“Okay, then. I suggest that we keep an eye on Rick and make sure that for a couple of months, at least, someone else is looking over everything he does. We don’t want anything to slip through the cracks. If he did this on purpose for some reason, he’ll show his hand. If it was just me being paranoid, we can back off.”
“I agree. We don’t have any concrete reason to let him go at this point. An error in judgement is something that could happen to anyone. He might have brought it up to make himself look good to you, particularly because of, ah, who you are.” She cocked her eyebrow at me. “Could he have a crush on you? Maybe this was his way of getting your attention.”
I shook my head. “First, eww. I don’t think that’s it. I never even really met him, I don’t think, until he came up to show me the proposal. Second, that would be the stupidest way ever to get a woman’s attention.”
“Men aren’t always known for their logic in these matters.” Serena shrugged. “Who can guess what goes through their minds?”
“I’m not going to argue with you there.” I had my own personal man situation to deal with at home, although it certainly wasn’t anything I cared to discuss here. “But let’s stick with hoping for the best—that it was an honest error—while still keeping in mind that it could be something more. And then we’ll move forward from there.”
“I agree.” Serena stood up. “I’ll keep my eye on him. I also have a few people in that department whom I trust, who will let me know is anything unusual seems to be going on. I won’t tell them any details; I’ll just inquire as to how the new hire’s getting on.”
“Wonderful.” I rose to my feet as well. “Thanks for coming in, Serena. I appreciate your insight and your help.”
“Any time.” She turned toward the door, hesitating only briefly to call good night before she left.
It was indeed past time for me to be heading for home. I’d messaged Simon a couple of hours ago to let him know that I was going to be leaving later than I’d expected, so he was likely downstairs, waiting for me to be ready. Bone-deep weariness gripped me. It had been a long day, and ending it with this unpleasant business about an employee had left me unsettled and cranky.
My security officer seemed to understand that when he saw me in the lobby. A small frown formed a crevice between his eyebrows.
“Long day, ma’am?” he asked as we walked toward the doors.
“Yes, and not for any good reason.” Just as I would never share my concerns about my husband at work, neither would I ever share business issues with anyone inside the Royal Family, no matter how much I might trust that person. It was a tricky balance, living this segmented life, and it wore on me.
It was a testament to how tired I was that I let Simon drive home. We were quiet all the way back to Kensington Palace; I sat in the front seat with my eyes closed, willing away the tension that had gathered at the back of my neck and was threatening to gift me with a killer headache.
Once back at the cottage, I bade Simon a quick good-night and went inside, pathetically grateful to be home.
“There you are.” Nicky came out of the kitchen, his sleeves rolled up and his hair a mess, as though he’d been in a steam bath. “I was beginning to worry.”
“I texted you,” I reminded him as I tossed down my purse and briefcase and collapsed onto the sofa. “I said something had come up, and I was going to be later than I’d expected.”
“I know, but I still worry.” Nicky came around into the sitting room and leaned over the back of the couch, his hands gripping my shoulders as he began a gentle massage. “I still missed you. I’m old-fashioned enough to love when I come home to my wife waiting for me, even if that means she’s just stepped inside a few moments before me.”
“Sorry.” I bowed my head. “As long as you’re back there—and doing a bang-up job, I must say—could you get the base of my neck, too? I feel as though there’s a huge knot there.”
“Got it.” His talented thumbs got to work where I needed him most. “What was going on at Honey Bee? Nothing bad, I hope.”
I grunted, everything from the long afternoon coming back to me. I could pour it all out to my husband, all of my worries about Rick Lester, my gut feeling and how all of it interconnected. But for some reason I didn’t care to examine too closely, I decided not to spill.
“Just stupid work stuff. Nothing huge, and I honestly don’t want to talk about it right now. If I dredge it all up again, I’ll start brooding, and at the moment, I only want to think about my husband’s hands on me.”
His answering laugh was soft. “And your husband is happy to have his hands on you.” His fingers left my neck to trail down my front and nudge beneath the neckline of my dress. “In case you need further incentive to appreciate your husband, he also made dinner.”
“Did he really?” I stretched my head up, arching my neck and smiling at Nicky upside down. “He really is a keeper. I think I’ll stick around and see what else he might have up his sleeve.”
“Well, making dinner might be stating the case too strongly,” Nicky admitted. “I actually brought in take-away food from your favorite pizza place down the street. But I made a salad to go with it, because I remember you telling me that you didn’t care for the ones they make.”
“That is close enough to making dinner in my book.” I sighed happily, feeling some of the stress drain away. “It gets you all the points.”
“Oh, are there points?” His hands stilled. “I had no idea. You should’ve told me this sooner. You know, I’m competitive my nature, and the idea of winning might spur me on to bigger and better deeds.”
“I have no complaints about your deeds now—ohhhh, right there. Right—exactly—there.” I moaned as he hit a particularly painful spot. “A little harder. Don’t stop.”
“Holy God, Ky.” Nicky’s voice was low and rough. “Keep that up, and the food’s going to get cold while I ravish you right here in the sitting room.”
I had come in our front door with no other thought in my head than eating something fast and then crawling into bed to sleep, but now, hearing Nicky’s rasp close to my ear and feeling the way his fingers were decimating the tension in my neck, hot desire flared in my blood and made me want so much more.
“Let it go cold.” I lifted my arms to twine around his neck, tugging him down to me. “Suddenly, I want to be ravished more than I want ... ravioli.”
