Alex Kava Bundle - Alex Kava [285]
Nick smiled, and his fingers caressed her cheek again.
“I know,” he said, taking a deep breath. There was no disappointment or hurt, only resignation, almost as if her response had been a foregone conclusion. “I know you’re not ready. It’s too soon after Greg.”
It was great that he understood, because Maggie wasn’t sure she did. How could she explain it to him?
“With Greg, it was so comfortable.” It was the wrong thing to say. She saw the wounded look in his eyes.
“And it’s not comfortable with me?”
“With you, it’s…” His fingers were distracting her, still exploring, making her breathing uneven. Was he trying to change her mind? Did he realize how easy it could be to change her mind? “With you,” she tried to continue, “it’s so intense, it scares me.” There, she said it. She had admitted it out loud.
“And it scares you because you might lose control.” He looked into her eyes.
“God, you know me well, Morrelli.”
“Tell you what. When you’re ready, and I’m emphasizing when. No ifs,” he said, his eyes not letting her go, his fingers still touching her. “I’ll let you have all the control you want. But tonight, Maggie, I just want to make you feel good.”
The flutter reawakened, immediately kicking into overdrive.
“Nick—”
“Actually, I was thinking maybe I could fix you dinner.”
Her shoulders relaxed immediately, and she sighed with a smile. “I didn’t realize you knew how to cook.”
“There are a lot of things I know how to do that I haven’t shown you…yet.” And this time, he smiled.
CHAPTER 53
Maggie couldn’t believe such delicious aromas were coming from her kitchen. Even Harvey had come down for a look and a closer sniff.
“Where did you learn to cook like this?”
“Hey, I’m Italian.” Nick faked an accent that sounded nothing like Italian as he stirred the tomato sauce. “Don’t tell Christine, okay?”
“Afraid you might ruin your reputation?”
“No, I don’t want her free dinner invitations to stop.”
“Is this enough garlic?” She stopped chopping and mincing long enough for him to examine her progress.
“One more clove.”
“How are Christine and Timmy?” Maggie had grown attached to Nick’s sister and his nephew in the short time she had spent in Nebraska.
“They’re good. Really good. Bruce has taken an apartment in Platte City. Christine’s making him earn his way back into their lives. I think she wants to make sure his philandering days are completely over. Here, taste this.” He held the wooden spoon out to her, keeping an open palm underneath to catch any drips.
She took a careful lick. “A little more salt and definitely more garlic.”
“So can you tell me anything about this Tess who Will is so crazy about? Any idea what happened to her?”
Maggie wasn’t sure where to begin, or how much she wanted to share. All of it was still speculation. She watched him take salt in the palm of his hand, make a fist and sprinkle it into the simmering pot. She liked the way he moved around her kitchen, as though he had been fixing her dinners for years. Already Harvey followed him, anointing Nick the new master of the house.
“Tess was my real estate agent. She sold me this house, then less than a week later, she disappeared.”
She waited, wondering if it would sink in, if he would make the connection on his own. Or was she the only one who could see that connection so clearly? He came over to the island where she sat on a bar stool and minced garlic. He poured more wine into both their glasses and took a sip. Finally, he looked at her.
“You think Stucky’s murdered her?” He said it calmly and frankly.
“Yes. Or if he hasn’t murdered her, she may be wishing he had.”
She avoided his eyes and pretended to concentrate on the pieces of garlic. She didn’t want to think about Stucky carving up Tess McGowan or playing his little torture games with her mind and body. Now Maggie’s mincing had turned into vicious chops and hacks. She stopped herself and waited for the beginning fury to settle back down. She handed the cutting board to Nick.
Thankfully, he took it without commenting