by Chelle Bliss
“No, but it was the first.”
I blink again, my mouth falling open. “Serve any time?”
“Not that time. My pop got me out with a few phone calls, but the next day, my ass was sitting in the headmaster’s office at the most conservative military boarding school in the state.”
“And that school would be?”
“Andrews Academy.”
“Graduate from there?”
“No.”
“Why?”
My eyes widen, and I can’t stop myself from staring at him in disbelief. He’d stirred up all this shit, but you wouldn’t know it from the way his mom talks to him and about him. She adores her son, never uttered a bad word about him to me in the brief amount of time we spent together. She gushed over him like any normal doting mother. Never said anything about his past indiscretions.
“I was making and selling fake IDs. One kid got caught, he ratted me out, and I was tossed out on my ass double time.”
“What year?”
“Senior.”
“Damn,” I reply. “Your parents had to be so pissed.”
“Dad was for a hot minute, but he got over it, and we moved on.”
“Still close with your parents?” Kimberly asks.
“Yes.”
“Arrested for the fake IDs?”
“No.”
“What other arrests?”
“B&E at twenty.”
I blink, full-on gawking at him. “What?”
He shrugs like it’s nothing. “I lost a bet. Had to follow through on that shit, but they set me up and sent the cops for shits and giggles.”
“Serve time for that?”
“Nope.”
“Dad?” she asks.
“Yeah,” he sighs. “Man pulled my ass out of more fires than I deserved.”
“You own part of the automotive repair shop?”
“It’s not a repair shop,” he corrects her.
“Are you part owner?”
“I own a third. My cousin and her husband own the other parts.”
“How did you pay for your share?” she asks, keeping up the rapid-fire questions at a breakneck pace.
“Trust fund from family inheritance. Every kid in my family gets a million bucks when they turn twenty-one.”
“What?” I gape.
“Old-school family money.” He shrugs, glancing my way. “I bought my house and the business with it, but I have a little left over in case I ever need it.”
“Any of that money gained through illegal means? I know you’re Ita—”
“Don’t say it. I don’t like people talking shit about my family because we’re Italian. None of that money was obtained through any illegal means. The money was made through the sale of a business our family owned back in Italy.”
“But everyone has that kind of money and still works?” I ask before Kimberly has a chance to ask another question.
“A million bucks doesn’t go a long way, babe. And anyway, no one in our family sits on our asses. I don’t care if they have ten mil in the bank, we’re not sitting around in our underwear, napping all day, and shitting away our lives. We all own businesses or at least have a career. A strong work ethic is instilled in us at an early age.”
I knew plenty of rich kids. Hell, I was one myself. Money gained through no work of our own, but many people didn’t bother to lift a finger or find any way to be a productive citizen besides shopping so much we could prop up the economy of some small countries with our annual spend.
“So, no mob ties?”
Nick grimaces. “I have a great uncle, my grandpa’s brother, in Chicago, who served federal time for some shit.”
“This is going to be interesting,” Kimberly mutters. “Anything else?”
“Nope.”
“Crazy ex-girlfriends?” she asks.
“No ex-girlfriends. I don’t date.”
I can’t stop the frown hanging from my lips.
No ex-girlfriends? No matter what someone says, I always assume they’re full of shit. Who makes it to their mid-twenties, never having a long-term relationship? No one I know, even if they only lasted a few months. But Nick is dead serious.
“Well, kids, this is going to be a bumpy ride. I hope you’re prepared for what’s already in motion,” Kimberly tells us. “Jo’s already been through shit like this, but, Nick, for you, this will all be new.”
“Whatever. It is what it is, Kim.”
“Kimberly,” she corrects him.
“Kimberly,” he mutters, shaking his head. “What can we do to make shit go away quicker?”
She sighs. “Let me come up with a plan of attack, and I’ll get back to you in the morning.”
“Works for me,” he says, pulling into his driveway. “What about you, babe? You got anything you want to say or add?” He says those words while staring at me, leaning against the door of his truck, looking so damn good, I want to sink my teeth into him.
“Um, not really.” I shrug, feeling the ache between my legs from the smoldering look he’s giving me.
“Shit,” Kimberly hisses. “Your mom is calling me.”
“Damn,” I mutter. “I’m turning off my phone. Handle her.”
“It’s why you pay me the big bucks, babe.” She throws that in, knowing how I felt about that word in the beginning, but not knowing how much it’s grown on me.
“Thanks, babe,” I toss back at her.
“Later.”
“Bye,” I say to her, tapping the screen before glancing back at Nick. “I’m so sorry. So, so, so, so sorry.”
The words are barely out of my mouth before he’s across the truck, pinning my back to the door, his lips on mine, kissing me hard and breathless.
16
Nick
We’re barely inside the door when Jo’s on me, legs wrapped around my body, lips covering my mouth. Her body fits mine perfectly, pressing against me in all the right places, leaving no space between us.
“I want you,” she begs against my mouth, digging her fingers into my hair and holding me to her. “I need you.”
I have my hands on her ass, pinning her back against the wall, wanting her as badly as she needs me. “I want you too,” I tell her, moving my mouth away from hers.
The skin on her neck is soft as I slide my lips down her body to the swells of her breasts peeking out from her tank top. Her hands never leave my hair as she grinds against me, riding my fully clothed cock. Using the wall for support, I use one hand to pull down the strap of her tank, exposing her black lace bra, which doesn’t leave much to the imagination.
I peer up at her, and her eyes are on me, pupils dilated, breath heavy and rushed. “Don’t stop,” she pleads, and I’ve never been one to disappoint.
When I release my hold, she slides down my body, and for a moment, a frown appears on her lips. As soon as I reach for the bottom of her tank top, her lips tip up and her hands immediately move to my T-shirt. We’re tearing at each other’s clothes, stripping away each piece of material one by one and tossing them to the floor.
I only spend a moment staring at her completely naked, but the sight is magnificent. Her pale skin is flawless underneath all that clothing. Her blond hair spills over her shoulders, stopping above her breasts. Her figure is classic hourglass, but not rail-thin like most celebrities.
Her eyes drink me in at the same time. Her appraisal of me is slower and more methodical, while mine is scattershot. First, she stares at my chest, something she’s seen before because of my aversion to wearing a shirt when I’m home, preferring to be in as little clothing as possible. Her look can only be described as greedy, but when her eyes drop farther, they widen.
“Holy fuck,” she croaks. “Is that a…”
“Yep.” I smirk, moving my dick so she can see the metal piercing.
“I’ve never…” She moves her hand to the skin below her neck as her fingernails slide back and forth over the top of her breasts.
“Don’t worry, baby
, it won’t hurt,” I promise her.
She licks her lips, gawking. “I’m not worried about that. I only wonder if it’ll feel—”
I cut her off, charging toward her, lifting her into my arms. “It’ll feel fucking fantastic,” I murmur against her skin, peppering her body with kisses.
She winds her legs around my body, pressing her pussy against my cock. She digs her fingers into my hair again, lifting my lips back to her mouth and away from her breasts. “Go slow with me,” she asks. “I want to savor this moment.”
“Babe, if I only last a moment, we have a problem.”
She laughs softly as I move us toward the bedroom, preferring to explore her body in a different position. Her mouth never leaves mine as we move through the house, her pussy rubbing against my dick in the most agonizing fashion with each passing step.
Once inside my bedroom, I lean over, pressing her into the mattress and placing myself on top. When I back away, her eyes are soft, her lips plump and red, and her chest is rising and falling at a rapid pace, almost panting.
Crawling down her body, I wrap my fingers around her ankle, yanking her ass to the end of the bed in one quick move. She squeals, shocked by the speed at which I moved and the ease with which her body followed. Before she can protest, using my hands, I spread her legs, pressing my lips to the soft skin of her lower thigh right above her knee.
She giggles at first, trying to close her legs, smashing my head a little, but it doesn’t stop me. Wrapping my hands around her legs, I hold them open, wanting to spend time worshiping her body, tasting every drop she has to give.
Her legs fall open the farther up my mouth moves. I peer up her body, keeping my eyes on her the entire time. When her hand moves to her breast, pulling at her pert nipple, fingering the tip and moaning, I almost lose all control.
I growl against her skin, trying to stay calm and ignore the ache between my legs. This is about her. Making her feel good, bringing her to the brink of orgasm, only to pull back and give her my cock instead.
My mouth slides up her legs, moving to her pussy, kissing her flesh whisper-soft until she squirms against my face. I go with her movements, covering her middle with my mouth, lavishing her body with my tongue.
She moans, tweaking her nipple harder, gripping the sheet with her other hand. Every time my tongue comes close to her clit, she twitches, gasping and seizing like she’s never had someone touch her in the way I am.
Her body’s sensitive and her clit even more so, needing the lightest of touches to elicit a major response. Moving slowly and softly, I circle her clit with my tongue, closing my mouth around the spot that makes her stop breathing.
“Nicky,” she says in the sultriest tone.
I lift up, my lips covered in her wetness and my spit, loving the fuck out of eating pussy, especially hers. “Yeah, baby?”
“I want your cock.”
Who am I not to give a woman what she wants? It’s not my place to judge or question, only to please. Climbing up her body, I reach over and open the nightstand, fishing out a condom. She watches me closely as I rip open the wrapper using my teeth, her fingers still at her nipple, tugging lightly.
“You’re driving me fucking wild with that,” I tell her, kneeling between her legs, sliding the condom down my rock-hard shaft.
“I need to come,” she pleads, her eyes pinned on my dick, but I ain’t mad about it either.
“Hard or soft?” I ask her.
“Hard and fast,” she tells me, placing her feet flat on the mattress, lifting her bottom off the bed. “Hard and soft.”
I suck in a breath, trying to keep my shit together long enough to make this worthwhile for both of us. I don’t remember the last time I was this worked up over any chick, but here I am, lusting after a woman I barely know, but somehow feel like I’ve known forever.
I lean forward, holding myself up on one arm, moving my other hand between her legs, finding her wet and not from my mouth. When I push a finger inside, her mouth falls open and her eyes flutter closed. Her wet warmth coats my fingers, milking them with each thrust inside her. My mouth finds her lips, swallowing her moans and pleas for more.
A second later, my hand is gone, and my cock is at her opening, pushing inside her at a slow and agonizing pace.
This isn’t love.
This is lust.
Pure and simple, unadulterated need.
She curls into me as soon as my cock is fully seated deep inside her. Her mouth at my ear, nibbling her way down my neck as her fingernails dig into my back. The mix of pleasure and pain drives me forward as I pull out, thrusting my cock back into her in one solid movement, without hesitation and faster than before.
Our tongues twist, tangling around each other as our bodies move together. Me thrusting, her pushing, fucking each other’s brains out like we’ve never had cock or pussy before.
It’s hot. Sexy. Carnal.
I don’t know how long we stay like this, but my thighs burn until the moment her body grows still and she chants my name like we are at a concert and I am the headliner.
“Fuck,” I moan, following her over the cliff, pumping into her a few final times as the pleasure takes over, stripping everything, including my breath, out of me.
Her body goes still and slack underneath me, her hands still on my back, but her nails no longer piercing my skin. “Jesus,” she murmurs, her eyes glazed over like she is drunk again. But this time, it is from my dick and not from a cheap-ass drink. “That was…”
“Fuckin’ amazing,” I say, suddenly finding the air again.
“Yeah…” She blushes underneath me, staring up at me like I rocked her world.
That wasn’t even a good performance. It was rushed, but I was horny and needed a release, and she didn’t seem like she was in the mood to take it slow either.
I lean forward, kissing her lips, gentle this time, almost thanking her for the gift she’s given me. “Be back,” I tell her, climbing off the bed with unsteady legs, stalking toward the bathroom.
I peer over my shoulder, finding her eyeing my ass, watching my every movement. She smiles when I catch her staring, and I know I have her. She’s not done with me, not ready to run away again, not ready to head back to Hollywood until she’s at least had her fill of me.
I pause, my hand about to grab the filled condom, thinking about the fact that my life is here and hers is there.
What the fuck is wrong with me?
I don’t even know what the hell I’m thinking about anymore. Was Mammoth right? Is there more between us than just friends who clearly have benefits? I’ve never run after a woman before, but I chased her down, using every avenue available to me to find her.
After I throw the condom away, I place my hands on the edge of the sink and stare at myself in the mirror.
Do I have feelings for Jo?
I can’t deny the pull.
Is it love?
Besides my family, I’d never loved another human being before. Not in the way a woman should be loved. But things with Jo are different.
I have a need to protect her, loving to see the easy smile on her face instead of the look of dread or sadness I saw the first time I laid eyes on her.
“Nicky,” she calls out after a few minutes. “You okay? Did I do something wrong?”
I close my eyes, hating that she questions herself, always placing blame in her lap, even when she’s done nothing wrong.
Her mother has done a number on her. “Coming, babe. Washing up,” I yell back, knowing I can’t stay in here all night.
Our relationship is what it is. If she wants to be with me, wants to explore whatever this is, I’ll go with it, letting her into my world like I’ve never done with anyone else.
But can you love someone after only a few days? Possibly.
I’ve never introduced a girl to my mother or my entire family, but I’ve already done one of those with Jo, and tomorrow she’s about to meet the entire gang.
If this isn’
t love or at least heading in that direction, I’m not sure I’ve ever felt the same immediate pull toward another human.
Do I only feel this way because she seems wounded and in need of rescue? I probably wouldn’t have given her the time of day otherwise. But it isn’t where my feelings for her come from.
“Come back to bed,” she begs from the other room. “Or do you want me to go to the couch?”
I take a deep breath, knowing I need to make her feel comfortable and know she’s no longer a guest in my home. I want her here. I want her in my bed. I want to roll over in the morning and smell her perfume on the pillows and catch a whiff of her on my clothes all day when the wind blows in the right direction.
A moment later, I’m back in the bedroom, taking the empty spot next to her, sliding my arm under her back, and forcing her body to curl into mine. “I want you right here.”
She peers up at me, her pale skin against my olive. “Are you sure? I mean, I could—”
“No, babe. You’re right where you belong.”
Her smile is easy and quick. “I feel at home here.” She places her hand over my heart, resting her palm between my pecs. “For the first time in my life, I feel like I belong somewhere I never thought I’d be.”
My heart stutters underneath her touch and because of her words. It’s never felt so right having someone in my arms.
Not until now.
Not until her.
“I like you right where you are, babe. Made to be there.”
She lifts her head, staring up at my eyes with her deep blues. “Made to be here?”
“Made to be here,” I repeat.
“I’m worried,” she admits with a small frown. “I’m worried this is all some amazing dream, and everything’s about to come crashing down, including whatever this is we have growing.”
I brush my fingers against her back, stroking her soft, porcelain skin. “Babe, you enjoy the ride, feel the safety, and let me worry about stopping anything from ruining what we’re building.”
My words must do the trick because her frown vanishes, and her face softens again. “I can do that,” she says, lying back down next to me, curling into me, her head on my shoulder, hand on my heart.