He braced himself and reached for his control—something that had deserted him the moment she’d offered him tequila. It was foolish to pretend that he’d had any choice tonight. Lust and need had driven him to this point, and he finally acknowledged it as he felt her finger sweep over the head of his cock. His hips jerked forward as a drop of moisture came out.
She touched it with her finger and brought it to her lips, and he groaned. He’d come all over her thighs if he didn’t get inside her soon. He jerked the box of condoms toward him, the packets spilling out on the countertop and floor as he fumbled for one.
She took the packet from him, ripped it open, then handed it to him. And in the process, she proved who was really in control.
…
He sheathed his cock, then put his hands on her thighs. She could tell he was trying to take his time, but it felt like she’d hadn’t had sex in eons, and she was ready to come. She wanted to just feel straight-up pleasure—straight-up, explosive, mind-blowing pleasure.
She crossed her feet together behind his lean hips and tightened her legs, bringing him closer to her. He put his hands on the counter near her hips and pulled her forward until the shaft of his cock rubbed over her cleft.
She ran her hands up and down his chest as he came closer. She wanted him completely at her mercy. There were so many things she was unsure of right now, but having Nicholas between her legs in her kitchen, his hard muscles rippling as he lifted her closer to him, was definitely not one of them.
She flexed her nails into the pad of his pecs to see if he liked it, and he moaned, his head falling back. She leaned up and bit the spot she’d just nicked with her nail, then licked his nipple. He pulled back, looking down at her, his hand on the back of her head.
“Do you like that?” she asked.
“I’m not sure,” he replied.
“I can stop,” she said, drawing her fingernail around his other nipple, and his spine undulated, pushing his cock against her.
“Don’t,” he said, the word coming out of him on a long exhalation.
She flicked her tongue over his nipple again, then drew her finger down his stomach to ease it around his belly button. But Nicholas’s hands were busy, too, and she soon found herself distracted from her exploration of him.
She felt his big fingers on her back, spread wide so that he could caress all of it, and he took her waist in one hand and then pushed her back to arch away from him. He caressed her back and spine before cupping her ass and drawing her forward. As he leaned toward her, her eyes drifted closed when he ran his finger around her intimate flesh.
Her clit was swollen and begged for his attention. She felt him part her and then the brush of his finger over her sensitive folds. He touched her lightly, tapping his finger gently on her, and she reached for his head, pushing him toward her, wanting his mouth where his fingers were.
“Nicholas…” His name was drawn from her as he first licked the sensitive bud and then took it into his mouth, sucking on it until she couldn’t think of anything but this moment. She couldn’t get enough of him. Tunneling her hands through his thick hair, she held him to her as her hips lifted up into each movement of his mouth. He reached up with his free hand and squeezed tightly on her nipple. She screamed as her orgasm was rippled through her. She couldn’t stop her hips from thrusting up toward him even as he lifted his mouth.
She was beyond waiting even another second for him, and she reached for his cock, stroked it, and then directed him toward her sex. He pulled her forward on the counter, then entered her slowly, inch by inch, taking his time. But she wanted more and planted her heels against the small of his back, drawing him toward her. When he was finally fully seated inside of her, she sighed.
“Got what you wanted?”
She shook her head. “Getting what I want.”
He laughed. She could tell she’d surprised him, but she’d surprised herself, too. Sex wasn’t normally this much fun. She leaned up, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. He took that as a sign to start thrusting into her, lifting her higher so that she was in the right position for his cock as he drove into her again and again. He lowered his head, and she felt his mouth on her breast, sucking her nipple between his lips as he moved between her legs. She felt her orgasm coming again and threw her head back, calling his name as it spread through her. He continued pounding into her and came a moment later with a primal grunt.
He carried her to the chair he’d been sitting in earlier and sat down, holding her on his lap. She felt his ragged breathing down her back as she rested her head against his shoulder. He held her softly and dropped the gentlest kiss on her temple, and she held him back.
This was perfect. But she knew it couldn’t last. It never did. She was meant to live alone. Besides, there could never be anything long-term between her and Nicholas. Her life and her past were too complicated to even contemplate anything other than a hookup like this. Well, they weren’t usually like this, but she was definitely not complaining.
“Hold on to me,” he said before standing up. “Where’s your bedroom?”
“Down the hall, second door on the right,” she said.
He cupped his hands on her butt and carried her down the darkened hallway to her bedroom. The sheets were still a mess from the nightmare that had driven her from bed, and he set her on her feet next to it. “Let me clean up, and then… Did you want me to leave?”
No. Hell’s bells, of course she didn’t want him to leave. He’d just rocked her world and then some. And the bed was right there, reminding her of her nightmare. “Do you want to?”
This was what she hated about intimacy. She didn’t want to be the one to be vulnerable first. She didn’t want to tell him to stay if he wanted to leave.
“I don’t,” he said.
“Good. I’d like you to stay.”
“Hop into bed, then, and I’ll be right back,” he said, disappearing into the bathroom. He came back a few minutes later, getting into bed and holding her through the night. She tried not to fall asleep, but she was so comfortable in his arms she couldn’t resist drifting off.
She slept until her alarm went off at seven and woke up to an empty house. She might have thought she had dreamed the entire encounter, except for the faint soreness between her thighs and the dirty shot glasses in the sink.
She knew that neither of them had intended for last night to happen. She was cool with that.
Really, she was.
Chapter Six
Zelda hadn’t spoken to Nicholas since he’d left her home in the wee hours of the morning that day, but the Houdini water chest was in her shop, and she’d promised him a chance to look at it. And though she felt more awkward than a turtle that had been flipped on its back, she was a woman of her word.
If only she could see him and not think of last night…
No!
She wasn’t going to dwell on it. She’d done her best to shove it to the back of her mind and move forward, but it was harder than she wanted to admit. She’d thought that maybe being with Nicholas would be a way for her to make peace with her own past, but so far, he’d done nothing but stir up emotions—long-buried old ones as well as new ones.
She reached for her phone and clicked on his name. The text message had been written for about four hours. As soon as the shipment had arrived, she’d known she’d have to contact him. Instead, she had spent long hours being more meticulous than usual in processing and logging each item in the lot.
She stood in front of the water chest, her hand lightly touching it. So many tricks had spun from this one Houdini dazzler. Her own family had famously used it as the basis for their spectacular show-ending, and ultimately career-ending, stunt.
She swallowed hard and then hit send on the text message. She had made peace with her past—or as much peace as she could. It had to be Nicholas dredging these memo
ries up. The sooner he came and checked out the chest, the better.
If it wasn’t his and he didn’t want to buy it, she was going to offload it on the first customer who was interested in it. She should never have brought this into her life. At the time, she’d thought that it might help her move on. That enough time had passed for her to be able to do more than dabble in magic.
She had thought…
What? That she was stronger now? That, finally, she was ready to face everything? The nightmare the other night had shot that theory to hell.
She jumped when the doorbell rang and then turned to see Molly walking toward her. Her friend had a large tote bag on her shoulder and was trying to manage two to-go coffee cups and a bag from Lou’s Bakery.
Zelda ran over to grab one of the cups from Molly.
“Nicholas Pine turned out not to be the d-bag we thought he was,” Molly said by way of greeting.
She could feel herself blushing, which was ridiculous because she knew she had nothing to be embarrassed about. Their night together had been just about perfect…although she’d never drink tequila again without remembering Nicholas naked.
“You’re blushing… Okay, what happened? I want deets.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know where to start.”
“Just get to the hot, juicy part,” Molly said. “But the beginning would probably be a better place. You can’t just be like ‘then I licked his left pec’ to start a story.”
She choked on the sip of coffee she’d been taking. “I didn’t lick him, but I wish I had.”
Molly lifted her coffee cup in a toast. “This is definitely a story I want to hear.”
Molly put the bakery bag down on the counter, and they both leaned against it, Zelda facing the door so she’d see if anyone came into her shop. Molly knew all about her life now. But no one knew about her past. And she didn’t want to discuss that today. So she decided to skip the details of the nightmare.
“I was having trouble sleeping and had gone to the kitchen to get something to drink just as he stopped by to drop something off for Stetson.”
“What was it?”
“A magic set. It’s expensive… I looked it up on Amazon this morning.”
She wasn’t surprised. Nicholas wasn’t one to make small gestures. He was too much of a showman for that.
“That’s nice.”
“It is. So he saw your light on and what…?”
“He rang the doorbell. I wasn’t going to answer, but when I saw it was him…”
“And then you licked him?”
“Moll, I told you there was no— Well I didn’t lick him,” Zelda said.
“I could tell there was licking. You are turning seven shades of pink,” she said.
“That’s because I’m a redhead. Anyway, we talked and drank some tequila, and then one thing led to another, and before you know it, he had his shirt off. And…then stuff happened.”
“Stuff happened? It’s the best part of the story and that’s how you sum it up?!” Molly said with a wink. “So when are you seeing him again?”
“I don’t know,” Zelda admitted. “He was gone when I woke up, and he hasn’t called me, so I’m trying to play it cool. But of course the Houdini water chest came in today, so I texted him. But I don’t know if we’ll see each other again after that.”
Molly nodded. “Why are you trying to play it cool? You’re not usually one to play games.”
“Nothing about Nicholas is normal. I mean, I don’t want to—” She really liked Nicholas, but she hated that he was a magician and that he used the water chest for his illusions. And as much as she thought she’d figured out a way to live with her past, he made her realize she hadn’t. It was sobering. And scary.
What if she never was able to live with the past?
“I’m confused,” Molly said. “Is there more to Nicholas than a superhot rich guy who’s nice to my son? Is he a d-bag?”
“No, it’s not that. He’s a magician. He’s used to fooling everyone, to putting on a big show, and then, using smoke and mirrors, he disappears. I don’t want to fool myself that our night together is anything more than that.”
Molly broke a bear claw in half and took a bite, chewing thoughtfully. “He doesn’t strike me as that kind of person.”
Molly hadn’t been around big illusionists; she didn’t know that they lived and breathed for the show. She did. And unless she wanted to start talking about her past and the tragedy that had driven her to Vegas, she needed to change the subject.
“Is Stetson going to come by after school?” she asked.
“Yes. And I see what you did there, but because I love you, I’m going to allow you to change the subject. Just know I’m here when you are ready to talk.”
Zelda came around the counter and hugged Molly. “I love you, too.”
They both had their secrets. And they respected each other enough to leave those secrets alone.
…
“If you don’t start showing up for rehearsals, I’m out of here,” Leo said when Nicholas walked in late the next morning. He’d had too many shots last night, and his thirty-something body was taking longer to recover than his twenty-eight-year-old self had.
“Sorry, Leo. I’m determined to make today a full rehearsal day,” he said. “No excuses. Losing the chest and finding Zelda is throwing me off my game.”
“I can tell,” he said. “You do better when you keep it more casual.”
“I know, brother, but sometimes fate has other ideas,” Nicholas said as he shed his jacket and undid his cuffs.
“Fate or your dick?” Leo asked. “I’m not criticizing. Just pointing out that we have a big opening at the end of the month, and you’ve been away from the arena more than you’ve been in.”
“I hear you,” Nicholas said as his phone vibrated in his pocket. He’d driven around Vegas after he left Zelda with no destination in mind, just trying to outrun the memory of Jade and the feelings that being with Zelda had stirred in him.
Leo looked like he was seconds away from walking out if Nicholas looked at his phone, so he ignored the text and finished changing behind the screen. He heard the sharp click of high heels entering the backstage area.
“Is he still not here?” Keely asked. “I had no idea losing a prop was going to screw him up so badly.”
“He’s here,” Leo said. “We all have talismans, Kee, even you with that pearl ring you take on and off. So cut him some slack.”
Leo’s voice was a low rumble, and Nicholas smiled despite himself. He wasn’t surprised the older man had his back, even after giving him grief for coming in late. Leo was loyal and had been a bit of a father figure for him as he’d started out, Nicholas valued his friendship. But as Leo said, when a man lost everything, it was easy to see who his friends were.
“Sorry, Keely. I had a late night and had a hard time getting down here this morning. I’m ready to rehearse—I want to make sure we get this right. My name might be on the marquee, but we all know it’s everyone’s reputation on the line here. Our team is the best; it’s time we showed the world.”
“Agreed,” Trixie said, coming in.
“Trix, can you deal with this call?” he asked, tossing her his phone. “If I wait another second, Keely is going to make my chains too tight to get out of.”
“I might,” Keely said with a wink as they both moved toward the center of the stage.
He heard his team moving around behind him and stood there looking out at the eighteen-hundred-seat arena. It always seemed weird with no one in it. The sounds echoed without the audience to absorb them. And the place felt lifeless, as if it was waiting for something.
He heard Keely curse and glanced over to see Dare walking into their rehearsal space.
“Is it me?” he asked, shooting her a mock salute.
; Keely just threw her hands up and walked over to Leo.
“What’s up, Dare?” Nicholas asked. The way this day was going, he should just tell the team to take the day and start fresh tomorrow. He glanced over to give the order, then noticed Leo already had his leather jacket on. Keely was beside him as they walked toward the door. Trixie tossed him his phone and followed the other two out of the room.
“We have a situation with the Golden Palms,” Dare said.
“What kind of a situation?”
“They hired Jade Simmons to do a show, and we’re just now hearing that they are going to launch their act the same week as Phantasm,” Dare said. “Is there anything we need to worry about from her?”
“I don’t think so. She isn’t anywhere near the illusionist I am, and any show she does won’t come close to ours,” Nicholas said. “And that’s not ego talking. Jade just goes for a quick thrill instead of investing in developing tricks. Why?”
“There was something about the way Marcos at the Golden Palm talked about it that makes me wonder if they have something up their sleeve,” Dare said.
“What?”
“I don’t know, do I? I’m not the right person for this. But Casey is getting ready for the poker tournament, and this is sort of your area of expertise. Should we send someone over to scope out the show?” Dare asked.
“It’s not a bad idea. I’m going to need the team. Let me text them,” he said. He looked at his phone and realized the text he’d missed had been from Zelda. The water chest was at her shop. He skimmed the message, afraid it contained something that he wouldn’t want Trixie to have read, but it was all business.
As if he didn’t know what her face looked like when he was buried deep inside her, wrapped in her arms. What did that mean? Whatever it was, it was clear to him last night that she wasn’t looking for forever. Hell, neither was he. But he would have expected—
“Dude, why are you staring at your phone? Text your team already,” Dare said.
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