Speak No Evil_ A Novel - Allison Brennan [94]
That’s it. She had to do something to stop thinking about Nick carnally. Right now she was thinking about him doing the dishes naked. Now that was sexy. A man doing the dishes was one thing, doing them sans clothing was just plain fun.
She really needed to get him out of her system.
“Cara, darling.” Her mom came out of the walk-in pantry, a smile on her round face. “Let me get the fruit salad from the refrigerator. Do you want some toast?”
Carina jumped, blushed. Had she ever blushed before? She didn’t think so. But her mom had caught her thinking about sex, and Carina was positive her mother could read minds.
“No, Mama, I’m fine. Really.”
Her mother stared at her closely, eyes narrow. Carina put on a blank face and pushed all thoughts of Nick’s naked body from her mind. “What did you eat this morning? You don’t eat breakfast, so don’t lie to me.”
Food. Her mom’s favorite pastime was feeding her, so maybe she hadn’t seen the lust on her face. “I had coffee.”
“Pshaw! Coffee!”
She opened the refrigerator. Carina glanced at Nick, who’d finished with the dishes. He was grinning, trying to suppress a laugh. For the first time, she saw him relaxed. She wasn’t surprised; her mother had that effect on people.
She caught Nick’s eye, wrinkled her nose at him.
“Mama, we have to go. Duty calls.”
“How can you do anything on an empty stomach?”
“I promise, I’ll have a good lunch.”
“No come bien, míja. Solamente trabája, trabája, trabája. ¡Madre de Dios! ¿Como te ayuda?”
“Mama, stop that.” Carina turned to Nick. “She said I never eat.”
“I know.”
“You speak Spanish?”
“Some. Enough to get by.”
Her mother smiled broadly. “I knew I liked Nicholas the moment he walked into my home.”
“Mama, we have work.”
She glared at Carina. “Work, always work. It’s Saturday.” She shook her head. “I raised a house of workaholics. Even Lucy is upstairs doing homework!”
“I don’t believe it,” Carina laughed. “Homework on a Saturday morning?”
“She’s on that computer Papa bought her last year. She never gets off.”
Carina glanced at Nick, his expression turning as serious as hers. She’d never really talked to Lucy about the dangers of being online. Even though Lucy was a smart kid, online predators were viciously smart. Street smart. She needed to talk to Lucy about being safe, but she’d have to do it later.
Her mom smiled widely at Nick. “You’ve been very helpful, Nicholas.” She surveyed the dishwasher, closed it. “My sons tend to be rough with my dishes. You have good hands.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
“Rosa.”
“Mama, we really have to go,” Carina said. She glanced at Nick. “Autopsy,” she mouthed.
“I’m ready,” Nick said. “Thank you for a delicious breakfast, Mrs. Kincaid. Unlike some people,” he glanced at Carina with a half-smile, “I appreciate a good morning meal.”
“Kiss-ass,” she said.
“Carina Maria!”
She cringed, gave her mom a hug. “See you later, Mama.”
“Don’t know where you learned that language,” her mother said as they walked out.
In the car, Nick said, “Your mom is a great lady.”
“You are such a kiss-ass, Nick Thomas.”
She thought he’d smile, joke back with her, but instead he grew serious.
“Is something wrong?”
“I like your mom. And your dad. They’re really genuine people.”
If there was one thing that endeared someone to Carina, it was appreciating her parents, quirks and all. Her heart warmed and she pictured Nick in her mom’s kitchen. He fit in well.
She was in serious trouble. “I like them, too,” she said, trying to keep the conversation light. “What about your parents?”
Nick didn’t say anything for several minutes. Carina itched to ask a follow-up question, anything to get the conversation moving. She hated the silence.
Finally, he said, “We had what I thought was a normal family. My dad was in the military, like yours, but not career. He had two years in Vietnam, when Steve was a baby. I was born nine months after his discharge.”
Carina was about to make a joke, but a quick glance at Nick’s face as she turned the