Curious to see what Gideon had brought, I slipped from bed and tiptoed over to the table, the smell of bacon making my mouth water. My stomach grumbled when I lifted the silver lid that covered the nearest plate and saw a beautifully fluffy omelet, toast, and hash browns. And in the carafe in the center of the table was piping hot chocolate.
“How in the world . . .” I mumbled.
“I was just wondering the same thing.” Nicky’s voice so near my ear made me start with a laugh. “I was just thinking to myself, ‘How in the world does Trish expect me to keep my hands off her when she’s running around naked,’ ” he continued, pulling me into his arms and pressing a kiss to the curve of my neck.
“Well, I could put some clothes on,” I told him, turning to face him and looping my arms around his neck. “But that would imply that I want you to keep your hands off me.”
Nicky’s kiss was hot on my lips, and the stubble on his jaw scraped against my skin as he pressed kisses along my neck and shoulder, down my stomach, the inside of my thigh. And when his tongue caressed the center of me, I gasped, my knees buckling. He chuckled as he sat me down in one of the chairs, then knelt before me, hooking my legs over his shoulders as his tongue resumed its caress. I writhed against his mouth, shattering apart with a loud cry, no longer caring if anyone heard.
As soon as Nicky stood, I pushed him down into the other chair and straddled him, groaning as he slid into me. “At this rate we won’t eat breakfast before noon,” I gasped, gripping the back of the chair.
Nicky took hold of my hips, making sure I didn’t get any ideas about stopping now. “I wasn’t hungry—not for breakfast anyway.”
It probably was around noon by the time we’d managed to get enough of each other and take a shower—which probably should’ve been taken separately, considering lathering each other up was just too much of a temptation to resist. But, remarkably, the breakfast Gideon had set out for us was still hot when we finally sat down to eat. Gotta love fairy magic.
“So, what’s the plan?” I asked Nicky after polishing off half of my omelet.
He took a long drink of orange juice to wash down the last of his breakfast, which he’d apparently consumed at warp speed, before answering. “We need to visit the Pigg brothers, find out what they know about Dracula’s lair. Drac’s obviously playing it safe by not coming out in person to attack you or Tess. If we want to take him out, we’re going to have to track him down in the flesh.”
I nodded. “Okay, so how do we find the Pigg brothers?”
Nicky shrugged. “Not too hard, really. I know a guy who’s been my eyes and ears around this town for years. If anyone knows where to find the Piggs, Jack will.”
“Jack?” I echoed. “Which one? There are like a hundred Jacks from fairytales and folklore. And every other rhyme is named Jack. You’re going to have to narrow it down for me.”
“Let’s just leave it at Jack.” Nicky leaned back in his chair, giving me a great look at his pecs. And suddenly I was hungry in an entirely different way.
Blushing at my insatiable desire for the man across from me, I quickly finished off my breakfast and went to the wardrobe to find something to wear. To my surprise, it now also held a collection of clothes for Nicky. I laughed, shaking my head. “I’ll be damned.”
Nicky joined me at the wardrobe, as astonished as I was. “What the hell? How did—”
I pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I’m learning that nothing about Gideon is quite what it seems.”
Nicky grabbed a fresh set of clothes and gave me a warning look. “Yeah, well, he can be as mysterious as he wants as long as he keeps his damned hands off you.”
I cast an arch smile his way as I pulled on my jeans. “Jealous?”
He ran his hands through his hair, causing a thick, dark lock to fall over his forehead, making him look way too rakish for his own good. “Jealous doesn’t even begin to cover it. I could’ve murdered that bastard when I saw you in his arms.”
I patted him on the chest. “No need for that, lover—your arms are the only ones I ever want around me.”
When I opened the door a few minutes later, the object of our discussion was standing across the hall, leaning casually against the wall with his arms crossed.
“Gideon,” I greeted, “we were just talking about you!”
The corners of his mouth twitched with the hint of a smile. Then he inclined his head toward Nicky. “I see you have . . . made amends.”
Nicky shifted a little, still surly. “Something like that.”
“Thank you, Gideon,” I said, extending my hand. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”
Gideon took my hand and raised it to his lips, pressing a kiss to my fingertips. “It was my pleasure. If you have need of me again, you have only to call.”
“Okay, okay,” Nicky said, stepping in and taking my hand from Gideon’s grasp. “That’s enough of that. I’m grateful and all, but that gratitude only goes so far, Tiny.”
Nicky was still frowning as we got into his Escalade, which Gideon, of course, had waiting and warmed up in front of his home when we opened the door. “How does he do that shit?”
“Anticipate what others need before they even know it?” I asked. “Hell if I know. But now I see why the king likes having him around. Who better to protect him than a bodyguard who knows how to take care of the threat before it even happens?”
Nicky looked in his rearview mirror as we drove away, catching a glimpse of Gideon still standing in the doorway. “Yeah, well, everybody’s got a blind spot.”
I shuddered, wondering what manner of being it would take to get one up on Gideon. I hoped I wouldn’t have to be around to see that happen. Or get called to the scene after the fact . . .
At some point during our drive I dozed off, my hand clasped in Nicky’s. I wasn’t sure how long we’d been driving when we hit a massive pothole that jolted me awake as my head bounced against the back of the seat.
Nicky cursed under his breath. “Sorry about that,” he said, giving my hand a squeeze. “The roads in this part of town aren’t for shit.”
I sat up straighter, blinking away the last vestiges of sleep and looking around, trying to get a feel for our surroundings. The buildings were mostly boarded up, the result of the economic downturn that had put the businesses in the area under and left the buildings just empty shells, eerie reminders of what once had been. A few rusted-out cars lined the street, and trash blew across the dirty snow that spotted the sidewalk and gathered in the corners like arctic cobwebs. “Where the hell are we?”
“This is where Jack runs his operation,” Nicky informed me. “Odds are good we’ll find him lurking around here somewhere.”
I caught a glimpse of a junkie sitting on the broken steps of one of the buildings, twitching and swatting at pests that only he could see. “Charming. Can’t wait to meet this guy.”
Nicky pulled up in front of a red brick building that looked like it might’ve been a store or a bank at some point in its history, but any indication of what sort of business establishment it once had housed had been peeled away by time and neglect.
Nicky reached under his seat and pulled out a Glock. He quickly ejected the magazine to make sure it had a full clip, then rammed it back in. He jerked his chin toward the glove box. “Grab the one in there and stick it in your pocket. They’ll search us, but go ahead and let them take it.”