you’d better watch your mouth. Don’t think I don’t know what everyone is calling me at DNS, and who started it.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose with his left hand, and held the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles white from the grip.
“Fine. Do you want to go back to your apartment?” There was a hint of controlled anger in his words.
“No, I have to go out to Oak Haven.”
He kept his attention on the road. “Isn’t that a nursing facility?”
“Yes. My father’s there.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know. Is he elderly?”
Shiloh took in a ragged breath. “He’ll be sixty-four next month.”
“That’s awful young to be in a nursing home, isn’t it?”
“He has Alzheimer’s.”
He glanced her way. “Shit, I had no idea. I, ah—”
Shiloh saw the pity in his eyes, and she didn’t like it. “We don’t need your sympathy, Trent.”
He turned back to the road, the muscles in his jaw visibly jumping. He was furious.
Well good. She was sick of his arrogant attitude and didn’t plan to put up with it much longer. He was a subordinate, and he needed to start acting like one.
By the time they’d pulled into the parking area at Oak Haven, Nick’s jaw ached from clenching it. He’d like to give Shiloh a piece of his mind.
All he’d wanted to say was that he was sorry about her dad. At least now he knew why she had that research file in her trunk. But her father’s disease still didn’t give her the right to be so difficult, though he understood the kind of pressure she must be under with her stressful job and dealing with a sick parent. His mother had always been the picture of health, so it was hard for him to imagine what Shiloh must be feeling.
He parked the car and exited.
“You can wait in the lobby.” Shiloh raced for the front entrance.
Nick’s temper flared. He sprinted to catch up with her. He needed her to understand he was not going to leave her side. This was his job and if anything happened to her, it would be his ass on the line.
When he caught up, he grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him. “Listen Miss I’m-the-Boss. I have my job to do and that means being with you every second. Understand?”
Her forehead creased. “I don’t need you to protect me. I can take care of myself.”
“Right, like you did in the parking garage? Oh, and just a tip… You really shouldn’t scrunch up your face like that. It causes wrinkles.”
She growled and stalked away.
Nick followed at a safe distance, whistling the Hall and Oates’ Maneater tune.
They rode the elevator up. Neither spoke. Shiloh’s shoulders were held so tightly he was sure she’d have a tension headache. Headache equals no sex. Keep telling yourself that. Good . To know she had a headache might help later tonight when he was trying to sleep.
Down the hall a dark-haired nurse sat at the station. She smiled as they arrived. Her hair reminded him of Kiley’s. He instantly shook that thought, knowing Vale would punch his lights out if he knew Nick was thinking about her.
Shiloh stopped abruptly in front of him. She took a deep breath then walked into the room. The vulnerability of that simple gesture touched him.
He followed her inside where an older nurse sat in a chair next to a gray-haired man in a railed bed. Nick was instantly taken aback. He appeared so much older than his age, with ruddy, wrinkled skin and sunken eyes. Strange as it was, he looked nothing like Shiloh. She must have taken after her mother.
The old guy’s eyes were open and he lay staring at the ceiling.
Nick’s throat constricted when he saw the pain in Shiloh’s eyes. This man meant everything to her and she was going to lose him. Her personal anguish tugged at his heart.
She walked to the bedside and picked up her father’s hand. “Daddy, it’s Shiloh.”
His face distorted with anger, which confused Nick. This was his daughter.
“Go away. I don’t want you here.”
“Daddy, please.” Shiloh
He pinched the bridge of his nose with his left hand, and held the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles white from the grip.
“Fine. Do you want to go back to your apartment?” There was a hint of controlled anger in his words.
“No, I have to go out to Oak Haven.”
He kept his attention on the road. “Isn’t that a nursing facility?”
“Yes. My father’s there.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know. Is he elderly?”
Shiloh took in a ragged breath. “He’ll be sixty-four next month.”
“That’s awful young to be in a nursing home, isn’t it?”
“He has Alzheimer’s.”
He glanced her way. “Shit, I had no idea. I, ah—”
Shiloh saw the pity in his eyes, and she didn’t like it. “We don’t need your sympathy, Trent.”
He turned back to the road, the muscles in his jaw visibly jumping. He was furious.
Well good. She was sick of his arrogant attitude and didn’t plan to put up with it much longer. He was a subordinate, and he needed to start acting like one.
By the time they’d pulled into the parking area at Oak Haven, Nick’s jaw ached from clenching it. He’d like to give Shiloh a piece of his mind.
All he’d wanted to say was that he was sorry about her dad. At least now he knew why she had that research file in her trunk. But her father’s disease still didn’t give her the right to be so difficult, though he understood the kind of pressure she must be under with her stressful job and dealing with a sick parent. His mother had always been the picture of health, so it was hard for him to imagine what Shiloh must be feeling.
He parked the car and exited.
“You can wait in the lobby.” Shiloh raced for the front entrance.
Nick’s temper flared. He sprinted to catch up with her. He needed her to understand he was not going to leave her side. This was his job and if anything happened to her, it would be his ass on the line.
When he caught up, he grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him. “Listen Miss I’m-the-Boss. I have my job to do and that means being with you every second. Understand?”
Her forehead creased. “I don’t need you to protect me. I can take care of myself.”
“Right, like you did in the parking garage? Oh, and just a tip… You really shouldn’t scrunch up your face like that. It causes wrinkles.”
She growled and stalked away.
Nick followed at a safe distance, whistling the Hall and Oates’ Maneater tune.
They rode the elevator up. Neither spoke. Shiloh’s shoulders were held so tightly he was sure she’d have a tension headache. Headache equals no sex. Keep telling yourself that. Good . To know she had a headache might help later tonight when he was trying to sleep.
Down the hall a dark-haired nurse sat at the station. She smiled as they arrived. Her hair reminded him of Kiley’s. He instantly shook that thought, knowing Vale would punch his lights out if he knew Nick was thinking about her.
Shiloh stopped abruptly in front of him. She took a deep breath then walked into the room. The vulnerability of that simple gesture touched him.
He followed her inside where an older nurse sat in a chair next to a gray-haired man in a railed bed. Nick was instantly taken aback. He appeared so much older than his age, with ruddy, wrinkled skin and sunken eyes. Strange as it was, he looked nothing like Shiloh. She must have taken after her mother.
The old guy’s eyes were open and he lay staring at the ceiling.
Nick’s throat constricted when he saw the pain in Shiloh’s eyes. This man meant everything to her and she was going to lose him. Her personal anguish tugged at his heart.
She walked to the bedside and picked up her father’s hand. “Daddy, it’s Shiloh.”
His face distorted with anger, which confused Nick. This was his daughter.
“Go away. I don’t want you here.”
“Daddy, please.” Shiloh
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