How embarrassing that he’d seen her like that. It probably wasn’t normal to still be such a freak about fire. But he’d been so patient and sweet, holding her tightly all night, making her feel safe.
There it was again, that sweet side he hid so well.
Nick murmured, “Thanks for staying.” His long fingers, still gliding smoothly up and down her back, had just found the side of her bare breast when the sound of pots and pans rattling in the kitchen stopped his movement.
“Someone’s in your kitchen? Does Beth have a key?” Awkward. Especially because Beth was her client now.
Nick’s fingers started up their pattern against her sensitive skin again and it sent a shiver down her spine. “Only my mom has a key.”
“Your mom? Do you think she saw us?” She threw back the blanket, hopped off of Nick, and moved to the loveseat.
“I’m sure she did. We’d be hard to miss from the front door. Who cares?”
“I’ll bet she couldn’t miss your grocery list either.”
His head whipped toward hers. “I thought you were kidding about that. Dammit, Shelby!”
Before she could escape, his mom walked into the living room. “Good morning, you two.” She laid a kiss on Nick’s forehead and winced. “That’s some fever, sweetheart.”
Nick grunted.
“Morning, Mrs. Caldwell. This looks bad, but it isn’t what you think.”
Before his mom could respond, Nick said, “Shelby’s like Buddy.”
“Well, that makes sense.”
Not to Shelby. “Who’s Buddy?”
Nick’s mom smiled sweetly. “Nick had a golden retriever named Buddy when he was a kid. Buddy always seemed to know when someone in the family was sad or not feeling well, and he’d crawl up next to one of us and cuddle until we felt better.” She stared into Nick’s eyes for a moment before she turned and stared into Shelby’s. “Nick really loved that dog, Shelby.”
Shelby’s stomach took a dive at the implication in his mother’s voice. “Ah . . . okay. Well, I should get going.” She stood and hitched her pants up. “So, it’s time for his medicine again, and don’t trust anything in his fridge except the soup and the éclairs. I left some cookies for him on the counter.” She held on to her pants with both hands and started for the stairs. “Oh, and don’t try to clean his fridge out—even though it’s a biohazard—because he wants to do that himself. He’d never dream of asking his mother to do it.”
“I’m sitting right here, Shelby!” Nick growled.
She shot him a grin before she zipped up the stairs.
***
Nick glanced at his mom. “You saw her car out front and still used your key instead of ringing the doorbell?”
His mom chuckled. “I didn’t know the car belonged to Shelby. And it’s parked in the street, not your driveway. But never in my wildest did I think I’d find you and Shelby cuddled up on the couch.”
“We’re just friends.” He ran a hand down his face, digging deep for patience.
“That’s probably why you need those condoms on your grocery list so badly.” His mother sat beside him. “It’s written in bold letters.”
He’d kill Shelby for making him have a discussion about condoms with his mother. “Shelby did that to annoy me. In case you haven’t noticed, it’s her mission in life.”
“Mmmm.” She nodded slowly. “Yes, it’s always best to snuggle with the ones who annoy us the most. But it was nice of her to stay and help. Are you hungry?”
He ignored her sarcasm. “A little. Shelby brought Popsicles. Maybe I’ll have one of those.”
“She brought you Popsicles?” His mother’s eyes sparked with delight. Not a good sign. Before his mom could continue her torment, Shelby joined them again.
“Okay, he’s all yours, Mrs. Caldwell. I’ll wish you luck. He’s the crankiest sick person I’ve ever met. But I’m sure you already knew that, knowing him his whole life and all.”
His mother laughed, the traitor. “He was probably on his best behavior for you, Shelby.”
“I hope for your sake that’s not true.” Shelby moved in front of him and laid her cool hands on the sides of his face, lifting it up. Then her lips tilted into one of those cute smiles he’d seen her beam at kids. “But in his weakened state, a few moments of sweetness managed to escape. Feel better, Grump.” She planted a noisy kiss on his forehead he wished had been on his mouth, then she turned to his mom. “Bye, Mrs. Caldwell.”
“Bye, honey.”