34. Adrian
Nevaeh is sitting in one of the seats at our terminal, her eyes fixated on the article in her hand. She told me her boss gave her a bunch of suggestions on what to do differently for the next one, and Nevaeh’s studying them like they hold the world’s biggest secrets. She looks stressed, her hands shaking like she’s anxious.
“Come on,Nevaeh, get up. You’re not torturing yourself any further,” I say after approaching her, grabbing the article in her hand, and placing it on the empty seat next to her.
“What are you doing here? I thought you were only landing in an hour,” she asks when she realizes it’s me.
A little smile appears on her lips.
I’m fucking dying to kiss her.
“My flight landed early. Now, I need you to focus,” I start, and she lets out a shaky breath, her anxiety obviously still weighing heavy on her chest. “Your article was great, and you need a distraction while we wait. Lucky for you, I am incredibly creative,” I go on, hoping my distraction will help. “Do you have a piece of paper and a pen?”
Nevaeh fishes around in her bag for a moment before handing me both. I scribble a bunch of things onto it, grinning to myself.
“I have something for you, a present, but I’ll only give it to you if you manage to get all of the items on the list before I do. The first one back here wins. What do you say?” I ask, handing her the paper so she can see what she’ll have to check off the list.
“Whoever gets back first wins whatever you have?” she says to clarify, but I watch the way she picks up her backpack to get ready to run.
“Yeah, whoever—” Nevaeh doesn’t let me finish my sentence before she sprints away and toward the first little shop. A little laugh bursts free because she’s so fucking sweet, I could watch her forever and not get bored.
I have no intention of winning, which is why all of the things I wrote down for Nevaeh to get are already in my backpack. Instead of running around, I make my way toward the nearest food place in the airport and get us both something to eat, a little more for Nevaeh because I have a feeling the woman forgot to eat again with work taking up all of her thoughts.
Before I saw her so stressed and anxious, I’d already planned all of this, but I’m happy it’ll be able to distract her now.
She looked so excited to get started…
It’s always made me happy to make the people around me happy. That’s the way my heart works.
But it feels a little different with Nevaeh. It feels like making her happy doesn’t just do the same for me in return. Seeing her smile is like a year’s worth of happiness flooding through me in an instant.
The man at the food place gives me a strange look, but I merely smile at him. I’m well aware of how strange I look with my baseball cap on and my hood over it. It’s necessary for trips when I don’t want anyone to recognize me. The sunglasses might be overkill, but I’m only wearing them while walking around. Plus, there are hardly any people at the airport today, which makes hiding a lot easier.
I love my fans to death, I do. They mean so much to me, but even I need a break sometimes. It’s taken me a while to come to terms with the fact that I’m allowed to want privacy, too.
By the time the food is done and I make my way back to where Nevaeh was sitting before, she’s already back and waiting for me. A smile lingers on her lips, spreading even wider when she notices me strolling toward her.
“Well, oh well, look who is finally done,” she teases, her eyes sparkling with pure joy.
“I brought the winner something to eat,” I reply, holding out the food for her to take.
An excited expression takes over her whole face as she takes one of the iced teas and sandwiches.
“Hold this please,” I add and hand her my food too to dig around in my backpack.
I press my tongue against the inside of my cheek and put the ugliest concentration face on, making Nevaeh laugh as she watches me.
I fucking love that sound.
“Ah, here it is,” I announce and tuck my backpack under the seat to turn to her and place a box in her lap.
I grab my food out of her hand so she can open my gift.
“Open it.” A nervous feeling sets in, my heart reminding me how unsure I am that this was the right gift to give her.
“I’m so scared,” she blurts out, a nervous laugh leaving her full lips.
“Just open it. I promise I kept the kinky stuff to myself,” I say, watching a wonderful blush cover her round cheeks.
“What if I don’t want you to keep it to yourself?” she asks, placing her food to the side to turn to me. “What if I want everything you have to offer?” Nevaeh says, sliding her hand onto my thigh and upward until my breath catches in my throat and my dick takes attention to how close her hand is to it.
Fucking traitor.
I’m also a fucking idiot for wearing sweatpants around Nevaeh.
Do you know how well sweatpants hide a raging hard-on?
That’s right, not at all.
So, as her hand trails even higher, my cock grows harder and harder, becoming more visible by the second.
“What if I want to play another game? One where we’re both naked and play with each other?” she asks, sliding her hand toward my knee now and grinning at the outline of my needy cock.
Alright, if my little tease wants to play, I’ll fucking play.
My thumb and index finger lift to her chin, holding it between them as I tilt her face toward me.
“And what if I want to bend you over one of these uncomfortable chairs, slide down those sexy as fuck yoga pants you’re wearing, push your panties to the side, and fuck you with my mouth until you scream my name? What if I want to slip my cock inside of you while you’re still high on the first orgasm? What if I want to fuck you slow and gentle one second, then go fast and hard the next until you’re writhing in pleasure underneath me? What if, Nevaeh?” My voice is low and husky, and my lips somehow move closer to hers with every word.
Nevaeh’s breathing hitches, her bottom lip slipping between her teeth, but I pull down her chin to watch it bounce free again. There’s so much I want to do with her pretty mouth, so much I’m not allowed to.
“What if I want that, too?” My hand immediately drops from her face and down to her neck, my fingers wrapping around her throat gently and carefully, just firm enough to feel her heart racing underneath my fingertips.
“Nevaeh, all you have to do is say the word,” I say, but she gives me a sad smile like she wishes things were that simple when they’re the opposite.
When complicated doesn’t begin to cover the situation we’re in.
“Open your gift. I want you to put it on,” I say instead, releasing her completely.
Mon paradis stares down at the box, undoing the ribbon at the top by pulling both ends apart. Nevaeh lifts the lid, her whole body slumping at the sight of the bracelet I got her. Her fingers wrap around the piece of jewelry to raise it out of the box and study the charms dangling from it.
“There’s a nine for Val, an eight for me, a Formula One car to tie it together, and a camera for, well, obvious reasons,” I say with a small laugh.
She traces each charm, the numbers, then the car, and the camera. She stops at the last charm, running her thumb over it.
“The blue heart is for anxiety. I read that blue can be calming for the mind.” Her gaze slips to me, a storm of emotions in them.
A little bit of panic grabs hold of me.
If she doesn’t like it, I’ll take it back, no big deal. I’ll find her something else. But I want her to like it because I love it. And I was really hoping she would, too.
“This is the most beautiful bracelet I’ve ever owned,” she says and places it in my hand. “Will you help me put it on?”
“Of course,” I say and watch as she extends her arm, holding out her wrist for me.
I place it on her with care, closing the clasp again and letting my fingers linger on her skin for a moment longer. Goosebumps appear in the wake of my touch, and I almost smile at the thought of having such a visible effect on her.
“We can keep adding charms, too,” I say after Nevaeh retracts her hand to admire the way the bracelet looks on her.
“I’d like that,” she replies before lifting her hand to my wrist and rubbing her thumb over my pulse point. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” I manage to croak out, my voice raspy and filled with something I’m not sure I want to identify.
I’m still terrified of my feelings. Terrified, but also slowly starting to feel like it’ll be okay because this beautiful woman in front of me makes it seem that way. I’ll be okay.
But what if you get attached and then she leaves? my subconscious, the dickhead, chimes in.
Fuck off,I reply.
“What game did you get?” she asks, forcing me back into reality.
“An Italian card game I want you to try out,” I say and show her the cards Gabriel and I always use to play Scopa. I picked this game up years ago, playing with Chiara and Leonard. “What did you get?” I ask with a smile, and Nevaeh grins at me.
“Plain playing cards so I can show you a German game called Schwimmen. My grandfather taught me, and now I’ll teach you,” she says, no longer visibly worried about work or anything else.
Nevaeh looks at peace and next to my heaven, how could I feel any differently?