Chapter Twenty-One #2
Nick brought her into her office, while a few of the other team members and the cameras followed.
“Claire, when we met, you were working in an office that was suffering from a bad case of damp. It was one of the things we made a top priority to fix. I think you’ll agree your new office is much more comfortable now. ”
“It is, thanks, Nick.”
“By the way, I love your desk. That thing looks sturdy.” As the camera panned away, he winked at her.
The rogue.
After reacquainting her with the office, Nick led everyone back outside to the cat play place. He spoke into the camera, describing a few of the steps that had gone into creating the structure.
When he was done, they all walked back out front. Nick made a show of checking the time on his watch. Michael and Eli stood next to him. “Hey, guys,” said Nick. “Isn’t it time for an open house?”
“So it is.” Eli grinned and took a few steps down the walkway. He brought his fingers to his mouth and whistled.
All at once, several big yellow school buses drove down the drive to the sanctuary, honking their horns. Lacey directed the cameras to film their progress.
Claire pulled Nick aside. “What’s happening?”
“We knew you were concerned about whether enough people would come to your open house, so we put out the call on our social media. The response was incredible. As it happens, there are a lot of people in the Handymen community who would love to adopt a cat, so we arranged the transportation and a whole lot of cat carriers. We just decided to keep it a secret.”
“Oh, Nick!” She jumped into his arms and kissed him hard. She didn’t even care if Lacey captured it on film. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, beautiful.” He set her down and grabbed her hand. “Let’s go find some forever homes for your furry buddies.”
“Yes! Oh, just one thing—”
“I know, Claire. Mortimer stays.”
She smiled, loving him even more. “Yeah. Mortimer stays.”
Together, they headed into the sanctuary to get ready for the open house.
* * * *
It was late in the evening when Nick and Claire finally allowed themselves to tumble onto the couch in her living room. Between filming the reveal and the open house, as well as a celebration drink afterward, it had been a full day.
But Nick had never felt better.
Firstly, Claire loved the reno. That had always been most important as they’d embarked on their work at Haven. To see her embrace all the changes had been gratifying.
Secondly, the open house had been wildly successful.
Because of the great turnout, they had been able to adopt out a huge majority of the cats.
The B&B was practically empty now. Mortimer the Manager still ruled the roost, and the few cats that remained could be easily cared for by the staff.
Claire and her volunteers would no longer feel stretched to their limits.
To be honest, Nick was glad Claire hadn’t wanted to find a new home for Mortimer. He’d been at the sanctuary for so long, and it really was his home. A new home might prove disruptive.
Besides, Nick was too fond of the little guy to see him go. This way, he could still sneak him some treats in the morning.
It had been an incredible day, but emotional too, and Nick wanted to make sure Claire was okay. He dragged her onto his lap and nuzzled her neck. “You doing okay?”
“Yeah, you?”
He nodded. “I’m with you, so yeah.”
She rested her head on his shoulder and they both closed their eyes for a while. It wasn’t long before she stretched and groaned. “I’m so stiff.”
“Same here. How about I run a hot bath for us? I’ll even give you a soapy massage.”
“Hmm, I was sold on the idea as soon as you said hot bath, but I won’t refuse a massage.”
They headed upstairs, pulling their shirts from their waistbands as they went.
As he ran the water, adding some bath soap for bubbles, Claire removed the rest of her things.
She got into the bath first, sighing as she went.
She closed her eyes and lowered herself.
The bubbles trailed over the mounds of her breasts, and her nipples played peek-a-boo.
The sight of her almost stopped him in his tracks. She was so goddamn beautiful.
She opened her eyes and smiled. “What’s taking you so long?”
“I can’t stop looking at you. You take my breath away.”
“Come here.”
He didn’t wait a second longer. He quickly got rid of the rest of his clothes and joined her in the tub. Nick pulled her toward him and she sat in the space between his legs. Moving her wet hair over to one side, he got some of the lather on his hands and gave her a back rub.
Her body melted against his.
His hardened.
He kissed her once, on the ear, then on the curve of her shoulder. He didn’t even care that he got a taste of soap. It was impossible not to kiss her when they held each other like this.
She took his hand and lowered it on her body.
The urge to protect his woman pounded in his chest. To know she wanted him struck a chord in him that he didn’t know he possessed.
Claire squirmed against him, as if her greatest need was to have him touch her there.
But Nick couldn’t. Not until he’d told her how he felt.
There was something so amazing about being able to share a bath, a bed, with Claire. He wanted to share a home with her too. He wanted it all.
Even now, the way she turned to him with such heat in her eyes, was almost more than he could bear.
He loved the way she tilted her head when she had a question.
He loved being able to stroke her skin and bring her body to the heights of pleasure.
He loved hearing her laugh, that soul-lifting laugh that had changed him the first time he heard it.
He just loved her.
Nick touched her chin. His heart raced because he’d never been so excited and yet so nervous. “Claire, I love you.”
Her smile…it was everything. “I love you too.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
He never did resume that soapy backrub. He couldn’t even remember getting out of the tub, but somehow they landed in her bed. Not that he was complaining. He needed her too badly, and she was already clawing his backside as they fell onto the mattress.
He took a moment to roll on a condom. When he touched her between the legs to make sure she was ready, she answered his unspoken question.
“Take me.”
Nick kissed her once more, and entered her with a strong thrust.
“Oh,” cried Claire, clinging to him. “Yeah. That’s so good. Harder.”
He gave her all he had. His Claire loved it rough, and he loved giving it to her like that.
It was over in minutes, but those minutes were some of the most profound he’d ever spent inside her. As she came, whispering his name, he knew for the first time in his life that he was home.
Claire was his home.
When they were done, both of them quiet and spent, he went to the bathroom to tidy himself up. When he returned to the bedroom, the sight of her almost brought him to his knees again.
He loved her, and she loved him. He’d known from day one that he wanted to smooth out all the creases in her life. Now? He’d personally see to it that she never encountered another crease. He would do everything in his power to always make her feel cherished.
She held out her hand. “Come to bed.”
He got in and kissed the tops of her bare breasts. “I can’t get enough of you.”
“Good. I don’t ever want you to look at me and feel like you’ve had enough.”
“That could never happen.”
She wrapped her arms around his middle and tucked her head under his. God, he loved that too. “I’m so happy, Nick.”
He stroked a hand down her back. “Me too, sweetheart. Me too.”