Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
Noah
I left Nicky’s hotel room with a smug smile on my face.
It was still early in the morning but he had passed out after I rode him hard. Twice.
I wasn’t the dominant type. I would rather be the one who was controlled but this whole situation with Nicky pissed me off.
It was annoying as fuck because I couldn’t get enough of him.
I liked to tell myself that I was going to move on, but I couldn’t.
Nicky had me wrapped around his finger and no matter what I did, I couldn’t get over him.
When I stepped into the elevator, I pressed the button to the main floor and leaned against the far wall.
Letting out a hard sigh, I crossed my arms under my chest. Last night and this morning had been hot as hell.
With Veronica being fucked by both Nicky and me, and then with me fucking him after she left… I shivered at the memories.
My phone took that moment to vibrate in my pocket, pulling me from my thoughts. When I saw Veronica’s name flashing across the screen, I smiled to myself.
“Hey,” I greeted.
“Hey yourself.” She laughed. “I’m just calling to see how things went with Nicky after I left.”
“Well…I went to leave shortly after you did but then he pissed me off, so I fucked him. Twice.”
“Wow.” She paused. “Has that ever happened before? I mean, you fucking him.”
“No. He’s always the one who does the fucking.” When the elevator doors opened, I stepped out onto the main floor and left the building.
“So, is it good or bad that you ended up doing it this time?”
“I’m not sure. We enjoyed ourselves of course but…” I thought a moment. “It’s complicated. I like him. A lot. But he drives me fucking crazy at the same time.”
“I get that. It’s hard when you have feelings for someone, and you know they have feelings in return but they still don’t want to do anything about it.” I could picture her rolling her eyes.
“You obviously have experience in this area.”
“I dealt with that shit with my ex-husband. Not saying that Nicky is the same way of course, but with he who shall not be named, it was difficult.”
“I told Nicky that I’m in love with him,” I blurted.
Veronica gasped. “Really? What did he say?”
“He almost said it back, but I stopped him. I don’t want him to say it just because I did.
I know he cares about me. I do know that.
But I need him to figure out what he wants.
” I was going to take an Uber, but my apartment was only a few blocks away, so I decided to walk home. It would also help me clear my head.
“That’s fair. Did you want to do lunch? We could talk more about this over some food if you wanted to.”
“I would love that.” As soon as those words left my lips, my stomach grumbled. “Did you want to meet now?”
“Sure!”
We made plans to meet up at a local deli.
I went home first and quickly took a shower and got changed out of the previous night’s clothes. I had to wash the smell of Nicky off of me.
Once I was ready, I took a cab to the restaurant.
When I reached the one that I had asked Veronica to meet me at, I found her at a table by a far window.
It overlooked a lake and was in an area I wished we could have had Coffee Beans & Love located in.
But we decided to put it downtown instead.
It made sense, since the foot traffic was busier there.
“Hey.” She stood, pulling me in for a hug. “I’m surprised you didn’t want to meet at your bar.”
“That would have been weird. The guys would bug me about Nicky like they always do.” I never minded talking about it so much but at the moment, I just wanted to be left alone.
“That makes sense.” Veronica sat at the table, placing a napkin on her lap. “So how were things after I left? Besides what you told me on the phone I mean.”
“It was fine, I guess. Definitely the first time where we fought and fucked after.” I shrugged, not really sure what else to tell her.
“I’m surprised he actually let you leave and didn’t try and keep you in his bed the whole time he’s in town.”
I chuckled. “It’s like you know him already.”
She laughed. “Did he say anything before you left?”
“No. He passed out after.” A sense of longing washed over me. I wished he were here, and it made my stomach clench. I needed to get over him.
“I know that I don’t know you two that well but I do think you look good together, but I also know that doesn’t really mean anything either.
” Veronica paused when the waitress came up to our table and took our drink order.
When she left, Veronica leaned forward, reaching across the table for my hand. “Just know that I’m here. Always.”
“Did you tell anyone about last night?” It was a first for her, so I wasn’t sure if she had any girlfriends that she spilled the details with or not.
“Uh…” Her cheeks flushed a nice crimson. “I told my sister. It was her daughter who babysat for me last night when I slept with you two. She had called when I got home to ask how my date was, and it went from there.”
“What did you say exactly?” I asked, curious to know what all was said about Nicky and I.
Veronica laughed. “I told her that when I first met Nicky, he fingered me at the restaurant and then I sucked your cock.” She leaned forward.
“I told her it was delicious and quite the introduction to both of you and I also described the many hours I spent with both of you last night while you fucked my brains out.” She shrugged. “No biggie.”
A laugh boomed through me. “What did she say?”
“That she was jealous.” Veronica giggled. “But my sister is happily married and has a wonderful husband. She would never consider being shared but I’m sure if her husband approached her about it, she would think twice before saying no.”
“It can cause issues, so I can understand why she wouldn’t bring it up. Jealousy is a big thing. But before last night, I had never done that either.” As soon as those words left my mouth, my phone buzzed. “Sorry, excuse me for a second.”
“You’re so polite.” Veronica grinned. “It’s nice.”
“My parents raised me well and having a business can do that to you too.” When I fished out my phone, I saw a text from Nicky. My stomach flipped, my heart stuttering behind the walls of my rib cage.
Nicky: Where. The. Fuck. Are. You?
Me: Out for lunch with Veronica if you must know.
Nicky: You should have been here when I woke up.
I rolled my eyes, then put my phone on silent, and placed it back in my pocket.
“Everything okay?” Veronica asked, taking a sip of her water.
“Yeah. Nicky’s pissed that I left after he passed out. He’s being all caveman like and it’s confusing as hell.” I wasn’t sure if we would ever be able to talk about our feelings that he didn’t want to admit to. I tried to this morning, and it ended up in sex. It was not healthy in the least.
“It’s funny because my ex actually demanded to know who I went on a date with. I guess someone saw me out with you and relayed it back to him.”
“Shit. I’m sorry.” I reached across the table and grabbed her hand. “You good?”
“Oh yeah.” She gave me a small smile. “It’s just annoying because he can date and fuck whoever he wants but when it comes to me, it’s not allowed.”
I grunted. “Shocker. I remember telling Nicky about a date I went on a while ago and he lost his shit. Even though he led me to believe that he was fucking other people the whole time he had been sleeping with me, it wasn’t allowed when I did it.
” That fact alone pissed me off all over again.
“It was toxic, and I called him out on his shit. He apologized and it hasn’t happened again. Until now anyway.”
“You probably don’t want to hear this but I’m going to tell you anyway.” Veronica took a deep breath. “I think he’s in love with you.” She lifted her hand, stopping me from interrupting. “I know. He went to say it after you did, and you put an end to that real quick. I get it.”
“You do?” Even my friends didn’t get it.
They just assumed we had issues communicating and maybe we did, and that was why we weren’t together.
They also thought that because Nicky traveled for a living, that he couldn’t keep his dick in his pants and that was the main reason he didn’t want to settle down.
I thought that was the case at first too but when he confessed to not sleeping with anyone while he slept with me for the past few months, I had to wonder.
My fingers burned, needing to check my phone and see if he responded.
Veronica laughed. “Check your phone, Noah.”
I smiled, letting out a slow breath. “I clearly have a problem.”
“Nah.” Her smile widened. “You’re in love. Big difference.”
If only Nicky thought the same thing.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and checked it for any new messages. Five had come in from Nicky. Five that only got more demanding as each text was sent.
Nicky: Why aren’t you responding?
Nicky: Where are you?
Nicky: I will find you, Noah. This city isn’t that big.
Nicky: I now know where you are thanks to my brother.
Nicky: I’m coming for you, Noah.
I was going to murder Presley. He only knew where I was because I ran into him after getting changed. He was stopping by the apartment for something he needed for work. I should have lied when he asked what I was doing today.
“What did Nicky say?” Veronica asked, taking a bite of her salad.
“He’s on his way here. His brother told him where I am. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” She frowned. “But if you need to leave so he doesn’t find you here, I understand.”
“I shouldn’t do that.” Should I?
“I think you should. You’re clearly the one who has been chasing him for a while. Let him do the chasing this time. I’ll cover for you.” She winked.
“Okay.” I could do this. I rose from my seat and went around to her side of the table.
“Thank you. I owe you.” I kissed her on the cheek and left the restaurant.
I knew Nicky would be pissed when he didn’t find me there, but Veronica was right.
Yes, I was in love with him, but it didn’t mean that he could take advantage of me.
While I was walking to Coffee Beans & Love, I looked over my shoulder. I expected Nicky to be right there stomping toward me, but when he wasn’t, I let out a sigh of relief. I knew I would pay for this later and a part of me, that masochistic part, couldn’t wait.