“Oh, I don’t want to take up your time with him—”
“He’s been asking about you…he saw you passing the door yesterday and noticed you kept looking in.”
It did not take long for the couple to reach Bernie’s room, Nick pleased to see him sitting up in bed, his color still pale but less white than the previous days. Bernie’s eyes landed on Bayley and he smiled.
“Well, I see my nephew has decided that I’m not too old of a coot to be introduced to his pretty girl.”
Laughing, Bayley unlinked fingers with Nick and walked to Bernie’s bedside, leaning over to kiss his cheek. “It’s so nice to meet you, Mr. Stone. I’m Bayley.”
“Bah, with that Mr. Stone stuff. Call me Bernie…or Uncle Bernie, if you’re so inclined.”
Cutting her eyes over to Nick, who had moved beside her, she said, “All right, Bernie it is.”
“I brought you some clothes, Uncle Bernie,” Nick said as he opened the bag. “When do you think they’ll let you put them on?”
“Hell, right now, if they know what’s good for them. I’m tired of my wanker being out for anyone to see!”
“Bernie!” Nick scolded, his lips curving as he observed Bayley’s giggling.
Bernie shot a look toward Bayley. “Miss Bayley, I do apologize for my crudeness…I seem to have forgotten my manners since being here.”
“It’s perfectly fine,” she smiled. “I’ll step outside and let Nick assist you with whatever clothes they’ll let you put on.”
Just then the nurse entered the room, eying the sweatpants in Bernie’s hands. “Oh, no, Mr. Stone. No pants for you until you are ready to be discharged and that won’t be for a few days.”
Bernie aimed a narrow-eyed look at her, muttering under his breath. “Shoulda known, you’d be wanting to peek at my—”
“Bernie!” Nick interrupted again, glaring at both his uncle and Bayley, whose giggles rang out once more.
Kissing Bernie’s cheek again, she patted Nick’s arm. “I’ll go back to the waiting area while you and Bernie talk a bit.”
Nick watched her delectable ass as it moved away from him before turning back to his uncle, seeing his eyes on Bayley’s backside as well. Shaking his head, he decided not to chastise Bernie, sitting down near his bed instead. Nick felt like a bug under a glass as Bernie faced him, his intelligent eyes pinning him to his chair.
“So, talk to me, boy. What have you decided?”
“Decided?”
Nodding, he said, “Uh huh. You know what I mean. That morose expression that’s been on your face is gone. I take it good things are happenin’ with that pretty Bayley?”
Grinning, Nick met his uncle’s blue-eyed gaze. “Yeah, good things are happening.” As his smile dropped slightly, he added, “But I’ve got to decide about work.”
“You thinking about leaving the Bureau?”
Nick searched Bernie’s face for signs of disapproval, but found only curiosity. “We’ll see. I never thought I’d leave. Never thought I’d feel like I needed to. But, I’ve been offered a lucrative positon with a private investigative firm. I’ve coordinated with them for a year and have to admit I’m impressed. They get assignments that are right up my alley and aren’t…uh…limited by political posturing. And the opportunity to work with a team that I respect. I think I’d like to do something different...more challenging.”
“Boy, it sounds like you already have your answer,” Bernie pronounced. “Just listening to you and the look on your face…sounds like a good deal.”
Shrugging, Nick said, “We’ll see. A lot will depend on how things go when I get back.” Holding Bernie’s gaze, he added, “And speaking of that, I thought I’d head home tomorrow and then come back when you’re out of rehab and make sure you’re good in your apartment.”
“Nope, you and Bayley head on back to Virginia as soon as you can. I’m good here…sure as hell don’t need no coddling. Lord knows, Vera’ll do enough of that when I get back to my apartment.”
Nick nodded slowly, smiling at the thought of his uncle finally succumbing to the ministrations of a good woman. “I’ll say goodbye now and then plan on coming in tomorrow morning before we leave. The hospital is on the way out of town anyway.”
With heartfelt goodbyes, Nick wrapped his arms gently around Bernie’s body, offering what he hoped was his thanks as well as his love. As he pulled back, he noted the tears that had gathered in the older man’s eyes, then realized they were in his as well.
Bayley sat quietly, watching Nick’s chest rise and fall. She had insisted he lie down after they ate, knowing he needed rest. His lashes were thick against his cheeks, which now held a slight scruff, giving him a dangerously debonair look. His lips were full and, now that she knew how they felt, she longed to taste them again. Wearing only a white t-shirt after shucking his button-up, his muscles were showcased to perfection.
Tiptoeing out of the room, she headed down to the lobby after deciding to buy some snacks for tomorrow’s road trip back to Virginia. Stepping out of the elevator, wearing black yoga pants and an old t-shirt, she observed the crowd. Mr. and Mrs. Claus were going to make an appearance in the lobby and the children crowded near the large tree, hoping to have their picture taken. Slipping through the closest doors, she came face to face with Mr. and Mrs. Claus preparing for the afternoon’s activities.
Grinning, she greeted, “Hello!”
Santa chuckled as he winked at Bayley. “How lovely to see you again.” Nodding toward Mrs. Claus, he said, “We have something for you. Just for you.” Mrs. Claus reached her hand into the large bag of presents and pulled out a small box. Stepping up, she smiled, her rosy cheeks shining.
“We thought you would like this,” she said, handing it to Bayley.
Taking the red box, wrapped with a silver bow, Bayley smiled. “Oh, my goodness, thank you.”
Patting her hand as they prepared to step into the lobby, Santa turned back to Bayley and whispered, “My dear, I think you should go out the door to the side. Avoid the main lobby and I will do what I can to help.”
“Wha—what? I don’t understand,” she protested, but the iconic pair stepped into the lobby to the loud cheers of the children.
Standing for a moment, she looked down at the box in her hand, unwrapping the bow. Opening the gift, she stared in dumb silence as a beautiful silver chain and pendant was revealed. A Saint Nicholas. So much like the one Nick wore. Clutching it in her hand, she held it to her heart before slipping it over her neck.
Turning, she walked to the side door and slipped into the back of the lobby, avoiding the crowd. Walking briskly, with her back toward the gathering around one of the trees, her spidey senses engaged, sending alarm tingles down her spine. Sliding discreetly behind one of the large, snowman decorations, she peeked around the edge of the top hat, spying across the lobby. Carefully moving her gaze slowly from one side to the other, her eyes landed on a man standing near the entrance door leading to the Holiday Garden, leaning casually against a pillar. Shit! Recognizing the man who had accosted her, she jerked back behind the snowman.
Heart pounding, she stood in indecision for a moment. Ever so slowly, she squatted before peeking back around the snowman’s midsection. At this angle, she could observe him without him seeing her. She noted he was also shifting his view around as though searching. Good, he hasn’t seen me yet!
Putting her hand in her pocket only to discover she did not have her cell phone, she wasted another moment in indecision. Just then, Mr. and Mrs. Claus called for the children to head out to the Holiday Garden for more games. As the mass of people rushed toward the doors, Bayley looked over the snowman’s shoulder to see the man’s attention diverted as he attempted to move away from the crush of children. Taking her opportunity, she headed to the stair doorway. Glancing back, her gaze caught Santa’s—and with a nod, he winked.
18
Nick jerked awake as Bayley bounded into the hotel room.
“Get up, get up! I just
saw him in the lobby. I don’t know how he knew we were here, but I saw him!”
On his feet in an instant, Nick’s heart pounded as his groggy mind tried to decode Bayley’s words while she rushed around the room, throwing items into her bag.
“Your bag’s already packed, so that’s good. You just gotta grab your toiletries. Or leave them. Yeah, you can get others. You probably have stuff at your house.” She grabbed the pile of her clothes lying next to the bed and shoved them haphazardly into her suitcase. “I gotta get my hair stuff. It’s kind of expensive, but it’ll only take a second.” Stopping, she looked up at him, saying, “Nick? Are you listening? Get a move on!”
Stalking over, now fully awake, he stilled her flurry of movements with his hands on her shoulders. “Bayley. Slow down. Who did you see?”
“The man. The man who accosted me. The one you said was some super-duper Russian bad guy. He’s down in the lobby!”
“Johan? Johan Serkov?”
Shoving him to the side, she ran into the bathroom as she shouted, “I don’t know! I don’t know his name. All I know is that he’s down in the lobby right now and I don’t think he’s there to visit Santa!” Rushing back into the room with her arms full of cosmetic bags and hair-care products, she added, “But would you believe that Santa must have known what was going on because he helped me escape back up here?”
Blinking at her nonsensical ramblings mixed in with the facts, Nick halted her again. Holding her face in his hands, he said, “Bayley, you’ve gotta focus. Please, focus.”
She pursed her lips, but nodded obediently.
“Tell me exactly what happened and what you saw.”
“Fine,” she agreed, and related her observations from the lobby. Finishing, she peered into his eyes, asking, “Are we okay? Don’t we need to get out of here? Like now?”
Stepping back, he said, “Keep packing.” Pulling out his phone, he dialed. “Harlan? Bayley just saw Johan Serkov in the lobby. Get the security tapes from downstairs and see if you can identify him. Yeah…yeah. We’re packing now and will be out of here in about five more minutes. I’m not going to do anything here but get Bayley out. I’d rather he not know that we’re on to him. We’re going out the back and won’t check out. We’ve got a reservation for two more nights, so it’ll look like we’re still here.”
“How the fuck did he find you there?” Harlan asked.
“Got no idea,” Nick replied, scruffing his hair with his hand. “I’ve used no personal accounts but—” he halted. “Fuckin’ hell, Bayley made the reservations.”
She stood, eyes wide and whispered, “I used my Expedia account even though you paid for it with your card.”
“Damnit!” Nick cursed. “Okay, Harlan, call the Knoxville FBI office and get someone here immediately. I’ll call you from the road. We’re outta here now.”
“Nick, I’m so sorry,” Bayley cried, her hands clutching his forearms. “Are we in danger?”
“Baby, I’ve got you and this is not your fault,” he assured, sliding his hand down so that his fingers could clasp with hers. Bending down to capture her eyes, he repeated, “This is not your fault. I never thought about it. Paying with various cards is a habit with me, but I never thought about the reservations. That’s on me.” He eyed the bag on the bed. “You done?”
“Yeah,” she said, her head bobbing, fear clutching at her now that her movements had stilled, allowing her mind to focus on Johan’s presence.
“Make sure you’ve got everything and, for God’s sake, go to the bathroom. Once we leave here, we’ll slip down the back stairs and make our way to my vehicle. I want to get back to Virginia, where I can guarantee your safety. Harlan will notify the local FBI office, so they can investigate.”
The two worked in tangent for another minute, making sure to gather all their belongings and then Bayley ran into the bathroom. Emerging a moment later, she nodded. “I’m good.”
Looking at her blue eyes, no longer wide with fright but bright with adrenaline, he stalked over, lifting his hand to the back of her neck. Pulling her in, he latched onto her lips, kissing with the initial intention of offering comfort but, as her tongue tangled with his, it zoomed into pure, white-hot need.
Discipline was the only reason he pulled back, his breath raspy as he observed her stormy-blue eyes piercing his. She licked her lips as her chest heaved. “Now, I’m good,” she wheezed.
Smiling as he gave her neck a slight squeeze, he replied, “Yeah, you are, babe.”
Fifteen minutes later, they pulled out of the back of the parking lot, leaving the Christmastown Inn behind.
Seven hours later, Nick pulled into his apartment’s secure garage. He had sped the entire trip and, even with the three pit stops Bayley needed, they made good time. Glancing to the side, he observed her face, relaxed in sleep. Leaning over, he ran his finger over her petal-soft cheek, watching as her eyes fluttered open.
“Hey. We’re home.”
Blinking a few times as she regained her wits, Bayley looked at the man whose face was so close to hers. Licking her lips, she hoped he would kiss her. Moving forward slowly, giving him every indication of her intention, she licked his bottom lip before angling her head to latch onto his firm mouth. He immediately plunged his tongue as they let the nerves of the day morph into desire, now that they were safe. After a moment, they leaned back simultaneously, smiles playing about their lips.
“Let’s go in, Bayley. I need to talk to my people and I also need to check in with Jack. I know you want to talk to Blaise as well, but let me fill him in first, okay?”
She nodded, having no difficulty letting him handle this situation. “While you do that, I’ll check in with Daphne.”
Once in his apartment, Bayley hesitated at the door, wondering if he expected her to stay. Where should I put my things?
As he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket to call Harlan, he turned, seeing the doubt on her face. “Put your things in my bedroom…that is, if you’re okay with that.”
Grinning, she nodded. “Absolutely.” As he connected with his fellow agent, she moved down the hall, stepping inside his room. It was larger than the guest room, a king-sized bed against the back wall, flanked with two walnut nightstands. A tall, walnut dresser was against another wall, next to a door leading into the bathroom. His bed was made, covered in a dark grey comforter. A chair in the corner was empty—of adornment and of clothes. Stepping into the master bathroom, her gaze swept the clean counters. Biting her lip, she wondered how she would ever be able to stay in his room without leaving a mess. Walking back to the bathroom in the hall, she set her toiletries inside the cabinet before moving into the guest room and placing her bag on the bed.
Back in his bedroom, she pulled out her phone, dialing Daphne as she sat in the comfortable chair.
“Girl, how are you?” Daphne greeted.
“We’re fine, but how’s everything here?”
“The shop is fine. You know I would have told you if anything was wrong. The coffee’s hot, the customers are buying, and the writers are in their cubicles creating. Don’t worry about us.”
“Good. I can’t thank you enough. I’m heading to my place tomorrow, so that will take some of the work off you at the store.”
“Ooohh, spending the night with Mr. TDMB?”
“I hadn’t thought of him with that name in a couple of days,” Bayley commented, thinking of how their relationship had changed with the trip. Now he was just…my Nick.
“And how do you think of him?”
Blushing and glad her friend could not see her, she replied, “Just a really super nice, smart, caring man.”
Daphne was silent for only a second before she gushed, “Oh, Bayley, that’s so sweet.”
“How are things with you and your man?”
“Uh…okay, I guess,” Daphne replied. “I mean, he keeps coming around, but I’m not sure he’s as into me as I thought.”
Sensing her friend wanted a change of subject, Bay
ley said, “I’ll be into the shop tomorrow afternoon so, can you open for me again? That’ll give me a chance to talk to my brother and have time to check in with the writers when I get there.”
With Daphne’s assurance that she would not mind, Bayley disconnected, staring out the window at the sunset. The sound of an angry voice met her ears and she hurried to the doorway, hesitating as she stepped into the hall. Uncertain if she should be listening, curiosity won out and she moved toward the kitchen.
Nick was standing in his living room, his back to her as he stared out the window, his voice raised in frustration.
“The bigger risk was her staying here without me or the Saints able to provide the security we needed. No. No. What the hell, Harlan? I know this isn’t coming from you. It’s coming from Richard, and I’ll be damned if I let him trash my record just because I didn’t ask him first on this.”
Bayley stepped back, pressing against the wall, her heart pounding as her stomach clenched in nerves. He’s in trouble…because of me. His voice continued in anger before she heard the phone landing on the coffee table. Licking her dry lips, she stepped around the corner, her eyes searching for him. He stood, still facing the window, his hands on his hips. She caught the instant his eyes found hers in the reflection.
She opened her mouth, but no words came as she continued to stare, the air crackling about the room. He turned slowly, his gaze now directly on her.
“Come here,” he growled, and the sound of his voice shot straight to her core.
Her feet moved of their own accord as she hurried to stand directly in front of him. Neither touched for a moment, until he swooped down, encircling her waist, hauling her up against his chest.
She grabbed his cheeks in her hands pulling him in close without kissing him. “What’s going on?” she whispered against his lips.
Shaking his head, he said, “I don’t want to talk right now.”
Celebrating Love: Saints Protection & Investigations Page 15
