If You Know Her: A Novel of Romantic Suspense

out of Law’s car.
    He came around and joined her by the hood, rubbing her back. “Why?”
    Shooting him a sidelong scowl, she asked, “Have you forgotten the mess that was made of my cabin?”
    He jerked a shoulder in a shrug. “Hell, that wasn’t your fault.”
    “Doesn’t matter if it’s my fault or not.” She sighed. “I still feel responsible.”
    He eased his hand up her neck, massaging the tense muscles there. “But you’re not. Roz isn’t going to blame you because some psychotic bastard went postal in your cabin, beautiful.”
    She frowned, shook her head. “If you say so. Seems to me that lady is sometimes a little high-strung.”
    Law grimaced. “Well, she can be that. But she’s not stupid, either. She knows you can’t control other people.”
    Nia knew that. But she still wasn’t looking forward to this. She wasn’t going to try to get her money back on the cabin—she’d signed an agreement, she’d honor it. Roz could keep the money, but there was no way Niawas going to stay at the cabin. Law was more than willing to let her stay with him and she felt safer there anyway. Plus, the sleeping arrangements were
far
more appealing.
    Glancing back, she grinned as she saw the county car back there, one of the deputies climbing out. “So is he going to be telling everybody that I’m shacking up with you?”
    “Nah. Ethan won’t.” Law shot him a look over his shoulder and then slid Nia a smirk. “But you should probably know that Roz more than likely will. It will be all over town by the end of the day. That what you want?”
    Nia shrugged. “I couldn’t care less.” She caught his hand in hers. “What about you? Is it going to cause problems for you?”
    He snorted. “Hell, no. Half the town thinks I’m either a drug dealer or that I run some sort of white slavery ring—or something along those lines. Other rumors include that I’m the bastard son of some rich mogul in New York and that’s why I don’t have to work and mingle with the common folk.”
    “You’ve managed to keep them from finding out what you do for this long? How?”
    He shrugged. “I just don’t tell them. My agent cashes my check and it gets deposited into a national bank, so it’s not like I need to use their banking services. They can’t figure it out that way. And small-town gossips have a lot more fun cooking up ridiculous stories like me dealing drugs than something as mundane as me being a writer.”
    “There’s nothing mundane about being a writer.” Nia shook her head as they mounted the steps.
    Law laughed. “Oh, yeah? Ask a writer. It’s a job, Nia. It’s got high points, low points, like any other job. I still work my ass off—there’s nothing glamorous or excitingabout it. People think otherwise, but at the end of the day, it’s still a job.” He opened the door for her and stepped aside so she could enter.
    She stroked a hand across his belly. “I think it’s a sexy job—you gotta have brains to do it, right? Brains are sexy.”
    “I don’t know. I’ve met a few idiots,” he muttered. Then he caught her hand and squeezed. “Shush now.”
    She caught sight of the sitting room and some of the guests there. Smirking, she reached up with her free hand and zipped her lips. “I guess this serves as appropriate blackmail material, doesn’t it?” she teased in a low voice.
    “Shit, not you, too.” He groaned under his breath, leading her down a long hallway.
    Nia glanced around, curious, before shooting him a look. “Not me, too, what?”
    “Hell, Lena’s favorite threat is that she’ll blab all over town.”
    “Why’s that such a problem?”
    “Because if I wanted everybody
knowing
what I do, I wouldn’t use a pen name,” he muttered. He tugged open a door marked
Private
, ducking inside without a qualm.
    Nia arched a brow. “Well, I guess I don’t need to ask if you’re familiar with the place, do I?”
    “Nope.” It was another hallway, but he stopped at the first door—clearly an office.
    And there was Roz, sitting down at a desk, talking on the phone. She smiled at them and gestured to the couch, holding up a finger—
one minute
, she seemed to be saying.
    “Look, I don’t care if you have to send it out on a sleigh pulled by eight tiny reindeer, you promised you’d have me my delivery by two, and I expect it to be here,” Roz said, her voice cool and breezy.
    She rolled her eyes, paused.
    Nia leaned over and murmured, “Should we come