Was Nash blushing? His olive skin darkened, but only for a moment.
Abi drank Nash in. He had wide shoulders that tapered to narrow hips. The suit had black lapels and a black pocket square that Nash kept fiddling with.
Abi wiggled his way in front of him. “Let me.”
He folded the square before putting it back inside, and then he adjusted it. Only a small triangle peeked out.
Nash’s tie wasn’t right. Abi untied it before moving behind Nash. “Bend down.”
“Should I get on my knees?” Nash’s tone gave nothing away. It was the upturn of one corner of his mouth that Abi was realizing was very signature Nash, and the sparkle in his dark eyes that told Abi he was teasing. A bit of his fangs peeked out.
“And you’re funny too. The full package.” Abi was a lot shorter than Nash, who was built like every dragon shifter Abi had ever met. Tall with a sleek form, and no fat on any part of his body. “I’m not that short. Just short compared to you.”
“You’re fun-size.” Nash met his gaze in the mirror with a wink.
Abi couldn’t help it. As much as he wanted to keep his distance, Nash was way too charming for it, especially when he teased. Abi had a hard time resisting him when he was all stoic and serious. And then there was the fact that Abi couldn’t stop smiling around Nash. It was as though his face just did whatever it wanted, regardless of Abi’s need to keep things professional and distant.
He focused on the task at hand. “Did you put on a scent suppressant? I can’t go around with my eyes all shifty in front of humans.”
They hadn’t stopped the entire time they’d been stuck together, despite Abi asking Nash to put it on. Abi could still smell cinnamon and something sweeter, like vanilla ice cream. The sweetness was unique to Nash, but the cinnamon was a dragon shifter thing.
“I sprayed myself twice.” Nash was reacting normally, but then his eyes wouldn’t change if he’d had a problem with his sense of smell as he’d claimed.
So why was Abi still reacting?
“Maybe the suppressant has expired.” He’d had that happen once and had walked into a club. He’d fought with handsy males more than he danced that night and got kicked out for ‘fighting’. He was just defending himself. It was the males fighting with each other that had caused the worst of it. The fight had spilled out into the parking lot. Abi had sat and watched from the safety of his car for a few minutes before going home. He’d had a dance party with Law in the library. They drank homemade margaritas. It had been way more fun than the club, anyway.
“It should be a new can.”
Abi finished tying Nash’s tie. “There you go. Looks much better.” Abi stepped back so Nash had room to inspect Abi’s handiwork.
Nash nodded. He seemed satisfied, and he should be. He was gorgeous. Nash smiled with his eyes as he met Abi’s gaze in the mirror. “Thank you.”
Abi nodded. His face heated. He cleared his throat and then picked up the suppressant off the dresser where Nash had left it.
The expiration date was stamped on the back. It read a date and a year that was three years in the future. “Not expired.”
****
A woman named Catalina drove them in a limo. She’d been with the family for six years, almost since the moment Abi had rescued her. She’d been a bloody mess the first time Abi had met her. A man named Anthony Basille hadn’t just trafficked women, as the intel suggested. He handpicked them. Based on what Abi still didn’t know. Since they had never recovered Anthony’s body, no one could ask him. But thescars Catalina carried, most of which were hidden by her dark suit, went deeper than the surface. Her experience had hardened her to the point that she trained with Jose every day. At first, she claimed she wanted to defend herself, but the training had gone deeper. She was a killing machine, excelling at it. It was why Peter had sent her with them. Extra protection went a long way to bringing Abi a bit of security in an insecure situation.
“Are you sure of the directions, Cat?” Abi had his doubts. They’d been driving down a wooded road. Trees lined either side. The last house he’d seen was at least two miles back. They’d left the streetlights in the city, which was thirty minutes ago. Abi didn’t mind the darkness so much. It was an unfamiliar area that spooked him. And the fact that they were going to a fight club. He wasn’t a fan.
“I’m sure, sir," Cat said.
“Quit with the ‘sir’ crap. Nash works for us.” After he entered the arena, the fakeness would begin, but in the car, he could be normal.
“Then I’ll say what I want, which is that I have a better sense of direction than you, so unless you want to come up here and drive, you’ll have to trust me.” Her Mexican accent made her sound sassier than she probably intended. She rolled her Rs to perfection.
Nash placed his hand on the seat between them, palm up, offering Abi the option to take it. Or not. It was his choice. He didn’t say a word.
Abi placed his hand in Nash’s and told himself not to think about it too hard.
Nash laced their fingers together. His hand was warm, and his fingers were strong. He averted his gaze from Abi. His quiet strength went a long way to calming Abi’s nerves.
Nash seemed to know exactly what Abi needed and when he needed it. It didn’t bode well for his resolve to end things after the mission was over.
“I don’t like the remoteness of this place,” Abi whispered so only Nash could hear.
