Page 32 of Built of Illusions
He padded down the hallway. A peek in the guest room showed the sheets tossed back and no Josie.
Another few steps brought him to the living room. He’d left a light on above the stove and in that light, he could see Josie standing in front of his bookcase again. Relief made him a little giddy.
Not wanting to scare her, he kept his voice soft. “Hey. Couldn’t sleep?”
She didn’t flinch, meaning she’d already been aware of him. Hyper-vigilant like someone who’d been traumatized. Which she had been.
When she turned to him, her smile was self-deprecating. “Can’t get my brain to shut off. Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
He moved closer and took her hand. “I meant it when I said to wake me if you didn’t want to be alone. It’s been a hell of a couple of days.”
She nodded and looked down, clamping her lips together.
Nico moved in and wrapped his arms around her. She sighed softly and leaned in. For a long moment, he simply stood and held her. He hadn’t been mistaken earlier. They fit perfectly.
After a few minutes, he kissed her hair. “Trust me?”
Her instant nod had him feeling like Superman and he turned, but kept a hold of one hand as he led her to his bedroom. Her footsteps hesitated and he grinned. “Trust me.” This time, he didn’t make it a question.
Those huge eyes watched him for a moment, then she nodded again.
Nico held up his comforter and smiled. “No shenanigans, I promise.”
Her laugh lit him up and his body hardened. Hell, it was always hard around this woman. But he wasn’t a teenager. He would always control himself.
Josie scrambled into the bed and he slid in beside her. Then he held up his arm and she shifted to lean her head on his chest. He tucked her in and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
“We’re going to figure this out, Josie. We’re going to get this guy.”
“I want to help.”
He chuckled. “Of course you do. But not tonight. Tell me how you chose your house. What did you like best about it?”
Her chuckle told him she knew he was simply distracting her. It also told him she was going to go along with it. “The windows.”
Well, he hadn’t expected that. “Windows? You chose a house because of windows?”
“Of course. In the main room, they’re huge and south facing. They’ll get amazing light. They’re perfect for the studio.”
“Most people call it a living room.”
“Most people don’t know what they’re missing.”
He chuckled and stroked his hand over her arm. Holding her close, they chatted quietly in the night about nothing important or stressful.
When the yawns got bigger, Nico squeezed her close. “Sleep, Josie. I’ve got you.”
She muttered something that sounded like I’ve got you, too.
Nico’s heart thumped in his chest. What would it be like to have her at his back? With her at his side?
His buddies had fallen in love one after the other, but Nico had assumed it wouldn’t happen for him. He’d seen a lot of foster kids come through his house. They’d either been orphaned, like Joe and Tansy, or were better off without their hideous parents, like Sam.
He knew exactly the reasons he’d become a psychologist and an FBI profiler. He’d wanted to make the world better, so he’d learned to see past the shields and walls the kids put up when they arrived at the Riveras. It was the same thing he now did as an adult. Because of his training and his early years of practice, he could often see behind the illusions to what people really felt.
Manny and Lisa had been experts at helping kids lower their shields and learn to trust and risk again. Figuring out patterns of behavior and the reasons why people did things had become second nature to Nico as he’d watched his parents help traumatized kids.
Now he used those skills daily in his job. A job that was taking its toll on him. Studying serial killers and tracking them down wasn’t something he could do forever. Maybe not even for much longer.