Dragging his lips from hers, he buried his face in her neck. His arms tightened around her almost to the point of pain.
Frowning, wanting those lips on hers again, she hugged him back. “Nick?”
“You scared the hell out of me today,” he murmured, his deep voice hoarse.
Her heart turned over. He would only have such a reaction if he cared about her. How had she not realized that before? “I’m sorry.”
He shook his head. “Just let me hold you a minute.”
Smiling, she snuggled against him and ordered her libido to simmer the hell down. “I didn’t realize you cared,” she said tentatively.
“I do.” His warm breath fanned her neck. “I’ve cared for a long time now.”
She bit her lip. “I thought you and Eliana were a couple.”
He shook his head slightly. “She’s just a friend.” His hold loosened as he leaned back slightly, placing just enough distance between them to look down at her. “That’s all she’s ever been, Kayla. I asked her to start coming around when I noticed Becca had developed a crush on me.”
Kayla wrinkled her nose. “You knew about that?” Becca would be mortified.
“Yes.” His lips turned up in a sheepish smile. “I admit I found it particularly disconcerting because I had such a crush on her mother.”
Her breath caught. “You really do care about me?”
“I really do.”
“Does Eliana know?”
“Yes. I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but when we’re working together and she asks about you, she refers to you as the missus because she knows how crazy I am about you.”
There was just no stopping the big grin that stretched her lips. “Really?”
He nodded.
“Why didn’t you ever tell me? Or ask me out?” He didn’t seem like the shy, silent type. And he sure as hell wasn’t shy when it came to kissing. This man did not lack confidence. “Oh.” A possible explanation dawned. “Was it because you’re different?”
He nodded. “That’s it in a nutshell. Although Becca’s crush complicated things, too, for a while.”
“I guess it’s not easy sharing a secret this big.”
“Particularly since it isn’t just my secret. Sharing it endangers all those like me, whom I consider friends and family.”
It shouldn’t hurt that he had been unwilling to trust her, that he thought it risky, but it did. “I wouldn’t betray you, Nick.”
“I didn’t believe you would.” No doubt or hesitation colored his words. “But Seth is always warning us that history is destined to repeat itself. And one of my friends…” He grimaced. “Well, Roland isn’t really a friend. He’s too antisocial. So I’ll just say one of my work colleagues told his fiancée what he was a long time ago and she and her family tried to kill him.”
“Shit.”
“Exactly. But you’re different, too, Kayla. That’s the other thing I need to tell you. You’re a gifted one.”
She frowned. “No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are. I didn’t know it until Seth told me today. He’s the oldest and most powerful among us. And I trust him implicitly. If Seth says you’re a gifted one, then you are.”
“You’re saying I have advanced DNA?”
“Yes. Becca does, too, since she’s your daughter. I can take you to the network and have them test your DNA if you’d like. But I’m certain it will confirm it.”
“I don’t have any gifts.”
“Often—because their DNA has been so diluted from thousands of years of their ancestors intermarrying with ordinary humans—the gifted ones born in recent decades possess gifts that are so mild they don’t even realize they have them. Another friend of mine—Richart—married a gifted one who comes from a long line of healers. But Jenna can’t heal with a touch like Seth. Her body just bears greater regenerative capabilities than that of ordinary humans so she didn’t get sick. Ever. Not so much as a cold. And Bastien married a gifted one who has psychic abilities that are so minor they resemble mere intuition. You likely have a gift that is just subtle enough that you overlooked it or dismissed it as something else.”
So immortals sometimes married gifted ones?
She bit her lip. Why had her mind immediately zeroed in on that instead of the notion that she might have some special gift she’d never noticed before?
A yawn caught her off guard. Kayla hastily covered her mouth. She had suffered so many adrenaline spikes in the past few hours that she hadn’t noticed the fatigue pummeling her. “Sorry about that.”
He smiled. “It’s okay. It’s been a long day full of trauma and shocks.”
How had she never noticed the affection that tinted his smile when he spoke to her? And why was it so hard for her to wrap her mind around the idea that Nick cared about her? Had her asshole ex messed her up so much mentally that she could no longer recognize or believe it when a man was genuinely interested in her?
“Why don’t you rest for a bit?” he suggested softly.
“I’d rather sit on your lap,” she responded without thinking. Her eyes widened. “Crap. I said that out loud, didn’t I?”
He laughed. “Yes.”
Heat flooded her face. “Maybe I should lie down. My inner filter seems to be missing.”
Grinning, he tightened his hold. “Don’t look so embarrassed. Honestly, I like having you on my lap and would much rather neither one of us move a muscle.” He winced. “No. Damn it. I don’t want to lie and that’s only partially true. I do like having you on my lap. But I can think of quite a few muscles I’d like us to move if I keep you here.”
She laughed.
“And now you’re blushing even more.” His smile turned chagrined. “My inner filter appears to be missing as well. I blame you for scaring me so badly and keeping me from sleeping this morning.”
“You didn’t sleep this morning?” She had thought they’d both fallen asleep during the movie.
“No. I enjoyed having you curled up against me so much that I only dozed a time or two.”
Warmth spread through her chest as she shook her head. “I had no idea you were even interested in me in that way. You never even hinted.”
“Then I must be a fantastic fucking actor, because I’ve wanted you for years.”
It boggled the mind.
“Does that offend you?” he asked hesitantly.
“No.” Dropping her gaze, she stared at the strong, tanned column of his neck and bit her lip. “I’ve wanted you for years, too.”
He groaned and tightened his hold. “You shouldn’t have told me that.”
She risked a glance up. The amber light in his eyes was brighter than ever. “I admit I even tried to spark some interest in you by wearing something that I thought would draw your attention and then checking the mail when I knew you’d be leaving for work.”
“What would you wear?” he asked, his voice deepening in a way that sent arousal slithering through her.
“A tank top and shorts. A shirt that was lower cut than usual. I even wore a dress once.” Which was something she never did since she worked at home. “But you never seemed to notice.”