RISK(27)

"It's just a dinner, Crew."

He rises to his feet. "Don't let this get ahead of you. If this goes somewhere, you need to sit Ellie down and explain a few things to her."

I know exactly what he's talking about. The reminder is not only unwelcome. It's unnecessary. "I've got it covered."

As I watch him exit my office, I look down at my left hand and the fading message on my palm.

I didn't see it when I showered because I was too busy daydreaming about how Ellie looked last night. I was so engrossed in what I wanted to say during my call to London that I didn't notice it when I was getting dressed.

I see it now. I feel it now.

She was fast asleep when I got home last night so she must have written it early this morning when she crawled into bed with me. The light from the attached bathroom was filtering into my bedroom through the door I'd left ajar to offer her a safe path in case she needed me.

I felt the rustle of the blanket as she settled beneath it and the pull on my hand. I was so exhausted I kept my eyes closed as I listened to her hum a soft melody while she traced her delicate fingertips over my hand. Or what I thought were her fingertips.

I LOVE YOU

Those three words, written with so much care in black ink across my palm, are a symbol of the life I keep hidden from the world. It's a life I protect at all costs.





Chapter 18


Ellie




"You're sure you don't mind, Nolan?" Tilting my head back, I look up at him. "You'd tell me if this wasn't a good idea, wouldn't you?"

"Why would I mind?" His blue eyes sparkle as the headlights from a taxi turning a corner in our direction cast a glow over his face. "I told you I was up for drinking old coffee and eating dirt. I trust that this is better than that."

"They make the best burgers in Manhattan." I gesture toward the street cart. "I missed these so much when I was out in Vegas. I've been craving one since I got back."

"What are we waiting for?" He takes a measured step toward the long line as his gaze darts up to the concise menu printed on a white board near the cart's window. "They've got a few different burgers. What are you in the mood for?"

I smile at the question. Obviously, he's talking about the menu, but ever since Nolan picked me up, I've been in the mood to ditch dinner so I can be alone with him. He's dressed just as he always is, impeccably. Tonight it's charcoal slacks and a light blue button down shirt in the same shade as the sundress I'm wearing. He had a suit jacket on when he knocked on my door, but he slid it off after I asked if I could change our dinner plans.

He tossed the jacket to his waiting driver along with instructions to stay put. He didn't hesitate for a second when he fell into step beside me as we walked the three blocks to this spot.

"We can split a cheeseburger," I suggest. "The fries are amazing. Can you get an order of those too and maybe a bottle of water?"

His eyes flick over my face. "I got paid last Friday. I can spring for two burgers."

I laugh. "I usually only eat half. I save the other half for the next day."

"I'll get one cheeseburger, two fries and two bottles of chilled water." He holds up two fingers in the air. "Fries are my weakness."

"Fries and blue bubble gum ice cream are your weaknesses."

He reaches forward, resting his hands lightly on my bare shoulders as he leans down so his lips are level with mine. "Fries, blue bubble gum ice cream, and a beautiful redhead are all my weaknesses, but not in that order."

"The ice cream trumps the fries?"

"No." He skims his lips over mine in the softest kiss. "Ellie trumps everything. You're proving to be my biggest weakness."

"Me?" I draw in a deep breath, my lips craving another taste of his. "How am I your biggest weakness?"

"I gave up a table at my favorite restaurant and a bottle of the best wine I've ever had to eat half of a burger on a street corner with you."

"You said you didn't mind." I tilt my head to the side. "You won't regret it after your first taste. I promise."

His eyes fall to my lips. "I have no doubt about that."

***

"Adley invited a few people from the clinic she works at over for drinks." I sigh as I rest my phone in my lap. "Unless you want to eat ice cream with an audience, my place won't work for dessert."

He takes a healthy bite of what's left of his half of the burger. By the time I'd finished my meal, he was just digging into his.

After he had picked up the food, we'd sat in two white folding, wooden chairs next to a small table in an area set up to accommodate patrons of the different food carts. While I bit into a fry, he talked about the man who had served the food to him. He's the same man who used to work this cart when Adley and I were fresh out of high school. His smile is infectious, and if you spend just a minute or two talking to him, he'll add a homemade butter cookie wrapped in cellophane and tied with blue ribbon to your tray at no charge. Nolan got two.

When he suggested we go back to my place to eat some of the ice cream he brought over last night, I eagerly agreed. It might have been an easy way to get me to ask him to hang out after dinner, but it was my intention all along. I sent Adley a text telling her to get lost for a few hours. That's when she clued me into the last minute party she's hosting.