He sat up straighter on his stool. She’d hinted that this job might be more dangerous than normal, but she hadn’t used the word violent. Before he could respond, the waitress came and took their drink orders, staring at Ivy the whole time and barely acknowledging that Nash existed.
“So what’s this about a violent crew?” he asked the moment they were alone again. No way was he letting this go.
She glanced down at the menu, tucked a dark lock of hair behind her ears as she cleared her throat. “It’s nothing I can’t handle.”
“Ivy.”
Sighing, she looked up at him, her blue eyes bright under the overhead lamp. “I’m hunting for a group of art thieves. They’re not from here, but I’ve tailed them all the way to Miami. And word is they’re looking to unload the piece they stole.” Her voice was low and the reggae music in the background was loud enough that no one could overhear them anyway.
He frowned as he digested her words. She was an art retrieval expert for a large insurance company. Her job was exactly what it sounded like—to retrieve stolen objects so the insurance company wouldn’t have to pay out the full claim on them. Instead, they paid her a finder’s fee. She’d been doing it for a couple years and seemed to like it. Sometimes she simply located them for law enforcement, but others…she took them back and returned them without dealing with the Feds or whatever branch was involved. He knew she had contacts in various branches of US law enforcement, however, and worked with them if necessary.
“I’m actually waiting on a call from someone so I might have to dip out early tonight.” Her expression turned apologetic.
“You want any help hunting them down?” he asked casually, though he felt anything but casual. He’d gone on a few stakeouts with her before when they’d been in the same city at the same time—any excuse to spend time with her. Now, he simply wanted to protect her.
“No way. I know you’re busy with Red Stone. Which, I want to hear all about this latest job you had.” She smiled as the waitress returned with their drinks, still staring at Ivy as if she was lovestruck.
They quickly placed their orders and she laughed lightly when she saw Nash’s dry expression.
“Sad she wasn’t checking you out?” she asked teasingly.
He simply rolled his eyes. He could admit he was used to women flirting with him. A lot. But the only woman he wanted to flirt with him, and more, was Ivy.
Ignoring the question, he said, “Look, I actually have some time off. This last job was fairly intense for all of us, so I’m taking a solid week off. Everything went well though,” he tacked on. He couldn’t give too many details simply because of the nature of his job and the people he protected. But he could talk in general terms. “So seriously, I’m free if you need an extra set of eyes.” Or someone to watch your back.
“I might take you up on that offer. But you’ve got to promise you won’t tell my family I’m in town.”
“You’re a grown woman, Ivy,” he murmured. Hell yeah she was. The most beautiful, sweet, funny, smart woman he knew.
She raised a dark eyebrow. “Are you saying my mom doesn’t terrify you?”
“All right, fair point.” Her mom, the matriarch of their big brood, was wonderful. But yes, terrifying covered it. She had this magic way of making it impossible to say no to her. Nash wasn’t sure how she did it.
“So what’s been going on? Tell me everything I missed recently,” she said.
Nash hadn’t texted much and neither had she over the last few weeks. Clearly they’d both been too busy and he hadn’t wanted to come off as needy. He felt as if he was always walking a tightrope with her, not wanting to come on too strong or let her know how he truly felt. “I wish I had something exciting to tell you. I have been thinking about adopting a dog though. Even though I work so much, my dad has said that he’ll come over during the day and take him for walks so he doesn’t get lonely. I was planning to go to your shelter and look this week.”
Her blue eyes widened. “He? So you have a dog in mind? I know we’ve got a few available right now.”
“No. I’m just assuming I’ll get a male dog.”
She narrowed her gaze slightly. “Why is that?”
He loved to needle her, had been doing it for years, so he bit back a smile. “I’ve heard that male dogs have better temperaments than females. Kind of like with humans.”
She laughed aloud, the sound rolling over him, soothing him straight to his bones. “Oooh, you’re pushing it tonight, buddy. And you’re beyond ridiculous.” She paused as the waitress brought them their burgers, her eyes widening at the sight of their food.
Nash’s gaze was pinned on her, however—he wished she looked at him the same way she was looking at that burger. Seriously.
“Is there anything I can get for you guys?” The blonde woman stood close to Ivy, smiling at her widely, still ignoring Nash. “A refill? More condiments?”
“I think we’re good. Nash? You need anything?”
“I’m good, thanks.” His tone was dry because the woman still didn’t glance at him.
She kept smiling at Ivy. “Okay, I’ll be back to check on you.”
“I just bet she will,” he murmured, snagging one of his fries and popping it into his mouth.
Ivy bit back a smile and grabbed a fry from his plate—something he’d known she would do. Which was why he’d ordered extra. She usually ordered onion rings for herself, then stole half his fries. It was a game they always played.
They fell into an easy conversation after that, as if no time had passed at all between them. It had only been a month since he’d seen her, but without the constant texting like normal, he realized that was what he’d been missing the last few weeks.
Her.
He’d gotten so used to their constant banter, the back-and-forth, even if they didn’t get to see each other in person much. She was so woven into the fabric of his life that he knew she was it for him. He’d known for a while, even if he didn’t want to admit it aloud. He just had to navigate the minefield of her family dynamics before making a move.
Hell, if he even did. Sometimes he thought she might see him as more than just a friend, but then other times… He had to get out of his head right now and simply enjoy her company.
Not to mention he wanted to learn more about these guys she was hunting. He respected her skills—they’d sparred on occasion and she could flip him on his ass if he let his guard down—but he didn’t want to leave anything to chance.
Not when it came to Ivy. Because he would always have her back.
Chapter 3
Before they’d finished their meal, Ivy got a text and winced—and Nash knew dinner was over before she’d even looked up at him.
“Normally I wouldn’t even be on my phone at dinner but—”
“No worries, I get it. Is it the contact you were waiting for?”
“Yeah.” She grabbed her purse and started to pull her wallet out, but he waved it away. “I’ve got this.” He threw a few twenties on the table and stood with her.