Brett shifted on his feet, anger flashing in his eyes. He looked toward me. “How do you know each other?”
I waited in simmering silence. Much as I wanted to grab Brett by the scruff of the shirt and slam him against the brick wall directly behind him, I sensed it was important for Mari to handle this, so I hung back.
Mari laughed, the bitter tension in her laughter twisting my heart slightly. She didn’t deserve to be bitter, and it made me sick that an asshole like Brett had ever even had a shot with her.
“I’m sure you can figure it out. You were logged into your work calendar on my phone, so when I was trying to find you, I saw that you had noted a meeting with Nash here. Unlike you, he’s a fucking gentleman.”
“Wow,” Brett said, rolling his eyes. “Already moving on. I thought you wanted last weekend to be our chance to reconnect.”
“Oh my fucking God! You’re such an asshole. Yeah, I said that I hoped we’d reconnect. Because we might as well have broken up months ago for all the time we’ve spent together. If I’d been aware of everything you were capable of, I certainly wouldn’t have said it. Don’t even try to fucking guilt trip me,” Mari said with a hard glare.
Brett’s gaze shifted between us as if he was trying to get a measure of the situation. I was pleased to discover my presence confused him enough he didn’t know how to handle it.
“Look,” he began, his tone placating. “I can see why you might be upset, but if you’ll just give me a chance to explain—”
Mari shook her head sharply. “Shut up and leave me alone.”
Anger flashed in Brett’s eyes again. When he opened his mouth to speak, I shook my head. “You heard her,” I warned. “Get the hell out of here.”
“Fuck you both.” With another muttered curse, Brett turned and stalked across the street. I was relieved there were still people milling about because it minimized the possibility of him making more of a scene.
I could feel a subtle tremor running through Mari where I held her hand. “Let’s get inside,” I murmured, releasing her hand to slide my palm down her back and coax her gently forward.
Inside, I confirmed with the security guy at the desk that all was locked down for the night already. I also made a mental note to call the main security center as soon as I left the building tonight to make sure they ran a full scan and confirmed everything was in working order. At least here, Mari was protected by one of her brother’s high-end security systems. I knew I would need to alert Max about this development with Brett, but that would have to wait.
I’d meant what I said earlier and intended to give Mari her space tonight. Although there was no way I’d have turned down dinner with Mari, I’d been planning to use the time tonight to do some more research on Brett’s situation. I knew his financials were poor because I had my usual report drawn up when he’d asked to meet, but I hadn’t dug deeper because there’d been no point then. Since Brett had shown up to find Mari, there was both a reason to delve further and a sense of urgency behind it.
After the elevator took us to the top floor of the building where all the condos were, Mari glanced up at me as she keyed in the lock combination. “I don’t want to think about this, but I can’t figure out how Brett knew I was here.”
I’d been hoping Mari wouldn’t contemplate that detail. “Let’s get inside,” I commented as another couple stepped out of the elevator and began walking down the hall in our direction.
Mari quickly punched in the combination, and we stepped inside. She walked over to the windows, letting her purse slide off her shoulder and dropping it on the couch as she walked past it. I stopped at her side, and the magnetic pull to wrap her in my arms was strong. Between my awareness of her three margaritas and our very recent encounter with Brett, I didn’t think that was a good move.
I stuffed my hands in my pockets and looked out across the glittering skyline of New Orleans and the dark ocean in the distance beyond.
“Between your brother and me, we’ll chase down what’s going on with Brett. This building is completely secure. Not sure how he found out you were here, but I’m going to double-check with security. It’s staffed twenty-four-seven already, and the building locks automatically after eight p.m.”
I heard Mari’s breath escape in a slow sigh when she turned to look up at me. “I feel like I’m turning out to be an awful lot of trouble for you, Nash.”
“You’re no trouble, none at all.”
She looked away, out to the skyline again. My eyes traced the elegant arch of her brows and the angle of her cheekbone. They snagged on her plump lips, and the urge to kiss her was piercing and sharp.
When she looked back toward me, her brow was knitted with worry, and her eyes were troubled. “I feel like an idiot.”
“You’re not an idiot. There’s nothing wrong with trusting someone. It’s just that untrustworthy people take advantage of our trust. You already knew things weren’t going well with Brett, but you gave him a chance. The way others treat us only tells us something about them. Brett’s the asshole here. You’re not an idiot. Let Max and I see what we can do. We’ll make sure he can’t keep screwing with your money.”
Mari murmured something indecipherable under her breath. I didn’t realize I’d stepped closer until my eyes landed on the rapid flutter of her pulse in her neck. Her eyes met mine again. “I hate when I can’t clean up my own messes.”
“Someone taking advantage of you and screwing you over isn’t your mess.”
With Mari’s bright blue gaze holding mine, I let my fingers trail through the ends of her silky dark curls. She had this way of snatching my thoughts from me. Perhaps, it was more that she wiped out my ability to think clearly.
Without a single conscious thought passing through my mind, I dipped my head and brushed my lips over hers.
Chapter 10
Mari
The feel of Nash’s lips on mine sent flames licking through my body. I sighed against his mouth and pressed closer. I craved the feel of his strength and warmth encompassing me. He murmured something against my lips, and I slipped my hand around his nape, my fingers teasing along the edge of his collar.
With a muttered imprecation, Nash’s hand slid down my back, and his tongue swept inside my mouth as he angled his head to the side. In a matter of seconds, I was swept into our kiss—the sensual glide of his tongue against mine, the way he held me strong and sure in his grip.
Just as the fierce fire was pulling me in, Nash drew back swiftly. A moan of protest slipped out. I wanted to yank him back, but he broke away entirely and took a few steps away.
“Fuck,” he muttered as he ran a hand roughly through his hair and stuffed the other in his pocket. Turning away, he stared out the windows for a moment. When he looked back toward me, his eyes were dark. “I promised myself I wasn’t going to do that.”
“Why?”
Argh! I hated how much I wanted to know. Why couldn’t I play this cool and simply dismiss him?
“Because I respect you, and your brother—”
“Oh my God! Don’t you dare tell me you mentioned our kiss before to Max.”