“I apologise on behalf of my dick. It’s out of my control.”
“Well, you’re wearing pants, so unless it busts out like the Incredible Hulk, we’re okay.”
“That’s a terrifying thought.”
“Right.” I took a deep breath and steeled myself. “Nolan, I might not be ready for the pants to come off for a long time.”
“We’ll go at whatever speed you’re comfortable with. Don’t worry about me—we both know I have great wrist action.”
I snorted. I couldn’t help it. Above all, Nolan was a friend, and he didn’t have it in him to hurt a woman.
Or so I thought.
CHAPTER 24
NOLAN
“I need coffee,” Alexa said as she stumbled into the kitchen on the wrong side of noon.
Nolan looked her up and down. She hadn’t bothered to change out of the yoga pants she’d slept in, her hair hung limp around her shoulders, and she wore dark smudges under her eyes like war-paint.
“You don’t need coffee. You need a shower, a pair of boots, and sunscreen.”
She sniffed her armpits and grimaced faintly. “Okay, fine, you’re probably right about the shower, but why would I need boots? My slippers are perfectly comfortable, thank you.”
“You’re not going back to work. We’re going hiking.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Have you been talking to Chase? You’ve been talking to Chase, haven’t you? Did he put you up to this?”
Busted. The call had come as a surprise as Nolan supervised the transfer of Syrah from the fermentation tanks to fifty-nine-gallon oak barriques, and he’d nearly ignored it. With no more “accidents” since Alexa installed the cameras, the winery was finally functioning as it should, and this vintage was going to be a good one. He didn’t need any interruptions. But he was also expecting a call from a potential new buyer, so he’d answered.
And had an interesting conversation with a man he’d once considered a rival.
“Alexa has three different lives, any one of which would be enough for a normal person,” Chase said. “And now she’s decided that three isn’t enough of a challenge, so why not try adding a fourth?”
“A fourth?”
“With you.” Chase was kind enough not to add “you idiot” at the end. “But if you think she’ll take her foot off the gas on lives one, two, and three, you’re mistaken. She’ll work herself into an early grave if you let her. Which means it’s up to the people around her to enforce balance in her life, to help her make space for new things, and by ‘people,’ I mean you, seeing as you’re the only person in close proximity at the moment.”
“Alexa doesn’t take direction well.”
Chase chuckled. “Believe me, I know, but you need to curtail her screen time for a day or two. The red room thing affects her more than she lets on.”
“Last night, she was threatening to quit the whole investigation.”
“She says that every time, but a day later, she’s back in front of her laptop, crawling through the rancid depths of the dark web. Look, take her out on a hike or something.”
“A hike? No way will Alexa go on a hike.”
“Don’t ask her, just tell her. It works better than you might think.”
“Are you messing with me?”
“Not right now.”
