Packing Heat(129)
I laughed. “Don’t be gross.”
“Sorry.”
I pressed my head against his chest and felt his heart beating, his breath moving in and out of his lungs.
“Why did that happen?” I asked softly.
“There are a lot of crazy fucking people in the world.” He paused. “It won’t happen again.”
“How do you know?”
“It won’t,” he repeated more firmly.
I nodded. “Okay. I believe you.”
The horror of earlier was still lingering at the edges of my mind, but for some reason I felt so much better already. Just having him near me, touching my body, it made me feel right.
Ever since it had happened, he was the only thing I could think about. Not how horrible it was seeing him kill that man, or the fear I felt for my life and his, but how badly I wanted to touch Nash, to kiss him.
It wasn’t even to thank him for saving me. It was just pure need.
I snuggled closer to him, and he didn’t move. We just stayed there, silently breathing together, looking up at the ceiling, sweat drying in the cool air.
30
Nash
I woke up, not sure where I was or what time it was. For a few seconds the room was completely unfamiliar.
And then I realized I was lying naked in bed next to Selena. She was clearly still asleep too.
I checked the clock. It was after seven, and the sun had already set outside. The insanity of the day came back to me slowly.
I could see that bastard’s face as he held the gun to Selena’s head. I could see him as I pulled the trigger, the surprise in his eyes.
I rolled over onto my back and looked at her. She stirred but didn’t wake, her breathing deep and even. The sex came wafting back into my memory, her body, the way she came. My cock was already getting hard again at the thought of her so close, her body bare.
I didn’t know what was happening to me. I’d never felt this way about someone before, never would have risked what I had earlier for someone. In the moment, all I had been able think about was keeping her safe.
And in some ways, that fucking terrified me.
There was a light knock at the door. Selena took a sharp breath, and I put a hand on her back. “It’s okay,” I said softly.
“Who is it?” she asked.
“Not sure.”
“What time is it?”
“Around seven.”
“Oh. We slept for a few hours.”
“Yeah,” I said, getting out of bed. I slipped my pants and shirt back on. “Go back to sleep. I’ll deal with it.”
“Okay,” she mumbled, rolling over.
I walked over to the door and looked out the peephole. Livy stared back at me, impatient.
I opened the door and stepped out, shutting it behind me. “What’s up, Liv?”
“You guys okay?”
“Yeah. We’re fine. Selena is sleeping.”
She nodded. “Good. Detectives want to talk to you guys some more tomorrow, but they managed to identify the guy.”
“Who was he?”
“His name was Sam Bish. Apparently he’s been in and out of mental institutions for a long time, though he was supposed to be medicated.”
“Guess he stopped taking the pills.”
She nodded. “Guess so.” She paused, frowning. “You okay?”
“Not the first guy I’ve killed, Liv.”
“I know that, but it’s different when you’re not at war.”
“It wasn’t different,” I said. “It was just part of the job.”
She sighed, looking down the hall. “Yeah, well, I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Is that your way of saying you care?”
“Don’t push it, Nash.” She looked back at me and smiled. “I have other news, actually.”
“What’s that?”
“Your movie. It got the green light. Filming begins in a month.”
I raised an eyebrow, surprised. “Seriously?”
“Seriously. Congratulations, Nash. You’re about to make a lot of money.”
I laughed, shaking my head. “It’s happening so suddenly.”
“That’s how it works.” She looked down at her phone, frowned, and looked back at me. “So, they want you to be a consultant.”
“What’s that mean?”
She shrugged. “You’ll probably sit around and tell them if something looks stupid. And they’ll probably ignore you, but you’ll get a nice fat paycheck on top of what you’ll already make.”
“Can’t really say no then, can I?”
“The publisher wants you to go,” she said slowly.
I nodded. “Okay. That’s settled then. I have my marching orders.”
“Don’t be annoyed, Nash.”