Five. Maisie
Five
Maisie
She was in big trouble. About six foot two inches of it. The gorgeous rooftop offered a view of the ocean and surrounding neighborhoods. It was stunning, spread out like a panoramic picture. When Maisie took photos for an event, she captured thousands of moments. But she always knew when one particular shot was going to be special. When she downloaded the photos onto her laptop, sure enough, the one that felt different stood out in some way.
Nick was like that one special shot. He was the photograph that might look like every other but had something so unique and compelling, it was hard to look away.
They stood side by side, her shoulder brushing against his biceps, as they stared out at the city. She felt the heat of his body through his jacket and was further warmed by the champagne they’d finished while chatting around the tension simmering between them.
“Do you like Seattle?” he asked, his fingers tapping the stem of the empty glass.
“I do. I went out that way for a job after California and something about it just called to me. I don’t really mind the rain and I love the mountains. It’s almost like the city has a personality, you know?”
He smiled down at her. “I don’t know. I don’t think I’ve ever thought of a place having a personality.”
She shook her head, resting her hand on the wide ledge of the waist-high railing. “So short-sighted. You live in San Jose, you said. Your city is almost always happy. Sunshine almost nonstop. Seattle is moody. She has her ups and downs. She has dark days and others where she shines so bright, you’ve never seen anything more beautiful.”
Nick was staring at her with something that looked like awe. “I’m pretty sure I’m looking at the most beautiful thing Seattle has to offer.”
Her heart flatlined for several brief seconds. “It’s probably that kind of line making women fall for you so often you think they’d track down your hotel room and try to get in.”
His hand inched closer, his pinky touching hers. Just that tiny point of contact sent heat spiraling through her system.
“I clearly overreacted. I’m sorry” He turned, covered Maisie’s hand with his own, and if the little touch had spread heat, this started a wildfire. “But I don’t say shit just to say it, Maisie. Women are fairly forward around me. They always have been. I don’t need to play games or stoop to pick-up lines. I said it because you’re fucking gorgeous and make it hard to think straight.”
The breath she sucked in choked her. Literally. She started coughing, and though Nick immediately straightened, his lips going flat with concern, there was a hint of humor in his gaze.
“You okay?”
She nodded, her eyes watering a bit. No one had ever looked at her like he was looking at her right now. She’d never felt this much… what was the word for what she felt? Was there a word for the overwhelming desire coursing through her body, her heart, and her mind? The only word she could think of was Nick . In this moment, Nick was the sum of all things.
The sky had darkened, making the strands of lights glow brighter around them. The moon hovered in the distance, the stars keeping it company. Conversations and laughter flowed like the champagne, even up here where it was less crowded. But it was all in the periphery; Nick was all she saw.
“I don’t know what I am,” she said honestly, shifting closer, her dress brushing his suit jacket.
“Maisie,” he said, his voice low and gruff, sending sensuous tingles along her skin.
She was almost twenty-five years old. She’d dated several men and had even been in love once. Or thought she was. Not one other human had ever made her feel this bone-deep need that Nick did. Who said forever had to be… well, forever? She might never see him again, but that didn’t make this connection any less powerful. If anything, maybe the brevity increased its power. She’d rather have one night with him than spend the rest of her life wondering what it would be like to lose herself in him. She never did irrational, spur-of-the-moment things. She wasn’t type A like the rest of her family but she lived a fairly predictable life. The most incredible moments in her life always belonged to others; she just captured them on film. But this moment right now, this was all hers.
“Will you walk me to my room?” Her pulse sprinted.
Nick clasped her hand in his, lifted his other one, and stroked his thumb over her cheek. “I think this might be out of character for both of us. Are you sure?”
She smiled. “I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t.”
They said nothing in the elevator, but it felt like a thousand conversations passed between them, through looks, touches, hitched breaths, and accelerated pulses. She was acutely aware of every beat of her heart.
Stepping off the elevator, they walked, hand in hand, to her room, stopping at the door. Maisie turned, her hands going to his chest like they belonged there. Nick’s hands covered both of hers, pressing them more firmly against his body, and she felt his heartbeat beneath her palm. He dipped his chin, his gaze intense and full of the need she felt.
“We’re both leaving tomorrow,” he said, like a final warning.
Maisie nodded. “But we’re both here right now.”
“This isn’t where I expected to be when I started my day, but there’s not one other place on this Earth I’d rather be in this moment.”
Her smile came slow and easy. “How about inside of my room?”
Nick chuckled, squeezing her hands. “Okay. Except there.”
Nervous, excited energy made her hands shake as she unlocked her door, and he followed her in. She tossed her purse on the entry table as the door clicked shut. When she turned around, Nick was standing statue-still, his blue eyes shining like dark water in the moonlight. His hands were curled into fists like he was trying to contain himself.
Maisie stepped forward, aware of his watchful gaze. “Even with a bit of a beard, you have a gorgeous jawline. And your eyes are so vibrant, I wouldn’t need to do any touch-ups if I photographed you.”
His brows arched. “If you get to take pictures, so do I.”
A delectable shiver raced up her spine. “No pictures.”
They moved in tandem, both reaching for each other, like they couldn’t wait another second to touch, to kiss, to feel . His lips brushed hers lightly, unnecessarily coaxing. Maisie reached up, arching against Nick and tunneling her hands into the soft strands of his hair.
Something between a groan and a growl left his mouth as he intensified the kiss, breathing air into her lungs. It was like the sound unleashed the desire they’d waded in all evening and ripped away all the barriers. The kisses immediately turned greedy to the point of desperate, and Maisie felt like she couldn’t get close enough. She pushed at his jacket. Nick lifted his head, breaking the kiss and using his hands on her shoulders to spin Maisie toward the wall, crowding in against her back as he kissed her shoulder, lingering on the spot where it met her neck. She rested her palms and forehead against the cool beige wall as he whispered how stunning she was and how much he wanted her.
When he lifted his head, she let out a little moan of disapproval, wanting him everywhere at once with no space between them.
“Shh,” he said as he trailed his index finger along her shoulders to her spine then down to the small of her back. “This dress is beautiful. You in this dress is almost too much to absorb. Like looking at the sun or an original Picasso. You’re fucking perfect.”
The sound of her sucking in a breath sharply didn’t muffle the rasp of her zipper as Nick lowered it, his fingers grazing over her bottom tantalizingly slow.
Once the zipper was all the way down, he trailed his fingers back up over her skin to the spaghetti straps, lowering them. She dropped her hands from the wall so the straps would give way, leaving her bare on top. Nick pressed his front tightly to her back, and feeling how much he wanted her made her want him more. She started to turn but he stopped her.
“Let’s take this off first,” he whispered, lightly nipping at the lobe of her ear.
Her body trembled as he gently pulled the fabric of her dress down until it pooled at her feet. She lifted one foot, then the next so he could remove the dress entirely. She felt her heartbeat going haywire in her neck. Nerves and excitement prickled as she stood there, facing away from him in nothing but a black thong and heels.
Maisie held her breath, desperate to know what he’d do next. She felt his breath on the back of her knee before he placed his lips there, gently sucking, causing a full-body tremor. His large hands stroked the outsides of her thighs, up to her hips. When he turned her, she saw he’d gone down to his knees. He stared up at her with such open, fervent passion, she didn’t know if she could handle it, so she leaned her back against the wall.
The urge to cover herself was strong. She wanted him, but that didn’t mean she knew what she was doing. When she started to cross her arms over her chest, Nick shook his head. His hands now spanned her waist, his thumbs dipping into the softness of her rounded stomach.
“Don’t,” he growled. “You’re fucking perfect.”
As his lips pressed against her stomach over and over, his hands roamed, dancing over her skin, driving her out of her mind. His fingertips trailed down and back up, lazily stoking the fire as her thoughts chased them, wondering where they’d land, wanting them everywhere.
She tangled her own fingers in his hair, tugging gently, pleased when his gaze met hers approvingly. With slow movements, his traced the tip of his nose along the edge of her underwear, his hands on her ass, pulling her closer.
Maisie let out a sound that might have been a whimper, but she didn’t have it in her to be embarrassed at her own neediness.
“Tell me you want this,” he whispered, his hands on the straps of her thong.
Maisie cupped his cheeks; the scruff softer than she’d imagined it would be. She stroked her thumb over his lips. “I’ve never wanted anything the way I want this. The way I want you. Your turn. Tell me you want me.”
Not this. Her.
His fingertips pressed into her hips. His eyes flashed with a volcanic level heat. “I want you so much I feel like I might pass out.”
Maisie smiled, ran one hand through his hair again. “Don’t do that. We haven’t even gotten to the good stuff.”
Nick’s laughter fluttered over her skin. “Hang on. We’re about to.”