“Is that all you wanted to say?” Nadia asked, folding her arms.
“I’ve been thinking about what happened all week and… I don’t want you to think I’m a dick. We just weren’t peanut butter and jelly together. Anyhow, I came here about Naya. She respects you, and uh… I hope you don’t hold this against her.”
“Sothat’swhat this visit is about. Don’t be ridiculous. Naya’s a good friend who’s connected me with a number of buyers. I’m not petty enough to punish her for a service I paid for.” A moment of awkward silence fell between the two. Nadia inspected her shoes. “Are you sure you won’t change your mind?”
Denver hiked up his baggy jeans—shredded at the knees—and plucked a piece of candy from his pocket. It looked like a gumball or jawbreaker and caused his left cheek to puff out when he attempted to smile. “That’s one thing I’m sure of. This is a permanent deal and, no offense, but there’s no way in Hades I could do any better. Anyhow, just wanted to smooth things over and make sure I didn’t mess up your business relationship with Naya. I’ll keep my eyes open, but I don’t know what kind of men you go for.”
“That won’t be necessary. I’m not looking for a mate. Give your woman my best.”
The blond-haired man inched into the hallway and waved before turning away.
Nadia slammed the door and Kat sat up, eyes alert.
Habit.
“I wasn’t sure if you were going to sleep until noon or get up with the civilized world. Am I okay to leave you here alone today?” Nadia glanced at her slim gold watch, which complemented her olive-green pencil skirt and white blouse. Her hair was beautifully combed and parted down the middle.
Kat rubbed her eyes and blew her hair out of her face. Mornings were her least favorite time of day. “Given I don’t have any pants, that kind of limits my daily agenda. I promise I won’t paint anything, if that’s what you’re concerned about.” She briefly looked at the floor and made sure her dagger was where she’d left it.
“I’m asking nicely for you to keep Prince out of our affairs. Promise me.”
“I doubt I’ll ever see him again after last night, but I’m not about to turn down help if he offers it. I have a strong lead on finding our father, and don’t roll your eyes.”
“It does no good to get your hopes up.” Nadia lifted her purse from the chair in the hall. “I’m going to work. I have several artifacts to appraise for some important clients. No parties, no rearranging anything, no borrowing my clothes, no eating my ice cream, and no dragging any Packmasters on one of your crazy chases.”
“Saynomuch?” Kat stood up and closed the distance between them, annoyed with all the orders being barked at her. She hadn’t even had her morning sugar yet. “I won’t even borrow your toothbrush, if that makes you happy. You’ll barely know I’m here.”
Satisfied, Nadia opened the door and paused. “Did you order something?”
“What is it?”
Curious, Kat shouldered past Nadia and peered into the outside hall. Someone had left a large paper bag in front of the door—not the kind you get grocery shopping, but the fancy kind with the arched handles. Kat bent down and reached inside, pulling out a pair of jeans, two blouses with spaghetti straps, a toothbrush, comb, and underwear—sexy black ones at that.
“Whatisall this?” Nadia peered down the empty hall in search of the person who’d left it.
Kat held Prince’s business card between two fingers. When she turned it over, she saw that he’d signedCharmingon the back. “Looks like they’re from a knight in shining armor named Prince.”
Nadia huffed and straightened her skirt. “Most men buy flowers for their date, not underwear for their date’ssister.”
“He’s old school and probably thinks the way to impress you is by taking care of your family. If he didn’t like you, he wouldn’t be trying so hard to help your needy sister. Oh look, he even bought me a razor.”
“Needy indeed. I have to go, Katarina. Call me if you need anything, and remember the rules!”
Nadia flew out in a rush, a heavy scent of perfume trailing behind her.
Kat yawned loudly and shuffled into the kitchen in search of something to eat.
“Dangit, Nads. Why didn’t you put the pizza in there like I asked you to?” she grumbled, moving aside strange fruits and cheeses. If there was one thing her sister loved, it was gourmet cheese. And the weirder the animal it came from, the better. Kat couldn’t even stand blue cheese on her salads; it made her gag. But whatever artificial goodness they sprinkled on pizza was all right with her.
Kat heaved a sigh and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. She took her goodie bag with her, and once there, decided to hop in the shower. The stench of cigarettes still clung to her hair and was making her nauseous. Kat tossed her plaid shirt into the dryer with one of those scented sheets. The shirt had become a souvenir of a great night. Not the part where her suspect had gotten loose, but all the other stuff with Prince. Although keeping an item to remember time spent with her sister’s boyfriend seemed a tad inappropriate.
While she soaked beneath the spray of hot water, Kat thought about the dream she’d had the previous night. It had seemed so vivid, walking into a dark room where Prince was lying naked on a bed. He called to her, and his wolf howled in the darkness before they made love.
Kat shivered just thinking about it. After she towel-dried her hair, she examined the jeans Prince had chosen for her. They were the kind that hung low on a woman’s hips—comfy in all the right places.
“Snug!” Kat said approvingly, looking at her reflection in the mirror from all angles. What she loved was that he hadn’t bought her fancy clothes in an attempt to make her into someone she wasn’t.
She slipped into a white tank top that didn’t quite cover up her cleavage the way she would have liked. It seemed peculiar he would have bought her such a tight shirt, the kind that left nothing to the imagination if the temperature dropped. Luckily the plaid shirt was nice and warm after a tumble in the dryer, so she rolled up the sleeves to her elbows and grabbed her sneakers, wishing he had left her some good running shoes instead of all the clothes.
