Her Destiny (Reverie #2)(25)
“Hell no, she’s not lying. I tried to protect her. I never mentioned her name to the cops once,” Nick says. “I couldn’t risk it.”
“Risk what? Getting caught?” Evan asks skeptically.
“Ruining her reputation.”
My heart melts. Just turns into a puddle of goo in the center of my chest. That he cares so much about me and my reputation when I was acting the fool the moment I got away from him, makes me want to both hug him for his thoughtfulness and smack him for putting his future on the line.
Evan slides me a look as he mutters, “This guy is unbelievable.” But he steps away from Nick, much to my relief, and I go to him, resting my hands on my big brother’s shoulders so I can give him a little shake.
“Thank you,” I whisper, standing on tiptoe so I can press a kiss to his cheek. His shoulders sag beneath my grip and I stare at his face, see the exhaustion around his eyes, the downturn of his mouth. My brother is worn out. It’s a look he’s been wearing for weeks. Months even. “Go to bed. I’ll be fine.”
“He lays a hand on you and I’ll murder him.” Evan says it loud enough that Nick can hear and I’m sure he did that on purpose. Big brother is anything but subtle when he’s in this mode. “He sleeps on the couch, Rev. Nowhere near you, you got it?”
“I wouldn’t sleep anywhere else,” Nick pipes up.
Evan turns on him. “If I said you’re sleeping on the cold ass vinyl floor in the kitchen, then that’s where you’d sleep too. This is my house. Never forget it.”
Before Nick can utter a word, Evan is gone, locked away in his bedroom, the door shutting with a loud slam.
“I meant that I wouldn’t expect to sleep in your room or in your bed, Reverie,” Nick explains. “I get where I stand with you and your brother, and I would never try to cross that line.”
“I know.” I suddenly feel so weary, I’m afraid I’ll drop right where I stand. Work was busy and talking with Nick, dealing with Evan…I’m exhausted. “He’s just being the protective big brother.”
“He does a good job at it then,” Nick mutters with a slight smile and I can’t help but smile in return. It’s—nice, spending time with Nick. I’ve missed him. I already knew this and tried my best to deny it. Eventually, with everything else going on, I started to forget how being with Nick made me feel.
And no one makes me feel the way Nicholas Fairfield does with just a look. A smile. A touch. A kiss…
I’m fighting against those other, more complicated feelings. The ones that surge up when he smiles at me like that. I remember the taste of his lips, the way they felt against mine and I think…
I still want him. I still lo—
“I have a blanket in my truck I could bring up,” he says, interrupting my wayward thoughts. “If you don’t have any to spare.”
“We have a few. Let me grab them.” I go to the hall closet and pull out a couple of throw blankets, then dart into my room to grab a pillow from my bed, before I bring it all to him.
“Thanks,” he says as he takes the throws and pillow from me and sets them on the couch.
I stand there, unsure of what to do, what to say next. “Um, did you bring stuff with you?” I ask. “Maybe a bag with a change of clothes or something?” My cheeks are hot again which is so stupid but all I can think about is his underwear and that is about the dumbest thing ever. What am I, twelve?
He always looked real good in just his underwear. He has a nice chest. Broad shoulders. And a great…
“Yeah, I’ll go down and grab it right now.” He goes to the front door and opens it, the whisk of wind blowing through and bringing with it a scattering of raindrops. He reaches behind him and yanks up his hood, obscuring his head. “I’ll be right back.”
The door shuts and I’m off to my room, changing out of my smelly work clothes as fast as I can, throwing on a pair of plaid fleece pajama pants and an old white Henley top I’ve been sleeping in for years. I go to the mirror above my dresser and try to smooth out my messy hair, my gaze dropping to my chest. My boobs look huge in the tight top and I reach for the hem, ready to change out of it since I’m sure Nick will think I’m trying to tempt him or something, when I hear him knocking on the front door.
Crap.
Giving up on changing the top, I rush to the door and let him in, chastising him that he doesn’t need to knock since I didn’t lock the door behind him. Which leads him to give me a speech about how I should always keep the door locked because who knows what sort of creepers are out there lurking?
Yikes. Men. They’re always on my case lately.
His sweatshirt is speckled with rain and when he brushes the hood off his head, he flicks drops in my direction, making me wipe at my face with a giggle. He smiles at me and drops his duffel bag on the ground, reaching up with both hands to run his fingers through his already messed up hair until he’s gripping the back of his head. The faint smile stretching his glorious mouth is strained and there’s an unfamiliar light in his eyes. He looks about as uncomfortable as I feel.
“This is weird,” he declares.
I can’t help but agree. And appreciate his honesty. “It is. But we can make it work, right? It’s just for tonight. I can’t let you sleep in your truck again, Nick. It’s too cold outside. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you.”