He paced the floor of the bungalow he shared with his two new obsessions, crossing from the kitchen through the living room and to the front door all too quickly. He couldn’t wait for them to see what he and James had been cooking up and hoped he wasn’t about to make a fool out of himself.
Though it would be worth it if he earned one of Laurel’s wide smiles or Jace’s fist bumps.
Right on time, as always, a triple tap came at the door. “Yoohoo, it’s me. James.”
Laurel grinned and bounded the handful of steps between the couch and the entryway to let him in. Nolan stepped in front of her, wrapping his arm around her waist to keep her from bouncing off of him and into the fireplace. He’d been careful not to touch her, afraid of spooking her or invading her personal space. To his surprise, she didn’t recoil, so he left his hand splayed on her lower back, ignoring the glare that Jace shot him from the couch.
“I’m sure it’s fine, but why don’t you let me do that?”
“Oh. Right.” The corners of Laurel’s eyes tightened, making Nolan want to put his boot up his own ass. A sense of security didn’t come naturally for either Laurel or Jace, so knowing they were already growing comfortable in Middletown, surrounded by their allies and in his presence, did something funny to his insides.
That didn’t mean he was taking any damn chances. No, it meant he’d be extra careful.
He reluctantly released Laurel, then rested his hand on the grip of the gun tucked in his shoulder holster instead. Nolan glanced out the door. James flashed him the all-clear hand signal and there was no indication of any unwanted visitors on the gently winding path behind him that led from their sanctuary to the Hot Rides motorcycle shop in the background.
“It’s fine,” he promised Laurel, then grinned as he flung the door open and yanked James inside. Oops. Sometimes he forgot the guy was shorter and more slender than most of the Shields. He certainly didn’t act weaker in any way.
But his manhandling was nothing compared to Laurel’s welcome. She flung herself at her baby brother and wrapped her arms and legs fully around him. James laughed and shoved the package he was carrying at Nolan so he could catch Laurel instead. “I missed you too.”
“It’s still such a rush. Every time I see you, my heart is happier.” Laurel kissed his cheek, and slid down until her toes touched the ground again. Then she noticed the wooden box he’d set on the ground before knocking. “What’s that?”
Nolan held his breath.
“It’s a new house for Dottie.” James beamed. “It seems only fair to upgrade her too.”
“You built our lizard a castle?” Laurel’s eyes went wide and misted over. “That’s so…sweet.”
“I can’t take all the credit. It was Nolan’s idea, I followed his plans. With a few embellishments, of course.” James picked up the cage and brought it inside, setting it on the counter top. “I mean, what lizard doesn’t enjoy a red rock tanning bed or a stick maze with a leaf hammock, am I right?”
Nolan had to admit it looked even more impressive than he’d imagined based on the stream of texts he’d been exchanging with James.
Laurel bounded into the bedroom she shared with Jace, then emerged with Dottie riding her shoulder. She opened the front gate and leaned toward it. Dottie hopped into the cage, her really impressive tongue flicking out as she explored every nook and cranny of the space, just like Laurel had the bright kitchen and claw-foot tub in the tiny home.
From the couch, Jace grunted. “Make sure there’s nothing she can get hurt on in there.”
“There’s not. It’s perfect.” Laurel beamed at James and then aimed the sun-strength wattage of her smile in Nolan’s direction.
“I could probably have made her a better cage if we’d had the resources.” Jace crossed his arms over his chest, adorably defensive and grumpy. Nolan thought he had just the cure. Well, one that would be professionally acceptable as opposed to kissing the pout right off his sexy lips.
“I’m sure you could have.” James smiled kindly, though Nolan figured there was no way someone could have crafted a masterpiece like Dottie’s cage on command without the decades of skilled experience James had from his previous career working for Powertools, and a hell of a lot of natural talent. Which Jace had too, when it came to music.
Nolan cleared his throat, feeling even less certain about his choices now. “I, uh, had something for you too. Hopefully, you’ll like it better than Dottie’s cage.”
He caught James’s subtle shake of his head a little too late. The words had already spilled from his mouth and he was standing there with the box in his hands, extended toward Jace.
“What’s this?” Jace looked up at Nolan, his eyes dark and wary.
“Open it and find out.” His heart beat unexplainably loudly as Jace took the package and uncovered the guitar case inside.
Rich and supple, the midnight blue leather of the custom carrier looked even more striking in person than it had in the pictures Kason had sent him while they were browsing online together at some outrageous shop Kason bought his own instruments from.
Jace popped it a crack, then froze before slowly pushing the lid all the way open and setting it gently on the coffee table as he cradled the main compartment in his lap.
James whistled. “Damn. I can tinker with lizard cages all day long, but I could never create something like that. How the hell do they get it so shiny?”
“What is this?” Jace’s gaze shot to Nolan, and Laurel gasped.
“I thought you knew how to play,” Nolan teased. “It’s a guitar.”
“It’s a work of art.” Now it was Jace’s turn to lovingly stroke something.
Nolan’s cock twitched in his jeans as the man ran one fingertip along the curve of the glossy Brazilian rosewood as he stared longingly at the guitar. Nolan cleared his throat and said, “It’s for you. Those songs you sing deserve to be played on something like this. You’re good. You’re really good.”
Then Jace doused Nolan in ice water. “I can’t accept this.”
“Of course you can.” Nolan waved off his rejection. “If you think informants get paid a ton, you should see how many zeros are on the checks Jordan passes out to the people who put their lives on the line for the Shields.”
James cleared his throat, cluing Nolan in to the fact that he was only making things worse. “I’m not bragging, I’m saying it’s not that big of a deal to me and I thought you might like it.”
Laurel smiled sadly at Nolan. He knew right then Jace wasn’t going to keep his gift. She understood Jace a lot better than he did, and Nolan would do well never to forget that again. He should have asked her about this first.
Jace shut the lid of the guitar case extra carefully for a man who was distinctly rough around the edges. He touched it like he did Laurel, reverently. But when he looked up at Nolan, his eyes were almost hollow and his voice flat, nothing like when he sang. “Thanks, but I’m used to my guitar. It might not be flashy, it’s full of scratches and scars, but it fits me. Unless Kason said mine sounds like shit on his session recordings or something.”
“No. No, of course he didn’t.” James tried to smooth things over, which was usually Nolan’s job. Damn it, he’d fucked up. “He was so excited when he went home to Jordan last night he made us all listen to what you were working on about five hundred times on repeat. I’m no expert, but it was so catchy I talked him into letting me download the recording to my phone to listen to in the car on the ride home. You’re a true artist.”