Chapter 8
LORNA
SIX WEEKS LATER
I step out of my bedroom and see Nic resting on the couch, studying the latest scan picture we got from Dr Walsh’s office this afternoon.
“You still looking at that thing?” I laugh to myself as I pick up my purse and check I’ve got everything I need.
“It’s just incredible to see how much it’s changed in such a short time. It was just a blob before. Now, it’s a blob with arms, legs, and a nose that kind of looks like Uncle Franco from my mother’s side.” He turns the image on its side. “No wonder you’ve been needing to sleep all the time.” He looks up and his confused expression changes to shock when he sees me standing in front of him. “Where the hell are you going dressed like that?” he asks, straightening himself up.
“Some of my college friends are getting together for a few drinks, and since I’m starting to feel a little more human, I’m going to join them.” I start making my way toward the door.
“Hold up.” He races after me. “What bar and what friends?” His eyes look down at the thighs I have on display.
“Not that it concerns you, but I’m going to Sceptre in Manhattan and like I said, I’m going with some guys from college.”
“Okay, let's straighten this out. This absolutely does concern me because where you go, my baby goes too and when you say college guys, are we talking guys or girls?” Up to now, we haven't had to face many challenges, Nic’s been a little overbearing but at the same time, caring and considerate. He’s been occupied with whatever work he does for Dario and I’ve been too tired to even think about going anywhere other than college. I have a feeling this is going to be our first test.
“A mix,” I answer him, moving to step around him and being immediately blocked by a side-step.
“I don’t think you should be going to a bar, especially a busy one like Sceptre; it’s Friday night, and there’s going to be a lot of drunk people, what if you get pushed around?”
“Nic, it’s sweet that you're worried about us, but we’ll be fine. Besides, I was going to use tonight as an opportunity to tell them all the news” I smile, hoping that he’ll move out of my way so I can get going.
“I’m sorry but I can’t let you go.” He crosses his arms and stands firm.
“Let me? Let me?! ” I almost choke. “Nic, this is the first time in weeks that I’ve felt up to doing anything other than sleep or be sick, and yes, I may be pregnant with your child but that doesn’t mean you get to dictate what I can and can’t do.” I shove him out of the way and start moving toward the door again, this time he doesn’t stop me, he picks up his keys and follows me. I wait until I get to the elevator before I turn around and question him.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m coming with you. If you insist on taking my baby to a bar, dressed like that, I’m going to have to come along.” He shrugs and instead of allowing his immature behavior to stir a reaction out of me, I take a deep, calming breath and smile.
“Fine, I’ll cancel my cab, you can drive me.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He holds back the elevator doors when they open and gestures for me to step inside.
Nic was right, it really is busy in here, the bass from the music is so loud I feel it vibrating through my whole body and can’t help wondering if the baby can feel it too. I’m sure Nic would know.
I keep my hand pressed over my tummy, protectively, as we move through the crowds toward the booth where my friends are.
“Lorna, you brought a friend.” Cass’s eyes light up when she sees Nic, who’s far too busy scouting the joint like he’s working for the FBI.
“Kind of.” I shrug, taking the seat beside her while Nic stands close beside me, trapping me in the booth and acting like a human barrier.
“You gonna introduce us to your bodyguard.” Our friend, Wes, looks him up and down while Jonah does what he always does, and remains unfazed.
“Guys, this is Nic, he’s Madalina’s brother,” I explain, knowing that they all met Madalina just before she got pregnant the second time around. She really wanted a night out and Dario agreed, on the condition that we spent the night at The Vault. The need to control must be built into these Italian men's DNA.
“Pleased to meet you.” Wes extends his hand across the table and I see the grimace on his face when Nic grabs it and firmly shakes it back.
“I was just going to get some drinks, what are you having?” Jonah gets up and Nic presses his hand on his shoulder to sit him back down.
“I’ll get them,” he tells him flatly, listening to each of their orders before he makes his way over to the bar.
“He is hot,” Cass tells me as she watches him walk away.
“He’s uptight,” Wes points out, and when Jonah presses his hand into his shoulder, rotating his arm like he’s been injured, I realize I have to rectify this.
“Excuse me just a minute.” I smile at them all before I slide out the booth and follow after him.
“Nic, will you ease up a bit? These are my friends,” I explain when I join him at the bar.
“Cosy little situation you got going on here, which one of them was here for you?” he asks, looking back over his shoulder at the three of them.
“What the hell are you talking about?” I laugh at the idea.
“Come on, I'm not an idiot. You put on this pretty, little dress for a double date.” He looks down my body again, and I hate the way it makes my pussy flutter.
“I’d say, right now, that idiot is a good word to describe you. The four of us have been friends since freshman year and the reason I put this dress on is because I haven’t had the chance to wear it yet, and pretty soon I won’t be able to fit in it,” I whisper-yell at him.
“From what I can see, it doesn’t fit you now.” He grabs the bottom of it and tries to tug it further down my thighs.
“Get the fuck off me.” I shove his hand away. “That’s not what I’m here for but if it was, you wouldn’t get a say in it.”
“So, you want to start dating, now?” He stares back at me like the thought makes him angry.
“I never said that, what I said was that if I did, there would be fuck all you could do about it.”
“You want to test that theory?” He narrows his eyes at me. “Let me tell you something, princess. I could break both those guys’ legs and snap their necks before they even figured I was coming up behind them.”
“You're pathetic.” I shake my head and leave him at the bar, storming back to the booth to join my friends. He follows behind me a few minutes later with a tray of drinks and when he places the iced water in front of me, I notice the suspicious look Cass throws across the table to Jonah.
“So, how have you been? It's been a long time since we all hung out away from campus.” She starts a conversation.
“Not much, just been busy with college stuff.” I shrug, trying to keep that conversation flowing by asking Wes how his parents’ trip to Athens went.
“I think you're being a little modest there, sweetheart,” Nic speaks up, taking the sonogram picture he’s been staring at for most of the day from the inside pocket of his jacket and presenting it to my friends.. “My girl here’s been doing something very special.” He grips my thigh and makes sure everyone around the table sees for themselves what that something special is. My cheeks heat with shame and rage, at the same time as their mouths drop open with shock.
“Hold up, are you pregnant?” Wes is the first one to speak.
“She sure is.” Nic places his hand proudly over my stomach, just in case someone doesn’t get the hint that he’s the one responsible for it. It makes me want to put his dick through a blender and have him drink it.
“Wow, that’s… Are you happy about it?” Cass looks unsure.
“Yeah, I mean I’m still getting my head around it but I’m happy.” I smile at them all while Nic raises his glass.
“I think we should raise our glasses to my clever girl.” He winks at me, knowing full well that he’s getting under my skin.
“Congratulations.” Jonah raises his glass, followed quickly by the others while Nic strokes his hand softly across my lower belly and makes me wonder how you can crave and loathe someone at the same time.
“That was so uncalled for what you did back there.” It’s three hours later, when we’re driving back to Nic’s apartment and I’m still just as mad.
“You said you were going to tell them tonight.” He acts as if he’s done nothing wrong.
“Exactly, I said I was going to tell them. You had no right even being there, let alone telling my friends my business,”
“ Our business,” he corrects me again, making me growl in frustration as he pulls into his parking space. I don’t wait for him, I get out of the car, slam the door, and start matching toward the elevator.
“Lorna, wait up.” He chases after me. “What you said tonight… I didn’t like it.” He lowers his voice, then his head so he doesn’t have to make eye contact. “And, well, it’s obvious that those two guys have a thing for you,” he explains while I press the call button repeatedly.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Wes and Jonah are friends. They don’t think of me that way.”
“Are you kidding? You walk into a room and every guy thinks about you that way.” He tries to take my hand, but I snatch it away.
“You’ve pissed me off, there’s no need to be a fucking creep.” I turn my back on him.
“I’m not being a creep. I’m trying to make you realize that you don’t always notice what's going on around you. You live in your own little world sometimes, always have.”
“I guess that's just another thing for you to add to the list of things you don’t like about me.” I roll my eyes and step into the elevator when the doors finally open.
“Actually, it’s one of the few things I do like.” His voice turns softer as he follows me inside and, for a brief moment, I forget how mad at him I am, and focus on the handsome, crooked smile he’s making.
“That doesn’t excuse the fact you were an asshole, tonight.” I turn my back on him again, I’m getting that all familiar ache between my legs, and being close to him is doing nothing to help it. This past week has almost been unbearable. I constantly have sex on my mind, yesterday morning I actually wished I was Nic’s spoon while I watched him eat his breakfast. Being constantly horny while living with a guy who is hot, and has the body of a gladiator, isn’t easy.
“I’m sorry, okay? You said some things I didn't like, and I reacted to it. I wish I could tell you that it won’t happen again but it probably will.” He spins me around, forcing me to listen and as my eyes stare directly at his lips, I find myself slowly leaning toward them. Thankfully, the doors open just in time and I move as fast as I can to get out of the confined space.
“You look tired, today’s been a busy day.” He opens the door and heads straight for the refrigerator, taking the sonogram picture from his jacket and placing it on the front with one of the photo magnets he has of his nieces. I assume it was a gift from Madalina, as that's the sort of gift she gives. “You should go to bed and get some rest. We have Serena’s birthday to get through tomorrow,” he reminds me, and although I hate that once again he’s telling me what I should do, I figure being in a different room to him is my best option.
“Night.” I leave him in the kitchen and head straight for my room. Slamming the door behind me and staring at my bed. It’s frustrating to know that the second I lay down I’m going to start thinking about that night he brought me home. I’m going to crave his hands on my skin and his tongue in my mouth and no matter how I try to touch myself, it won't dull the ache. I read about this online, apparently, it’s perfectly normal for a pregnant woman to go through these things. It’s just a phase, like the throwing up was. But knowing that doesn’t make it any easier. Most women in my condition have a partner they can scratch the itch with. I have a very modest vibrator and my imagination, which always seems to insist on running with images of him.
I take the dress off, throw on some pajama shorts, and one of the sports bras we very awkwardly shopped for together when I first moved in. Then pulling back the covers I get into bed so I can try and get some sleep.
As well as being constantly aroused and very fucking frustrated, I’m still annoyed by the way Nic behaved tonight. He gives me such mixed signals, I don’t know if I’m coming or going, and I guess I decide I’d much rather be coming as I slide my hand into the front of my shorts and try to make myself feel better. I don’t even try and pretend that it’s not him I’m imagining doing the touching. I just stroke my clit, trying to remember how he did it the night I gave him my virginity, but whatever I do never feels quite the same. I can’t seem to hit the spot and it’s getting more and more frustrating as the time passes.
This is ridiculous. I’ve only had sex once in my life, how can I be craving it? Why, all of a sudden, is my mind turning every thought I have into something sexual? I can handle being tired most of the day, even the being sick part became manageable, but this… This is torture.
I throw the covers back and get out of bed, storming down the hall and stand in front of Nic’s bedroom door. My head is screaming at me to turn around and go back to my room, but the thought of his hands touching my skin and his thick cock filling the empty space inside me, has me twisting the handle and letting myself in.
“Nic,” I whisper. It’s pitch black in here, and when he turns on the lamp and finishes scrubbing his hand over his face, he looks worried.
“Are you okay? Is something wrong?” He shoots up.
“I’m fine, we both are.” I touch my hand over my non-existent bump and smile awkwardly. This is a terrible idea, especially after all I said to him earlier, but this is also a pregnancy problem, and Nic has told me many times that if I need anything, I have to ask.
“Okay, so what's wrong?” He breathes a sigh of relief and sits back against the headboard.
I already know he’s going to make this hard, probably expect me to beg, and the way I’m feeling right now, I wouldn’t rule out the chances of me going that far.
“It’s kind of embarrassing.” I step further into the room, closing the door behind me and leaving all my pride on the other side of it.
“How many times have I told you, you don’t have to be embarrassed about anything.” He shakes his head impatiently, and when he goes to get out of bed, I move to stand over him.
“I’ve been, umm…I have a little problem.” I really have no idea how to put this.
“Okay?” He stares up at me in confusion.
“The thing is, I’m…I really need something and I don’t want it to…”
“Ahhh. Dario said this would happen.” He laughs to himself and looks up at me with those handsome, brown eyes.
“He did?”
“Don’t worry, I’ve got you. There’s a twenty-four-hour store just up the street, I can get you pretty much anything. What are you craving, ice cream? Apparently, that's a popular one.” He goes to stand up and I quickly slam my hand into his shoulder and sit him back down.
“Nic, I don’t want ice cream.” I am now considering it as an option for later though.
“Okay, so what do you want?” He creases his forehead as he stares up at me and when I take hold of his hand and position it so it covers my pussy, I feel myself shiver just from the touch of his fingers.
“Oh.” His frown deepens as I grip his wrist and keep his hand where I need it.
“I know, it’s stupid and I don’t want to complicate anything. Believe me, if this was something I could get a handle on, myself, I would not be in here.” My words come out fast and defensive and I have to remind myself to take a breath. “Apparently, a common problem.” I smile awkwardly while Nic’s face gives nothing away. “I just need…Fuck.” I let go of his wrist so I can cover my face with both my hands and die in shame. I can’t even think about how desperate and needy I must look.
Nic is a predator, he feeds on this weakness and I’ve got no doubt in my mind that he will be lapping this up.
“Hey.” His tone is much softer than I expect when he takes my hands and drags them away from my face. “Why are you being like that? I told you that you should always come to me if you need something.”
“Yeah, but this isn’t just something . It’s…it’s too much.” I move to walk away but he immediately grabs my hips.
“You want to know a secret?” He uses his firm hold to draw me closer to him. His lips are so close to my nipple that the thought of him taking it into his mouth makes it stick out from under my bra.
“Yeah.” I manage a smile as he looks up at me.
“I really struggle to be in the same room as you, knowing that you have my baby in here…” His palm slides across my abdomen as he keeps his eyes fixed on mine and a proud smile lifts his lips. “It makes my cock constantly fucking hard. I want to touch you. I want to kiss you.” He presses his lips against my tummy and a surge of heat spreads all over my skin. “Never be ashamed to tell me what's going on in that head of yours.” His hand glides seamlessly into the front of my pajama shorts as he stands up on his feet, kissing my lips and stroking his fingers against my sensitive flesh at the same time.
“I got you, Lorna,” he whispers.