Nick jerked awake as Bayley bounded into the hotel room.

“Get up, get up! I just saw him in the lobby. I don’t know how he knew we were here, but I saw him!”

On his feet in an instant, Nick’s heart pounded as his groggy mind tried to decode Bayley’s words while she rushed around the room, throwing items into her bag.

“Your bag’s already packed, so that’s good. You just gotta grab your toiletries. Or leave them. Yeah, you can get others. You probably have stuff at your house.” She grabbed the pile of her clothes lying next to the bed and shoved them haphazardly into her suitcase. “I gotta get my hair stuff. It’s kind of expensive, but it’ll only take a second.” Stopping, she looked up at him, saying, “Nick? Are you listening? Get a move on!”

Stalking over, now fully awake, he stilled her flurry of movements with his hands on her shoulders. “Bayley. Slow down. Who did you see?”

“The man. The man who accosted me. The one you said was some super-duper Russian bad guy. He’s down in the lobby!”

“Johan? Johan Serkov?”

Shoving him to the side, she ran into the bathroom as she shouted, “I don’t know! I don’t know his name. All I know is that he’s down in the lobby right now and I don’t think he’s there to visit Santa!” Rushing back into the room with her arms full of cosmetic bags and hair-care products, she added, “But would you believe that Santa must have known what was going on because he helped me escape back up here?”

Blinking at her nonsensical ramblings mixed in with the facts, Nick halted her again. Holding her face in his hands, he said, “Bayley, you’ve gotta focus. Please, focus.”

She pursed her lips, but nodded obediently.

“Tell me exactly what happened and what you saw.”

“Fine,” she agreed, and related her observations from the lobby. Finishing, she peered into his eyes, asking, “Are we okay? Don’t we need to get out of here? Like now?”

Stepping back, he said, “Keep packing.” Pulling out his phone, he dialed. “Harlan? Bayley just saw Johan Serkov in the lobby. Get the security tapes from downstairs and see if you can identify him. Yeah…yeah. We’re packing now and will be out of here in about five more minutes. I’m not going to do anything here but get Bayley out. I’d rather he not know that we’re on to him. We’re going out the back and won’t check out. We’ve got a reservation for two more nights, so it’ll look like we’re still here.”

“How the fuck did he find you there?” Harlan asked.

“Got no idea,” Nick replied, scruffing his hair with his hand. “I’ve used no personal accounts but—” he halted. “Fuckin’ hell, Bayley made the reservations.”

She stood, eyes wide and whispered, “I used my Expedia account even though you paid for it with your card.”

“Damnit!” Nick cursed. “Okay, Harlan, call the Knoxville FBI office and get someone here immediately. I’ll call you from the road. We’re outta here now.”

“Nick, I’m so sorry,” Bayley cried, her hands clutching his forearms. “Are we in danger?”

“Baby, I’ve got you and this is not your fault,” he assured, sliding his hand down so that his fingers could clasp with hers. Bending down to capture her eyes, he repeated, “This is not your fault. I never thought about it. Paying with various cards is a habit with me, but I never thought about the reservations. That’s on me.” He eyed the bag on the bed. “You done?”

“Yeah,” she said, her head bobbing, fear clutching at her now that her movements had stilled, allowing her mind to focus on Johan’s presence.

“Make sure you’ve got everything and, for God’s sake, go to the bathroom. Once we leave here, we’ll slip down the back stairs and make our way to my vehicle. I want to get back to Virginia, where I can guarantee your safety. Harlan will notify the local FBI office, so they can investigate.”

The two worked in tangent for another minute, making sure to gather all their belongings and then Bayley ran into the bathroom. Emerging a moment later, she nodded. “I’m good.”

Looking at her blue eyes, no longer wide with fright but bright with adrenaline, he stalked over, lifting his hand to the back of her neck. Pulling her in, he latched onto her lips, kissing with the initial intention of offering comfort but, as her tongue tangled with his, it zoomed into pure, white-hot need.

Discipline was the only reason he pulled back, his breath raspy as he observed her stormy-blue eyes piercing his. She licked her lips as her chest heaved. “Now, I’m good,” she wheezed.

Smiling as he gave her neck a slight squeeze, he replied, “Yeah, you are, babe.”

Fifteen minutes later, they pulled out of the back of the parking lot, leaving the Christmastown Inn behind.

Seven hours later, Nick pulled into his apartment’s secure garage. He had sped the entire trip and, even with the three pit stops Bayley needed, they made good time. Glancing to the side, he observed her face, relaxed in sleep. Leaning over, he ran his finger over her petal-soft cheek, watching as her eyes fluttered open.

“Hey. We’re home.”

Blinking a few times as she regained her wits, Bayley looked at the man whose face was so close to hers. Licking her lips, she hoped he would kiss her. Moving forward slowly, giving him every indication of her intention, she licked his bottom lip before angling her head to latch onto his firm mouth. He immediately plunged his tongue as they let the nerves of the day morph into desire, now that they were safe. After a moment, they leaned back simultaneously, smiles playing about their lips.

“Let’s go in, Bayley. I need to talk to my people and I also need to check in with Jack. I know you want to talk to Blaise as well, but let me fill him in first, okay?”

She nodded, having no difficulty letting him handle this situation. “While you do that, I’ll check in with Daphne.”

Once in his apartment, Bayley hesitated at the door, wondering if he expected her to stay. Where should I put my things?

As he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket to call Harlan, he turned, seeing the doubt on her face. “Put your things in my bedroom…that is, if you’re okay with that.”

Grinning, she nodded. “Absolutely.” As he connected with his fellow agent, she moved down the hall, stepping inside his room. It was larger than the guest room, a king-sized bed against the back wall, flanked with two walnut nightstands. A tall, walnut dresser was against another wall, next to a door leading into the bathroom. His bed was made, covered in a dark grey comforter. A chair in the corner was empty—of adornment and of clothes. Stepping into the master bathroom, her gaze swept the clean counters. Biting her lip, she wondered how she would ever be able to stay in his room without leaving a mess. Walking back to the bathroom in the hall, she set her toiletries inside the cabinet before moving into the guest room and placing her bag on the bed.

Back in his bedroom, she pulled out her phone, dialing Daphne as she sat in the comfortable chair.

“Girl, how are you?” Daphne greeted.

“We’re fine, but how’s everything here?”

“The shop is fine. You know I would have told you if anything was wrong. The coffee’s hot, the customers are buying, and the writers are in their cubicles creating. Don’t worry about us.”

“Good. I can’t thank you enough. I’m heading to my place tomorrow, so that will take some of the work off you at the store.”

“Ooohh, spending the night with Mr. TDMB?”

“I hadn’t thought of him with that name in a couple of days,” Bayley commented, thinking of how their relationship had changed with the trip. Now he was just…my Nick.

“And how do you think of him?”

Blushing and glad her friend could not see her, she replied, “Just a really super nice, smart, caring man.”

Daphne was silent for only a second before she gushed, “Oh, Bayley, that’s so sweet.”

“How are things with you and your man?”

“Uh…okay, I guess,” Daphne replied. “I mean, he keeps coming around, but I’m not sure he’s as into me as I thought.”

Sensing her friend wanted a change of subject, Bayley said, “I’ll be into the shop tomorrow afternoon so, can you open for me again? That’ll give me a chance to talk to my brother and have time to check in with the writers when I get there.”

With Daphne’s assurance that she would not mind, Bayley disconnected, staring out the window at the sunset. The sound of an angry voice met her ears and she hurried to the doorway, hesitating as she stepped into the hall. Uncertain if she should be listening, curiosity won out and she moved toward the kitchen.

Nick was standing in his living room, his back to her as he stared out the window, his voice raised in frustration.

“The bigger risk was her staying here without me or the Saints able to provide the security we needed. No. No. What the hell, Harlan? I know this isn’t coming from you. It’s coming from Richard, and I’ll be damned if I let him trash my record just because I didn’t ask him first on this.”

Bayley stepped back, pressing against the wall, her heart pounding as her stomach clenched in nerves. He’s in trouble…because of me. His voice continued in anger before she heard the phone landing on the coffee table. Licking her dry lips, she stepped around the corner, her eyes searching for him. He stood, still facing the window, his hands on his hips. She caught the instant his eyes found hers in the reflection.

She opened her mouth, but no words came as she continued to stare, the air crackling about the room. He turned slowly, his gaze now directly on her.

“Come here,” he growled, and the sound of his voice shot straight to her core.

Her feet moved of their own accord as she hurried to stand directly in front of him. Neither touched for a moment, until he swooped down, encircling her waist, hauling her up against his chest.

She grabbed his cheeks in her hands pulling him in close without kissing him. “What’s going on?” she whispered against his lips.

Shaking his head, he said, “I don’t want to talk right now.”

A slow grin curved her lips as her tongue darted out, moistening them. “So, what do you want to do?”

“I want you…your body under mine…or hell, on top of mine. As long as I’m in you when you come.”

His words, rough and needy, speared her sex as she rubbed her core on his jean-clad leg, her clit aching for his touch.

“I feel yucky from the long drive,” she claimed. “But your shower is big and huge and I’m dying to try it out.”

“I can honestly say I’ve never had shower sex, but I’m willing to give it a shot.”

“I haven’t either,” she confessed, “but I have it in my books, so—”

“So, this is research?”

Giggling, she nodded against his chest. “Oh, yeah. Definitely research.”

Scooping her up in his arms, he stalked to the master bathroom as she squealed, hanging on as he nibbled on her neck. Twisting his body so he would not hit her head or her feet on the doorway, he settled her down on the thick bathmat. Turning on the water, he looked over his shoulder as she immediately shucked her clothes. With her hands on her hips, her naked body had his cock standing at attention. His eyes landed on the pendant dangling at the top of her breasts.

Seeing his curious stare, she reached up, fingering the necklace. “Santa gave this to me just before he warned me to leave from a back door.”

Shaking his head slowly, he grinned in amazement. “If you’d told me this last week, I’d have said you were crazy, but now? I’ll believe almost anything.” As his gaze slid down her body, his lips curved upward. Jerking his shirt off, he threw it on the floor. Her impatient fingers fumbled with his belt as he toed off his shoes. With his cock soon free, she knelt on the bathmat, taking him in her mouth as he slid his pants and boxers down his legs.

His hands grasped her hair, winding the tresses through his fingers as she licked and gently sucked him into oblivion.

Bayley looked upward, heady with power as she watched his head fall back, his face a picture of agony and ecstasy. His cock was thick, long veins running down the length. Her fist worked the base as she sucked while moving up and down his shaft slowly. Building speed, she was surprised when he pulled out quickly, stopping her protest when he grabbed her underneath her arms and lifted her up.

“About to explode, Bayley, and I really want to come inside you.” He leaned over to snag a condom, but her hand on his arm stilled him.

Seeing his confusion, she said, “I’m on the pill. Have been since college. The last guy I was with was over a year ago. So, I guess the only thing is—”

“I’m clean,” he vowed. “Got the paperwork, ‘cause we have to be tested with the Bureau.”

She bit her lip, saying, “Um, I’ve got paperwork too. I get tested at my annual exam, but the report is at my house.”

He reached up and held her face tenderly in his hands. “Bayley, I trust you. Maybe it’s rash, but I trust you. And I’d really like to feel all of you around all of me, with no barrier.”

“Come on,” she grinned. “Let’s do our shower sex research.”

Entering underneath the spray of water, he pressed her back against the tile. “You got a specific way this is supposed to work or are we just going to wing it?”

With her hands on his shoulders, she said, “In romance books, the guy always lifts the girl in his arms and then enters her with her back pressed against the wall.”

His eyes filled with doubt but his cock was tired of the conversation and wanted to get back to business. Lifting Bayley was easy and she immediately wrapped her legs around his waist. He pressed her back against the wet tile, but she began to slip down.

“Here, let me hold on to your shoulders,” Bayley said, feeling her ass sliding.

Nick lifted his knee to give her balance, but his foot slipped on the wet shower floor, sending sprays of water shooting directly into her face. As she gasped, sucking in a mouthful of water, her hand flailed about, causing him to press her harder against the wall.

“Nick, this isn’t working,” she wheezed, coughing as she swallowed several times.

Setting her feet down carefully, he made sure she was steady as he moved so that the water hit his back and was no longer in her face. Staring at each other for a moment, they burst into laughter, water droplets sliding down their naked bodies.

“Oh, God, Nick. In my books, it’s so easy!”

“Tell, you what, baby,” he grinned. “How about you face the wall?”

Her eyes sparkled as they widened slightly, lust deepening the blue. Turning slowly, she presented her back to him, her heart-shaped ass drawing his attention. With a slight wiggle, she placed her palms on the wall, bending slightly.

He ran his hand from her neck, down her spine, over the globes of her ass, before sliding them up to her front, cupping her breasts. Tweaking her nipples, he elicited groans of pleasure from her lips. Stepping close, his cock nudged her entrance. Using his fingers to spread her folds, he slipped inside her sex with ease. The feeling of skin on skin, the friction of movement, had them both panting.

The angle shot jolts of electricity through her, causing her core to tighten as she raked her fingernails along the hard tile. Holding on to her hips, Nick pumped in and out, knowing he was close. Sliding one hand to her front, he fingered her nub, feeling her fall apart in his arms. With a few more thrusts, his neck muscles tightened as he groaned, his orgasm sending shock waves through his spine and down his legs. Collapsing against her back, he held them up with one hand on the wall beside her head as his other arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her close.

The water was cooling, so he turned it off, holding on to her as they stepped out onto the bathmat. Grabbing a towel, he began to dry her off, batting her hands away as she reached for the cloth.

“I got you,” he said. “Let me take care of you.”

Resting her head to the side, she smiled as he slowly and carefully dried off each inch of her body. As he finished, he bent to take her lips in a whisper-soft kiss. Pulling back slightly, he said, “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For giving you to me. All of you for all of me. I’ve never experienced that before. Not like that.”

“I’ve never wanted to be with a man without a condom before,” she admitted. “I can’t even say exactly why this felt so right.”

With his arms wrapped tightly around her, he kissed the top of her head, leaving his lips against her hair. “ ‘The greatest joy is flying off into the star-filled night sky, into the unknown.’ ”

Leaning back, she peered up at his face, her brows lowered as she pondered his words.

Shaking his head, he said, “That was something Santa said to me while we were at the inn. I didn’t understand it at the time and, to be honest, I was thinking about my job. But now, I realize his words are right for us as well.”

“So, we were flying off into the star-filled night sky?” she asked, her lips curving into a wide smile.

Capturing them in a kiss, he murmured, “Oh, yeah. Definitely flying.”