14

Jake didn't say anything in the truck. He stared straight ahead into the dark November night with one hand at the top of the steering wheel while the other, bent at the elbow against the window, supported his head.

His frown worried me. I was rethinking this plan. He was the one who first offered his place and now his uneasiness was rubbing off on me.

"Is something wrong?" I asked when I noticed he was driving way below the speed limit.

"Besides the fact that there's someone out there wanting to hurt you, nothing."

Was he worried about me? Was that it? I wanted to believe that, but my insecurity whispered in my ear that it was something else.

Jake had driven only a block or two when he put his signal on and slowed down in front of a building. I hadn't thought about where he lived, but now I realized it wasn't very far from my mother's Park Avenue suite.

Of course. Why was I even surprised?

A yacht and an apartment on Park Avenue. Who was this guy? James Bond?

He drove down a ramp and into a parking garage. Finding a reserved space next to the elevator, he pulled in. "This is me," he said and opened his door. He grabbed my things from the truck and I followed him.

I had expected to walk through the lobby of the building, but Jake led me to an elevator, which took us straight to the penthouse floor.

I caught a glimpse of his face; it was stoic. Being back on land, he was in full bodyguard mode.

My body felt stiff. I knew I had a long day. Probably the longest day of my life. For a moment, I was grateful for Jake carrying my things, and then I remembered it was the least he could do after kidnapping me.

It was hard to stay mad, though. In a way, I was relieved to be as far from my apartment as possible while someone raided it.

The elevator chimed, and Jake stepped out. I followed him down a narrow hallway, passing another door on our way.

Grabbing a key fob from his jacket, Jake pressed it against the security key. Then he faced the key and a red light scanned his face. The door unlocked with a loud click.

The apartment was something out of a magazine for the rich and famous. Two large crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling over a dining and living room. White and black furniture were scattered throughout the room with brass knobs and décor. I unzipped my boots, not wanting to get any markings on the light oak floors.

"Keep them."

I tilted my head and stared at him. "Are you crazy? I'm not dirtying this floor with my boots." I walked in my stocking feet across the expansive foyer. The living room floor had a herringbone design, I noted as I stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows.

"There are lights as far as I can see. It's beautiful."

He stood next to me with his hands in his pockets. "I don't think I could ever get tired of this view. It breathes life into me. I've traveled the world and fallen in love with so many places and cultures, but nothing felt like home until I came here. I belong here."

I smiled. I loved that for him; that he found his place, his home. It still felt as though I was searching for mine.

"I'll put your bags in the guest room."

I stood at the window staring out into Central Park for a few minutes, watching people take carriage rides, and smiled. My father took me on one of those once while my mother was working. He acted as though I were a princess and the carriage was part of the fa?ade. It was magical and beautiful. A tear fell down my cheek, and I quickly wiped it away.

"All set," Jake said, returning to the room.

I sniffed once and turned around with a smile. "Thank you."

He grinned. "I'm surprised you're thanking me after everything that happened today."

I closed my eyes and laughed. "Don't remind me. It won't end well for you if you do."

He laughed. "Deal. I won't ever mention it again." He looked down a hallway. "Are you hungry?"

I shrugged. "I couldn't eat a meal, but maybe something small."

"Follow me. I'll find you something."

He led me down another hallway that opened into this white kitchen with stainless steel appliances, and a stunning black and white countertop. I ran my hand along the cold surface. "This is beautiful. Is it marble?"

"Brazilian Quartzite."

I nodded. Having never heard of the material, I figured it was expensive.

I sat on one of the barstools next to the island and watched as Jake pulled out some cheese, olives, and crackers. "Will this do?"

I snorted. "I don't know. Do you have any caviar?"

He grinned and spun back to the refrigerator. He set a glass jar in front of me and crossed his arms, looking pleased with himself. "I didn't want to come across as pretentious."

I snorted after reading the label. "I don't believe it, but it's caviar."

I grabbed a bread knife and spread some on my cracker. Savoring the salty flavor, I turned to Jake. "This may sound rude, but I have to know. How much are you charging my mother to pay for this?" I waved at the opulence around me.

He grinned, which was fortunate. "Our bodyguard business doesn't even pay for the rent on this place. No, we're investors."

I raised an eyebrow at his ambiguity, and he laughed again. "It's all right, you don't have to tell me."

After he finished chewing a piece of cheese he had popped into his mouth, he said, "It's not a secret. We've made some key investments and keep making them. Nothing complicated, just good research and instincts on my brother's part."

"Your brother? I thought you only had a sister."

"Sorry. I often refer to my business partners as my brothers. We were in the military together."

"Wait." I had forgotten all about it. "Peacekeeping, right? Sarah mentioned something like that to me."

"Yeah, something like that."

He turned around and grabbed two small bottles of sparkling water from the refrigerator.

"I'll just take tap water. The bubbles don't sit well with me."

He smiled. "Sure thing."

After inhaling a few more crackers and some gulps of water, my body slumped over the counter. "I think I'm going to call it a night."

He dusted the crumbs from his hands. "Follow me."

We walked back through the narrow hallway, past the living room to the other side of the penthouse, where I presumed the bedrooms were. "How many bedrooms do you have?"

"Three."

He opened the first door to the right in this wing of the home and saw a king-sized bed with a white duvet and gray throw pillows. There was a recliner next to the window with a small desk beside it and a chair. An open door exposed a white-marbled bathroom with an enormous tub. It reminded me of the hotel room at The Ritz.

"Um. Thank you," I said. "Are you sure this one is the guest room?"

He grinned. "I'm sure."

"If this is the guest room, I can't wait to see yours."

He raised his eyebrows, and I covered my mouth. "Shit. I didn't mean I wanted to be in your bed. Just that I'd love to see the room." I shook my head, as the explanation didn't sound any better. "Never mind."

Jake leaned over and whispered, "If you play your cards right, I just might let you."

I froze. Did I want to play my cards right?

When he grinned, I smacked his shoulder and realized he was just messing with me. I enjoyed the harmless teasing. Jake had a shot with me at Darlin' Donut and he had turned it down. I didn't think he'd want one now.

"Goodnight, Jake."

He leaned against the doorframe with an arm above his head and smiled. "Goodnight, Nikole."

***

A ray of sunlight peeked through the blackout blinds and illuminated the back half of the room. I stretched both arms above my head and pushed against the tufted headboard.

"I won't be long. I just have to get—" a woman's voice began as she opened my door.

"Ahhhh!" she screamed.

"Gahhhh!" I screamed back, holding the sheets to my neck despite wearing a T-shirt to bed.

"Nikole?!"

"Sarah?!"

"What are you doing here?" we asked at the same time.

She tilted her head. "Me? I came to get a sweater I'd left here last week that Alma put away in this closet."

"Who's Alma?" I asked, my mind foggy from sleep and a bit of shock.

"Alma is the housekeeper. Now, why are you in my brother's guest room?"

"Sarah," Jake came rushing into the room. "Who let you in?" He was dripping wet, holding a towel around his waist. His sculpted abs and wide pecs were on full display. My eyes bugged out, and my mouth fell open. Sarah smirked.

"Alma did. I came for my sweater that I'd forgotten here last week. She told me she hung it in this closet. Wasn't I surprised to find my best friend in my brother's bed?"

She cocked her hip and crossed her arms, but Jake rolled his eyes. "She isn't in my bed."

"I'm right here," I muttered, a little offended they were having a conversation about me, right in front of me, while I still had sleep crusts in my eyes.

"See? She's right there. In the guest room. Not my bed."

"That's not what I meant," I muttered, then pulled down the sheets to crawl out of bed. Jake's gaze dropped to my legs, and I realized I had fallen asleep in my underwear. I yanked the sheets back up. "Would you two mind giving me a minute?" I asked sweetly between clenched teeth.

"Sure thing," Sarah smiled. Jake stood frozen, only his eyes blinked a couple of times. Sarah pushed him out of the room, laughing.

I closed my eyes and inhaled sharply before throwing off the duvet and marching into the shower.

A few minutes later, thankfully all of us fully dressed, we convened at the kitchen island looking a little wet and a lot embarrassed, except for Sarah, who still had a giddy smile on her face.

"So, what's going on?"

Surely she would rub her hands together soon as though she were some mad scientist who put these two dangerous chemicals together and created this marvelous explosion.

I hated to be the one to burst her bubble. Sort of. "It's not what you think. As you know, Jake is my bodyguard and after someone broke into my apartment yesterday, he felt I would be safest here."

Her face fell. "Oh," she said, disappointed. I refrained from rolling my eyes.

"Are you all right, Nikole?" she asked after she collected her crestfallen face.

"Yes," I smiled. "I'm okay. Thanks for asking."

She nodded, but turned to Jake. "Why bring her here? And not some fancy hotel like you've done with other clients?"

Was this the first time he brought a client back to his place?

I tilted my head, wondering the same thing since he was the one who first suggested his place.

"Um. Well…" he said, crossing and uncrossing his arms. "I did mention the Ritz, and was ready to book Nikole there for two nights..." He shot me a sidelong glance.

"Yes," I said slowly, feeling his awkwardness and wanting to relieve him of it. "But I felt more comfortable here where he could control every entrance and exit."

Jake beamed at me. "Yes. Exactly!"

"Good morning, Mr. Devereaux." A short, rosy-cheek woman with graying hair walked into the kitchen. "Ms. Devereaux, did you find your sweater in the closet?"

Sarah smiled. "I sure did, along with something else. Or should I say someone else?"

Alma looked at me but didn't say anything. "Alma, this is Nikole. She is under my protection and will be staying with me for the next few days. Please help her find anything that she needs if I am not here."

Alma nodded. "Pleased to meet you."

I smiled, "Pleased to meet you as well."

"Would you like some breakfast this morning? Mr. Devereux usually skips this meal."

I glanced at the time on the oven door. Shit. I was going to be late for work. Again.

"No, thank you. I've got to run."

Jake grabbed his keys. "Let's go."

I yanked on my boots and followed Jake out the door, shouting, "See you later, Sarah," behind me.

We reached Jake's truck in far less time than I would have thought the elevator could take us. It was like some portal that dropped us down to the garage level without turning my stomach.

"You look nice," Jake said after I fastened my seatbelt. I smiled to myself. I'd imagined him saying this to me on our first date, exactly the way he said it now. It may be a few weeks late, but it still felt nice.

"Thank you."

He nodded once. "Now, let's get you to work on time."

He pulled out of the garage and onto the road. He took side streets I'd never seen before and at one point I was pretty sure we were riding on a train track, but I didn't complain. We arrived five minutes early.

After parking in the lot next to the building, Jake walked me to the front doors. He wore an earpiece this morning and a blue suit that poorly hid his trim physique.

"You look nice, too," I said as he held the door open for me.

He grinned. "I know."

I shook my head and walked inside with a little pep to my step.