Page 64 of My Craving

“Then you understand.”

“Unfortunately.” Declan gets to his feet and pulls Xavier up with him. He makes it almost to the door before stopping and looking back at me, and the expression on his face warns me he’s about to say something I’m not going to like. “There is one problem.”

“What?”

“Nash is only four years older than me.” His mouth twitches. “I’m not calling him Dad.”

I stare at him. “Get out of my office.”

Xavier is already laughing when Declan pulls him through the doorway. “Love you too, Daidí.”

Chapter 30 Nash

Getting out of Duncan’s penthouse isn’t the problem. Getting away from the security detail attached to me is going to be considerably harder. Nobody tries to stop me when I leave with my gym bag because Duncan never told them to keep me prisoner, but by the time the elevator reaches the lobby, one of the guards is already waiting and Simon has the SUV pulled around front.

“Max’s yoga studio,” I tell them as I climb into the back.

Simon doesn’t question it, and I spend the drive trying not to look too pleased with myself. Going to the studio isn’t unusual enough to raise alarms, and having security drive me there makes the whole thing look even more innocent. I just need them to stay out front long enough for me to leave through the back.

When we pull up, Simon gets out with me. “We’ll be here when you’re finished.”

“Could be a couple of hours. There’s a coffee shop a few doors down if you get bored.”

His expression doesn’t change. “We’ll be here.”

Of course they will. Duncan apparently hires people immune to both boredom and hints.

The familiar scent of eucalyptus and sandalwood hits me when I step inside, and some of the tension I’ve been carrying since this morning eases from my shoulders. Normally, walking in here is enough to make me want to roll out a mat and disappear into a routine for an hour. Today, yoga isn’t why I came.

Max is behind the front desk, and his attention moves from me to the SUV visible through the windows. “I was wondering how long it would be before you showed up with a story.”

I rest my forearms on the counter. “What makes you think there’s a story?”

“You arrived with bodyguards.”

“Security detail,” I correct. “And I need to lose them.”

His eyes come back to mine. “That sentence raises several questions, none of which you’re answering in the middle of my lobby.” He glances toward the studio before nodding down the hallway. “Jenny will be back any minute. Come on.”

I follow him into his office and drop onto the couch while he pulls two green juices from the small refrigerator. He tosses one to me before taking the chair across from me.

“Start with why you have security following you.”

I twist the cap off the bottle and take a drink. “Remember when you told me I needed to find myself a daddy?”

Max’s eyebrows rise. “You actually listened to me?”

“Don’t get excited. It could still be a coincidence.” I take another drink, making him wait a few seconds longer. “His name is Duncan Murphy.”

Whatever smartass response Max was preparing disappears. He leans back in the chair and studies me instead. “That explains the security. I’m assuming you’ve seen what’s all over the news.”

“Every fucking headline. The accusations are bullshit. Someone is setting him up, and whoever is doing it has broken into my apartment twice trying to drag me into the middle of it.”

“Twice?” Max’s attention sharpens. “What did they want from you?”

“The first time they left pictures of Duncan and me. The second time it was his family, mostly his dead wife, along with a note trying to convince me he killed her.” I finish the juice and set the empty bottle on the edge of his desk. “It didn’t have the effect they were hoping for.”

Max stares at me for a second. “I’m almost afraid to ask what effect it did have.”