by Cat Johnson
"Walking in the sand can't be good for it," Pete pointed out.
"Eh, I try to take it slow." Nick shrugged, wondering if the groomsman was making a commentary about how Nick had accompanied the bride on her morning walk on the beach.
She’d asked him. Not her groom. That probably did look strange, even if he was supposedly here to keep her safe.
Until he had more clues, he was sticking close to Katia, no matter how it looked.
Everyone on set was a suspect. Well, everyone except for Dani. Although lately, she’d been looking like she might want to kill Katia.
He tried to not enjoy her jealousy.
Since the drugging was pre-jealousy, Dani remained the only exclusion to his suspect list. Hell, even Maria and Joanne were on his radar. He still wasn't sure if the production company would be motivated enough by ratings to stoop to breaking the law.
Drugging their own cast member would be insane, but stranger things had happened in Hollywood’s checkered past.
"So, you know everybody here?" Carl asked.
He was surprisingly friendly considering, as the groom, it would be totally understandable if he hated Nick’s guts for all the extra attention Katia had been giving him.
But Carl was playing nice. Nick found that as baffling as it was suspicious.
"I think so," Nick answered, matching Carl’s easy friendly tone.
Having a good memory was kind of required in his line of work—his real work, in the teams.
Nick started with the guy next to Carl. "Adam, Corey, Steele, Matt, Dawson, Hunter, Pete and John. I get it right?"
One guy whistled. Nick thought it might have been Dawson.
"Damn. You're good," Adam agreed.
"Eh, I've got a good memory for names. But don't ask me to remember what I had for dinner last night." He lied, laughing, even as he remembered exactly what he'd had.
He'd had to grab some vegan vegetable wrap thing from the food table that hadn't even come close to filling him up. Thank God there was a pizza joint open late. He hit that up on his drive home.
"So, Nick, what's your story?" Hunter asked. "How'd you end up here?"
"I know Dani." Best to stick as close to the truth as possible. Though not the complete truth. "Dani texted me. Maria decided to bring in somebody to handle security."
"Ah. That explains it." Corey nodded.
A few of the other guys chuckled.
"Explains what?" Nick asked, confused.
"You and Dani," Steele chimed in.
His brows lowered. "What about me and Dani?"
Matt laughed. "Dude, anybody can see it."
"See what?" Nick asked.
"Anybody but him apparently." John laughed. "Man, don't you know? She's into you."
"What? No, she's not." Nick shook his head.
"Uh, yeah. She is," Dawson agreed with John.
"What makes you say that?" Nick was supposed to be getting them to talk and yield something helpful. How had this conversation become about him?
More importantly, were they right? Was Dani into him?
"She's always watching you," Pete said.
"Yup. I see that too." Steele nodded. "No matter where he is, she's there too, looking in his direction."
Nah. They couldn't be right. He’d caught Dani watching him, but she was always glaring at him at the time.
He shook his head. "No. You're all wrong."
"I see it too," Carl said. "And when you're with Katia, Dani looks like she wants to scratch her eyes out."
Nick stopped worrying about whether Dani liked him or not. The bigger issue was that the groom had noticed how much time he'd been spending with the bride.
"I hope you know I'm only with Katia so much because Maria tells me to be. To keep her safe," Nick explained.
At least that was mostly true. It had started out with Maria putting him with Katia, but it had quickly turned into Katia requesting him to be with her.
"Nah. I know the real deal." Carl shook his head.
Nick braced himself for the groom's accusation. Or for a fight. Either way, he’d deal with it.
"It’s obvious Maria is setting you up as a character for the show," Carl continued. "I'm fine with it. I've been in the biz in LA long enough to know how things are."
"In show business?" Nick frowned. He recalled the quick rundown Dani had given him of all the cast. “I thought you waited tables.”
"I'm an actor, but they like to play up the fact that I mostly work as a server." Carl shrugged. “I guess they like the idea of Katia being Insta-famous as an influencer and me be a lowly waiter. Whatever. It gets my face on TV so I’m down with it.”
Nick wasn’t sure he even knew what an Insta-famous influencer was, but he was getting the drift. Katia and Carl were here for a reason, but that reason wasn't to get their dream wedding.
They were there for fame. Or possibly the cash. Would they really go through with it? Get married just for the money or fame?
He couldn’t understand that.
Weapons he understood. Explosives. Diving. He could even get by in other parts of the world with a limited knowledge of six different languages.
And Nick knew how to keep people secure. It was time to get back to that.
"Do you have any idea who could have wanted to drug Katia?" Nick glanced from Carl to the group of guys. "Any of you?"
Every man shook his head.
"No. I mean she has haters online. There are always trolls when you're a public figure, but nobody here. At least not that I know of," Carl said.
Not that he knew of. Nick picked up on that thread.
"How well do you know everyone here?" he asked. "The bridesmaids? The groomsmen?"
"Dude, you think one of us did that to her?" Adam frowned.
"No, but it's my job to look into all angles."
Carl shook his head. “We were strangers until we moved into the house and started shooting. But I've gotten to know the guys well. I trust them."
"Thanks, dude." Corey jumped up and gave Carl a hug, which spurred an all-around love fest of back slapping, one-armed hugs, handshakes, fist bumps, and even a chest bump.
When that was done, Nick asked, "And the women?"
John blew out a snort. "I wouldn't trust a couple of those bitches as far as I can throw them."
"Yup. Did you see that cat fight in the kitchen the day Katia went missing?" Pete asked.
“And the one today,” John added.
A murmur of agreement went around the circle.
Carl nodded. "I have to admit, some of them can be kind of underhanded. I've heard them talking shit about one girl behind her back, and then saw them smile to her face."
"And Brittany B is totally in love with Carl. You might want to look at her a little closer," Hunter suggested.
Nods from around the circle showed the other guys agreed. Nick turned to Carl. "You agree?"
"Well, it could be just that she's super nice. You know?" Carl shrugged.
A round of comments, groans and laughs from the groomsmen didn't support Carl's opinion of Brittany B. Nick was definitely going to be keeping a close eye on her.
His cell vibrated in the pocket of his shorts and he struggled to get it out. He saw a text from his brother.
MICHAEL: Saved you a plate from dinner.
That was one bright spot in his medical leave. Yesterday he’d finally taken Michael and Jessica up on their offer and temporarily moved into their guest room.
It was a good idea, staying with them. They lived closer to the set. Working these hours, it was nice to not have to drive all the way back to base every night. And he’d have food waiting for him when he got home.
Nick had already missed too much time with family, between his parents moving to another state for retirement, and his being in the teams.
He missed his brother. It would be good to be able to spend time with Michael.
And it really didn't suck that between Jessica and Michael both fancying themsel
ves gourmet chefs, there was always something incredible to eat. Just hearing there was a plate waiting for him had him ready to cut tonight’s investigation short.
He typed in a reply.
NICK: Leaving now.
Time to go. He was hungry, it was late and he'd gotten all he was going to get here tonight.
He stood and was about to pocket his phone when a thought hit him. He punched in another text to Michael.
NICK: Dani still there?
She'd said she was heading to her sister's for dinner. After the surreal conversation he'd had with the cast tonight regarding her, he had a lot to consider.
He wanted to see her, away from work, and evaluate this strange new theory for himself.
Was she jealous? Was she interested? Fuck, he sure as hell hoped so.
The cell vibrated with the reply.
MICHAEL: She's still here. Don’t think she’s going anywhere.
He smiled as he read it. Was she waiting for him to get home? Nick liked that idea. A lot.
Oh, yeah. No doubt about it. Definitely time to get going.
EIGHTEEN
Vodka was the devil.
Dani was sure of this as she woke to a mouthful of cotton and what felt like a steak knife stabbing her in the frontal lobe of her addled brain.
Then there were the delusions. It had to be a side effect of the Vodka Thyme Lemonade that she was imagining Nick bending over her and being nice.
"Dani. Wake up. I'll drive you home."
A truly nice person would let her sleep. She groaned. "No. Leave me alone. I'm fine here."
"You can't sleep on the sofa. It’s way too short for you and we have an early call in the morning."
Him talking about their work—the job they now did together—made her realize this was no vodka-fueled delusion. Although her feeling like crap was definitely thanks to too much vodka . . . and her stupid sister and her ridiculous new recipe.
The damn stuff went down too fast on a hot summer night.
She groaned. "My head hurts."
He chuckled. "Not a surprise. Give me your feet."
Nick sat at the end of the sofa and pulled her feet into his lap.
After slipping off her shoes, he pressed both thumbs into the sole of one foot. The ache in her head lessoned. But all that did was allow her to think. And what came to mind was another time, another place, where Nick's damn foot rubs had gotten her into trouble.
Pulling her feet out of his grasp, she swung them to the floor. She was almost upright, but not quite, as she pressed her head against the back cushion and groaned again.
She felt like shit, but she'd have to deal with that later. Right now, getting away from the temptation of Nick was her number one priority.
He stood and extended one hand to her. “Come on. I’ll take you home.”
"I can drive myself," she said, eyes closed in hopes it would help her condition. It didn't.
"No, you can't. What kind of man would I be if I let you try to drive like this?"
She had an answer to that.
Dani knew exactly the kind of man Nick was. She shot a sideways glare at him. "You’re the kind of man who walked away from me after I kissed you. That's the kind of man you are."
Oh my God. Had she just said that out loud?
She must have, because he flopped back down on the cushion beside her and sighed. "I know. And I'm sorry. But there was a very good reason for that."
Dani sat up a little straighter, or at least lounged less horizontally so she could look him in the eye. That was hard with the room spinning around her.
"And what reason is that?" she asked.
"Because you were drunk, and I wasn't going to take advantage of you. No matter how much I wanted you."
That last part caught her attention, even in her current state. "You wanted me?"
He blew out a breath. "Yes, of course I wanted you. I wanted nothing more. But you were too young. You were the neighbor girl. My brother's new wife's little sister. And I was about to start training for the SEALs and I didn't need the distraction of you in my head. I couldn't do it then, just like I won't do it now with you all . . . woozy like this."
"And if I wasn't all woozy? What then?" she asked.
"If you weren't drunk, I’d be all over you. I'd have my tongue so far down your throat—and that sounds horrible. I know. But I'm sorry. It's what I want. I'll never be able to get close enough to you. Or deep enough inside you."
That was what she wanted too. Him inside her. Over her. Under her. Anyway, anywhere, as long as they were naked, and he didn't run away from her again.
She wanted her own bed, and him in it.
"Can you . . ." A hiccup interrupted her. She began again. "Can you drive me home now?" she said ending the sentence on another hiccup.
He laughed. "Yeah. I think that's a very good idea."
She rested a hand on his arm as he tried to stand. "And I think you should stay the night."
He paused, eyes on her. "I'm not so sure about that—"
Stupid man.
"I know, I know," she interrupted him. "I don't mean for sex. I understand what you're saying. I am drunk."
She wanted to be sober for this with him. She'd waited too long for it. Besides, there was a good chance she was going to vomit if the room didn’t stop spinning.
Vomit was not sexy.
"Stay the night and then in the morning . . . I'll be sober." It seemed perfectly logical to her. In fact, she was very proud of herself for thinking of it. It was a good plan.
He sucked in and let out a breath. "I think this might be the alcohol talking."
"Nope. It’s not." She shook her head then stopped as the wave of nausea hit.
She didn't think she swayed, but for some reason Nick was catching her as she crashed into his chest, which wasn't so bad actually.
"What did you drink anyway?" he asked.
"Vodka with some stupid herbs in it."
“Herbs. Like for cooking?” He cringed.
“Yup.” Her memory finally fed her the name of the particular herb. “Thyme.”
"Thyme?" He looked even more perplexed.
“And lemonade.” Dani nodded, then frowned as her jarred brain protested with a wave of dizziness.
"That sounds horrible."
She stopped herself in time before she shook her head and repeated the mistake. "It wasn't so bad. I probably shouldn't have had five though."
"Yeah, probably not." He hesitated again, cocking his head to one side as he looked at her. "You're not going to puke in my vehicle. Are you?"
"There's a slight possibility of that. Maybe like twenty-seven percent." She held her forefinger and thumb close together.
Reaching out to brace one hand on the back of the chair nearby, she glanced around the living room.
When had she come in there? Last she remembered she was on the deck with Jessica and Michael.
"Where are my brother and your sister?" she asked.
He smiled. She didn’t understand why.
"You mean my brother and your sister,” Nick corrected. “They went to bed when I got here. It's late. I told them I'd take care of you."
She could only hope he would. She had lots of needs that needed taking care of.
Lots and lots of needs. She was very, very needy. Especially down in the nether region.
She had very needy nethers.
The thought gave her the giggles.
Nick frowned. "Yeah, okay. We need to get you home."
"Okay, dokay." The sooner they were home, the sooner Nick could take care of her needy nethers.
Nick, the needy nether tender. She giggled again.
"All right. Come on." He wrapped his arm around her waist and started steering her toward the door.
"Wait."
"What?" he asked, turning to face her.
Dani took a step closer and stumbled again. He reached out and rested his hands on her hips, watching her as he steadied her on her feet.
>
She liked the feel of his hands on her, even if he was probably just making sure she didn't fall over.
With her gaze on his, she rested her hands on his chest, only partially for balance. Damn, he had nice chest muscles.
And nice lips too. And probably a really nice—but first things first.
She rose on tiptoe. "This is what."
Her mouth had almost reached his when he sucked in a breath. "What are you doing?"
"Kissing you."
"You probably shouldn't be—"
He didn't get to finish as she crashed her lips against his.
Their tongues tangled. She clutched at the shirt she wished he'd take off. Although his hands sliding down to her ass had her forgetting about the shirt and wishing her pants and his shorts would disappear.
At the feel of his thigh sliding between hers, she moaned, which had Nick pulling away.
"Shh." He smiled. "It's bad enough I'm kissing you when you can barely stand up, but I really don't want to be caught by our siblings making out in their living room."
Nick took a step back and turned toward the door.
She panicked. He was leaving her? Again? Bastard!
"Where are you going?" she accused.
He cringed and glanced toward the hall leading to the bedroom.
"We're going to your place," he whispered.
He held up his keys. Only then did she notice he also had her sandals in his hand. Probably better he carried them. The heels would only make her fall over more than she already was.
"Oh. Okay." That sounded like a very good idea to her.
"Please try not to puke in my Jeep." He reached out to catch her as she stumbled again.
"No guarantees on that, skipper." She executed her best salute and let him lead her, chuckling, toward the door.
NINETEEN
He was awoken not by the crick in his neck from sleeping on Dani's sofa, but instead by his gut instinct that someone else was in the room, close enough he could hear them breathing.
If he were in any other country, he'd have broken necks first and asked questions later. But he was in Dani's apartment, and she lived alone. And the person who hovered nearby, breathing quick and loud, smelled like mint and green apples.
