A Winter's Promise (A Winter's Tale Series Book 2)
Page 9
Blithe lifted her fingers to his chin turning his face so that he was staring down at her, her thumb grazing lightly over his lips. “I want you,” she coaxed, her crystal blue eyes burning with mischief.
Nicholas stared down at her, silent. Taking another taste of the clear poison he threw the bottle over the balcony, his eyes never leaving hers. Grabbing Blithe by her arm he pulled her to him, positioning her smaller body between his hard chest and the banister. “Turn around,” he ordered, lifting her dress to rest above her hips. Pulling her panties aside Nicholas unbuckled his belt easily undoing his pants with learned proficiency. Ignoring all inhibition, he grabbed hold of her waist steadying her shaking body as he pushed past her soft folds, his sex slamming into hers one powerful thrust after another until she was shattering around him, her loud moans carried away in the wind. Nicholas ignored her cries of satisfaction, his mind too far gone, his large hands digging into her flesh as he buried himself deeper into his grief, deeper into her. Minutes passed, but time stood still while Nicholas awaited his climax, only then did he pull out of her releasing the remnants of his anger on the base of her back. Backing away from Blithe he zipped his pants, his eyes on hers as he adjusted his belt. “Satisfied?” he asked, turning away from her and heading back inside the house.
“Yes,” she whispered after him, but her answer fell on deaf ears.
***
“Nicholas!” Charlotte squealed running over to him. “I was looking for you! The countdown has started,” she beamed, her bright smile reaching her eyes. Pulling him over to her family she placed her arms on either of his shoulders her browns holding his greys captive as everyone cheerfully counted down. Nicholas’ glassy eyes bore into hers, his mouth a straight line when she shouted, “Happy New Year.” Laughter and chatter filled the room overpowering the light music streaming through the unseen speakers in the background. “I love you, Nicholas,” Charlotte said against his lips, happy to be in his arms.
Chapter Twenty
Nicholas woke to an empty room. Glancing out the window he closed his eyes to the brightness of the sun, his heart in his chest. Climbing out of bed he made his way down the stairs and out the front door numbly walking across the bridge that connected the beach to his parents’ home. Sitting on the stairs, he looked out at the water, his eyes following the sea gulls as they dove into the ocean for prey. Lost in his thoughts, Nicholas waited for Charlotte to make her way past the sand hill that sat to the left of him. Leaning back against the steps he rested his bare arms behind his head closing his eyes to the memories of the night before.
“Hey,” Charlotte called running over to him. Beads of sweat dotted her forehead causing her golden skin to glisten in the early morning light. “You’re up early,” she smiled, taking a seat beside him. “And you’re out here with no coat,” she acknowledged. “Or pants . . . or shoes,” she laughed, shaking her head at him. “You do know that it’s winter, right? Boxers and socks hardly count as winter attire,” Charlotte teased, leaning into him. Wrapping her fingers around Nicholas’ neck she bent her head to his when he suddenly pulled away from her. “What’s wrong?” Charlotte frowned, feeling wounded.
“What was Todd doing here last night?” Nicolas demanded, his voice hoarse.
Oh no. Her heart leaped as his silver eyes bore into her. Staring at him in silence she watched him watch her not knowing what to say.
“Did you ask him to come here?” he growled, his eyes a stormy grey.
“No!” Charlotte shrieked, reaching for his hand, but to no avail. “Nicholas,” she mumbled, tears forming in her eyes.
“Don’t do that!” he shouted. “Don’t start crying . . . you don’t have that right,” he bit through clenched teeth, his voice breaking as he fought to hold back his own tears.
“Nicholas, I didn’t tell him to come here, I swear it! He texted me . . . telling me that he was outside and asked me to come out so that we could talk, and then he kissed me,” Charlotte cried. “I swear it, I didn’t invite him here. Please believe me, please,” she begged tears falling from her eyes.
“He kissed you?” Nicholas laughed though there was no humor in it. “And you did what?”
“I pushed him away from me, Nicholas, you have to believe me. I was going to tell you when we got back to the city . . . I just . . . I just didn’t want to ruin our trip. I was going to tell you! I pushed him away, Nicholas, please believe me,” she pleaded. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry, Nicholas, please.” Charlotte’s words came out in rapids as the fear of him leaving her crippled her being, her heart laboring at the thought of him walking away from her, at the thought of losing what she had been praying so hard for, her Nicholas. “Please believe me. You know me! I would never do anything to hurt you. I love you, I love you so much, please believe me,” she sobbed uncontrollably.
Looking in her eyes Nicholas knew that she was telling the truth, and, in that moment, he hated himself. Pulling her into the comfort of his arms he lowered his chin to rest on the top of her head gently wiping the tears from her face as he spoke. “It’s okay Dimple,” he muttered. “Stop crying.” His voice was low and filled with regret. “I messed up last night,” he said, rubbing stray hairs from her moist face. “When I saw the two of you together I thought that you had betrayed me . . . I thought you and Todd were reconciling . . . .”
Charlotte backed away from him, her swollen face filled with confusion. “What did you do?” she whispered, her chest still heaving as she worked to control her breathing.
“When I saw you two together . . . I thought our engagement was off . . . in my mind we were over,” he explained.
“What is it? Tell me,” Charlotte pleaded with her eyes.
“Blithe and I . . . we . . . I─”
“You kissed her?” Charlotte asked, fighting to keep the hurt of his potential words from her expression. “You thought I was disloyal to you when you saw me with Todd, and so you wanted to get back at me . . . . ? So, you kissed her . . . out of spite?” she concluded.
How could he tell her that so much more happened? For the first time in his life Nicholas felt like a coward, weak and unworthy of her love. “Dimple, I’m sorry,” he answered, unable to deny her assumption. Allowing her to think that it was a kiss and nothing more was all that he could do, losing her was not an option. “I’m so sorry.”
Exhaling, Charlotte nodded her head accepting his apology without a second thought. “I hate that it happened, but I understand why it did. Last night was just an unraveling of unfortunate events . . . but it’s all behind us now, right? We can move on, and forget that any of it happened?”
Grabbing Charlotte by her jacket Nicholas pulled her to him, parting her lips with his. “I’m so sorry, Dimple,” he breathed, his heart broken for what he had did to them.
“It’s okay,” Charlotte assured him. “Last night didn’t happen. Todd, Blithe, they’re in the past. Let’s never mention them again, okay?”
Shaking his head, he kissed her once more. “I’m going to make it up to you, I promise. That was the first and last mistake I’ll ever make when it comes to you, to us.”
“We have the rest of our lives together . . . that’s an awfully hard promise to make,” she said, forcing a smile, her head was pounding, and her heart still hadn’t recovered from its sudden attack.
“The rest of our lives,” he repeated her words. “And that’s my promise to you.”
Chapter Twenty- One
Dean Proctor sat in his Toyota Camry intently watching the display of affection between the two people he had sworn vengeance against. Reaching into his glove department he smiled salaciously as he pulled out his camera. Scrolling through the pictures in silent triumph Dean glanced out his car window shaking his head at the man who had the world at his feet. “Mr. Elliot. Mr. Elliot,” he chuckled. “You’ve been a very naughty boy.” Placing the camera onto the passenger seat he leaned against his headrest, his cold blue eyes alive with hatred. “. . . soon,” he said, his face a twist
ed mask. “Soon you will see what it feels like to lose everything . . . your life will crumble at your feet and I’ll be there to watch you fall,” he vowed. “Soon.”
Dear Readers,
I hope you enjoyed A Winter’s Promise. I bet you didn’t expect the ending! For future releases please swipe to the next page. Lastly, while I have your attention, please leave a REVIEW. One of the many joys of being a writer is hearing feedback from readers. So, please do not be shy!
Lovely Promises,
Kristi Tailor
Other Novels By Kristi Tailor
Being Yours
Loving You
A Winter’s Kiss
Coming Soon
A Winter’s Vow
August 2018
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kristi Tailor, born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Notre Dame of Maryland University. Her greatest joy in life is her young daughter Madison, who like her mother enjoys the art of storytelling. With a love for education and a passion for writing, Kristi spends her time combining the two with the hope of positively touching others with her life’s work.