Chapter 29
HE DRIVES ME through downtown and points out the enormous building where he works.
He lives not much farther away in a high-rise.
He’s on the twenty-seventh floor. After a tension-filled ride in the elevator, mostly due to his proximity and my nervousness, we make our way to his condo.
He stills with his key in the door and angles to face me. “Just remember that I’m a bachelor.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I question as a slow smile builds on my face.
He opens the door to an expansive room. Expansive and nearly empty.
The floors are a dark brownish-black hard wood of some kind, and the walls are beige and barren.
I step into the entry, still holding his jacket on my shoulders.
It’s warm inside, so I consider removing it, but I like having something of his against my skin, so I don’t.
He flips on a light or two and we stroll toward the kitchen. My eyes linger longingly at his top-of-the-line stainless steel appliances. I tell myself that someday I’ll be able to afford them, but I know that’ll really never happen.
The counters are empty. There are a few papers and a laptop on the breakfast bar. I turn to the left and see a lone dark grey couch and a gigantic flat screen on the wall. Nothing else.
“Did you just move in?” I ask, gesturing around the room.
His head tilts to the side. “Nope,” he says, popping the p. “Been here for three years.”
“I see you do a lot of entertaining.” I motion toward the empty dining room.
He smirks. “Yep. Dinner parties every weekend. Want to the see the rest of the empty space?” he asks.
“Yeah. Show me.”
He walks me into the bedroom. He has a large bed and a nightstand, but that’s it. The bathroom smells of him, and there are a few items on the sink, but not many.
“I take it you’re never here.”
“I’m here more than you’d think. Would you like a drink?” He pauses. “Dinner... shoot. I never did feed you.”
I swallow and shrug. “That’s my fault. You tried.”
“Will you sit with me?” he asks as he waves toward the sofa. I nod my head and continue to walk barefoot. He places my heels by the door.
I sit on one side and he sits on the other. There’s a good two feet between us, and he attempts to scoot forward slightly to close the gap without invading my space. “About dinner…” he begins.
“I’m sorry I flipped out on you, it’s just—”
“Everly, please… let me say what I need to say.”
I nod my head and try to make myself stop shaking. I’m not sure why I’m trembling. I feel oddly comfortable sitting with him, and it makes no sense.
“I made a mistake tonight, and I’m sorry.”
My mind rushes to the kiss in the car, and I’m worried he regrets it. I cast my eyes downward and he moves closer to me to lift my chin with his finger.
“I wanted tonight to be special. I wanted a chance to give you the things I couldn’t give you when we were in school. I wanted to show you that I’ve changed. I never meant to come off as pompous or arrogant.”
“You didn’t.” I don’t lie well.
He frowns. “We both know I did. The truth is my life is just okay. Yeah, I travel a lot, but it’s a lonely existence.”
I consider his words for a moment. “Can I ask you a personal question?”
He nods. “Of course.”
“Why aren’t you married with a few gorgeous children by now? You’re obviously a successful man, and God knows you’re easy on the eyes. Why?”
He smirks then furrows his brows. He leans back on the couch and crosses his legs. I feel like he’s about to go into business mode. “I guess I just never found the right girl.”
“Phooey!” I yell. I sound like my Grandma Kay and I laugh at myself. “I don’t believe that for a second.”
“I’ve dated. It’s not like I’ve been single my whole life, but it never amounted to more.”
“Why?”
His eyes move to regard me, and I can see he’s teetering on something. “Are you hungry?” he asks. “I could order a pizza.”
As much as I want him to answer my question, the offer of food makes my stomach rumble. He notices.
“That settles it. Let me think.” He stands and presses his finger to his lips. “Mushroom and sausage?”
“How do you remember that?” I question, amazed at his memory.
“I remember the important things.” He heads toward the kitchen and opens a drawer stuffed with various menus. I follow him.
“How I like my pizza is important?”
“It’s just something I remember because I never forgot you.”
I feel myself blush. I hear the rustle of papers and laugh. “Do you eat out often by any chance?”
He pauses and lifts his eyebrows upwards. He opens his fridge, and it’s empty but for a few beer bottles, a couple of bottles of water, a carton of eggs, and some Styrofoam containers.
I press my hand to my cheek and laugh. “Oh, Nick.”
He smiles brightly and returns to finding the right menu. “Ah, here it is. They deliver late. I’m a regular.” After he calls in the order, I lean on his bar as I sit on a stool. He leans his back against the cabinet and we stare at each other.
“I guess you were serious about wanting to come over for a meal after all.” I laugh.
He smirks and drops his head slightly. He strides over to the door and kicks off his shoes. He starts to remove his tie, and I can’t help but wonder what else about him might have changed. Like what’s under his shirt.
He motions to the jacket I’m still wearing. “Are you cold? I can turn up the heat.”
I glance down at his jacket and realize I have no excuse for still wearing it. “Oh, no. I’m actually a little warm now that you mention it.”
I slide it off my arms and it drops past my reach to the floor. As I turn in the stool to get it, I fail to notice Nick hurry past me to pick it up, and I accidently knee him in the eye.
I gasp as he stumbles back and grabs his face, bending at the waist.
I leap off the stool and reach out to him. “Oh God, Nick! Are you okay? I’m so sorry.”
He covers his eye with his hand and starts to laugh. “If you wanted to punch me, Ever, you could have at least let me stand up straight and take it like a man.”
I grit my teeth and cover my mouth with my hands in horror. “I’m so sorry. Does it hurt? Let me get you some ice.” I rush into the kitchen and grab a paper towel and ice from the freezer. He attempts to open his eye and look at me, but he squints instead.
I tap my hand on the barstool and he moves toward me. He sits down, and I stand in front of him. His thighs are open, and I fit in between them neatly.
“Let me see it.” He takes a slow breath and removes his hand from his face. I prepare myself for the worst, but I don’t see any immediate bruising. I place my ice-filled hand to his eye and he cringes slightly.
“Can you see?” I ask him worriedly.
“I see you,” he mumbles as he twists his head toward my neck. “You smell amazing.” His hands are resting uncomfortably on his thighs, and he’s pressing his palms into them as if there is somewhere else they’d rather be.
He leans forward slightly, and I reach up to gently rotate the ice into a better position. I place my other hand on the side of his face and scrunch my eyebrows together in apology. “I didn’t see you. I didn’t mean to hit you. You know that, right?”
He smiles. “Are you sure you didn’t knee me to get back at me for being an ass?”
I furrow my brows in concern and he bursts into laughter. “I’m fine, Ever. Don’t worry. Actually, it barely hurts at all. But I’m really enjoying the attention you’re giving me, so feel free to stand as close to me as possible and touch me all you want.”
I remove the ice from his eye and place my hands on my hips. “You’re not hurt? At all?”
He smiles and shrugs. I push his shoulder playfully with my hand and toss the ice on the counter behind him as I roll my eyes. I attempt to turn away, but he pulls me back toward him. He’s no longer squinting. In fact, his eyes are dark and smoldering into mine.
“Don’t go. It’s nice to have you so close to me.”
I brush some of his hair away from his brows. I trail my hand down the side of his face, and his hands leave his thighs and find their way to my hips. I gasp lightly and his eyes rise to mine.
“When I said I missed you, I wasn’t lying,” he whispers.
“I missed you too.” I say it almost on instinct, but it rings true after the words flow out.
He stands, and the space between us closes quickly. His chest is pressed to mine, and my hand falls from his face to his shoulder. I touch the collar of his shirt, and he bends his head to kiss my lips.
The minute they touch mine, a fire blazes inside. I don’t remember the last time I’ve been kissed this passionately, and my body responds whether I want it to or not.
He holds my hip firmly in place against his waist while he slides his right hand up my back and into my hair.
He licks my tongue before he gently tugs on my lips with his.
It creates a deep need for more, and I shift my arms around his neck.
He turns me and lifts me onto the stool as he presses his hips into me, causing my legs to open too widely for a woman in a dress.
The way his body feels against mine… I want more. More of him.
He stops suddenly and inches away from me, leaving me panting and needy.
“Shit! I’m doing it again, aren’t I? What is it about you that makes me lose all sense of reason?” His hands fly to the top of his head, and he backs away slowly in dire confusion.
“What?” I stammer.
“I just promised you I was in no rush, yet the minute you’re close to me I manhandle you like a hormonal teenager. I’m so sorry.”
“Did I complain?” I ask as I reach for his arm.
He steps forward and against me and I lean into him. “No… no, you didn’t. But this is exactly how I lost you the last time, and I don’t want to lose you again.”
“You don’t want to lose me?” I question. My heart floods with fear and hope.
He shakes his head and kisses the tip of my nose. “You were never just sex to me. I adored you, and now that we’re together again, I remember why.”