Watching Nell try and fail to get out of her chair, Gigi couldn’t help but smile fondly at her cousin. Sending up a silent prayer that Nell and the baby would be okay tomorrow. Drum, with one gentle hand, carefully levering his meld mate up to her slightly unsteady feet before escorting her over to the small buffet. They were so cute together. No way was she interrupting their happy little family moment, but any minute now the chills would reoccur and she’d be shivering, her whole body tensing in dread.
“You know there are other healers, other doctors than Nell, that you could talk to.”
Absently Gigi rubbed her arms, it had become a habit of late. “I promise, if we survive tomorrow then I’ll make an appointment.”
Nico’s gut tightened, survive? He’d do everything in his power to make sure that happened, no one was hurting Gigi, his very good friend. In the meantime though, he knew where he’d rather be spending the night before the big smackdown. “You know, there is one place that I’ve never heard you make any complaints about feeling cold.”
Looking his way, warmth spiked low in Gigi’s body. The man was giving her come hither eyes. They were in public, though everyone present was in the know about their faux relationship, so Nico shouldn’t, by rights, being flirting with her. They’d drawn boundaries, she should rebuff him. But bugger that, as she all but fell into those heated toffee orbs. Smiling, she batted her eyelashes. “You want to work out in the gym at this late hour?”
“Not at the gym as such, but definitely working out together, sounds like an excellent idea. Although instead of mats I vote we hit the mattress back at your place.”
“Hmmm.” She made a pretence of thinking about his suggestion. After spending the last six nights in Nico’s arms, Gigi had to admit she’d become a little addicted to his touch, hispresence, him. And officially their faux relationship and nightly – let’s not acknowledge it, let’s just scorch up the sheets – bouts would be coming to an end tomorrow, right after the baby shower ended and their prisoners were hauled away by Darcy and Elijah.
Oh, Merciful Lady, it just hit her. Tonight would be her last night with Nico. She could get all sad, and bereft at the thought, or she could do what she always did, power on through. Head up, professional smile in place, determinedly remaining focused on the positives. She’d had an awesome secret fling with Nico, and a lovely flirty flirt public relationship. In fact, as relationships went, this could actually be considered her most successful to date, weird, but unfortunately true.
She and Nico had eventually meshed on every level. Business, personal and between the sheets. He admired her business acumen and her ass equally. She knew about the ass thing, since he’d mentioned it twice the other night in bed in the heat of the moment, right before he took a playful bite out of her left butt cheek.
Heavens, if you’d told her three weeks ago Nico Yanez and she would be lovers, she’d have laughed. And that he could be playful? She’d be wondering if the world had gone mad. Except over the last five days Nico had relaxed. Sure, he was still pissed off at all the deity manipulation and machinations, but railing against Fate gets you nowhere but wound up. It seems he had finally accepted the fact that there were bigger powers in play here, and he wasn’t responsible in stopping them, not alone.
To be fair, he had lived a nightmare for ten years. Responsible for Matias, and his daily memory reset issues. Trying to find him a cure, whilst they searched the world for answers on who had killed their parents and crew, and where Copper and Kristiah might have disappeared to. But lately, Nico had been smiling alittle less grimly, laughing more freely, and seeming to be more willing to live in the now and finally let go of the past.
Gigi liked to think she’d helped on that front. Not so much thanks to their sexy scorching nights, but being there twenty-four seven for Nico and being his friend, albeit faux girlfriend. And that’s all she was mourning here, the end of their friendship. Once they had Qetesh and had her nix the curse, Nico would be able to go wherever he wanted, with whoever he wanted. So long and thanks for all sweet treats and orgasms, Gigi.
Damn, she was getting ahead of herself, that was tomorrow’s problem, they still had one more night together. “You know, if we want to beat the rush for the Transportal, it would probably pay for us to leave now.”
Nico shot to his feet like his legs were on spring, hauling Gigi up beside him. “Good idea. I despise queues. It’s one of my top ten most hated things.”
“Really.” Gigi decided to let him take the lead, Elijah and Copper were capable of dealing with the clean up and left overs. At the Transportal she pictured home, liking the feel of Nico crowding in behind her hurriedly. “What else is on that list of yours?”
Nico slipped a hand under Gigi’s sweater, sliding it upwards to cup a silk and lace covered breast. “I’m not a huge fan of buttons. Seems neither are you these days.” Somehow he’d managed to pull her sweater off over her head, turning her, lips descending as they exited the Transportal.
“Oh, Gigi! Nico!”
They broke apart, Gigi appreciating Nico taking a step forward to block her from view. “Henry! What are you doing here?” Where had her sweater gone? Oh, Nico was still holding it, she attempted to grab it back but he wouldn’t let it go. Bad enoughshe’d been caught half naked in front of her employee, she wasn’t going to be undignified and engage in a tug of war.
“I’m just leaving. Wanted one last check on the dough for my chive and bacon scones. All good, all good. Where’s my jacket? Oh, there, have a goodnight you two. Apologies again.” With a thump of the rear fire exit door they were once more alone.
Gigi groaned, caught, half-naked, kissing Nico. Henry would race home and tell his meld mate, who’d be on the phone to the Aunts, Great-Aunts and Great-Greats within a heartbeat. Gigi’s attention shifting as Nico released a hearty from the gut laugh. “This is not funny. Do you have any idea the rumours that are going to be zipping back and forth on the gossip grapevine?” Worse, they’d broken their agreed upon rule. The hot stuff wasn’t to start until they were alone behind the bedroom door.
“Gi, come on. This is hilarious, we’ve been staging scenes like this for weeks now. I think, given that was our finale, that we can officially declare ‘big distraction’ a success. Tomorrow, every one of your relatives will be watching us like a hawk trying to gauge how serious we’ve become and if a melding is in the offing. They’re going to be more interested in the betting books than anything suspicious going on.”
“Yay, us.” But for some reason it felt like a hollow victory. The reminder of their mission somehow cheapening the moment. Which was ridiculous, she and Nico didn’t have a relationship to ruin. Just a lot of faux public displays of affection during daylight hours and lots of stress relieving scorching sex after dark. Jumping as Nico’s warm hand descended on her lower back and he turned her to face him. “Now, where were we?”
But the bedroom was upstairs, their agreement, and then his lips were on hers, for a split second she was worried about her perfect kitchen, those stainless steel counters were going to be cold, and she was so tired of feeling cold lately. Then Nico pulled her closer still, moulding all that hard velvet wrapped muscleagainst her, igniting an inferno within Gigi that blazed bonfire bright. Oh, Sweet Lady, the man knew how to bring the heat. His lips. The taste of him. His touch. She clutched him tighter still, she needed more of that heat, pushing away the niggling worry that it was really the man himself she needed more of.
No, no, stress relieving sex tonight, smackdown some deity trollops tomorrow, and then she and Nico would shake hands, officially end their partnership and resume being nothing more than passing acquaintances.
Hah, seriously, who was she kidding, she’d gone and fallen in love with the man. Goddess Above help her.
Chapter Seventeen
Everything looked gorgeous, perfect even. If Gigi hadn’t been aware of a looming supernatural invasion she would have basked in how exceedingly well the baby shower appeared to be going. Blue skies overhead. Sun shining down. A large number of the family present, well over one-hundred and fifty, most of the women in summery frocks, the men in casual lightweight trousers and shirts.
An impromptu puppet show at the Library meant Asher, Theo and their respective grandmothers were absent. Hadleigh, dressed in all black camo gear, which was pretty much her regular daily attire, loitered near the bar along with her meld mate Vaughn, and most of the other Maat Warriors.
Whilst Gaia wandered the party like she was part of an inspection team sent in by Michelin, surveying the decorations and food being served with a critical eye. Not so surreptitiously making copious notes. Hopefully Gaia would hold off sending Gigi any fresh ideas or new changes she wanted for Theo’s first birthday until after today’s event.
Though what she could find fault with, Gigi didn’t know. Pink and yellow bunting criss-crossed the enormous back garden. Whilst large blazing paper mâché suns decorated poles stuck in the ground about the place at regular intervals, long ribbons topping the poles fluttering gently in the breeze.
