Wicked Valentine(21)
The concern in his gaze made her breath catch.
“You are important to me. We are not taking chances. I’ve called on a friend, and he’s going to do some research and get back to me. In the meantime, we’ll make sure you’re always with someone.”
She smiled. “Yeah? Who’s going to take the daunting task of hanging around me day and night?”
He sighed. “I guess it will fall onto me. I’m known to be a masochist.”
She glared at him, and his laughter boomed inside the room.
She gasped. “So that’s how you want to play it, huh? Fine.” She slapped the empty spot on the bed right next to her. “Get your ass over here and snuggle with me.”
Before she had a chance to blink, he hopped over to the other side of the bed and curled his arms around her. She sighed and closed her eyes. Her heart melted for him all over again.
“Don’t worry, I got you sweetheart.” Those were the last words she heard before she fell asleep.
Chapter Nine
“Are you serious?” Alex asked over the phone line.
Nina laughed. “Yes. It was so cute. He was so embarrassed I had to reassure him that I’ve watched Star Trek too.”
Alex snorted. “Yeah. You watched it because you had a crush on Captain Kirk.”
“It doesn’t matter why I watched it.” She giggled. “The point is that it made him relax, and now we can watch it together.
“But he doesn’t look like a geek,” Alex complained. “That’s not cool for the poor guys that don’t look as hot as he does.”
She grinned. “Oh you should see some of the pictures his family showed me of him as a teen. He was all tall and scrawny.”
“Aw. Did you tell him about how ugly you were as a teen?”
“Hey!”
Alex laughed, and laughed. “I’m sorry. We both know you have never been ugly a day in your life. Even when you used to wear glasses before your laser surgery, you had that whole smart-sexy thing going,” Alex groaned. “It was annoying.”
“You do amazing things for my ego, you know?”
Alex snorted. “Yeah, OK. I’ll chat with you later. We’re going to buy furniture for the nursery.”
Nina grinned in delight. “Don’t forget we get to do our own shopping this weekend.”
“Like I’d ever forget shopping with you. Ok. Love you.”
“Love you too. Bye.” She stared at the phone for a moment before hanging up. She was really lucky she had Alex, or she’d be really lonely.
Later on, Nina stared at the appointment book in front of her, not really seeing the notes. Her mind wandered to the past few weeks. A smile tugged at her lips, and happiness took hold of her heart. She should’ve listened to her inner voice and given Max a chance long ago.
“Sabrina!”
At the sound of Eve’s harsh tone, Nina raised her head from the book, frowning. Eve looked ready to spit fire. Her face was flushed, and there was an angry purse to her lips. If she didn’t know better, Nina would swear Eve wanted to hit her.
“Is everything all right, Eve?”
“No, everything is not all right!” She stomped toward Nina’s desk and stopped in front of her, glaring.
“Well, what’s the problem?” She stood, no longer feeling comfortable with Eve looking down at her.
“It has come to my attention that you and Maxwell are seeing each other.” She said the words as if it were something dirty.
Nina’s blood heated, and her anger rose slowly. She knew things would come out at some point, but Eve’s reaction was uncalled for. She and Max had kept their professional relationship separate from their personal life. A personal life she loved and didn’t want Eve or anyone else messing up.
“We are.” It felt good to finally come out in the open and tell the world. She loved Max and wanted to spend her life with him.
“You stupid little girl,” Eve hissed. “Don’t you know you’re a nobody for someone like Max?”
Nina glanced past her glass wall to the cubicles outside her office where people stopped to look at them. Eve’s loud words were carrying outside. She stepped around her desk and stopped in front of a fuming Eve.
“Eve, I really don’t see how my relationship with Max is any of your business.”
Eve smiled. A cold, evil twist of her lips. “I’ve been catering to Maxwell for the past five years, little girl. If anyone is getting him, it’s going to be me.”
Was she for real? Nina’s gaze raked down Eve’s short-cropped raven bob, down her tight, red skirt suit, and ending at the tiger-print pumps. Eve was older than Nina, but she had the style of a woman on the hunt. What Nina never realized was that she was on the hunt for Max.