Dead and Disorderly (Behind the Blue Line Series Book 2) (9 page)

Nahia opened her eyes to the sunbeams that were beating on them from the window across the room. In their haste last night, she’d foregone the blinds, but really, that wasn’t a big deal. She shifted in the bed, feeling the heavy arm of her bedmate slung possessively across her stomach and his breath on her neck. She closed her eyes as her mind gave her an impromptu recap of how they’d gotten there, and her lips smiled of their own accord.

She rubbed her eyes and stretched as much as she could without rousing Nico, a hand going to her hair to check the damage. “Oh damn,” she breathed, as her hair attempted to take her fingers hostage. That would need to be dealt with before he got up, because she was not going to deal with the potentially awkward morning after with untamed hair. Some things just weren’t done.

The only downside to having amazing sex, so far as she could tell, was positively hellacious bedhead. With as much stealth as she could muster under the circumstances, she oozed from under his arm and made a mad dash for the bathroom and her hair brush.

When she returned to the room with freshly tamed hair, Nico had stretched out in the bed, arms wide open, almost stretching from side to side. She leaned against the doorjamb, taking in the sexy lines of his back and shoulders, his peaceful expression, the way the mint-colored sheet only managed to cover one leg and his hips. He was the picture of blissful repose. At least he was until she noticed the one dark eye watching her watch him.

“Hey,” he said in a sleep-roughened whisper that shot straight through her.

“Morning.” It was his heated gaze when he looked her up and down which made her realize she was still not dressed. The heat of the blush spreading over her skin was noticeable, warmer than the sunlight she was bathed in, but not enough to make her put on clothes. “You have somewhere to be this morning?” It was the weekend, and she hoped not, but she knew a cop’s schedule was not a regular people one.

He slowly lifted himself up on one forearm, running his hand through his preternaturally unmussed hair, before scrubbing it down his face. “No, can’t say as I do. You tossing me out?”

The fact that he looked ready to pout drew her to him with an affectionate grin. She perched on the edge of the bed and indulged herself in the urge to touch him, soaking in the warmth of his skin as she ran her hand up and down his arm. “I just wanted to know how much coffee to make.”

She squealed as the arm she’d been petting snaked out to capture her around the waist and Nico pulled her to him, nuzzling her hair and pressing kisses to her neck that left her breathless. “I think,” he began as he rolled her beneath him, pressing against her intimately, “we need to have that conversation in another hour or so. What about you?”

He didn’t let her answer as his mouth blazed a trail that started at her earlobe and made stops at her collarbone and her nipples. Her fingers dug into his shoulder to hold on against the battering waves of sensation brought on by his mouth and now wandering hands. Yeah, she was sure coffee could wait, too.

Waking up in strange beds wasn’t a new thing for Nico. He’d been in more than a few, something he chalked up to good genes, upbringing, and the knowledge he’d received from a roommate in college. Namely, women generally prefer their own beds. He could definitely see why, as he looked around the expanse of bed in which he currently reclined. Nahia took her repose seriously, at least if the number of pillows, throw pillows, and the luxuriantly fluffy mattress pad were any indication. Nero would have been pleased with the level of decadence.

The bedmate in question stretched languorously and purred before burying her face in his shoulder. “I really don’t want to get out of bed,” she said into the skin of his shoulder.

He grinned and pressed a kiss to the side of her head as he tightened his arms around her. “So don’t go,” he whispered. It took a little maneuvering, but he soon had Nahia sprawled out on top of him.

Her chin was on his chest and her dark eyes were laughing at him. “But I need coffee, and this,” she wiggled a bit, waking up the parts of him that had been exhausted just a few minutes ago, “is not getting that done.”

Nico pouted, causing her to wiggle more as she moved up to nibble on his pooched out lip. He indulged in the sweet taste of her lips for a moment before relenting with a sigh. “Okay, you win. Or rather, coffee wins.”

She wrinkled her nose when she laughed and stuck her tongue out at him. Then she rolled off and headed into the bathroom. Emerging a moment later tying a white silk bathrobe that was as soft to the touch as it was brief, she paused long enough to stand on tiptoes and brush a teasing kiss across his chin. “All yours, sexy.”

He took a playful swat at her butt as she practically pranced into the living room, and man, did he like watching her walk away. As long as it wasn’t too far. He ducked into the bathroom for a moment, his surroundings making him feel suddenly like a refugee from the Land of Y Chromosomes. He couldn’t put his finger on what unnerved him. It was a sedate turquoise on the walls with black and silver accents with a bathtub that could host Olympic events, but the room just screamed, ‘Feminine!’ He was quick about his morning routine, stopping in her bedroom to grab his boxers from the floor.

Nahia’s room was much larger than he’d realized, but then, he’d not really been focused on square footage the night prior. The wall with windows was exposed brick, at an angle that made the room look like an isosceles triangle with the wide part holding her bed and dresser, and the narrow parts lined with low bookshelves and an overstuffed chaise lounge that matched the room’s light green and dark brown motif.

A pair of dark wood French doors led to the rest of the apartment, and he had a clear view of her on a stepstool, on her tiptoes, one leg in the air behind her as she reached deep onto a shelf much too high for her, trying to grab a coffee mug. As silently as he could, he crept from her room into the surprisingly well-appointed kitchen and put a hand on her waist as he easily reached the shelf she wanted, placing the mug in her outstretched hand.

Her cheeks flamed with a blush and she smiled shyly as she put the mug over by the coffeemaker. “Thanks.” She hoisted herself up onto the counter, her legs crossed at the ankle and the robe just barely keeping her decent.

Nico regarded her closely, immediately noticing the blush that started at her chest didn’t fade as it spread over her, and she wasn’t making eye contact. It suddenly clicked with him, and she wasn’t the only one blushing. “You don’t bring people home.”

Nahia’s eyes widened as they snapped from their casual study of the single cup coffeemaker’s top to him. “Umm.” She raked her teeth over her top lip, finally dropping her gaze to her hands. “No. I don’t.”

He felt flattered, ridiculously so, and the possessive feelings he’d tried to keep at bay where she was concerned grew unabated. “Well, I appreciate your hospitality.”

She smiled shyly and hopped off the counter when the coffeemaker dinged. Their morning continued with very little more conversation as she finished their coffee and made them a couple bowls of cereal. It was kind of like the morning after a sleepover only with fewer clothes. He wasn’t complaining.

“So do you work today?” He sipped his coffee and discovered another reason to find her amazing. A woman who made a damn fine cup of coffee was a keeper, all day long.

Nahia shook her head with a mouthful of cereal, chewing quickly to answer him. “Kind of. I mean, I can call Mags and she’ll mind the store for me if I ask her to, but normally I just work.”

Nico blinked at her response and set his mug on the table. “You never take a day off?”

Her cheeks flushed pink as she looked down at her food. “Not normally. I love the job and it makes me happy, so I do it as much as I can. Sometimes Mags fills in for me if I need to go to the doctor or get sick or something, and she’s always on me to take more time for myself, but usually, I’m just there.” She picked at the dregs of her cereal, still not looking at him. “Why? You got a plan?”

At her brief hopeful glance as she rose and took their bowls to the sink, his heart ached for her. What had happened to her to make her so…skittish was too mild a word, and apprehensive too heavy. Either way, he just wanted to pull her close and make whatever shadows he saw behind her eyes go away. He came up behind her as she washed the dishes and put them aside on a drying rack that, like everything else in the house, matched the color scheme. She jumped when he wrapped his arms around her, but he chose to ignore it in favor of kissing the top of her head.

The brief kiss drew her dark eyes to his face over her shoulder, and so he took advantage, dipping down to sample her full lips. He pulled back when Nahia sighed contentedly. Nico knew what would make her happy and set her at ease. “Yeah, I got a plan. I think you’ll approve.”

Nahia wholly approved of the first part of Nico’s plan, which involved returning to bed for a few hours of mutual exploration and exhaustion, followed by a shared shower, and lunch at Bazbeaux’s Pizza, just down the street from her shop. Her status as a regular amused him, as did her insistence afterward that they visit the store ‘just to check in’, even though Mags clearly had the ship running smoothly. She felt a little bit guilty, but Nico was having none of it. While he indulged her workaholic streak, he apparently wasn’t going to let her wallow in it.

“So what’s the plan?” she asked as she leaned against the car. While he was occupied unlocking the door for her, she let her eyes roam over him. Damn, he was pretty. Especially since the impromptu sleepover necessitated a change in clothes from a duffle bag he’d had in his car leftover from the day before. Since she’d only seen him in his nicely tailored work attire, seeing him in jeans and a dark green t-shirt was the icing on the smokin’ hot cake.

“You’ll see.” He grinned and dropped a quick kiss on the tip of her nose as he opened the door.

She shook her head as he rounded the car. The level of affection between them felt as natural as it was strange to her. With him she felt…oddly whole, which didn’t make sense since she’d never felt she was missing anything before. Just…strange. “Do I get a hint?”

Nico started the car and pulled his sunglasses off the visor. “Nope.” He sounded so pleased with himself she wanted to smack him.

Nahia crossed her arms and stared out the window as they left downtown and headed north. Since he seemed to be intent on keeping his silence, she thought she’d try something different. “Tell me about Saint Dominic.”

From the corner of her eye, she caught his quick grin. “Founded the Dominican Order. Patron saint of scientists and astronomers. My father’s middle name. What do you want to know?”