Chapter 42
Nik
The night feels heavier as we drive away from those woods. I tangle my fingers with hers, afraid to let them go, afraid to let her go. After seeing her bound and gagged, helpless in that chair, I know I don't want to ever be away from her. I know, there will never be a woman I feel so strongly for.
Noelle is everything I never knew I needed.
She’s strong and fiery. She couldn't care less whether I can catch a football or not. She cares that I am a good friend, a good teammate, and a better lover. I want to be all those for her, and more. She’s already helped me come clean to my friends and helped me start to get over the guilt I’ve been holding for years.
She’s been a strong pillar while I navigated my first season in the NFL.
Because if I had added all this crap on top of being a rookie, I don’t know if I would have made it.
Sure, some of this crap came about because she was writing a story, but whether it was her or someone else, my sister would have gone to great lengths to keep the story quiet.
Or she would have done it again. Her mentioning the Super Bowl has me wondering who the hell Eva Papas really is anymore.
I’m beyond grateful for Noelle. Her take-no-shit attitude mixed with that sexy-ass body, right down to that green nail polish, kept me grounded.
And now, she needs to know.
She insists on walking into my building and into the elevator. But once those doors open and we step out onto my floor, I scoop her up again and walk inside my condo with her. I take her right to the bathroom, set her on the vanity, and start the shower.
With all the control I can muster, I undress her, delicately, then place her in the shower. I quickly undress myself and step in behind her, letting the warm water wash over us. I let it take away the night, the last few weeks, the past I was running from, all of it.
“Let me.” I already had a bottle of her shampoo in here, so I pour some into my hand and begin to wash her hair.
The suds roll down her shoulders and back, over that ass I can’t get enough of.
But for right now, I just want to be close; I want to take care of her.
I take my shower gel and rub it together in my palms, creating more bubbles.
She leans back against me, and I start at her neck, massaging and letting my hands drift over her skin, letting the bubbles flow down before softly cupping her breasts, and rubbing down her ribs.
Her sighs and mewls have me hard, but this is about her, loving her, and letting her know I am here.
She turns to face me, pressing her chest against mine. “I know what you’re doing.”
“What’s that?”
“Making it very hard for me to want to leave here.”
Smiling, I lean down and kiss her gently. “I’m glad it was that obvious."
She brushes her hands across my shoulders and down my chest, her fingers tickling my stomach.
My cock twitches between us as I watch the water cascading over her, dripping off her breasts.
She leans back just the slightest, her nipples rubbing against my skin, and looks up at me.
“I always pictured myself as a professional first. I wanted to be secure in my career and myself before I could focus on adding anything else to my life. I was burned once before, so once I left that situation, I doubled down.” Her fingers drift lower as she strokes my cock.
My mouth drops open, and my knees threaten to buckle.
“But here I am, holding tight to a football player of all things.”
I jerk as she tugs on me and let out a quick breath.
“You hold as tight as you want, baby. Just don’t ever let me go.
” The words are out before I can think, and before she can offer a rebuttal, I capture her kiss and immediately take her breath away.
She continues to stroke me as I push her against the cool tiled wall, and she lets out a hiss.
Cupping her face in my hands, our tongues fight for dominance before I work my way, kissing down her neck, and nibbling on her shoulder.
“Turn around, se chreiázomai,” I breathe out, completely lost in the moment. “I need you right now.”
She spins, her hands splayed on the tile, arching her back, and sticking out her ass as she looks back over her shoulder. “Hard, Nik. Don’t be easy, I want to feel alive.”
My heart is racing, and that familiar spark that crawls over my skin whenever I’m near her, and about to enter her, makes itself known.
I give her one good spank, and she lets out a yelp, before I grip her waist and slide inside of her.
We both let out a sigh of pleasure as our bodies become one.
My head drops to between her shoulder blades as I steady my breathing and slowly begin to work my hips.
“You’ve no idea what you do to me.” I slide my hands to her belly and up to grip her breasts.
Kissing her shoulder and around to bite her earlobe, I whisper, “There’s no one I want to fuck for the rest of my life but you.
” She whimpers as I pick up my pace with strong, steady strokes that bottom out with each thrust. “Tell me you want that.”
“Harder.”
I huff at her request but refuse to change my pace.
“Tell me you’ve never been touched like this.
” I roll her nipples before tugging on them.
Her cry bounces around the shower walls.
She raises her hands higher but keeps her palms on the tile, stretching her tight body and bracing herself against my thrusts.
I chuckle in her ear. “You want to fuck me? Is that what you're doing?” I brace my hands on the wall, caging her in, and stand still. “Go ahead, use me. Gamísou sto poulí mou. Fuck yourself on my cock.”
“Nik,” my name leaves her lips as she grinds and pulses on me. “It’s not enough.”
“Tell me what you need.”
“Touch me!” she cries, still undulating on me.
She's close to losing control. “I love you like this, you know that? You’re so needy for me. Do you need it here?” I watch as the water runs down her back and in between her ass cheeks.
I follow it with my finger, gently probing her back hole.
“Oh, yeah, that’s where you need me,” I growl, my voice low and steady.
“Your pussy just choked my cock when I touched you.” I press in again. “I had no idea you want–”
“Nik, shut up! Just give me more!”
I laugh out loud. “Keep fucking me, and I’ll give you more.
” Her head drops and her forehead presses against the tile as she works her hips.
I press my thumb into her slowly, just breaching the surface before snaking my other hand around to find her clit.
“Oh, fuck,” I let out a curse as her body sucks me in tight.
Her body starts to quiver and shake, and then a scream is pulled from her as her orgasm washes over her.
She doesn’t stop riding my cock, and I continue teasing her clit and ass until I can’t take it anymore and follow behind her.
I come so hard it almost hurts. My legs barely hold me up as I fall against her, trapping her between the wall and my body.
Our breaths tangle together, the water washing our ecstasy down the drain.
She shivers, and it’s only then that I realize the water is running cool. I gently slide out of her, missing her already, and turn off the water. “Come on, let me get you warmed up.”
“I’m afraid to move. I might fall over.”
She giggles, and I laugh with her. “I’ll never let you fall.” I hold her hands as she turns to step out, and I grab a towel from the shelf. Wrapping her first, then myself, as I guide us into my bedroom.
~~
We lay together in my bed, towels tossed to the floor, skin on skin, just the way I need her right now. The room is silent, and is lit with city lights and the moon shining in. I trail my fingers up and down her arm as she lies on my chest.
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay. Better now. Still kind of in a place of ‘I can't believe that happened’ and ‘oh my god, I can’t believe that happened.’” She lets out a small laugh and shrugs. “I can’t really explain it.”
“I know what you mean. I’m still playing parts back, wondering if it was reality.” I squeeze her bicep. “Sit up for a minute.” I lean over to the nightstand, open the drawer, and pull out a pack of sour rope candy. “Here, maybe this will help.”
She grins, taking the candy from my hand, the sheet falling from her as she sits next to me. “Are you becoming a sugar addict?” she asks as she opens the bag and pulls out a string, biting a piece of it off.
“I’m only addicted to you.” I lean over, giving her nipple a quick suck, letting it pop from my mouth, and she lets out a squeal. “You, naked in my bed, eating candy, is a sight I’ll never tire of.”
“Such a charmer.” She finishes her candy, placing the open bag on the table on her side and snuggles back down beside me.
My mind swirls with all sorts of things I want to say.
Even though I don’t want to take us back to earlier tonight, I need to tell her how I feel.
I take a breath and let it out, and she runs her hand over my stomach, like she’s giving me the go-ahead to talk and patiently letting me do it in my own time.
“I know the plan was for you to catch Rhett out there, but I had no idea it would have gone like this. I’m so sorry for how it happ—”
She cuts me off, rubbing small circles on my ribs with her finger. “Nik, no. I knew what the risks were. I’m not sorry it happened. I won’t say I wasn’t afraid, but I’m not sorry.”
She’s so much stronger than I give her credit for.
“I thought I’d lost you.” My throat burns, but I continue, “When I saw your tracker moving in the opposite direction of where I was,” I shake my head.
Then, when I saw your hands tied, your mouth covered like that…
Noelle, I swear something inside me fucking cracked.
Everything went cold. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think of anything but you.”
“You looked scared,” she says softly, like she’s afraid to admit it.
“I was. I was afraid because if something happened to you, I was going to burn that place down. No one was getting out alive, and that thought scared me. Because if there’s no you, there’s no me.”
She snuggles even closer, if that’s possible, and throws her leg over mine. I tilt her chin up to me. “I love you, Noelle. I don’t care how messed up this is, or how young I am. I love you.”
Her eyes get glassy, and she squeezes me tighter. “I love you, Nik. I know you did what you did out of love for your family. I don’t fault you for it. In fact, I think you’re pretty damn brave.”
“Sure that's not the Stockholm syndrome talking?”
She smacks my chest, and I cover her hand with mine. “I mean, it could be. Or it could be the trauma bonding from earlier.” She shrugs. “It’s a toss-up.”
I let out a laugh, and it feels good. I squeeze her, rolling her on top of me as I sit up a bit straighter against the headboard.
She straddles me, her long dark hair falling over her breasts, her hips begging for my attention, and her hot pussy bringing my dick to life.
“I’m serious,” I say as I palm her thighs, “I want you to look at me and know I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life. It’s you I want; it’s you I need.”
She leans in, kissing me gently before pulling back, running her hands over my chest. She watches me with a sweet smile and says, “I know you’re sure, and that’s what makes me absolutely sure, too. There’ll never be another man for me but you.”
“Se agapó glykia mou.”
“Say it in English.”
I smile, “I love you, my sweet.”
She bites her lip, and I see the tears fighting to fall. She laughs lightly, “your sweet, huh? Makes sense.” She sniffs, wiping that one lone tear that does sneak out. “And I love you.”
I push off the headboard, wrapping my arms around her back, holding her close and kissing her again, making sure she feels every bit of truth I’m saying.
She meets my intensity, and it makes my heart soar.
She reaches between us, guiding me inside of her, and we begin to rock slowly.
Our eyes hold as she moves above me, and this feels a hell of a lot more like making love than just sex.
And that’s how I know. Football is the last thing on my mind; the only thing is making sure this woman knows I'll love her to the end of time.