Sweet Seduction Serenade by Nicola Claire Page A

trouble in paradise," Stone said turning to follow his partner - who was half dragging, half pushing Bailey - towards the front of the house. "I see my work here is done."
    "One word," Nick shot at Stone's back. "Sherry."
    Stone spun on his heel and pointed a finger at him. "You're not invited to Christmas dinner anymore. No figgy pudding for you!" And with that parting word, they disappeared.
    Leaving me alone, outside my bedroom window, with Nick, cowboy ghost, Anscombe.
    Neither of us spoke - me, because I was unsure how to process what had just happened and all that had been said, and was waiting for the flashing lights to disappear from around the front - but I did know Nick's eyes were on me. Although he didn't say anything, his eyes never left my face the entire time it took Pierce and Stone to get Bailey in their car and drive away to whatever police station they came from. Within minutes it was as if it had never happened.
    I stood still for a bit longer, trying futilely to think of something to say to get Nick to leave.
    He had other ideas.
    "Can we get in a door, or do we have to climb through the window?"
    "What?" I said, spinning to face him at last.
    "Door or window, angel? What's it gonna be?"
    "I'll have to climb through the window, I don't have my key to the door," I said in a daze.
    "OK then, I'll give you a hand up." Nick walked over to the window and waited patiently for me to get my butt into gear. I considered demanding he leave, but climbing back in without assistance was going to take some effort and I was beyond exhausted now. There was nothing else for it, I'd have to take his help.
    I walked stiffly towards him and watched him cup his hands together, preparing for me to place a foot in them for a leg up. I noticed the backs of his knuckles were all bloody and raw, without thinking I reached down and released his hands, turning them back up to get a better a look.
    "You need some antiseptic," I said automatically.
    "OK," he said softly, his tone making me lift my gaze to his. His ice-blue eyes were so far from frosty, somewhere in the region of "melty", that I just stared at him - like a dork. His lips twitched at the edges. "You can take care of me once we get inside."
    The spell broke.
    "You can take care of yourself when you get home."
    "Not going home," he answered immediately.
    "Then I'll give you something for you to use in the car," I said swiftly.
    "Not sleeping in the car," he shot back, equally as quick.
    "You're not sleeping inside!" I said, my voice rising and threatening to wake the hard of hearing old age pensioners next door.
    "Angel, I need to sleep. I've just spent the past three nights in my car watching your place, I'm wiped out. I gotta get some sleep, but I'm not leaving you after tonight's incident. Your cousins won't give up because one of them is temporarily behind bars."
    Not words I wanted to hear, or think about, so I pushed them aside and concentrated on the current problem.
    "I'll be fine, you need to go home to your woman."
    He blinked at me and then slowly smiled. It was stunning to watch it unfold before me. Dazzling.
    "No one for me at home, angel. Quit stalling and get your gorgeous rear inside."
    Whoa. What the darn hell did that mean? Had he dumped Gen? What an asshole.
    "Well," I said, cowgirl ice princess in full force, "you can sleep on the couch."
    I placed my foot in his laced palms and let him hoist me up onto the window ledge, his hand came to my rear and gave it a swift, sharp slap - I was thinking it wasn't in an effort to push me inside.
    "Not sleeping on the couch, angel," he said from over my shoulder.
    I stumbled through the opening and landed hard on the floor, my hand automatically going to my butt cheek to rub it. Nick climbed through the window nimbly behind me, as though he did it all the time and for all I knew, he did.
    "It's been steam-cleaned," I said, thinking that would be his argument to sleeping on the old sofa my Dad had had since the dawn