Can't Buy Me Love

Chapter Twenty Two

Nathan headed back out into the snow, grateful for the snow spikes Alex had loaned him earlier, he half jogged and half ran the same loop that he’d down earlier, but slower this time. He’d overreacted, he knew he had, but he’d seen red. That bloody man, the smug looks...he shook his head and dug in to his running.

When he got back to the house the cars were back and the kids were tossing snowballs at each other in the garden. Smiling and waving he jogged past them and into the basement apartment to shower and change.

A hot shower breathed life back into his frozen extremities and seemed to give him some confidence before he actually confronted, or rather was confronted by Marina. He knew she’d flip out, and now that he’d had time to think, he knew he was out of order. But damn did he hate Avis, they’d lost no love over the last few years, and indeed he’d been the object of Nathan’s hate and distrust for several years.

Suddenly Nathan drifted back to another time he’d tried to forget. He’d been working on a case of a serial killer in Washington. Avis had been assigned his temporary partner when Cal his ex-marine buddy and original partner had been shot and was unable to work with him. He and Avis had followed a man who they suspected to be the serial killer and a shoot out had ended the trail. The suspected perpetrator was killed, later deemed to have been by Nathan’s gun. Ben Avis had implicated him, suggesting he had acted irrationally and had precipitated the conflict. Nathan had been relegated to a significantly lower rank, and a myriad of undercover jobs had followed, whilst Avis had been lifted up the ranks steadily.

Ben Avis had loved every second of the years that he’d watched Nathan struggle, and that had come to a head the last eighteen months as he’d watched Nathan fruitlessly search for a link to Marina. He’d get the bastard back; Nathan was sure of that, but for now he had some serious making up to do. Avis was another day, another problem.

Swinging open the bathroom door he stepped into the bedroom then froze. Sat on the bed, an angry look on her face was Marina. She hadn’t calmed down at all.

Marina was still livid, she’d hated the jealousy he’d shown earlier, and no amount of rest, bath, or even listening to music had helped. So as soon as she heard via the children that he was home, she headed down to sort things out, once and for all. But the sight of him naked bar the towel tied low around his hips knocked her off kilter. She knew he was beautiful; he’d occupied her bed and her dreams on more than one occasion. But now this unexpected appearance of him all bronzed and muscle had made her anger subside too rapidly. Now she felt stupid.

                “I know!” he held his hands up in mock surrender. “I was out of order. I shouldn’t have snapped like that. The man is a loser and I really can’t stand him. I don’t like that he’s trying to ingratiate himself into your life...” After a pause, where he watched for her response he quickly added, “And I know you’re big enough to make your own mind up! Ok?”

She was both stunned from catching him unexpectedly, and now from him knowing exactly what had been on her mind.

                “Right!” she announced. “I’m glad that’s sorted!” It was completely not what she had intended to say, but it was all she had, from behind her blushes.

With a sigh she turned to leave the room, but he reached for her shoulder pulling her back to him, “oh and Marina...you are allowed to look!”

The eyes that had been instantly drawn to his body, those divine pecs, suddenly met his and flashed in anger, and with a humph she stormed out of his room, completely wrong-footed and completely wanting to jump his bones.