“Unlocked doors are not fate,” he muttered, though that sexy mouth of his did curve up ever so slightly.
“If I was a thief, where would I hide a big painting?” She was talking more to herself than him as they stepped into the new hallway. They must be close to finishing because the smell of fresh paint hit her immediately. The flooring was also pristine, a gorgeous tile with a wood-look similar to what was in Nash’s kitchen. The walls were bare, however, and she could see areas that needed touchups.
As they hurried down the hallway she peeked into various rooms. It looked like these were going to be conference rooms or ballrooms. One was huge enough for the conferences. But there was no place to hide anything. No closets, just lots and lots of construction equipment and… She frowned, ducking into one of the ballrooms.
Nash muttered something behind her but she ignored him and kept going.
“Look at that,” she murmured.
“What?”
“The exit door. Someone’s propped it open. I can hear the street noise.”
Nash cursed softly as he hurried with her, eyeing the metal pipe that had been stuck between the door and the frame to keep it open.
“If the crews got called off because of permit issues, no one is going to be back down here. They’re going to enjoy their damn days off,” Nash murmured, peeking out the door before quickly stepping back into the ballroom and removing the pipe so the door locked when it shut. “It’s just a small parking lot. Nothing else. This isn’t an unloading area.”
Blood rushing in her ears, Ivy started moving around the room, inspecting everything. “She’d want a quick getaway. If she or one of the brothers left that pipe, they’d want to keep the painting nearby…”
Standing still for a moment, she looked around the room at the various supplies left behind. Ladders, drapes… She raced back across the room and pulled one of the drapes back. There was a small ladder, a can of paint and—
She sucked in a breath as she grabbed a long cylindrical container. She popped the top off and gently eased out… Her heart started beating double time. The soft golds and pinks were visible as she partially unrolled the canvas. This was it.
“Holy shit,” Nash muttered.
“Holy shit indeed.” She slid the canvas back inside and popped the top back on, stunned. “Let’s go.” She didn’t want to stick around in case Delilah showed up.
They hurried out of the room and ran back the way they’d come.
She pulled out her cell phone, calling her boss to let him know she had the painting in her possession. She was going to take multiple pictures of it to prove that she had been the one to find it. It would still have to go through whatever law enforcement chain of command that took over, but she had a feeling they were going to get this back to Europe in no time. The Green brothers were wanted for murder and she knew how Interpol worked. They were going to claim jurisdiction and take over everything.
By the time they made it back to the original hotel, Commander Flores was waiting for them in the lobby. He glanced down at what she was holding, then motioned for them to follow.
She couldn’t believe they’d found it, couldn’t believe her good fortune. Today had turned out a heck of a lot better than she could have imagined. After this, she and Nash were definitely going to celebrate.
Hopefully with more than just a drink. She knew they needed to talk, but she hoped… Well, she was still a little afraid to hope for something real with him, but she was hoping anyway.
Maybe they could just skip talking altogether, get naked, and have lots of orgasms.
Chapter 22
Nash breathed a sigh of relief as they finally left the hotel. The Feds had shown up and they’d ended up having to stay put and make a statement. And one of the agents had seemed very chummy with Ivy. Nash was still off kilter—confused by his feelings. No, not confused. He had no claim to Ivy and it was making him feel like a possessive jackass.
“What’s wrong with you?” Ivy linked her arm through his as they stepped into the parking garage. A cool breeze rolled over them as he took out his key fob. This whole thing was finally over—Ivy would get her commission and he was determined to get the girl. His woman.
“You seemed to know that guy well,” he said. Handsome bastard. The guy had looked like a damn superhero and had perfect white teeth—and had been all damn smiles at Ivy. Nash didn’t like this side of himself—had never been the jealous type. Didn’t think he was, but he had no claim on Ivy and that was making him edgy, off his game.
“What guy?”
“Captain fucking America,” he muttered as they reached his SUV.
She snorted, the sound adorable. “You mean Agent Kensington? Happily married Agent Kensington? Yeah, I’ve run across him on a few jobs. He’s not the agent I was talking about before, the one who does me favors sometimes.”
Nash didn’t care. Possessiveness had swelled up inside him like a tsunami and there was no pulling it back in. Ivy was his. He needed to claim her with a desperation that stunned him. Scared him.
He turned, pressing her up against the SUV in a sudden move. She sucked in a breath as he caged her in, but he was tired of fighting how he felt. No more fake relationship, no more fake kisses. They hadn’t been fake to him. All this was so real—too damn real.
Her fingers splayed across his chest as she stared up at him. “What are you doing?” she whispered.
“I want you, Ivy. Just you. Only you.” It has always been her. “I don’t want to pretend that we’re dating. I don’t want to pretend anything with you.”
She stared at him, her eyes dilating slightly as she carefully watched him.
“Say you don’t want me,” he growled, rolling his hips against hers.
“I want you more than my next breath,” she whispered, the words coming out like a confession. “I’m just scared of what will happen between us.”
Yes! She wanted him. Everything else was just details. His eyes trailed to her mouth again and it took every single ounce of self-control he had not to kiss her. Because if he started, they weren’t stopping. Nope, they’d be charged with indecent behavior. His control on a razor’s edge, he blindly reached out and yanked the door open for her.
“Inside,” he growled. Because he was beyond anything else at this point. He needed to get her home.
Get her naked. Make her climax. More than once.
She sucked in another breath, her eyes widening as she did exactly as he ordered.
He didn’t remember sliding into the driver’s seat, didn’t remember driving home. Neither of them talked. Instead it was just this tense, heated stretch of the longest silence of his life until he zoomed into his driveway. He was barely aware of anything else, their surroundings.
All he could focus on was Ivy.
She was out before he could even unstrap—which was insanely hot. The energy arching between them was electric as they raced toward his front door.
It took him two tries to get the damn key in the lock, everything funneling out around him except Ivy’s sweet scent and the knowledge that they were crossing a line. One that could not be uncrossed.
He was glad. He didn’t want to go back to just friends. He wanted everything with her.