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  All quieted save for her jagged breaths.

  “Beautiful,” he declared hoarsely.

  Prying her heavy lids open, she stared up at him.

  Those eyes. They were so bright against his tan skin and black-as-midnight hair.

  Reaching up, she cupped his face in her right hand. “You’re beautiful.” And she still couldn’t quite believe how radically her life had changed in just a few hours. Couldn’t believe she was here in Nick’s bed, his big body covering hers, those iridescent eyes staring down at her with passion and no little affection. Her lips twitched. “And if what you just did was the special gift you were born with, then I wish to hell you would’ve shown me sooner.”

  He barked out a laugh. Some of the tension eased from him as he pressed a kiss to her lips, then rolled onto his back and encouraged her to cuddle up against him once more.

  She started to slide her hand down to the hard ridge beneath his zipper but swore. “I forgot about the cast.”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  She arched a brow. “I have another hand that works just fine, as well as a mouth.”

  He groaned. “Don’t tempt me, woman. You need to sleep.”

  “And you need to come.”

  “I will. After Becca leaves.”

  That wasn’t very fair. She’d just had the best orgasm of her life, and he was still hard and aching. “But—”

  “If I have to wait, it will be all the more explosive when I can finally bury myself deep inside you.” Closing his eyes, he patted her back. “Try to get some rest.”

  She wouldn’t have to try. Her body was so loose and languid after that orgasm that as soon as she closed her eyes, she figured she would…

  “We’re home!”

  Nick jerked awake. Blinking, he stared up at his ceiling and tried to kick his fuzzy brain into gear.

  Something soft tickled his nose.

  He glanced down. Kayla was snuggled up against him, sound asleep. Her head rested on his shoulder, her nose buried in his chest. Her arm with the cast was draped across his stomach. One of her shapely thighs was wedged between his own.

  Heat slithered through him. What a fantastic way to wake up.

  “Why are all the lights out?” a female voice asked downstairs. “Where’s Mom?”

  “Upstairs resting,” Eliana replied. “Let me just go up and—Wait!”

  Rapid thuds sounded as someone charged up the stairs.

  Oh shit. Becca.

  Nick ruthlessly clamped down on his body’s natural response to having Kayla’s precious curves pressed up against him and gave her a little shake. “Kayla,” he whispered urgently.

  Moaning a protest, she rubbed her face against his chest.

  Eliana spoke somewhere downstairs, her voice preternaturally soft. “If you’re doing something you don’t want her daughter to see, you’d better stop. Here she comes.”

  “Kayla,” he said louder and gave her another shake. He tried to slip out from under her, but she wasn’t having it.

  Tightening her hold, she snuggled closer. “Don’t go,” she mumbled.

  “I have to. Becca’s here.”

  “So?”

  The thuds on the stairs grew louder until shoes hit the landing and raced onward.

  Kayla’s eyes flew open. “Wait. What?”

  The footsteps stopped. A loud gasp filled the room. “Mom?”

  “Oh shit.” Kayla swiftly rolled onto her back.

  Nick glanced at the doorway as he sat up and placed some distance between them.

  Becca stood there in jeans, a sweater, and a heavy jacket. The purse she carried dropped to the floor. Her nose and cheeks were pink from crying, her eyes red-rimmed and so wide they threatened to pop right out of their sockets.

  Eliana stepped up behind her. Grinning big, she gave him a not very subtle thumbs-up and mouthed, Finally!

  “Becca.” Kayla hastily sat up. “Hi, baby. Did you have a safe trip?”

  Nick felt like crap because she sounded awkward as hell. He shouldn’t have fallen asleep. He should’ve stayed awake and kept an ear out for her daughter so Becca wouldn’t have walked in and found them twined around each other like clinging vines.

  Becca took a step forward, her gaze darting back and forth between the two of them. “Are you okay? The hospital called and said you were in critical condition.”

  “I’m fine, sweetie. Come here and give me a hug.”

  Nick rolled off the bed and stepped back. As soon as he did, Becca rushed forward and threw herself into her mother’s arms.

  Kayla smiled and hugged her, stroking her hair. “It’s okay. I’m okay. My injuries weren’t as bad as they thought. I just have a slight concussion and a broken arm.”

  Becca leaned back. “Your face…”

  Kayla grimaced. “And some cuts and bruises. Nothing serious though. I’ll be fine in no time.”

  “I was so scared. They made it sound like you were going to die or something.”

  “I’m sorry. I should’ve called. I’ve been pretty out of it since the accident.”

  And he’d been so distracted that he’d forgotten to call Becca and give her an update. Silently, he cursed himself.

  Becca took her mom’s arm and ran her fingers over the cast. “What happened?”

  Kayla opened her mouth, acquired a blank expression, then shook her head. “I don’t know. I can’t remember.”

  Nick spoke, his gaze on Kayla as he backed toward the door, giving the women some space. “Some dumbass who was texting while driving plowed into you while you were parked at a red light.”

  Her eyebrows rose. “What?”

  “She was going full speed, and the impact propelled your car out into traffic. An SUV T-boned you and spun you in front of a truck going the opposite direction.”

  Becca’s face paled. “Shit.” She yanked her mother into another hug. “You could’ve been killed. You could’ve died!”

  “But I didn’t,” Kayla said, her voice calm and soothing. “I just got a little banged up.” When her eyes met Nick’s, she smiled. “Nick has a doctor friend at the hospital who patched me up and gave me the VIP treatment. So I’ll be fine in no time. You’ll see.”

  Relief filtered through him. He’d half expected her to give him the stink eye for falling asleep and failing to warn her about Becca’s arrival. But he saw only gratitude and affection in her pretty hazel eyes.

  Dare he hope some of that affection might be for him?

  Arching his brows, he jerked a thumb behind him and mouthed, Should I leave?

  She shook her head.

  Becca finally drew back. Sniffling, she wiped her eyes and glanced around the room. Her gaze lit upon Nick, then darted away, eventually finding its way back to her mother. “So… why are you here?”

  Kayla wrinkled her nose. “You know me. I hate going to the doctor. No way was I going to let them keep me in the hospital overnight.”

  Nick cleared his throat. “I was worried about her being alone with the concussion and the broken arm, so I brought her here instead of taking her home.”

  “Oh.” A long pause followed the single syllable that slowly stretched into Holy hell, this is awkward territory.

  Eliana leapt into the gap with a smile. “Becca, have you had anything to eat since you left North Carolina?”

  She wrinkled her nose in an exact imitation of her mother. The two closely resembled each other, Kayla looking more like Becca’s older sister than her mother. “No. They offered to serve me dinner on the jet, but I was too anxious to eat.”

  Kayla smoothed a hand over her daughter’s hair. “I’m surprised you were able to get a flight so quickly.”

  She shook her head. “It wasn’t a commercial jet. It was a private jet. A really swanky one. Whoever owns it must be rich.”

  Kayla sent Nick a questioning look.

  He shrugged. “I had a friend fly her in. I figured it would be next to impossible for her to find a nonstop flight on such shor
t notice, and I didn’t want her to have to deal with long layovers and connecting flights.”

  “Thank you.” The warmth in Kayla’s smile made him feel like he’d just won the World Cup. “That was very thoughtful.”

  Becca nodded. “It was. Thank you. I really appreciate it.”

  He smiled and dipped his chin in a nod.

  Becca turned back to her mother and flashed her a big grin. “If I hadn’t been so stressed out, I would’ve felt like a movie star or something. It was freaking awesome! Like flying from Raleigh to Houston in a rich man’s living room.”

  Kayla laughed. So did Nick and Eliana.

  Reordon, Henderson, and the other network division heads tended to spare no expense when it came to shuttling Immortal Guardians around. They all seemed intent on not only taking care of business but keeping the immortals as happy and comfortable as possible, perhaps in an attempt to offset the loneliness they knew plagued the immortals’ often dark existence.

  “The stewardess was really nice and sat with me the whole time,” Becca continued. “And the pilot was totally hot.”

  Kayla laughed. “How hot?”

  “Like Thor, Captain America, and Loki all rolled into one hot.”

  Despite Kayla’s silent assurances, Nick decided the two should probably be alone. “Why don’t I order you some pizza while the two of you catch up?”

  Kayla smiled. “Sounds good. Thank you. You and Eliana will join us, won’t you?”

  Eliana shook her head. “Actually, I—”

  Nick shot her a scowl.

  She clamped her lips together and looked for a moment as if she might burst into laughter. “—would love to join you,” she finished politely.

  Kayla’s smile widened. “Great.”

  Nick ducked out into the hallway and headed for the stairs. Eliana kept pace with him, her gaze practically boring holes in him. Though no words crossed her lips as they tromped down the steps and strode through the living room, amusement poured off her in waves.

  “What?” he demanded in a whisper as they reached the kitchen.

  “Coward,” she accused with a grin. “I mean, really—running from a teenaged girl?”

  The accusation stung, though it oozed with truth. Nick hadn’t been with a woman since the sixties. And he’d never been with one who had children—grown or otherwise—who might walk in on them in a compromising position. Even though that position had been totally innocent. Sure, Kayla had been half-sprawled on top of him. But neither one of them had been naked, and his hands had been in completely appropriate places instead of where he’d wanted to put them.

  “I’m not running. I’m… staging a strategic retreat,” he countered.

  She laughed.

  “What?” He picked up the cell phone he’d tossed on the island when they’d gotten home. “She’s Kayla’s daughter.” And that daughter had once been infatuated with him. He thought it might be weird enough for Becca to suddenly discover her mom might be physically involved with a man. Throw her former crush in on top of that and he wasn’t sure what to expect.

  Eliana leaned against the island. “What exactly were you doing when Becca walked in?”

  “Nothing. We were just sleeping.”

  She arched a brow. “And before Becca walked in?”

  A corner of his lips twitched. “Not sleeping.” When she looked so gleeful he thought she might try to high-five him, he added, “With clothes on. We were not sleeping with clothes on.”

  She shrugged, giving him a good-natured smile. “Hey, I’ll take it. It’s progress, right? I’m happy for you.”

  “Thanks.” Allowing himself a smile, he dialed the number of an Italian restaurant the network owned. There was at least one in every major city or town that hosted multiple immortals. Each restaurant boasted the best chefs, the best dishes, the best service. And while they served human families, too, each restaurant had a private back room labeled VIP for immortals and their Seconds so they could enjoy a delicious meal and not worry about inadvertently revealing their gifts or slipping and discussing work in front of humans.

  The restaurants also delivered upon request, but only for Immortal Guardians and their Seconds.

  Nick ordered four pizzas, knowing he and Eliana could easily devour two themselves. (Fighting vampires at preternatural speeds tended to burn a lot of calories.) And he wanted Kayla and Becca to have more than enough in case they returned to Kayla’s home and could use some leftovers to snack on.

  Discontentment crept in. Now that Kayla was in his home and in his bed, he didn’t want her to leave.

  Eliana watched him curiously. “Did you tell her what you are?” She kept her voice preternaturally soft.

  “Some of it.” Opening one of the upper cabinets, he took down four glasses. “She knows Seth healed her and can teleport. She knows I’m stronger and faster than human men. And she knows my eyes glow.”

  “Does she know you’re immortal?”

  “Yes.”

  “Does she know why you’re immortal?”

  He sighed. “No. She’s had enough to deal with for one day. I didn’t think flashing fangs and tossing vampires and the virus into the mix would be a great idea.”

  Eliana’s face sobered as she perched on one of the barstools. “I don’t blame you.”

  Opening the refrigerator, he drew out a large pitcher of tea.

  “Oh my gosh!” Becca suddenly blurted upstairs. Though she kept her voice low, Nick’s and Eliana’s hypersensitive hearing might as well have placed them in the same room with the two women. “How long are you going to let me drone on and on about the fancy bathroom in the jet before you tell me what’s going on with you and Nick?”

  Eliana locked eyes with him.

  Nick lowered the pitcher to the counter and awaited Kate’s response.

  “Um…”

  He winced. Apparently she was as uncertain how to answer that as he was.

  “Nick was worried about me,” Kayla said slowly. “With the concussion and everything, he didn’t want me to be alone and—”

  “Seriously?” Becca interrupted dryly. “You’re going to play the friend card?”

  “We are friends,” Kayla insisted.

  Before Nick could feel a stab of disappointment over the implication that that’s all they were, Becca snorted. “Mom, I know you like to think I’m still a naive little girl. But I’m old enough to know what a man looks like when’s he’s turned on, and one glance at his pants made it very clear that Nick was turned on when you rolled off him. That man wants you.”

  Nick clapped a hand to his forehead and dragged it down his face. Damn his body’s response.

  Eliana stared at him with a wide-eyed Really? In front of her kid? look while Kayla sputtered something unintelligible upstairs. Usually Immortal Guardians had far greater control over their bodies than humans did.

  “I can’t help it,” he hissed in his own defense. “She’s fucking hot.” And that really didn’t excuse the fact that he had sported wood in front of her daughter. But damn it, he had just woken up with Kayla’s beautiful body pressed against him, her arm resting on his lower abdomen not that far from his erection, and her knee damn near brushing his balls.

  Eliana bit her lip, her expression a mixture of sympathy, consternation, and amusement.

  “Okay, okay,” Kayla said, sounding as rattled as he felt. “We’re more than friends. At least I think we are. Things just changed between us today, and we haven’t really had a chance to explore it yet.”

  “But I thought he and Eliana were a couple.”

  “No. They’re just friends.”

  “Oh. Good,” she said, a definite Phew! We dodged a bullet there in her voice. “I admit I panicked a little when we burst in here and saw you two wrapped around each other. Once I got over the shock of it, I worried she was going to go ballistic. And I love you, Mom, I really do. But I don’t think you could take that woman in a fight if things got real.”

  Kayla laughed. �
�I’m sure I couldn’t. Even without the cast.”

  Both women laughed.

  Nick relaxed. Crisis averted? He certainly hoped so.

  “How badly did you break it?” Becca asked, her voice tentative now. “Does it hurt?”

  “No, sweetie. I’m fine.”

  “So… what? Did the accident bring you two together? Nick heard about your accident, rode to the rescue, and you two realized you wanted to be more than friends?”

  “Something like that,” Kayla responded, a smile in her voice. “I wasn’t sure how you would react because…”

  “Because what? Because of the crush I had on him a few years ago?” She made a dismissive sound. “Mom, I’m so over that. He’s way too old for me.”

  He grimaced. She made him sound ancient. Which he was, damn it.

  Would Kayla think him too old for her?

  “I also haven’t dated anyone since I divorced your father,” Kayla mentioned gently.

  Becca snorted. “Because Dad was such a dick it soured you on relationships.”

  “Hey! Language, young lady!” Kayla retorted sharply.

  “I’m sorry.” Becca’s apology was quick and sincere. “I know you’ve been careful not to badmouth Dad around me since the divorce. You’ve always tried to shield me. But I’m an adult now and fully capable of seeing him for what he is. And he is not a good person.”

  He sure as hell wasn’t. The bastard had cheated on Kayla and gotten another woman pregnant, then had cheated on that woman before she had even birthed the baby.

  “Wait,” Becca said suddenly. “Why is it so quiet downstairs?” Her voice lowered to a whisper. “You don’t think they’re listening, do you?”

  Eliana sat up straighter at the island. “No way, Nick,” she said as though they’d been carrying on a conversation. “I told you. No mushrooms. Gross. Just bell peppers, spinach, and tomatoes.”

  Taking her cue, Nick called out, “Hey, Kayla? What toppings do you and Becca want on your pizzas?” After living next door to them for several years, he knew the response before it came.

  “Bell peppers and tomatoes, please,” Kayla called. Which was exactly what he had ordered for them.

  “Got it. Thanks.”

  He looked at Eliana as Kayla changed the subject and asked Becca how her spur-of-the-moment trip would affect her schoolwork.