Dead and Disorderly (Behind the Blue Line Series Book 2) (28 page)

“So what about Aurelio?” He cast a wary eye toward the house, knowing the garage lurked just around the back.

Nahia slumped into the front seat, the exhaustion practically clinging to every limb. As soon as he joined her in the car and started it, she looked at him with a secretive little grin and said, “We’ll find out when we get home.”

Nigel’s car was gone by the time they pulled up to the apartment, and she felt grateful and guilty at the same time. He needed someone to talk to, and she’d be there for him tomorrow after they hung out with Nonna, but she’d exceeded her drama quotient for the month and really could not cope with taking his on tonight as well.

Plus she wanted to be alone with Nico tonight. More than just letting off steam from the earlier paranormal shenanigans, she was sure he had a million and one questions, and she only had about thirty or forty answers. And they still had to talk about what had happened between them, before everything went all
Hellraiser
.

She opened the door to her apartment tentatively, looking around for signs of any change. Just because Aurelio evaporated in her car didn’t mean he wasn’t still protecting his property. She had no illusions to that effect, and would have expected nothing less. The box of letters was where they had been left, the salt undisturbed, which gave her more conflicting emotions. Part of her wanted to know he was okay, that he had gone to the light, but part of her didn’t want him roaming around her apartment without a chaperone. She hadn’t allowed anyone that luxury, living or dead, until Nico, and had no plans to lift the embargo on the deceased.

While she dropped her backpack by the kitchen table, Nico immediately went into her bathroom and came back with antibiotic ointment, more bandages, and a fine toothed comb. He pressed the comb into her hands as he cleaned and bandaged her burns. She focused her concentration on working the wax out of her hair to keep from wincing in pain. The bottom of her braid beyond the rubber band was a total loss, but she’d deal with that later. Once he was done, she shooed him into the living room and walked into the kitchen to rummage through the fridge for a couple bottles of water.

“I feel like I’ve been awake for a month and bathing in turkey stuffing for the last week of it.” Nico sighed and dropped onto her couch.

She snickered, but didn’t disagree, and the itchy new bandages on her back were a testament to it. “Yeah, I’m with you.”

At her words, he sat up a little on the couch. The intensity of his gaze was like a caress against her skin. “Hey.” She turned to look at him fully, and he inclined his head toward the spot next to him on the couch.

Nahia toed off her shoes and approached the couch, taking his hand in hers as he reached out for her when she was close enough. Nico pulled her down next to him, snug up against his side with his arm wrapped possessively around her back and down her side, careful to avoid her wounds. She let her head fall to his chest, just below his chin, and well within kissing range. Her arm wrapped around his waist, they lay there like that for awhile, content in the peace that was them together.

The feeling of being able to take over the world was slowly returning to her, but just listening to the strong steady rhythm of his heart made her feel more relaxed than she had in several days. “Tonight was a lot to ask of you. I’m sorry.”

Nico snorted. “Me? Hell, I’m not the one who had to slice open their hand to get a spirit’s attention.” He pressed a kiss to her widow’s peak and sighed. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

She shrugged in acknowledgment. “It got a little ugly there for a bit, what with the broken protection circles and flying altar pieces and whatnot.” Her fingers trailed over the buttons on the front of his shirt in a half-assed slalom down and back. Mindless repetitive motion that helped to calm her further.

He started chortling as soon as she mentioned the flying altar pieces, descending into a quiet chuckle the rumbled through both of them. “It was definitely ugly, and I’m really surprised I didn’t piss myself, quite honestly.”

She shrugged as much as her position lying halfway on his chest would allow. “Wouldn’t have blamed you if you did.”

Another laugh, another quick kiss, his easy affection with her always made her melt just a little. “Appreciate it.” With his free hand, he began to play with her braid, holding up the charred end for cursory examination.

Nahia buried her face in his shoulder. “I was terrified.” It was hard to admit she’d wanted to quit right there, but she knew that Nico wouldn’t judge her for it.

He smoothed his hand down her side and linked their fingers together. “You weren’t alone in that. But you stood your ground. I was so damn proud of you. So confident, even in the face of something like that. It was amazing.
You
were amazing.”

She turned her head to find him gazing down at her with such tenderness and affection. “You’re different, you know?”

He raised an eyebrow.

“I mean that in the best possible way. You just... nothing ever gets to you, does it?”

He chuckled quietly and held her tighter. “
You
sure as hell did.”

“Completely by accident, I assure you.” She paused as she thought about it some more, finally settling on, “I blame Nigel.”

Nico snorted. “I do, too. Might have to buy him a beer.”

“Dominic!” she chided sharply, barely avoiding thumping him on the chest. “Don’t encourage him.”

Her irritation only served to amuse him more, but he kept his thoughts to himself, most likely out of a strong sense of self preservation. She could tell when his thoughts became more serious as the grin fell away by degrees and his eyes darkened. “You’re different, too. You walked into my life and everything changed, and under normal circumstances I wouldn’t be happy about it. I wasn’t looking for anyone in my life, and I certainly wasn’t expecting you, but now that you’re here…” he sighed deeply and cast his eyes heavenward for a moment like he was building up to something huge, “I have a hard time imagining my life without you.”

Her hand that had been over his heart moved to his hair as she moved up his body for a kiss. His arms tightened around her as soon as her lips touched his, sprawling her out on top of him. The connection was electric, the feel of his warm body beneath hers, his taste on her tongue, his fingers playing in her hair.

Bracing herself on the cushion beneath him, she rose up just enough to start work on the buttons of his shirt, teasing him with each button between succulent kisses. She moved to her knees with one foot braced on the floor, rising up entirely to straddle him as she made her way down to his belt. The bite of his fingers digging into her hips as she tugged at the leather strap made her grin.

His shirt came free of his pants, and Nahia took great pleasure in peeling it back to reveal his delectably sculpted torso encased in the shrink-wrapped white cotton of his undershirt. She traced a line from the notch at the base of his neck down to the waistband of his pants, feeling him squirm beneath her.

“Something I can help you with, Nico?” she asked with wickedness coloring her every word.

He licked his lips as he pulled her down to grind against the part of him that was profoundly happy to see her, replying lightly, “I can think of at least ten things off the top of my head.”

She pouted for effect, leaning down to brush her lips across his teasingly. “Really? Any of them you care to share?”

He wasted no time wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her down flush against him. His teeth closed gently around her earlobe and tugged. “You want them alphabetically, or in order of desire?” he rasped as his hands dragged up the back of her tank top and tossed it in the general direction of her bedroom.

The twinkle in his eye as he said it was irresistible, and a quick whimper of amusement escaped as she buried her face in his neck. “Ooh, choices.” Nibbling up his neck and across his jaw, she asked, “May I offer a suggestion of my own?”

His hands on her back slid unerringly to the clasp of her bra. With an edge of desperation in his voice, he replied, “Only if it gets you naked faster.”

She raised her head as the straps of her bra slid down her shoulders. “How are you feeling about the shower? Naked enough for you?”

Nico stilled at the question and looked at her skeptically. “Thanksgiving dinner?”

She nodded sheepishly as she clamped down on her urge to giggle. “Yeah.”

He dropped his head back onto the couch cushion and laughed, which  set her off, both of them cracking up until she lost her balance and was no longer astride him on her way to a boneless giggling heap on the floor. Nico was the first to recover his composure, and he rose from the couch, stepping over her now silently giggling form.

Helping her to her feet, he left his arms around her as she got her bearings. “Race you to the showers?”

From where she stood, she saw something she had to attend to on the kitchen table just beyond her boyfriend. “I’ll meet you there. I’m just gonna lock up out here, okay?”

The way Nico kissed her then, tender and teasing yet possessive as he cupped her cheek, his tongue tangling with hers only long enough to make it clear she shouldn’t tarry, warmed her to the soles of her feet. Hooking her bra straps around his wrist, she shooed him off toward the bedroom, while she went to the front door.

Listening for the water to start, she grabbed her tank top from the floor and slipped it over her head. She then killed the light in the kitchen and knelt down next to the table to get into her backpack. The hiss of the showerhead made her smile as she set a white pillar candle they’d used in the ritual on the kitchen table in its shiny marble holder. Muttering a quick entreaty to whatever gods were working on the late shift, she stood and attended to the last thing on her to-do list for the night: took the box from inside its salt barrier and set it next to the candle.

“I don’t know if you’re here, but you’re free now. I took care of him and you’re no longer bound, if you choose not to be.” And she really hoped he’d choose not to be, because the idea of having a ghost in her apartment was weird, and that was coming from someone who normally enjoyed going through haunted houses. “I just wanted you to know, the light’s here if you wanna go. Bless you, Aurelio, and safe travels.” A shadow moved out of the corner of her eye, a human form independent of the dancing flame on the wick and she nodded in acknowledgement.

“You comin’, Nye?” Nico stood in the doorway of the bedroom, backlit by the steamy orange glow of the light coming from her partially closed bathroom door and wearing nothing but a towel and a smile.

Though his question was posed innocently enough, she got the impression she soon would be doing just that. With a deliciously evil grin, she simply strolled past him into the room, dropping clothes as she went. “On my way.”

Nico sighed as he dragged the covers up over their cooling bodies. It took some doing since he didn’t want to dislodge Nahia from her comfy spot nestled on his shoulder. As it was, she murmured wordlessly and cuddled closer to him within the protective circle of his arms.

They were both drifting in and out of slumber due to a potent combination of post-coital torpor and release from the unrelenting stress that had plagued them for the better part of a week. It was a quiet moment they both had more than earned.

This woman, this kind, gentle, distinctly crazy, absurdly beautiful woman, and she was his. He was still kind of shellshocked at the very idea. He’d been happy in his bachelorhood, and hadn’t given a moment’s thought to anything more permanent than a two night stand, three nights if she were truly spectacular. Yet this woman, with her turquoise streaked hair, who had her long legs wrapped around him as she dozed, was welcome to stay as long as she’d have him. Longer if he could convince her otherwise.