A spiral stair led from the lower hallway upward to what looked to be the main living level. Sleek modern furniture decorated a large living room bisected by a gigantic fireplace that created a wall into an entertainment room with state-of-the-art electronics.

They headed up another staircase—this one wider—to the next floor. Lex led her down a long hallway with skylights. She could see the night stars winking above her as they walked. He opened a door almost at the end and waved her inside, dropping her bags as she passed.

He gestured at the room, which was large and airy and had a balcony with French doors that overlooked the gardens at the side of the house. There was a large bed with white wrought ironwork and saffron-and-red-accented linens. “I’m going to put you here in the guestroom. It’s got its own bathroom and fireplace. We have a higher body core temperature and so the house is colder than one where a human would live. It’s a gas fireplace and it heats the room well. Are you hungry?” He snapped his mouth closed as he realized with horror that he was actually babbling. This human woman had reduced him to a blathering mess. He had to f**k her and claim her as soon as possible.

She looked around the room, sighing tiredly. She was barely holding back the tears and desperately needed to be alone before she lost it in front of him. “It’s nearly two, I’m exhausted. I have to call my staff to tell them to open the shop tomorrow. I can’t think about food or that computer right now…” Her sentence trailed off as he held her gaze.

Sneaking a quick look at the bag that held her laptop, he held off pressuring her. Dark circles smudged beneath her eyes, lines of grief etched around her mouth. Unable to stop himself, he reached out, running the pad of his thumb over her bottom lip.

She closed her eyes, allowing him that brief contact. The warmth of his touch slid sinuously through her system and her ni**les hardened. Alarmed again at how he affected her, she stepped back, clearing her throat. “Thank you for letting me stay here.”

He let her avoid him. For the moment. “You’re welcome here. You’re safe here, I promise you. You know, it occurs to me you haven’t told me your name.”

“I’m Nina, but you must have known that from Gabriel or you wouldn’t have known where I lived.”

He gave a quiet chuckle. “Well yes, but we haven’t been properly introduced. He talked about you all of the time—his big sister who was always helping him. He wanted to prove himself to you.” He stopped speaking, his smile faltered when he watched more grief come into her eyes. “I am sorry for your loss, Nina. Rey loved you.”

At least he didn’t try saying what an important asset Gabriel was to them or any such lie. She nodded. “I really need to sleep,” she said, trying not to plead. She needed some distance from Lex and she needed it before she did or said something stupid like jump on him as she cried, please take off your pants and give me comfort with your cock.

He cleared his throat and she snapped back to reality. “Hang on a sec.” He sprinted down the hall and came back a few moments later.

Handing her a neatly folded stack of clothes he stood back, almost looking shy. “Here. They’re going to be too big but it occurred to me that you may not have any clothes to sleep in. Please, call out if you need me. I’m only two doors down.” He walked to the door and looked back at her one last time before leaving the room quietly.

She had two changes of clothes in the running kit but no night clothes, so she rooted through the clothes he’d brought and found a pajama top that smelled of him. On autopilot, she hugged it to her body as she padded into the bathroom that adjoined the bedroom.

The room was as large as her bedroom at home. A terrible pain sliced through her as she realized that she had no home anymore. Her books, her music, her clothing, it was as gone as Gabriel was. She’d bought her little bungalow two years before. She could have chosen something more expensive, she had some money left over from what she’d spent on the business, but she’d wanted to buy it free and clear without showing up on any radar. So she’d scrimped and saved and made it her own, planting her own garden and decorating it slowly but surely. She still had about three hundred thousand dollars in a Swiss account but she felt guilty about that money and left it there to be used only in an emergency.

She turned on the water and let it go very hot. The room filled with steam as her vision blurred. As she stepped into the glass enclosure the first racking sob tore through her and she stood there, face turned up to the water, letting the tears flow freely.

She felt so alone. She had no one left who was part of her, and that made her feel bereft. Adrift. At the same time, she couldn’t deny the small part of her that felt freer now that she wasn’t responsible for someone else. She wouldn’t be cleaning up after Gabriel anymore. Of course that just made her feel guilty on top of alone and grief-stricken, and the tears came harder.

The water began to cool just as she had nothing left. Like a zombie, she got out and dried off, slipping into the shirt. It felt good against her skin—Lex’s scent wrapped around her, giving her comfort. With a heavy sigh she pulled back the bedding and slid between the sheets. Her last thought was that she’d have to deal with the cops and her house first thing, and then she promptly passed out.

* * * * *

Down the hall, in the office outside of Cade’s bedroom, Lex heard her turn on the shower and then his stomach clenched as he heard her sobs. He stood up and started to leave the room, to go to her and pull her into his arms. Cade put his hand out and barred the door.