Well, it wasn’t good, but it wasn’t exactly bad, either.
Right now, we were in a state of in-between, waiting for the final verdict with a lot on the line. Although, Gwen had far more to lose than I did, what with her livelihood up in the air and the possibility of being booted out of the only home she’d ever known.
Bill would offer her a job since it would be expected of him, but I highly doubted she’d say yes given how he treated her – and the unexpected exchange he was offering. The thought made me sick to my stomach, recoiling in horror at the thought of the older man putting a hand on her.
At least, Sam was gone, I thought.
One less creep to worry about as far as I was concerned, and she didn’t look torn about it, which meant she’d finally come to terms with the finality of their relationship, once and for all.
“I’m going to make us some tea,” I suggested, removing my arm. Gwen turned her head to the side and gave me a surprised look, one eyebrow climbing up to her hairline.
“You know how to make tea?” she asked, in a light and teasing tone.
“Yeah, just dump a tea bag in a cup and pour the water. It shouldn’t be that hard,” I decided, pushing myself up to my feet.
Gwen chuckled. “Basically, yes, but don’t get any of the water on yourself, okay?”
“I won’t,” I replied, with confidence.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to make it?” she asked, doubt coloring her tone. I bent down and traced the small worry line on her forehead with the tip of my thumb, noticing the color spread across her cheeks.
“I’ve got you, don’t worry.”
Chapter 6
GWEN.
My hands were still shaking slightly, and I was glad that Nick was busying himself in the kitchen. He’d been nothing but sweet and kind, a stark contrast to the person I was used to that I hardly knew what to make of it.
All I knew was that I’d never been more glad to see anyone in my entire life. My knees had nearly given way under duress, buckling when he pulled Sam away and placed himself squarely between us, protecting me from danger.
Usually, I’d be mad at him for pulling a stunt like that, a move clearly meant to indicate his status as an alpha, but at that moment, I honestly didn’t care. I wanted Sam gone, and if that was the way to do so, then so be it.
Oh, Sam.
I didn’t know what had happened to him in Colorado, but he was definitely not the same man I said goodbye to a year and a half ago. I had no idea what turned him into this person I didn’t recognize.
Frankly, I was not even sure I wanted to know because it no longer mattered.
Sam wasn’t the man I wanted, and I was tired of fighting whatever was brewing between Nick and I. Sitting on the couch in the living room, listening to him struggle to make tea in the kitchen, was all the proof I needed.
My feelings for Nick were a lot deeper than I wanted to admit, and they weren’t going away anytime soon. Being around him made me feel safe and powerful all in the same breath, a heady potent I was unfamiliar with.
Right now, with so much uncertainty surrounding the ranch and my future there, he was my anchor, the lighthouse in the middle of the sea, a bright beacon guiding me home.
To him.
Startled with the clarity of my thoughts, I shifted on the couch and placed my head atop the pillows, watching Nick scurry around, muttering under his breath every so often, treating the task like it was astrophysics as opposed to the menial task it was.
My lips twitched in amusement as I continued to watch him, the low stirring in my stomach increasing and washing over me. He pushed himself up to his toes, reached for the jar of sugar and spun around, his gaze colliding with mine.
“How many spoons of sugar?”
I swallowed past the sudden dryness in my throat. “One and a half.”
He nodded, making no mention of the fact that I was staring at him. “So, you have a sweet tooth, huh?”
I turned my head away and clasped my fingers in front of me. “Yeah, I do.”
A minute later, he returned with two piping hot mugs of tea and set them down atop the coasters, taking a seat opposite me. Expectantly, he opened his arms, and against my better judgment, I crawled towards him, pressing my head against his chest.
“Me, too,” he admitted. “My dentist hates me for it.”
I giggled, letting the laughter trail off before I grimaced. “You don’t have to do this you know.”
“This?” Nick asked, reaching for his mug of tea. He blew on the top, scrunched up his face then took a sip, eyes widening. “That is way too hot. I think I’ll wait for a bit.”
“Pretend that you care,” I added. “I doubt Sam will come back.”
“Who said anything about pretending? Gwen, look at me,” Nick urged, his tone full of wistful hope and a plea, one I recognized as being mirrored in my own. Without giving myself permission to, I lifted my head up and my hands came up around his neck, threading themselves through his hair.
“I am not pretending right now,” he insisted, dark eyes intense, catching the pale light coming in through the kitchen. “I know that there’s a lot of things that are fake, but this right now?” He made a sweeping gesture to encompass the two of us. “This isn’t fake. Not to me, at least.”
I nodded. “It’s not fake to me, either.”
Nick made a low noise in the back of his throat, as if he needed to hear those words before his lips descended upon mine, coaxing an admission out of me, the truth falling from my mouth into his.
Absolute.
I swung my legs over his lap, straddling him as his tongue darted out to lick my bottom lip, tracing a pattern before I parted my mouth with a sigh and allowed him in, a soft whimper escaping in the process.
“I’ve missed you,” he murmured, punctuating the statement with kisses, his body shuddering. “So damn much.”
“I’ve missed you too,” I admitted, grabbing a fistful of his shirt to keep me steady. My heart was beating wildly against my chest, longing to be set free, and chills raced up and down my spine, filling me with molten desire.
Unable to bear it any longer, I tilted his head up and pressed my lips to his firmly, my hand snaking under the fabric of his shirt to press against his abdominal muscles. He seemed surprised at first, but then relaxed after a few seconds, his tongue briefly touching mine.
Euphoric.
Wave after wave of desire crashed over me, filling me with the need to be as close to him as possible. The clothes on our back felt like nothing more than a hindrance, an obstacle in the face of our eventuality.
Sensing my train of thought, Nick’s arms fell down from my shoulders to my waist, toying with the fabric there before his hands skirted across bare skin, a trail of heat springing up in their wake.
I moaned into his mouth, all animal desire and need as I tugged on his shirt impatiently, trying to remove it. He smiled into the kiss and drew back, lifting his shirt up over his head before tossing it to the floor.
In the next instant, he hoisted me up by my ass. I wrapped my legs around his waist, my arms coming up around his firm shoulders, our mouths still exploring as he moved. The stairs creaked under our weight, a quiet whisper as Nick ascended the stairs, pausing at the top.
I tugged him in the direction of my room, and he moved there, taking long purposeful strides till he stopped at the door. I reached over, pushing it open. He kicked it shut with the back of his leg, gently depositing me on the bed.
Breathlessly, I reached for him, tugging on his jeans till they fell in a pool around his ankles, and he kicked them away, leaving him in nothing but his socks and boxers. The curtains were left open, pale moonlight washing in, illuminating his hard features and bathing him in silver light.
My eyes fell down to his socks, and a chuckle escaped my lips, hands flying to my mouth. “Are those Star Wars socks?”
Surprised, Nick glanced down, and he cleared his throat, the tips of his ears turning red. “
I had no other clean socks.”
I smothered back the laughter and reached for him, pulling him on top of me. “I don’t care. That’s incredibly sexy.”
He glanced down at me, one half of his mouth curving into a half-smile. “Yeah?”
I bobbed my head up and down. “Absolutely. Use the force on me, baby.”
He threw his head back and choked out a laugh before he ducked his head and sought out my mouth, his body taut and pressed against mine, the heat passing through my clothes.
He drew back and raised an eyebrow. “You’re overdressed. Want me to help you with that?”
I looked down and slipped my shirt over my head, tossing it to the side where it landed in a flutter. Nick shook his head and held both my hands in one of his, while he used the other to peel back my jeans, taking his sweet time, the sudden exposure causing a flurry of goosebumps to break out.
“You’re beautiful,” he whispered, undoing the hook on my bra and allowing my breasts to spill forward. He used his mouth to pepper light kisses everywhere, from the tips of my ears all the way down to the waistline of my underwear, hovering there for too long before he moved back up, reaching for my nipples.
I arched my back and panted heavily, hips bucking involuntarily, eager for some friction. He kicked my legs apart and settled there, his erection pressing through the boxers, threatening to tear them apart.
My hand fell down between us, cupping him hard. He growled in the back of his throat before he switched his attention to the other breast, lavishing it with the same kind of affection.
Before long, his hand slid down and tugged on my underwear. I lifted my legs up and pushed them off the rest of the way before I lay back down, completely exposed to him.
His eyes roamed over my body, using the pad of his thumb to trace invisible lines before he pulled down his boxers, the last article of clothing and eased himself into me.
My body stilled, nails digging into his back as he eased himself out then thrust back in, languid and practiced, eliciting small little moans of delight from me. I felt lightheaded, as if I was floating on clouds, all the blood rushing to my nether regions.
Eventually, he picked up the pace. I dug my teeth into his shoulder, swallowing back the moan that threatened to erupt. His arms came up on either side, trapping me in the middle as he circled his hips.
Suddenly, black spots exploded behind my eyelids, and my body writhed. Little tingles of pleasure broke out as I rode out my high, arching my back in the process. When I came to, Nick pressed his lips to mine before he flipped me over, so my face was pressed into the pillow.
He reached for my hands, pulling them behind my back in a vice-like grip, increasing his pace. I gulped, sweat breaking out across my back and sliding down in rivulets, aching to touch him.
His legs were on either side of me, keeping me pinned down as he thrust long-practiced strokes. He released my hands, one of them clutched the sheet at my side and the other rested on his thigh, stroking the hard muscle there.
Nick’s sounds filled my ears, echoing back to me; the smell of him was intoxicating, filling every crevice of the room. Both of my hands grasped the sheets on my side, and he dropped his head down, grazing my knuckles with his teeth. Slowly, his tongue darted out, licking a path down my spine and making the hair on the back of my neck rise till he stopped at my butt cheeks, nipping them playfully.
Another orgasm followed, but this time, it was drawn out, my body spasming for a good minute before I collapsed, heaving as my lungs burned, aching for air. Nick thrust once more, spilling himself into me before he climbed off and fell onto the bed, body slick with sweat.
We wordlessly reached for each other at the same time, my body tucked against his side, his arm wrapped around my shoulder. He dropped a kiss to my side, ripples of warmth sliding through me.
“What have you done to me?” Nick wondered, his voice low and husky.
“The same thing that you’ve done to me, I guess,” I mumbled, twirling the smattering of chest hair around my fingers before I pressed a soft open-mouthed kiss there, delighted when he turned, curling his body around mine.
I turned to the side, his arms wrapped around me from behind, head resting in the crook of his shoulder, and one leg thrown over mine. He placed soft kisses to the base of my neck.
“Can I sleep here tonight?”
My heart leaped inside my chest, and my voice was slightly breathless as I replied, “Yes.”
Chapter 7
GWEN.
I groaned and flipped on my side, white light dancing behind my eyelids. My throat felt dry, so I smacked my lips together and pressed my fingers to my temples, an attempt to ward off the headache threatening to break out behind my skull.
Something felt different.
My entire body was sore, as if I’d been exercising in my sleep, pushing it to the limit, and my muscles ached, screaming in protest. Yet, it was different – a pleasant kind of pain I couldn’t quite identify.
I brought my hands up to my mouth and coughed, the sound hoarse and more than a little wheezy. Reluctantly, I pried one eye open and flinched, the yellow-white light hitting me directly in the face.
I slowly brought my hands up to my eyes to shield them, staring at the window offensively, the sunlight bathing my room in soft hues of light.
A soft yawn escaped my lips as I threw the cover off, marched to the window and yanked the curtains shut, giving it a small pat on the way back. Usually, I remembered to close them, so I was mad at myself for forgetting.
I cast a quick glance over at the clock and realized that I still had about two more hours of sleep before I had to get up for the day. A lazy smile spread out across my features as I snuggled back under the covers, my eyes fluttering shut.
Nick.
Suddenly, my eyes flew open, and I frowned, reaching for his side of the bed, a ghost of an imprint left behind, as was the smell of him, a minty cologne that made my stomach dip.
He should’ve been in bed next to me, and I tried to stifle the wave of disappointment that washed over me at his disappearance. I felt stupid for thinking it was going to be different this time – that somehow Nick had finally decided to stop being a dick and admit to his feelings for me, so we could brush off the cobwebs of deceit and step into the light.
No such luck, I thought.
At the first sign of anything serious, Nick bolted; I wanted to smack myself over the head repeatedly for allowing myself to fall for it. Again. After all this time, I truly should’ve known better.
I flipped onto my back and brought my arms up behind my back, staring at the cracks in the light blue ceiling, while the rest of the world slept outside. Soft noise filtered in underneath my bedroom door before someone pushed it open, the soft creaking making me sit up and clutch the sheets up to my neck.
Nick stepped in with two glasses of water, his brows furrowed together in concentration. With the edge of his foot, he nudged the door closed and sighed, tiptoeing to the bed.
He smiled when his eyes met mine. “Sorry. Did I wake you?”
I shook my head. “No, it was the sun.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, I forgot how bright it could be out here.”
I scooched over, allowing Nick room. He went around to my side to place the glass of water before he did the same on his, the bed dipping underneath his weight as he reached for me.
“I was thirsty,” he explained. “And, everyone else is still asleep. I’m surprised. I thought I was going to have to go all stealthy ninja to avoid disrupting anyone.”
I giggled and ran my fingers through his hair, finger combing the soft curls. “No, it’s a weekend, so we like to get up a little later.”
“By later, you mean?”
“Around eight or nine I guess,” I replied, pressing my body closer to his, enjoying the warmth radiating off of him, like some kind of heater. He responded by throwing one strong leg over me, encasing me.
“That’s not late,” he protested, amuse
ment creeping into his tone. “Now, ten or eleven, that’s late.”
“That’s practically noon,” I pointed out. “Why would anyone wake up at that hour? Half the day will already be gone.”
“Not if you’re in the city,” he reminded me. “You can stay up there until the early hours of the dawn, and there are still things to do.”
I used the pad of my thumb to trace the stubble on his jaw, down his neck and back up to his lips, pausing there before I drew away, a flush rising up my neck. Nick’s hands moved up and down my back, massaging the muscles there as I made soft purring noises under my breath.
“Do you like living there?” I asked. “Is it better than living on a ranch?”
Nick ran his hands over his face, considering my question. “I’m not sure I’d say it’s better. There are benefits to living in a city, but there are benefits to living here, too. It really depends on the person.”
“Do you like it?” I repeated.
He exhaled. “Yeah, I do. I mean, it’s why I moved out there. I used to love living here, but I felt like I wanted more, you know.”
He shifted, and I removed my hands, so we were lying on our sides, facing each other, our noses touching slightly. He brushed my hair out of my face and kissed the tip of my nose.
“I guess I get that,” I acknowledged. “I wanted more at a certain point, too. I was even thinking of opening up my own ranch.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Really? So what happened?”
“Sam left,” I replied. “And after that, I didn’t want to anymore.”
Nick frowned. “I’m sorry. You can still open your own ranch if you want to. I’m sure you can manage on your own.”
I smiled. “Maybe, but it’s not something I think about anymore. I can’t imagine leaving the Parker ranch. It’s home.”
“Don’t you want to explore other places?”
“Like?”
“Like the city,” he suggested. “I think you’d love it there.”
I moved my shoulders up then let them fall back down. “Maybe, but I don’t think so. Besides, why would I go anywhere else?”
Secret Series: A Stealthy Billionaire Romance Box Set Page 9