would have been thrilled if things had escalated into a round of steamy, demanding sex. While most guys would have taken full advantage of the situation and her willingness to go the distance, he’d instead put an end to their hot and heavy embrace.
Judging by the hard, thick length of the erection that had been pressing insistently against her mound, there was no mistaking just how much he desired her. The thought made her smile. Clearly, they both still wanted each other, so why not enjoy the benefit of being together for as long as it lasted? She still wasn’t in the market for anything serious, but she was a modern woman who had no qualms about embracing her sexual nature and all the pleasure that came from being with a hot, sexy man like Nathan.
Now she just had to sway Nathan to her way of thinking.
Satisfied with her decision, she finally fell asleep and woke up after nine in the morning feeling rested and ready to start on whatever the day would bring.
She took a shower, dried her hair straight, and applied a minimal amount of makeup to her face. Dressed in a pink top and white capris, she followed the rich smell of coffee beckoning to her and padded out into the living room. She found Nathan standing by the windows carrying on what appeared to be a deep, serious conversation with someone on his cell phone. Giving him a semblance of privacy, she continued quietly to the kitchen to make herself a much-needed cup of caffeine.
As she stirred cream into the dark, steaming liquid, her ears perked up when she heard him mention her name, and she couldn’t help but eavesdrop. Unfortunately, with only curt
A few minutes later he disconnected the call, clipped his cell phone to the waistband of his jeans, and strolled into the kitchen.
“Good morning,” she said, greeting him with a smile while trying to gauge his mood.
“Morning.” Seemingly less on edge than when they’d parted ways the previous evening, he headed straight for the pot of coffee and poured himself a cup, keeping it straight-up black. “Would you like some breakfast?”
“Sure.” Her dinner last night had consisted of a few hors d’oeuvres at the art gallery, and she was definitely hungry this morning. “What’s on the menu?”
“How about an omelet?” he suggested.
“Only if you’re making it.” Honestly, she hated to cook and would rather have a bowl of cereal than labor over a stove.
When he glanced her way, she caught a glimpse of humor in his eyes. “Ham and cheese okay?”
“That sounds great.” Glad to see that the strain between them had eased, she leaned a hip against the counter opposite him as he crossed the kitchen toward the stainless-steel refrigerator.
Wrapping her hands around her warm mug, she sipped her coffee and watched as he diced up some ham and began frying it in a pan on the stove. He cracked the eggs with one hand, dumped the contents into a bowl, and whipped the yolks into a creamy, frothy consistency. He looked so relaxed and self-assured, and she had to admit that there was something incredibly sexy about a man who knew his way around a kitchen.
“Sit down,” he said, as he finished making her omelet and topped it off with shredded cheese.
She slid onto one of the bar stools at the granite counter overlooking the kitchen, and he placed a fragrant breakfast in front of her. Taking a bite of the savory egg, ham, and cheese, she gave a small groan of appreciation; it was delicious.
He grinned and turned back to the stove to make his own meal.
“I’m impressed,” she said, meaning it. The omelet was better than any she’d ever had at a restaurant.
“Why?” He cast a quick, amused glance over his shoulder as he poured another round of the beaten eggs into a hot pan. “Because I can cook?”
“Yes, and do it well.” She scooped up another forkful of the omelet. “Most bachelors I know are fast-food junkies.”
He added chunks of fried ham and bits of cheese to the mixture and shrugged. “Actually, I really like to cook.”
Smiling, she took a drink of her coffee. “Does that have anything to do with you growing up with three older sisters?”
His chuckle was deep and warm. “Yeah, I guess it does. My oldest sister especially, who always managed to rope me into helping her in the kitchen while she tried new recipes for the family. She’d put me to work cutting up vegetables or stirring sauces, and taught me what spices and seasonings to use in what dishes. Cooking with her was fun and I enjoyed it.” After flipping the omelet, he glanced over his shoulder at her. “That sister is now a sous chef at a five-star restaurant in San Francisco.”
“Did she make you wear an apron when you cooked?” she teased.
He slid his breakfast onto a plate, grabbed a fork from a nearby drawer, and gave her a mock reproving look. “She might have suggested it, but real men don’t wear aprons.”
She laughed, having fun with their light, playful banter, which reminded her of their flirtatious exchanges the night they’d met-before everything between them had turned so serious. “Of course they don’t.” And she knew for a fact that Nathan was 100 percent male, every lean, hard inch of him.
Finished with her breakfast, she set her utensils on her dish and took another drink of her coffee before turning the conversation to their business arrangement. “I heard my name being dropped while you were on the phone earlier. Who were you talking to?” Considering the bargain they’d struck to work together as a team, she had a right to know.
He didn’t hesitate with his answer, proving to Nicole that he wasn’t trying to hide anything from her. “That was my boss, Caleb Roux.”
“Define
“Both.” He remained on the other side of the counter separating them as he finished his omelet, his gaze suddenly too guarded for her liking. “There’s a lot you don’t know.”
She refused to allow him to shut her out when it was imperative she knew everything she was up against. “Then enlighten me, because I need to understand who I’m going undercover with.”
Releasing a deep breath, he set his empty plate in the sink, then grabbed hers and did the same. He pinned her with a direct, uncompromising look. “This is off the record.”
His meaning was clear. Whatever he was about to tell her wasn’t fodder for an article or story. “You have my promise.” As a journalist, she prided herself on being honest and ethical, and her oath to him was no different.
Nathan braced his hands on the edge of the counter across from where Nicole sat at the bar area, knowing he had to trust her with a lot of private information in order for this partnership of theirs to work. He’d received Caleb’s permission earlier to divulge his own involvement with TRG, just as long as Nicole didn’t exploit it.
Ultimately, he chose to believe she wouldn’t betray him, a first step in forging a strong alliance between them. “Caleb is the operations manager at The Onyx, but he’s also the head of a private organization called The Reliance Group, and that’s where the undercover work comes in.”
She tipped her head to the side, her expression intrigued by what he’d just disclosed. “What, exactly, does The Reliance Group do?”
“TRG is a private organization that takes on complicated cases other agencies won’t get involved with for various reasons,” he explained. “Such as the situation with Angela Ramsey and Preston Sloane.”
“I thought Angela was a runaway,” she said, her tone confused. “Or did Sloane kidnap the girl?”
He shook his head. “No, she’s classified as a runaway. Honestly, this case would have been much more cut- and-dried if Sloane
“Right, but Sloane wouldn’t put himself in that position.”
“No, he wouldn’t,” he said, his voice filled with disgust as he refilled his mug with hot coffee. “And unfortunately, the guy doesn’t need to. He has a way of finding young, vulnerable girls and luring them into his world in a way that keeps him completely beyond the law. Which is why no one has been able to nail him yet.”
She was quiet for a moment, seemingly processing everything he’d just told her before speaking again. “Isn’t
