lost her, both physically and emotionally. Perhaps her added beauty stemmed from the powerful love he felt for her, but as he looked at her sitting only inches away, his heart nearly burst from the emotions he felt.
Her reaction to his stare was to sit tall and proud. She set her hands down on her knees as if allowing him to memorise every inch of her exposed body.
“You’ve seen me before,” she whispered as his hands covered hers.
“I’ve never seen you look this beautiful, Bright Eyes. I just feel like…”
“Like what?”
“Like this is our first time. I’ve never felt this way, Kelsey. It’s overwhelming.”