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“Nice place,” I mutter to Brie, trying not to soundtooimpressed as we arrive back in the foyer.
Brie gives me a small smile, the first I’ve seen since the attack. “Thanks. It’s my sanctuary.”
“You’ll be safe here. And you should get some sleep,” I tell her. “It’s been a hell of a night.”
She nods, but hesitates at the entrance to her bedroom. “Nik,” she says, her voice uncertain. “Would you—would you mind sleeping in here tonight? I’m still a little jumpy. I don’t know if I’d be able to sleep without…knowing you were right there.”
Every instinct tells me to refuse. To maintain professional distance. To maintainneutrality. To remember why I’m here. But when I look at Brie, vulnerable and shaken, I hear myself saying, “Sure.”
We change with our backs to each other, though I’m dying to know what Brie Colombo wears to bed. I find out soon enough: it’s a white satin slip that makes her look much younger than usual, more innocent. I’ve stripped to my boxer briefs and tank, and I’m about to pull my top off—but pause. I sleep naked usually, but I don’t want to make Brie uncomfortable.
So I leave my top on and climb into the massive bed, where Brie immediately curls into my arms. I stiffen for a moment, surprised by the intimacy, before slowly relaxing.
“Nik,” Brie whispers into the darkness, “I feel like I can’t trust anyone. Can I…can I really trust you?”
I’m acutely aware of her warm breath against my chest where she’s snuggling into me. “You can trust that I’ll keep you safe,” I say at last.
She shifts, lifting her head to look at me. In the cold desert moonlight spilling through the window, her face is just inches away.
And then she closes that small distance, pressing her lips to mine.
CHAPTER 17
Brie
For a moment,Nik Kusek is kissing me back, her lips moving under mine, her hand trailing up my arm?—
And then she stops.
She presses me back from her mouth gently with a hand on my shoulder. “We should try to get some sleep,” she murmurs. “You went through a lot tonight.”
“But—”
“Brie. I’m not going to take advantage of you.”
“You think you’re takingadvantageof me?” I give a short laugh. “I’ve wanted you since the moment you walked into that meeting room behind Eva Novak like some…dangerous darkwraith.”
There’s a short silence, and I wonder what Nik is thinking. I find out pretty fast.
“I need you to do what I’m telling you, Brie, and go to sleep. In the morning…” She lets out a small breath. “Let’s just wait until morning.”
“The morning isn’t going to make me want you less,” I tell her stubbornly, but all she does is steadily turn me around until I’m the little spoon, and wrap an arm around me.
Staring into the darkness, my eyes sting with sudden tears. For the first time since Terry died, I feel…
I feel safe.
Even from myself.
I stir awake, momentarily disoriented. But then the events of the previous night come rushing back. The attack. The escape. Thekiss.
Heat rises in my cheeks as I remember throwing myself at Nik last night, and her gentle rejection.
Oh, God.
The bedroom door creaks open, and Nik enters, balancing two steaming mugs of coffee. Her hair is damp from a shower, and she’s dressed in fresh clothes—a simple black t-shirt and jeans that look effortlessly stylish on her, even though I bet she was only thinking about practicality when she picked them out.
“Morning,” she says, her voice neutral as she hands me a mug. “Thought you could use this.”
