Chapter 23
Lexie’s cheeks were wet with tears by the time she stormed into her house. She threw her purse to the floor and slammed the front door. To think, just a few hours ago, she’d been too scared to come here, too afraid of what might be waiting in the dark. Now, she felt sorry for anyone—psycho killer or not—who dared to take her on. Rage and adrenaline pumped wildly through her veins, hardening like cement around her heart, protecting her from the hurt she knew was a moment’s weakness away from engulfing her completely.
She screamed into a couch cushion. It helped. She then rummaged around her kitchen cupboards, coming up with the biggest wine glass she could find, and poured herself an enormous serving of Chardonnay from the bottle Annie had left in her refrigerator. It helped even more. Once she felt the light buzz take hold, she put on some music, ran herself a bubble bath, and spent the next forty or fifty minutes drowning out every thought of Nico, refusing to even let his name cross the chasm of her mind. It wasn’t until the water was getting cold and her glass was long empty that she let herself feel it—the pain. It cut so deep and burned so hot, she could hardly stand it. Her mother always said she was too softhearted, and that one day it would destroy her. The woman had been a train wreck—not someone you’d ever take advice from—but on that point, it seemed she’d been right. Like a fool, Lexie had let herself hope, let herself believe that Nico was a nice man, worlds apart from what she was used to. As it turned out, there were no nice men. They were all the same, telling you what you wanted to hear only while it was convenient for them. Then they chewed you up and spat you out like the animals they were. Only animals hunted for survival, not sport.
Lexie sighed. She knew she was spiraling now, feeding the narrative that all men were assholes simply because it suited her to feel that way. She knew it wasn’t true, and she didn’t believe that Nico had set out intending to hurt her, much as she was tempted to believe the worst of him right now. On the other hand, if he knew he wasn’t ready to meet her halfway in the vulnerability department, or at least let his walls down enough for her to get to know the real him, then he had no business getting so involved with her in the first place. He was lying through omission, that much she knew for certain. How deep and wide those lies went was something yet to be uncovered. And she wasn’t sure she wanted to do that.
After drying herself with a towel, Lexie threw on an old, comfortable t-shirt and some underwear. She found her purse still lying on the foyer floor and dug around in it until she located her phone, which she promptly switched off. She didn’t want to speak to anyone for a long while. Then she brushed her teeth and crawled into bed. She expected sleep to take her fast, but as the storm outside raged on, Lexie tossed and turned forever. She guessed it was somewhere close to midnight when she finally drifted off, so when the bright beam of headlights through her window startled her awake a little after two a.m., she felt groggy. Slow.
What the . . . ?
Darkness fell again. Maybe she’d dreamed it?
No. That was definitely the sound of footfalls on her front steps.
Lexie shot out of bed, creeping down the hall to investigate. The cold hardwood under her bare feet made her shiver as she crossed her arms under her breasts. Her breathing sped up. The storm had slowed enough that lightning no longer lit up the sky and the thunder had gone quiet. Rain still fell in a steady rhythm on the roof, a sound she usually loved, but right now she found frustrating as it muffled any other noise from the other side of the door.
Someone was out there.
Lexie reached out and switched on the porch light, blinking through the glare it created through the windows. “Who’s there?”
“It’s me.”
For a second, her whole body sagged with relief. Then she remembered the events of earlier that evening and stiffened in a whole new way. “What do you want?”
“Please open the door.” Nico’s deep voice rumbled through the wooden barrier between them. He sounded tormented.
Lexie bit her lip and considered. She would not allow herself to feel sorry for him, not after the hurtful things he’d said. If he was here to apologize, she would hear him out, but that’s all. If he wanted forgiveness, well, he had a lot of making up to do before that was even a remote possibility, and she would tell him exactly that if he had the gall to ask for it.
Mind made up, she confidently opened the door, all set to tear him a new one. That was until she saw him.
Nico was soaked from head to toe, his dark hairline leaking droplets of water down his face, catching in his eyelashes as he stared at her with a heat and hardness that made her gulp. His posture was meek, almost shameful, like he knew he had no right to look at her like that. His hands hung by his sides, nonthreatening but for the way his fingers kept sliding over and around his thumbs, as if he were barely holding onto control of his own body.
Lexie almost shut the door again.
Almost.
But some instinct inside her told her that he would not hurt her. She knew it. Trusted it.
Nico didn’t speak as he crossed the threshold. Lexie moved back, silently allowing him entry. In a manner that spoke volumes of what would come next, Nico pushed the door closed behind him. Locked it.
Lexie straightened her back as he approached her, refusing to shy away from this newfound menacing aura. When he was close enough for her to feel his warmth and smell his scent, he opened his mouth to speak.
“I can’t promise anything,” he said.
“Neither can I,” she replied in a shaky whisper.
Nico’s hand came up, his thumb tugging lightly on her lower lip, just as he’d done the first time he kissed her.
“You hurt me,” she said.
“I know. I’m so sorry.” Nico closed his eyes, his entire body radiating guilt. “When you asked me about Sara, about what I was running from… Something inside me snapped and I just . . . I can’t . . .”
“Nico.” Lexie took his face in her hands. “I won’t force you to tell me anything before you’re ready, but if you want me, you need to trust me as much as I trust you.” She waited for him to open his eyes and held his stare for a long moment. “You have to let me in.”
Nico’s hand moved lower, grazing her throat, the tip of her breast, before settling his palm on her waist. Lexie savored his touch. Despite herself, she leaned into the wall of his body, let him feel her through the thin fabric of her shirt.
“Okay,” he said.
“Okay?”
Nico’s gaze became darker, more intense. She felt the instant hardening of his muscles, the warmth of his hand as it moved possessively over the curve of her bottom. His voice was rough as he said, “I”ll tell you everything. I will lay every one of my secrets at your feet. Now, later, it doesn’t matter to me. Just as long as there’s no question in your mind that I want you. And unless you tell me not to, right now, I’m going to take what I want.” He dipped his head to nip her earlobe, growling, “I’m not a perfect man, but I’m nothing like him, Lex. Let me prove it.”
Lexie felt her body respond to his words, the images they conjured in her mind as his tongue tasted the skin of her throat. She should have said no, should have made him wait, made him suffer like any woman worth her salt would have done after finding out the man they’ve been seeing is a liar, but she couldn’t do it.
“Show me,” she purred. “Show me how good it can be.”
“Are you sure?”
“I don’t want to feel scared or angry anymore,” she said. “I just want to feel you. We can deal with the rest tomorrow.”
Nico did not ask a second time. Instead, he took her mouth in a kiss that brought them both to the floor. Lexie felt the wanton throb down below and let out a sound of pure feminine pleasure as he pulled her shirt over her head. He removed his own before using his weight to push her flat onto her back. His mouth crawled the length of her neck, down the center of her chest, leaving fire everywhere it touched. He kissed her ribs, kissed the soft swell of her breast, then took one hardened nipple into the steaming wetness of his mouth. She bucked as his tongue swirled around the sensitive nub, sucking and teasing her into madness. He kneaded her other breast, pinching the tip just hard enough to bring her back into a gratifying arch, then moved his face to the delicate triangle of blue between her hips. He bit at her panties, the sharp snap back on her skin making her gasp as he made the slow journey down her leg—kissing, licking, and biting as he did.
It had never been like this with Kyle. Where Nico appreciated and worshipped, Kyle had ravaged and misprized, using her body as an outlet, a way to work off whatever stress he was feeling at the time. But Nico was a man possessed. He wanted her to feel good, placed her pleasure at the forefront, made her feel things she had never felt before.
A guttural sound came from Nico’s throat as he kissed her again, angling his head to get deeper into her mouth. His pelvis ground into hers, sending such carnal need spiraling through her that she thought she might combust right there and then. Lexie felt the hardness of him through his jeans. She couldn’t wait anymore. She slid her hands between them, unzipped his fly, and dove in, wrapping her fingers around the warm, thick shaft waiting below. Nico stiffened. He licked his lips and took on the tense features of a man barely in control of himself as she touched, stroked, and acquainted herself with his cock.
Lexie liked the feel of him in her palm, and she relished the way he grunted and groaned. Their bodies trembled as anticipation built. A thousand electric tingles sent goosebumps shooting across her skin. In the soft light, Lexie saw dark desire building in Nico’s eyes, like he was a predator, and she was his prey. One of his hands skimmed the length of her sternum, past her belly button, and slipped beneath the thin, moistened fabric of her underwear.
Christ, she was exquisite. Every inch of her. Lithe limbs. Toned flesh. Skin so soft it could drive a man insane just thinking about it. And those eyes . . . Once again, Nico decided he could happily die tomorrow in exchange for a single night with those want-filled sapphires gazing back at him. How the hell he’d gotten so damn lucky, he would never know. The taste of her skin on his tongue, the feel of her full lips moving with his, having the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen writhe and quiver and moan for him—he made a mental note to thank god later, once he’d finished groveling for her forgiveness for being such an unkind prick.
As his hand slid beneath the line of her panties and into her welcoming center, Lexie arched up, brushing her hard, pink nipples against his chest. Skin to skin, Nico stroked and teased her, matching the rhythm of their panting breaths. Her eyes closed. Her mouth opened. Her head lolled to the side.
He brought her to the edge once. Twice. Each time he backed off she made little frustrated sounds of protest and pleasure. On the third crest, he brushed his lips against her ear. “Come for me.”
He watched as she convulsed, shattering into a million pieces under his touch. Her breasts, her skin, her face—all of it was flushed and perfect. Fuck, he couldn’t wait to get inside. While she lay freshly blissed out on the floor, Nico kicked off his shoes and pants. Lexie wriggled out of her underwear and spread her legs wide, welcoming him as he nestled in close and lined up their hips. He pushed in slowly, deeply, feeling her insides still pulsing with little aftershocks around him. Lexie cried out his name, raked her fingernails down his back, and met him thrust for delicious thrust. Enveloped in her warmth, Nico groaned and took her mouth with ravenous hunger. His pace quickened. His blood boiled. She was everything.
When he heard her building to another orgasm, he wrapped his arms around her waist and in one swift movement, pulled her up and fell back on his heels. Lexie held tight, riding him with a sensual roughness that fulfilled every fantasy he’d had of what it would be like to have her like this. Her hair spilled around her shoulders in a cascade of golden waves. She tilted her head back. Her breaths came short and shallow. Nico felt his own release approaching.
Not yet, he ordered himself.
“Oh. Oh. Oh,” she screamed.
Nico gripped her hips. Her body jolted. Her muscles contracted. Leaning back, one arm gripping his neck, the other supporting her from behind, she came with a powerful shudder. With one last thrust, Nico caught up. His body quaked, his arms tightened around her. Ecstasy—savage and intense—racked him to the core.
Out of breath, limbs entangled, they collapsed together and became still. In the endless quiet, Nico couldn’t decide what was better; watching Lexie come alive with such undiluted passion, or knowing—hoping—that this was just the beginning.