Nixie felt her heart swell. Leaning up, she stared into his blue eyes. “Nick, I…I love you.” She couldn’t believe she was telling him this. It was too soon. It was irrational… It was the truth. “I tried not to, but…” She shrugged again, feeling helpless. “It’s so hard because you think I’m a bad person.”
Nick’s mouth opened to comment, but she held a hand up, stopping him.
“I want you to know I never robbed you. Ever. The night I broke into your house, I was there to return your necklace. I swear it.” She gave him a small, encouraging smile. “That day in the store, I gave you an empty box,” she said in explanation. “Remember when I dropped all those boxes on the floor?”
On his nod, she continued. “I also dropped your box. I got it mixed up with an empty one. By the time I realized it, you had left.” She fiddled nervously with her fingernails. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m kind of clumsy.”
“No,” Nick cried, feigning disbelief. He brought his hand up and rubbed her head where she’d cracked it on the counter. “I’d never have guessed that.”
Nixie laughed and swatted his hand away. “Well, I am, and it tends to make me late for work because I do stupid things like get my shoe stuck in a parking garage grating. My boss told me I was pretty much on my last screw up. When I switched those boxes, I was so afraid of getting fired. You’re an important guy. If I would have driven away such an esteemed customer, and if you would have raised a fuss, it would have been bad for business. I was too afraid to tell my boss, so…so I tried returning it without anyone knowing.”
“You risked getting caught and going to prison to save your job? That’s just silly.”
Nick’s reasoning made her realize how senseless of an idea her plan had been. “I was desperate. I also thought you weren’t going to be home.”
“You’re lucky I was,” Nick stressed. “You’re lucky I found you and not the cops. They are far less forgiving.”
Nixie blushed. “I know it was unwise and had I realized you were home, I never would have…”
“I’m glad you did,” Nick whispered. Putting his hand on the back of her neck, he drew her to him for a slow kiss. “And I believe you.”
Nixie let out a happy sob, her eyes searching his. “You do?”
Nick nodded. “Yeah.” He gave her a crooked grin. “That story is too stupid to be a lie.”
Nixie gave a cry of delight, completely ignoring the comment about how stupid her little adventure had been, and gave him a passionate kiss. “So you don’t hate me?”
“Just the opposite,” Nick said with a goofy smile. “I do believe I love you.”
They both sat smiling at each other until the sound of boots crunching on the gravel driveway outside drew their gazes to the bedroom window.
“Are you expecting company?”
“No,” Nixie said in confusion. She strained her ears, listening for a greeting from the visitor. The thing she heard next made her blood run cold. The sound of a gun firing invaded her ears a moment before the windows shattered and bullets sprayed around the room. Nixie gave a terrified shriek and Nick scrambled out from under her.
“Get down! Get down!” Nick yelled.
Rolling over, Nixie went to dive off the bed when the handcuffs pulled her forcibly back into place. “I can’t!” she cried. “Uncuff me! Uncuff me!”
Nick went to reach into his pocket but seemed to realize his pants were halfway across the room directly in the path of the bullets. “I don’t have the keys!” He dove toward her, covering her with his body.
Nixie buried her face in his shoulder, her heart hammering wildly in her chest as a storm of bullets rained down in her apartment.
“It’s okay. It’s okay.” Nick repeated the words over and over as bullets tore through all of her belongings.
Nixie could feel his body tense as he waited for a bullet to hit him, yet he still covered her, still protected her. It barely lasted a minute, but it felt like forever to her. While she cowered against Nick, the gunner finally retreated.
The sound of footsteps receded and then they heard a car door slamming, followed by the squealing of tires.
Nick didn’t let her go once the car peeled off. He continued to hold her, his arms shaking in fear. “We’re okay. We’re okay.”
“Nick,” she said softly, evenly. “Get me out of these cuffs.”
He jumped back. “Of course.” He rushed over to his pants and began fumbling around for the keys. He rushed back to her side and grimaced. “I am so unbelievably sorry. If I would have had any idea…”
“Just get me out of here!”
Nick jammed the key into the lock and a second later her hands were free.
She fell into his arms the instant she was loose and burst into tears. She sobbed, breathing in gulping heaves.
He held her tightly, planning to keep her in his arms as long as she needed him. Silently, he hoped that would be forever. In reality, he only got to embrace her for a couple of minutes because the siren and flashing lights of a police car invaded the room.
“Cops,” Nixie said, sounding relieved. She glanced down at Nick and observantly said, “You should probably put some pants on.”
Nick looked down at himself and hissed. “Shit.” Rushing to the other side of the room, he snatched his pants up and hurriedly began shrugging them on.
They were both just making it to the front door when there was a knock on the other side. Nixie cautiously glanced in the peephole before opening the door to the officer.
The policeman, Clark his nametag read, glanced between them before finally saying, “We got a call from a neighbor who reported hearing gunshots. Is everything okay over here?”
“No.” Nixie swung the door back as far as it would go so he could step inside. “Thank goodness you’re here. Let me know who the neighbor was so I can kiss them.”
“Ma’am, that is confiden—”
She didn’t even let him finish his sentence. “We were in the bedroom when someone walked down my driveway and started firing through the window. A minute later, they hopped into a car and took off.”
“It was like a drive-by shooting,” Nick said in disbelief. His eyes slid accusingly to Nixie. “You lured me away from the ritzy area and dumped me in the ghetto.”
“The ghetto?”
“I was never shot at until you came along.” His voice sounded so reasonable it was irritating.
“Neither was I!” Nixie retorted with a scowl. “Seeing as you were the one who was robbed this morning, I’m putting the blame on you. It must be related.”
Officer Clark turned to Nick with a look of interest. “You were robbed? Have you filed a report?”
“Not yet,” Nick said sheepishly.
Clark gave him a disapproving look before turning to glance outside. “We can assess the damage, inside and out, while my partner questions the neighbors to see if there were any witnesses.” He gave Nick a long stare. “And Mr. Morgan, we’ll need you to fill out that report.”
Looking completely chastised, Nick nodded his head in agreement.
He held a hand out to Nixie, smiling when she took it, and then the two of them followed Officer Clark to assess the damage.
Chapter Six
Nixie awoke the next morning to the sound of the phone ringing. She groaned, pulling the blanket over her head. Maybe if she ignored the horrible electronic, it would realize she wasn’t going to answer it and leave her alone.
“Hello?” Nick’s tired, sleepy voice asked.
Nixie rolled over to look at him, an amused smirk on her face at the fact that he was answering her telephone.
“Hello, Nixie’s mother,” he said mischievously. “Yes. Your daughter’s right here.”
Nixie had given a panicked squeal upon hearing the call was from her mother. She frantically scrambled over Nick to get the receiver out of his hands.
He held it just out of her reach. With his free hand, he pointed to his lips.
Nixie had climbed on top of him in her attempt to get the phone. She was now straddling him, glaring down threateningly. Finally, giving in with a huff, she leaned down and gave him a quick kiss.
Nick pressed a hand to her back, holding her to him, and deepened the kiss.
She moaned into his mouth, momentarily forgetting the phone until she heard her mother’s voice call out. “Hello? Nixie? Are you there?”
Nixie yelped and pulled away, snatching the phone from his grip. “Mom?” She gasped breathlessly. “Hello?”
“Nixie!” Her mother practically screamed. “That was who I think it was … wasn’t it?”
“Who?”
“Nicholas Morgan. It was. Don’t lie to me. I’ll know if you’re lying.”