“Don’t use that voice.”
“What voice?”
“The one that sounds like you’re trying to be reasonable while standing there in two thousand dollars of beach villain linen.”
“It’s not two thousand.”
“Don’t correct me on the villain part.”
I almost smiled. “You want me unreasonable instead?”
Nella looked up at me.
The back room held too little air.
“I want you to stop looking at my bar like you already know the ending,” she said.
I looked at her and said nothing.
I moved until only one clean step separated us. “I don’t know the ending.”
“You came here to collect one.”
“I came here because I was sent.”
“And now?”
The walk-in motor kicked on behind her. Cold air slipped around her bare legs and moved the loose curls at her neck.
“Now,” I said, “I’m still here.”
Her breath changed.
Not fear. I knew the sound of fear too well, and this wasn’t it. This was her breath pulling in, holding tight, and waiting for mine to break first.
“Nico,” she said, low and sharp, “if you kiss me because you think I owe you anything, I’ll break something expensive on your body.”
I held my hands where she could see them.
“If I kiss you,” I said, “it’s because you tell me to.”
Her eyes dropped to my mouth.
Heat moved through me hard enough to make my fingers curl.
“This doesn’t change the debt,” she said.
“No.”
“It doesn’t mean I trust you.”
“I know.”
“It doesn’t mean I’m scared.”
“I never thought you were.”
Her hand shot out and caught the open edge of my shirt. “Then stop being careful like I’m made of glass.”
