Romeo, Romeo Part 14

Nick vacuumed with such attention to detail and skill that it put her own vacuuming skills to shame. He was even careful to go over the indentations left by the feet of the couch several times to make sure he'd sucked up all the dirt while he held up a couch so heavy, it took three men to deliver.

It took a while, since there was no shortage of dirt- she hadn't vacuumed under the couch since she'd bought the d.a.m.n thing five years ago. The clear plastic cylinder on the Trekkie-in spired vacuum was filled with a tornado of dirt and dog hair.

That vacuum was a far cry from the green Hoover upright she'd inherited from her grandmother-G.o.d rest her soul. Rosalie crossed herself. The vacuum might be old, but it was tough-even though the last time she used it, the apartment filled with the scent of burning rubber. Rosalie knew she had it somewhere in the apartment, she just wasn't sure where. Maybe she'd put it down in her storage area in the bas.e.m.e.nt? No, the last time she'd seen it was in the den next to the ironing board she never used. Come to think of it, she never used the vacuum, either. Maybe because the to-be-ironed pile was hanging on the handle.

Nick bent down and gently lowered the couch to the floor, showing off his b.u.t.t. He'd taken off the sweater he'd worn earlier and wore only a white T-shirt. What was it about men in faded 501s and white-white T-shirts?

Nick's T-shirts were as white as a movie star's teeth. If she didn't know any better, she'd think his mother did his laundry. But after watching him sort laundry while she pretended to sleep the other day, she knew he definitely bleached the whites himself. She hadn't seen her whites that bright since she'd taken them out of the shopping bags.

The man was a regular domestic G.o.d-he cooked, he cleaned, and he looked s.e.xy as h.e.l.l doing it. No wonder most Italian men watched while their women cleaned the house. It was a total turn on-even watching Nick stir the pasta sauce he made (which would give her own grandmother's sauce a run for the money) made her hot. Too bad he wouldn't touch her. She was going to die of terminal horniness. d.a.m.n him.

The room went silent. Nick turned and caught her watching. Busted.

"What are you doing up? Did the noise wake you?"

"No, the noise didn't wake me. I could hardly sleep for the rest of the day, could I? Nick, what is that?"

"What?"

Nick lovingly ran his hand over the machine beside him. Rosalie couldn't believe she was jealous of a dumb vacuum. But sadly, it was the truth.

"This? It's the Animal. Isn't it great? It's specially made for homes with pets. It's got more power to suck up animal hair, and a HEPA filter to cut down on allergens-"

"Where did it come from?"

"I went out and picked up a few things when you were sleeping yesterday."

"You bought me a vacuum?"

"Well, yeah. But it's not like it's a gift or anything. I couldn't use that useless excuse for a vacuum I found in the den. What was I supposed to do? I didn't want to bring one of mine over, when there was a model that was perfect for what I need here."

"You have more than one vacuum? Why on earth would anyone need more than one vacuum?" Frankly, she didn't really see the need for the one she had. Well, okay, there was a need, but it wasn't as if the world would end if you didn't use the right right vacuum. vacuum.

Nick crossed his arms. "You have to have the right tool for the job. Have you ever tried to use a Phillips screwdriver instead of a regular slotted screwdriver?"

Rosalie was losing steam, so she walked around Nick, stepped over the cord for the Animal, and couldn't help but wonder when they started naming vacuums after WWF Wrestlers. She pushed the corner seat cushion into place and sat. "No, can't say that I have."

"It doesn't work. You can't make it work. And if you try, you ruin both the screw and the screwdriver." Nick smugly nodded his head, as if screwdrivers had anything to do with vacuums. When it came down to it, Rosalie didn't have the energy to care. She did make a mental note to find out how much he spent on the vacuum and pay him back. After all, he said it wasn't a gift. Of course, if it was a gift, she'd have to rethink her taste in... whatever he was to her-bed buddy? s.e.x buddy? As depressing as it was, Rosalie had to admit that lately, Nick had been more of a nursemaid-a s.e.xy nursemaid, one that took the job way too seriously for her taste, but he sure beat Nurse Gus any day.

Nick sat at his desk bright and early on Monday morning and couldn't wipe the smile off his face. He'd had a great weekend. If someone had told him a month ago he could have a good time with a woman doing nothing in particular, and without so much as a kiss on the mouth, he'd have told him to have his head examined.

With Rosalie, everything was different. Maybe it was because he felt comfortable that she wouldn't go off on a marriage bender, or maybe it was because she didn't expect much. She didn't expect him to talk during a game and didn't ask him what he was thinking. She didn't expect him to care about things like the discontinuation of her favorite color of lipstick, and she wouldn't think it deserved national tragedy status. She didn't even freak out if he or Dave spilled food on the bed. She said that's why man made sheets washable. Go figure.

Being with her was easy, comfortable-just like her place. She wasn't the type to get p.i.s.sed off if he put his feet up on the furniture; she didn't cling unless they were in bed; and he had to admit, waking up with her on top of him was nice. It would be even nicer if he could do something about it. He'd been good about following Mike's orders but tonight-well, tonight was the night. Rosalie had an appointment with Mike, and Nick was going to call his buddy and make sure he got the all clear for extracurricular activities.

Nick's intercom beeped. "Yes, Lois?"

"Dr. Flynn calling. He said it was important."

"Thanks, put him through."

"What's up, Mike?"

"That's what I want to know. Rosalie canceled her appointment." "What?"

"You heard me. My receptionist said she wouldn't reschedule. She said she'd have to call next week to do it."

"When was this?"

"A half hour ago."

"Okay, thanks for the heads up."

"No problem. Is she doing well?"

"Yeah, she seems to be better every day."

"That's good, at least, but I need to see her."

"Oh, believe me, you will." Nick disconnected the call and dialed Rosalie's number. The line was busy. Who didn't have call waiting? He hung up and changed into his casual clothes.

It took Nick all of fifteen minutes to get to Rosalie's apartment. He let himself in and heard her before he saw her.

"Look, by definition, an emergency is something that isn't planned. I couldn't call earlier to make a reservation. I didn't know I needed one."

Nick crossed his arms and eavesdropped without guilt.

"I know he's giant. You must have more than one giant dog that boards with you. Okay, fine, how big is the large K-E-N-N-E-L? No, I don't know how long I'll-"

Nick heard her rummaging in the bathroom and moved closer to the bedroom door. Dave had his head and shoulders stuffed as far under the bed as caninely possible.

"I don't think it will be more than a week." She let out an exasperated breath and coughed.

That was it. Nick walked in and took the telephone out of her hand. "Thank you. We'll get back to you. Good-bye." He disconnected the call.

Rosalie blew the hair out of her eyes and glared. "What in the h.e.l.l do you think you're doing?"

"I was going to ask you the same question."

"I'm going out of town on business. It's an emergency. I need to find a K-E-N-N-E-L for Dave."

"First off, you might as well stop spelling the word. Dave's not stupid. He knows you're going to send him to doggie jail, which is why he's hiding under the bed. Second, a kennel is unnecessary-"

"Oh, don't even go there. You have no right to tell me where I can and cannot go."

"I'm not. I was only saying-"

"Look, just because you've been helpful doesn't give you the-"

"I'll take care of Dave." "What?"

"You heard me. I'm not letting you put Dave in a kennel. I'll take care of him." Nick moved in close. They were nose to nose. "When did you plan on telling me you were leaving?"

Rosalie backed into the sink. "I was going to call from the airport. How did you find out?"

"Mike called. He was concerned. You canceled your appointment without rescheduling."

"So you came all the way over here?"

"I called first. The line was busy."

"I spent the morning on the phone with Gina. I've got to go to Michigan and deal with a few things and have dinner with an old college buddy."

"You're having dinner with an old... buddy?"

"Yeah, is that a problem?"

h.e.l.l, yeah, it was a problem, but he wasn't about to tell her that. "No, no problem. Have a nice time."

"I will, but it's mostly business. I need to see if Leisure can give me any information."

"Leisure?"

"A nickname. Someone's been spreading a rumor that Premier Motors is having trouble with their financing. I'm hoping Leisure can help ferret out the culprit. My plane leaves in three hours."

Good luck with that. There was absolutely no way that information could be traced back to him. "It won't do any good to tell you that you shouldn't be traveling, so I'll ask if you've packed all your medicine." "Yes, it's in my carry-on." "Your nebulizer?"

"I've got my inhaler. I'm not taking the nebulizer." "Lee."

"Do you know how heavy that d.a.m.n thing is?" "Lee."

"Fine. I'll probably die of exhaustion from carrying it and then you can live with the guilt."

"I'll have someone take you-"

"Oh, no. I'm not going to get into a wheelchair."

Nick held his hands up. "No wheelchair, I promise. They'll drive you to the gate in a golf cart. Give me your itinerary. I'll set it up."

"That's not necessary."

"Lee."

She pushed away from him and went into the living-room. Nick followed so closely, he b.u.mped into her when she stopped to pull her itinerary out of her briefcase.

"You know I hate when you're pushy."

"I know." Nick smiled and pulled her into his arms.

G.o.d, he felt good. She rested her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat. He rubbed her back, and the tension she'd been holding since he walked in drained away. She'd thought for sure he was going to do something stupid, like tell her she couldn't go. Then she'd have had to stop seeing him, and she really didn't want to do that.

Nick kissed her temple and gave her a good squeeze. "Better?"

She nodded. She couldn't very well tell him that dressing, packing, and working on the phone all morning had left her so drained, she only had enough energy left to crawl into bed and sleep. "Are you packed?"

"Yes. I'm just waiting for a fax from Gina, and the limo will-"

"Call her and tell her to cancel the limo. I'm taking you to the airport." "Nick."

He handed her the phone and called the airport on his cell.

Twenty minutes later, Nick and Rosalie left for the airport. She spent the drive fighting to stay awake while Nurse Nick gave her the daily lecture on taking her medicine, drinking fluids, and working no more than four hours a day. Yeah, like that was going to happen, but she saw no need to tell him.

They pulled up to the curb. Nick released the trunk, got out, and unloaded her bags. She checked her suitcase curbside, and Nick tipped the baggage handler before she could get money out of her wallet. She decided not to argue with him. She was way too tired.

Rosalie waited for Nick to say good-bye. She wasn't sure how one went about doing that. She'd never had a guy take her to the airport before.

"Try to sleep on the plane. You look exhausted."

Nothing got by him. "Okay."

"Call me when you get in and let me know how to get in touch with you." "Why?"

"In case I need to get in touch with you. What if something happens to Dave?" "Fine, I'll call." "Fine."

He scowled at her. His jaw had a tick in it, and he raked his fingers through his hair. Why was an irritated Nick such a complete turn-on? Her body started buzzing; her hormones did the hula; and when she met his gaze, he had that stormy eye thing going on in a big way.

"Transportation is waiting for you by the ticket counter. They'll take you to your gate."

She nodded.

"You take care." He pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. Tingles shot through her body. "You, too."

"Call me when you get to your hotel. You have all my numbers. I'll pick you up from the airport when you come home." He gave her his don't-you-dare-argue-with-me look.

"Fine, I'll call you with my return flight information." Rosalie waited for him to do something. He must have been waiting for the same thing. She decided to make a fast retreat.

"Well, I'll see ya." She picked up her bag and headed to the terminal.

A heartbeat later, he caught her arm. "Lee?"

She turned, and he was right there, against her. She lost her balance, and he caught her. He'd snuck up on her again. d.a.m.n him. She opened her mouth to yell at him, but he kissed her and stole her thoughts. She'd almost forgotten how fabulous a kisser Nick was. It had been so long since he'd done anything but pat her. He sure wasn't patting her now. No, he was nibbling on her lips, teasing her with the hot tip of his tongue, and making her want more.

A car behind them beeped, and the driver yelled, "Get a room!"

Nick gave her another hard kiss, winked, and let her go. "Later."

Later they'd get a room, or he'd see her later? His smile told her he knew that a room sounded really good-any room with him in it. But that wasn't going to happen. d.a.m.n him.