Chapter Eighteen
I told you that guy wasn’t right for you.” Nick shoved his hands in his pockets.
Em, who seemed to have momentarily forgotten he was there, turned her full ire on him.
“I thought I told you to stay in the bedroom.” She slapped his arm.
“And I was.” Nick forced himself not to rub at his stinging flesh, no matter how badly he wanted to. “But clearly that guy wasn’t taking the hint.”
“I could’ve handled it. Now I look like a deranged maniac trying to pull some sort of scam on the dating app. I wouldn’t be surprised if they kick me off after this.” Em stomped toward the kitchen, smoke practically pouring from her ears.
He followed her. “Maybe you could’ve handled him on your own. But I sure as hell wasn’t going to cower in the bedroom while I waited to see if he tried to assault you. This is serious, Em. Guys like that are bad news. They feel entitled because they treated you to dinner once or paid for a couple of drinks. I’ve seen his kind before.”
The anger in Emerie’s expression faded, and she seemed to realize how wrong things could’ve gone with Mr. Second Date.
“You’re right. Things could easily have gone sideways. I’m glad you were here. Thank you for standing up for me, like you always have, Nick.” Em kissed his cheek and sighed. “I could use a cranberry juice and vodka now. How about you?”
“Please.” His skin tingled in the wake of Em’s kiss. Since Em’s admission on New Year’s Eve, every touch, every graze of his skin, felt more meaningful. More so since he’d come to terms with the depth of his feelings for her.
“Two cranberry juice and vodkas coming up.” She pulled out two glasses, added craft ice to each, then poured their drinks. Em handed him a glass, then sank onto the stool beside him and took a long, deep gulp.
She was more shaken by the experience than she was letting on.
Nick turned to her on the barstool, his heart still thumping from the confrontation.
“You were doing a great job of handling the situation, Em. But when I heard that guy pushing you like that, I couldn’t help imagining…” Nick swallowed a large gulp of his drink and heaved a sigh. “I lost it. Even now, I’m sitting here thinking about following him out to his car and beating his ass just for putting a hand on you.”
Emerie set her drink down and squeezed Nick’s hand. “Alan isn’t worth it. Besides, it’s your job to look after me, and it’s mine to ensure that you don’t mess up these talented hands. It’d be tough to perform at the next wedding with busted knuckles. Not to mention that we don’t want to ruin that pretty face of yours.”
They both laughed, and it eased the pressure that had been building in his chest. Nick tightened his grip on her hand.
He’d always known how much Em meant to him as a friend. She was the reason he’d returned to Holly Grove Island rather than staying in LA or moving to New York where he could’ve continued his music career. But Em meant more to him than he’d realized. And she was so much more than a friend.
Em slipped her hand from his and drained the remainder of her drink. Another clear sign that she was shaken by what had happened with Alan. She climbed down from the stool. “I should go and get dressed. Not that I have plans for tonight anymore.”
“I could take you to the movie.” Nick stood, too. “I mean, we’ve seen every single one of those together anyway. No point in bucking the trend now, right?”
“I guess.” She shrugged. “But if it’s all the same to you, I’d rather not go out tonight. I think I’ll just stay in and binge-watch a murder mystery series. I’m feeling pretty stabby right now. Another night, maybe?”
“Of course.” Nick rubbed his chin. “But about tonight, if you’d like some company…”
Em halted, quickly turning back to him. She stared at him in silence for a moment, and he figured she was about ten seconds away from telling him off. But then she folded her arms and sighed.
“Actually, I’d love some company. But if you already have plans, you don’t need to babysit me. I’m fine.”
“Em, there is nothing more important to me than making sure you’re okay. Go ahead and change. I’ll order our usual from Lila’s Cafe.”
“No! Ms. Lila knew about my date tonight. If you have our usual delivered here, she’ll know something’s up. I really don’t feel like explaining anything to her or to my brother and Dakota, because it’ll take about ten seconds for the news to get to them.”
“Okay.” The pained look on Em’s face made Nick want to hunt Alan down even more. “There’s that new barbecue joint. We can try that instead. I’ll go pick up our order.”
“Thank you, Nick.” Emerie hugged him like she didn’t want to let go.
He didn’t want to let go, either. He wanted to keep her in his arms and close to his heart—where she’d be safe.
Nick rested his chin atop Em’s head. Inhaled her subtle citrus and vanilla scent—a combination of her body and hair products.
He loved her smell. Loved the warmth of her body. The feel of her skin. When she finally pulled out of his hold, he felt her absence more acutely than he ever had before.
“You good?” he asked. It was a question he’d been asking her for as long as he could remember.
“I’m good.” She studied his face. “I’m just… confused.”
“About why Alan thought he could bully you into letting him stay? That wasn’t about you, Em. Guys like that… they’re assholes. Period. End of story.”
“It’s not Alan I’m confused about. I’m confused about why you came here tonight. About why you kissed me.” She searched his face. “When I told you I had feelings for you, you said you didn’t feel the same. And then you volunteer to kiss me, but only as practice, so that I’d be more comfortable kissing someone else. But it felt more real than any kiss I’ve ever had.” Em paced the floor as she spoke. Something she did while trying to process information.
Nick swallowed hard, his throat dry, and his chest burning. God, he’d been an idiot. He needed to level with Em about how he felt. Starting with that kiss.
“That kiss felt real to me, too,” he admitted.
She frowned, seemingly confused by his confession. “But you didn’t say anything. Instead, you let me go on making one failed dating attempt after another. Then you come over here while I’m preparing for my date and kiss me. And I still don’t understand why—”
Nick stepped forward, cupped Em’s face, and captured her lips in a kiss. It was easier to show her how he felt than it was to admit he’d been so afraid of losing her friendship that he’d been terrified to take this chance.
He was prepared for her to shove him away and declare that he’d missed his opportunity, and she was no longer interested. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him, erasing every inch of space between them.
Nick kissed Em greedily. His tongue teased open the seam of her full lips and glided along hers. He ached with his growing desire for her. Feelings he’d tried hard to conceal from Em and from himself. Because letting the genie out of the bottle would change everything for them.
Em tugged his T-shirt from his jeans, her hands roaming his back. His skin seemed to catch fire in the wake of her touch, which was tentative at first, then increasingly sure.
Emerie lifted the edge of his shirt, and he helped her pull it off before dropping it onto the floor. She dropped soft, butterfly kisses on his bare chest, sending electricity down his spine.
“I want you, Em.” Nick lifted her chin, forcing her gaze to meet his. “I was just so afraid of risking the friendship we’ve built.”
“I know,” she whispered, her gaze meeting his as her hands glided down to his waist. She unfastened his belt. “But we don’t have to choose, Nick. We can have both. We’re lifelong friends. Nothing is going to change that.”
Nick’s heart flooded with all the emotions he’d bottled up for so long. He kissed her again, his heart beating like a drum. He hoped she was right.
Be brave. Be bold. Go for what you want. Lifelong regret is far worse than temporary embarrassment.
In her head, Em repeated the words she’d read in one book or another about becoming the badass woman she was always meant to be. All of those clichés like “no risk, no reward” were, perhaps, tired and trite, but they had a lot of truth to them. She’d dreamed of this moment so many times. And it wouldn’t be happening if she hadn’t put herself out there and told her best friend exactly how she felt about him.
She was in love with Nick. And she had been for the past few years. But she’d been afraid of being rejected. More importantly, she’d been afraid that their friendship wouldn’t be able to survive the aftermath of said rejection.
But she’d been wrong. Not only had their friendship continued, but they were here, in her bedroom, both of them half dressed. A situation she fully intended to resolve.
As the intensely passionate kiss escalated, she helped him out of the rest of his clothing. When Nick loosened the belt to her robe and pushed the garment off her shoulders, he regarded her reverently.
“Wait… you’ve been naked under this thing the entire time?”
“I’d just hopped out of the shower. Maybe if either of you had called before you dropped by, I would’ve had time to get dressed.” Emerie laughed, and Nick did, too.
“Point taken.” Nick scanned her naked body, his eyes wide.
She’d seen his bare chest at the beach and on the basketball court lots of times. He’d never seen hers. Nick swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple working as he took her in. His chest rose and fell rapidly.
“Em, you look… incredible.”
Her cheeks warmed as she surveyed his body. “You, too.”
Nick leaned in and kissed her neck, then her shoulder. He lifted her onto the bed, and they both scrambled beneath the covers.
Em lost herself in their kisses. Part of her feared that this was all just an incredibly vivid dream. That she’d wake up to realize that Nick wasn’t there at all.
But if this night was real, Em wanted to remember everything about it. The taste of Nick’s kiss. The way his tongue felt gliding against hers. The softness of his lips and the prickliness of his bearded chin as he trailed kisses all over her skin. Down her neck. Across her shoulders. Over her chest. The sizzling heat of his skin as his body lay atop hers.
Em gasped softly when Nick covered one of the beaded tips of her breasts, aching for his touch, with his warm mouth and sucked. Her eyes drifted closed and her heels dug into the mattress as soft murmurs escaped her lips.
Emerie squirmed beneath him as he licked and sucked, the sensation going straight to her sex and deepening the ache she felt for him. And when he did the same to the other nipple, she nearly came undone.
Nick kissed his way down her stomach, then spread her thighs. He glanced up at her and smiled. She’d never be able to think of that sexy, mischievous smirk of his again without remembering this moment.
Her breathing was shallow as her chest rose and fell.
“Just breathe.” Nick dropped one kiss, then another on her inner thigh. His gruff, sexy voice was muffled as his lips grazed her skin. “It’s only me. All right?”
Em sucked in a long, slow breath and nodded, not trusting that her voice wouldn’t waver. She didn’t bother telling her best friend that it was precisely because it was him that this moment felt so amazing and yet, so strange.
But before she had the chance to consider why that was, she was startled by the sensation of Nick’s tongue on her slick, sensitive flesh. Each stroke evoked involuntary sighs of pleasure emanating from deep in her throat. The sensation building until her legs trembled and it felt like the room was spinning. She clutched the sheet beneath her.
“Oh my God, Nick.” Em tipped her head back, her eyes screwed shut as his tongue teased her sensitive clit, taking her higher and higher until she shattered into what felt like a million glittering pieces.
She lay there, trying to catch her breath as Nick trailed lazy kisses up her inner thigh.
“Watching you fall apart like that? That was the fucking hottest thing I’ve ever seen,” Nick muttered between kisses as he continued to move up her body.
“Well, it was the most amazing thing I’ve ever experienced.” Em wrapped her arms around his waist as she stared into his hooded gaze. She kissed the lips that tasted of her. “In fact, it just might be my favorite thing ever .”
“I don’t know.” Nick grinned, kissing her again. “It’s early still. There’s a lot of night left.” He winked. “Speaking of which… I need to grab a condom from my wallet.”
She indicated the nightstand beside her bed. “I believe it was you who told me to never trust that a dude will A: have condoms on hand and B: that they’ll be in usable condition.”
“Good girl.” Nick’s voice was low and sexy, and there was something in his heated gaze that made her belly flutter.
When he reached for the handle, Em found enough clarity to think of what else she kept in that drawer.
“Let me get it.” She leaned up on her elbows, but it was too late.
Nick had already opened the drawer, and from the way his eyes lit up, he’d obviously seen what she was hoping he wouldn’t.
That sexy half grin slid across his sensual lips as he shifted his gaze back to hers.
“Don’t you dare say a word.” Em covered Nick’s mouth with her hand, her cheeks and forehead suddenly hot. “It’s embarrassing enough just knowing that you’ve seen my—”
“Vibrator?” Nick murmured from beneath her hand, then chuckled. He kissed the palm of her hand, and she dropped it from his mouth. “No reason to be embarrassed. It’s completely normal. What isn’t is how weird people get about self-pleasure.”
“That’s nice of you to say. But somehow, I doubt you have a drawer with Fleshlights.”
“True.” He chuckled when she poked his shoulder. “But that’s only because my hand works just fine. Between you and me… those Fleshlights creep me out.”
“Me, too.” Em smiled. There was something comforting about Nick’s determination to ease her anxiety during the awkward moments bound to happen with this transition in their relationship. And she loved that he could make her laugh, no matter the situation.
“Now you know all of my secrets.” Em stroked his cheek.
“Funny.” He nuzzled her neck. “I thought we told each other pretty much everything. But I guess we’ve both been holding things back.” Nick met her gaze again. “So many times, I’ve wanted to tell you how I feel, but I was worried that we’d lose this incredible friendship it’s taken us a lifetime to build. I don’t have that with anyone else, Em. And a part of me, even now, is terrified of losing it. Of losing you.”
Em’s vision blurred as her eyes filled with tears and her heart expanded. Her mouth stretched into a wide smile as she cupped Nick’s face.
“You can’t get rid of me that easily, Nick Washington.” Em laughed. “And no matter what happens tonight, you’ll always be my best friend.”
Nick breathed out a quiet sigh of relief. “Promise?”
Em nodded. “I do.”
He captured her mouth in a tender kiss that quickly escalated to one filled with heat.
Her nipples tightened, and the slick space between her thighs throbbed. His dick—thick and heavy—was pinned between them as their bodies writhed and their hands roamed each other’s bare skin.
Nick tore open the box of condoms, retrieved one, and sheathed himself. He pressed himself to her entrance, and she shuddered with the delicious sensation of Nick slowly pushing inside her.
Her thighs fell open to accommodate Nick as he lay between them, his body stretching hers. He shifted his hips in a torturously slow glide. With each movement, the pleasure built, coiling inside her like a spring desperate for release but not quite there.
Nick cocked an eyebrow and grinned, halting his movement long enough to reach into the drawer.
“Nick, what are you—”
The sound of the garishly pink vibrator whirring to life made it clear what Nick had in mind. Before she could object, he held the toy to her already sensitive clit. Em nearly screamed at the intense pleasure that shot through her.
The sensation was dizzying.
“Good. Now you hold it,” Nick said, repeating his demand when she hesitated. His lips grazed her ear as he whispered, “Show me exactly what you like.”
Em took a breath, squeezed her eyes shut, and repositioned the buzzing toy to just where she needed it as Nick moved his hips again.
The combined sensations took her higher than she’d ever been. She cursed and moaned, feeling like she might crawl out of her own skin. Until finally, the overpowering sensations exploded inside her like fireworks on the Fourth of July.
Nick continued to move inside her, faster now, until his back arched, and he cursed and groaned, her name on his lips.
When he met her gaze, there was something in Nick’s eyes that made her heart squeeze and her tummy flutter. Her vision blurred with unshed tears as he captured her lips in a kiss that warmed her from the inside out. He tumbled on the mattress and gathered her to his chest, his chin resting atop her head.
“That was incredible, Em.” He kissed her lips again.
“Yes, it was.” Em dragged a hand through her hair, her heart still racing, and her skin tingling.
“Let me take care of this, then I’ll be right back.” Nick kissed her again and climbed out of bed, just as his phone buzzed in the pocket of his jeans, discarded on the floor.
“I’m expecting a message from work.” Nick retrieved his phone and checked the message.
“Is it the message you were waiting for?” she asked.
“No.” There was something odd in Nick’s expression. He set the phone face down on the edge of the nightstand. “Be back in a sec.”
He kissed her again before treating her to a prime view of his bare ass as he made his way to her en suite bathroom.
Em waited until she heard the click of the door before doing a little dance, beating her fists on the mattress and kicking it with her heels as she made a silent scream of joy.
She and Nick had slept together. Not in her very vivid imagination, where it usually happened. In real life. In her bed. And it was absolutely amazing.
They’d ventured into uncharted territory. It had been a little awkward at first, and she’d been slightly overcome with emotion. But it had been worth the risk. Regardless of what happened next, they’d both committed to putting their friendship first. Because it was just as important to her as it was to Nick. And she wasn’t prepared to lose her most meaningful connection—even if it meant that what had happened between them tonight could never happen again.
But she’d much rather have it all. The friendship. A romantic relationship. And the kind of sex that had felt like a revelation on human sexuality and a master class in female pleasure. One she’d strongly advise that her past partners take.
Honestly, Em felt like she’d unlocked a new level on one of those video games she and Nick often played. And she couldn’t wait to find out what additional levels of sex and pleasure were in store for them.
Em smiled contentedly and stretched like a cat, accidentally toppling Nick’s phone onto the floor.
Nick was hard on his phones, so he had a tough-as-nails hard-shell case. Hopefully, it had done its job.
Em retrieved the phone, and it buzzed in her hand, startling her. She glanced at the lock screen. There was a text message from a gorgeous Black woman with blond locs named Tiffany.
Where are you? I expected you half an hour ago?
She drew in a deep breath, her muscles tense, and her hand shaking. Her temples throbbed, and her throat felt gritty and parched.
Em squeezed her eyes shut and reminded herself to breathe. She and Nick weren’t in a relationship. In fact, nothing about what had happened that evening had gone according to plan. If it had, she’d be on a date with that awful Alan. Besides, she knew exactly who her best friend was. So was she really surprised that Nick had other plans this evening?
She slowly, deliberately, unclenched her muscles and tried to be reasonable about the situation.
Nick could’ve been with Goldilocs tonight. But instead, he’d come rushing to her place to “rescue” her. She should feel good about that, shouldn’t she?
The phone buzzed again. This time, a photo appeared in the text message. Em juggled the phone, nearly dropping it to the floor again.
Dayum . Goldilocs was stacked. No wonder she wasn’t shy about sending a pic of herself in a super tight white tank top sans bra and a barely-there miniskirt with the message:
You really gonna keep all this waiting, Nick?
Em pressed a palm to her throbbing eye and shook her head. She reminded herself of the logic she’d just established and all the reasons she shouldn’t get bent out of shape about Goldilocs’s text messages. And maybe she was a glutton for punishment, but when the phone buzzed again, she couldn’t help looking at the message.
Only this one wasn’t from Goldilocs. The message was from Ellen—a buxom brunette with big, soulful eyes—who declared that she was in town and feeling lonely.
Em glanced down at her body. Average breasts. More muscular than curvy. Built more like a brick than a brick house.
No wonder Nick preferred those other women.
She wasn’t a curvy girl, and she’d always been just fine with her body. But seeing the two women currently vying for Nick’s attention… Em couldn’t help thinking that she clearly wasn’t Nick Washington’s type.
Was he settling for her because he was afraid of losing her to someone else? If so, how long would it be before he was ready to move on to someone who was more his type? And speaking of moving on… would Nick really be able to settle down in a monogamous relationship? Because she had zero interest in becoming fuck buddies. Yes, the sex was amazing. But she needed more than that.
The phone buzzed again. Em’s stomach knotted, and her chest ached. She couldn’t look at it. Couldn’t bear seeing more of the messages from Goldilocs, Ellen, and whoever else might be vying for Nick’s time and talents tonight.
Em pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Her eyes burned with tears.
How could her night with Nick have been so damn amazing and yet, a monumental mistake?