Take Me Home: Home is Where the Heat Is, Book 3 by Candi Wall Page A

“Excuse me? Did you see Chloe Garrison leave?”
    The bouncer smiled, and she racked her brain for any detail of his life she might have learned. Anything to make him human and not just a hunk of meat that had kept her, Chloe, the StyleU models safe for years.
    “Sure did, Miss Little,” he stated. “She left with Seth Hanson.”
    Ugh. Seth was one of Chloe’s boy toys. She’d be safe with him, but Shawna had a funny feeling Nick wouldn’t be too pleased. She glanced around. “What about the cowboy? Nick Westing. The one who beat up Ian?”
    “Ian was fine.” He chuckled, and she really wanted to ask him his name. “The cowboy hasn’t left yet far as I’ve seen. He giving you trouble?”
    “No. Not at all.” She held her hand out. “Thank you. I apologize, but I don’t remember your name.”
    He shook her hand. “It’s Mike.”
    Feeling a fraction better, she walked away. Cash could say what he wanted about her being cold. She hadn’t completely forgotten her upbringing—she’d just hardened herself for her crazy lifestyle.
    The streets were still fairly busy, and she leaned against a lamppost, waiting for the limo to return. It took less time than she expected, and when the driver pulled up to the curb, she waved him off and let herself into the vehicle, Cash style.
    “Damn you, Cash Dillon,” she muttered.
    “What did I do?”
    Cash’s voice from the interior was the last thing she’d expected. The driver pulled away from the curb as she settled back in her seat to find both Cash and Nick in the limo.
    Her phone buzzed. “Finally. Where are you, boss lady?”
    She noticed the way Nick sat up straighter in his seat and she read Chloe’s text quickly, affirming what Mike had said. Shooting her companions a glare, she slumped against the seat. “Chloe’s fine. She’s with a friend.”
    Nick crossed his arms over his chest and stared out the window.
    She turned her attention to Cash. “You need to get out of my head. There’s nothing wrong with how I live my life. Stop telling me I’m cold and hard.” While she was already in honesty mode, she added, “What the hell did you come back for anyway?”
    “You.” He shrugged and tapped his thumbs against the rim of his beer bottle. “Couldn’t leave you there. By the time Gio was out in traffic, and I figured out how to get his attention to tell him to go back, he had to circle around the block to get back to the club. It worked out since we found Nick walking.”
    Stomping down the sizzle of excitement his admission created, she rolled her eyes to cover the momentary fan-girl he-came-back brain fart. “And you already know our driver’s name. Way to make me feel even shittier.”
    “What?” he asked innocently. “You didn’t know his name, or that he has six children? Did you know his wife has breast cancer and this is a third job he’s holding down?”
    Tears burned at her eyes but she forced them away. “No. I didn’t.”
    “Leave off, man,” Nick jumped in. “You ain’t perfect, ya know.”
    “Fuck off,” Cash countered.
    Nick grumbled and settled back deep in his seat, pulling his cowboy hat low over his face. “Run while you can, girl. My brother’s more trouble than he’s worth.”
    Finding a sliver of relief at having Nick’s comic relief to ease the tension, Shawna sent Cash a smirk. “You do realize I’ve been out there , on my own, for years.”
    “Not on my watch.”
    He took a long pull off his beer and she followed the smooth line of his throat as he swallowed. “You cowboys are a pain in the ass.”
    Neither man argued, and she was content to sit back as the city lights flashed by. Several minutes passed before she realized they weren’t going to Cash and Nick’s hotel. “Where are we going?”
    “I asked Gio to take you home first.”
    “Thanks.” Staring out the window was getting harder by the moment. Cash’s hot gaze was an entity of its own. She could feel it like heat from the sun, moving