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“I think you still do. You’re just as much in his thrall as you ever were.”
She shrugged. “It’s a hopeless infatuation.” Her eyes widened. She took a notepad out of her purse. “That’s a great title. I need to save that.” She scribbled as she walked.
Laura chuckled as she kept pace with her. “You’re becoming a robot. Do you ever take a break from writing or thoughts about writing?”
“Nope,” Nicole mumbled, shoving the notepad back into its slot. She wasn’t paying attention to where she was going, ramming into someone. “Oh, I’m so . . .” She glanced up and was looking into Reece’s blue eyes.
“Oh bollocks!” Laura swore, as she stopped, taking in the scene. “This is awkward.”
“Nicole?” he asked, bracing her body against his arm.
Her shoulders hunched. “What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same.”
She glanced to Laura. “I’m on another research trip.”
“I’m here to meet my brother.”
Her nostrils flared in dislike. “Ahh, collecting your slime-ball accomplice, I see. Well, don’t let me keep you.” She took a step to move around him.
Reece held her arm. “Nicole, we need to talk.”
She glanced at his hand then up at his face, jerking out of his grasp. “Don’t worry, Mr. Collins, we will.” She turned away, continuing her stroll down the terminal.
“I didn’t do it, Nicole,” he called to her retreating back.
“Tell it to the judge, Mr. Collins,” she yelled over her shoulder as she kept moving forward, away from him; airport security was still following.
She felt oddly comforted by their presence, even if they were suspicious of her. They were the barrier between her and the real criminals in this scenario.
Chapter 10
Nicole woke up in the middle of the night, staring at the ceiling as her heart was beating fast and hard. Seeing Reece again was not good for her equilibrium. Just the sight of him was enough to send her heart into palpitations. She figured the texture of his voice was always going to have the ability to make her knees weak. Damn hormones! Why couldn’t she be attracted to an ordinary guy with an ordinary job, who drove an ordinary car, and spoke with an ordinary accent?
It was a bitch caring for someone so unattainable. She wished she could get over this infection, like she could a head cold or the chicken pox. She’d much rather have itching pustules covering her body than this ongoing affliction called love.
There was a rap at the door, and Laura peeked in. “Are you awake?”
“No, I’m sleepwalking,” she said, pushing her hair out of her face.
“Don’t be a smart-ass,” Laura said as she entered. “He’s calling again. He wants to talk to you.” Nicole was silent. “If you don’t answer his calls, he might show up here. The last time that happened, you disappeared for three days and flew home in a tizzy.”
Nicole sat up, raking her fingers through her tangled curls. “What would you do, Laura?”
Laura sat on the bed beside her. “I don’t know. A part of me says you should hear him out, another says you should kick him where the sun doesn’t shine. Then there’s the part that says you should ride him one last time to get him out of your system.”
Nicole couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, we were always good at that, but he’s like potato chips, you can never stop at one, inevitably reaching in the bag for more and more.”
“He’s your candy of choice.”
She smirked. “He’s definitely better than Reese’s Cups.”
“You know that’s your tell, don’t you?”
“What is?”
“Your favorite candy and your favorite man have the same name.”
