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She hopped off the desk and I put my hands on her hips automatically to stabilize her when she nearly ran into me.
“Like Rick Drew?” The name I’d give him.
Her smile returned, even more forceful and warm this time. “Like me—Vienna Drew.” She patted my chest. “Thackery was my father. Find any and all data associated with our names. I’ll put together a list of other terms once you’re in.”
Vienna.
I was still gaping a little as she walked away. “Your name really is Drew?”
She turned, padding backwards a couple of steps and stopping right at the door. “Yes.”
“And I gave Rick your name.” Have I mentionedfuck himyet?
Another smile. “Also, yes.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Vienna,” I said, testing out her name. “I’m probably still gonna call you Drew though.”
She chuckled and opened the door. “That’s okay, my little pincushion, you find what I’m looking for and I’ll let you call me anything you want.” With that, she headed out of the room and closed the door behind her.
Holy fuck. That was a challenge if I’d ever heard one.
23
Vienna
Iclosed the door behind me and turned right into Rick.
“Can I take from the smile on your face that he’s settling in just fine?” There was the slightest sour note to his words, but his face didn’t show a hint of his upset.
Sighing, I took his hand and pulled him up to my room. As soon as we crossed over the threshold, a wired energy pulsed against my back. Oh shit, he thought we were going to have sex. I huffed out a laugh as I let his hand go and went into the master closet. We’d have time for that later. For right now, I had something else in mind.
There were a lot of things I loved about this house. I’d helped Daddy finish the plans once we took this property over. In this room specifically, I had a false wall put in. This meant there was about a three foot gap between the closet and bathroom. Just enough space to hide some valuables I wouldn’t want picked up if someone happened to find themselves in this house.
Whether they were thieves, squatters or the authorities, none would be here for innocent reasons.
Sliding the wall of clothes racks toward me, I slipped behind it and unplugged my laptop from the shelf. This way, even if someone broke in, there wouldn’t be any chargers around to hint there was something else to look for.
When I turned around, Rick stood in the closet doorway, leaning against the frame as he watched me with those mesmerizing icy blues. They were really my favorite physical feature about him. Maybe it was the depth they so clearly showed, or the way they tracked my every move as if simply breathing fascinated him.
Either way, those beautiful eyes were a weapon I hope he never realized he could use against me.
In true Rick fashion, he doesn’t ask about the wall as I shut it with a soft snick. Then he stepped back to allow me back into the bedroom, where I took a spot on my side of the bed. At my pat, he climbed into the spot next to me and I powered up the computer.
Now that we were away from the study, I asked my own question of Rick. “Is having him here really so bad?”
He was jealous, I’d told him as much last night. That was still no excuse to try and take little verbal jabs at him or question me. Not if we were going to make this work long term. What this was, was still a mystery. I enjoyed having Rick here in my life and in my space. Although I couldn’t really say what we were to each other romantically. All I did know, was that I couldn’t imagine Rick in my life and not in my bed.
I grinned, catching Rick off guard. That comment about having Rick in my bed was never anything I would have said, and it had struck me as funny.
“Sorry, stray thought.”
Pulling his lip between his teeth, Rick dropped his head back against the headboard. “About Fletcher?”
Scowling, I punched his arm lightly. “Stop worrying so much about Fletcher. Insecurity like that is not attractive on anyone. If I didn’t want you in my bed, I’d tell you. But you’re here, with me, because I want you to be. Focus on that.”
There were no games with Rick, not between me and him. It was actually the most refreshing feeling and one of the reasons I’d enjoyed having him here so much. When I turned away, I didn’t have to worry about him stabbing me in the back. If I wasn’t here, I didn’t have to bug the house to make sure he wasn’t sharing my secrets. I didn’t want to lose this easy trust between us because he thought Fletcher was going to take his place. He was also a big boy and couldn’t act like the man was about to piss on his favorite toy, either.
Releasing a quivering breath, he nodded. “This is all new to me. I’ve never had this feeling before. Can we talk about it? Whenever I’ve been in counseling it’s always helped to talk it out. Then maybe I can work on letting it go.”
