Page 7 of Kiss Me Like You Mean It

‘Don’t be ridiculous, Nicolas,’ Lee says, and she sounds so much like her grandmother that it makes me grin. ‘Naturally, I have passed on all the relevant materials to the authorities myself. Frankie knew that was one of my conditions when he contracted me.’

‘Why on earth would he agree to that?’

‘Because I’m extremely good at my job, and Frankie only hires the best.’ She pauses. ‘And because he’s not the criminal mastermind you seem determined to paint him as. You’ll see tonight when he’s showing you pictures of his grandchildren and reminiscing with his friends.’

‘Yeah, yeah, and tell me, do his friends all have names like Freddie-Four-Fingers and Billy the Fish?’

Her dimples quiver. ‘One of them is called Spuds, for reasons I have yet to determine.’

‘He probably used to beat people to death with a potato.’

‘Or he enjoys a nice plate of chips.’

‘Or that.’ I lean back. ‘Either way, I can’t believe we’re going to spend tonight playing poker with Frankie Martelli, and I get to take pictures of it. What a story! We’ll be telling the grandkids about this one.’

Lee gives a little huff of laughter. ‘Grandkids? Chance would be a fine thing.’

‘No future Mr Lee Turner-Jones on the horizon?’

‘My romantic life is a bit of a wasteland at the moment.’ She fiddles with her shirt cuff.

‘You’ll meet someone,’ I say, and I don’t have to fake my confidence. Lee is absolutely the sort of woman you marry. If you’re the sort of person who gets married, that is.

‘I’m thirty-one,’ Lee sighs. ‘I’ve been thinking I need to get a move on.’

‘Yes, I didn’t like to say anything but you’re giving off real aged spinster vibes. You’ve no money and no prospects, you’re already a burden to your parents… and you’re frightened.’

She laughs, and some of the tension leaves her eyes. ‘Please, Nico. You know better. We only recognise the 1995 Pride and Prejudice adaptation in my family.’

‘But, Lee,’ I counter, ‘what about the hand flex?’

Her eyebrows arch. ‘I’ll give you the hand flex, but that is all the ground I’ll concede. And you’d be wise to accept that as the final word on the subject if you ever want to binge the entire BBC box set with Gran and me again.’

‘Fair enough.’

‘Anyway,’ Lee continues. ‘The point is I haven’t been in a relationship for ages and I live with my eighty-two-year-old grandmother. Most of the time I’d rather hang out with her than drag myself out on a date with anyone.’

‘That makes perfect sense. I’d rather hang out with Gran than go on a date, too. Besides,’ I continue, ‘we’re here in Las Vegas, at one of the most exclusive hotels in the world, and we can have anything we want, free of charge. Now isn’t the time to be moping.’

‘You’re right.’ Lee straightens in her seat, a funny look of determination settling on her face. ‘I can let loose for once. I can… live a little. What’s the harm? We’ve got forty minutes before the poker game. What do you want to do?’

I glance over at the bar and then I turn back to her and smile.

‘Which do you think is their most expensive bottle of champagne?’

Chapter Three

Nico

When I prise my eyes open, the throbbing in my head has me biting back a groan. As the scene in front of me dips and weaves I wonder, dimly, at what point I got on a boat. I close my eyes again. The world seems to steady, and this time, when I open them, I realise I’m not on a boat. I’m in bed.

And I’m not alone.

It takes me a long time to organise the facts. My arm is wrapped around someone, pulling her back against me. She’s pressed, all warm, soft curves, against my front. Sunlight streams over us, and I don’t care for it, but it does highlight the spill of gold hair across the pillow beside me. Whoever it is, she smells good – sweet and a little smoky. I realise I’m not wearing a shirt, but I am still wearing my jeans.

What am I doing in bed in my jeans?

Especially when there’s someone else in the bed with me. Drowsily, I stroke the blonde hair back, revealing the line of her neck, and she moves against me in her sleep, rocking her hips back against mine. Even with the pounding headache I can appreciate that.