by Alexx Andria
I released a shaky breath. “But why? You barely know me.”
“I have a good sense about people.”
“Yeah? And what do you sense about me?”
He gently took my empty wineglass and set it next to his before coming closer to peer into my eyes. “You really want to know what I thought when I first saw you?”
“Aside from my ugly dress,” I reminded him, trying to hold on to some kind of levity to prevent any actual sincerity on his part to touch me.
Nico smiled, but his gaze was burning into mine. “I saw a woman I knew I had no business thinking about in any sort of way.”
“And why is that?” I asked, barely able to manage the words with Nico’s lips so close to mine.
“Because you were a woman too good for someone like me,” he admitted before closing over my mouth, stopping whatever protests may have arisen, the tease of his tongue reminding me how much I’d missed being in the arms of a man, how desperate I was for physical contact of an adult sort.
And Nico was a master with that mouth of his. I had no excuse. I knew I was playing with fire, but somehow the burn felt so good. The warmth of his masculine scent filled my senses, intoxicating me in the most addictive way.
He slowly pulled me closer and I went willingly, the press of his hands against my back a welcome pressure. I missed the confidence of a good lover, the feel of a man’s hands firmly guiding me.
Nico instinctively knew when to push and when to let me lead, creating a dance that built an ever-increasing tempo.
“You’re the most incredible woman I’ve ever met,” Nico admitted, his voice a soft caress against my nerves. “I’ve been all around the world and never had the privilege of having someone like you in my arms.”
How could I not melt? But if we were going to do this, I needed boundaries of some sort. “You have to promise to be discreet for Grady’s sake,” I said, breathless. “Promise?”
“Baby, I’ll promise you the fucking moon, if that’s what you want,” Nico growled, his eyes burning with the same hunger as his arms tightened around me.
“I don’t want the moon...just your promise that we’ll keep this on the DL. I can’t have Grady hurt.”
“Deal,” he said, sealing his mouth to mine with an urgency that I mirrored.
Holy fuck. This is really happening.
He led me to his bedroom. And once the door was closed, I couldn’t get my clothes off fast enough.
For the record, I’m not sure who seduced whom first.
Maybe it was a draw.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Nico
I KNEW I should’ve been crowing with victory, but somehow Lauren’s sudden change of heart made things ten times more real—the stakes so much higher.
My hands trembled as I unhooked her bra, my nerves drawn tighter than a virgin’s on prom night.
I wanted everything to be perfect. I wanted to leave her breathless and moaning and wondering how the hell she’d ever survived without my cock inside her.
The pressure to perform was creating all sorts of havoc on my Johnson.
I sucked in a wild breath as her breasts came into view. “Perfection,” I murmured, the word slipping from my mouth without thought.
Lauren blushed, vulnerable, and I knew she felt self-conscious about the faint, silvery lines caused by her pregnancy, but all I saw was beauty. My throat closed as I reached for her, pulling her close. I wanted to taste every inch of her body, to show her with my touch that I thought she was the sexiest female I’d ever laid eyes on, but my hands were shaking like an addict needing a fix and I was the one embarrassed.
“Have you changed your mind?” Lauren asked, anxious.
“God no,” I answered, adding, “I’m fucking nervous as hell, though.”
“You? Nervous?” Lauren repeated, confused. “Why?”
I couldn’t give her a coherent answer without screwing up the moment. To admit that I was scared of underwhelming her, knowing I’d have one shot to make it right, was messing with my mojo. Instead, I scooped her into my arms, shocking her with the sudden motion. She instinctively wrapped her arms around my neck. “Less talk, more action,” I said with a grin. When in doubt, let muscle memory take over.
I laid her on the bed and immediately climbed her body, her taut, dusky nipples begging for my mouth. An urgent need to know her taste, her unique flavor, egged me on, and I obliged my desire without hesitation.
She gasped as my mouth closed over her tightened bud. Lauren arched as I suckled, my hand sliding down her trembling belly to find her neatly groomed pussy. God, I wanted to bury my face between those dewed lips. I was like a kid in a candy store, eager to taste everything I could stuff in my mouth.
I slid my finger between her folds, gently probing to find her G-spot with my middle finger. I listened to her subtle cues to zero in on the exact spot that made her shake and quiver, then I slid down to that sweet pussy and dived in.
Spreading her long legs, I lost myself between her slit, seeking and destroying her swollen clit, sucking and teasing until she was gasping and biting her lip to keep from crying out. Somehow, knowing she couldn’t let loose because of Grady sleeping in the other room made the entire situation hotter. I wanted her to lose control, to thrash as if a demon were being unleashed inside her. I slowed, only to start again, pushing her harder, deeper into that pleasure abyss of total meltdown. Her thighs quivered as the rapid rise and fall of her chest gave away her nearing release. I pushed her harder, needing to feel her come beneath my tongue, needing to hear those unbridled cries as she crashed.
And God, I wasn’t disappointed.
Lauren came with the sweetest cry as she gushed against my mouth. I lapped at her, enjoying every drop, relieved that I could make her come that hard.
“Nico,” she whispered when she could speak, her voice raspy as her head lolled on the pillow. “Holy fuck...”
I grinned, rising to seal my mouth to hers again, wanting her to taste herself on my lips. Some women shied away from their own scent but not Lauren. The beautiful heathen kissed me hard, our tongues twinning against one another like drunken snakes in a ritual dance of courtship. My cock hardened to the point of stone; any harder and the skin would’ve split.
I couldn’t wait any longer. I made quick work of sheathing my cock in a condom and then breached her slick folds, splitting her apart with a guttural moan of pure pleasure.
Liquid heat closed around my shaft, and I lost the ability to think for a moment, so lost in the incredible sensation of being inside Lauren.
It was as if she were made for me. I’d fucked a lot of women, but they all faded from memory as soon as I was skin to skin with her.
I was too lost to realize how worrisome that should’ve been.
All that mattered was this moment.
I lifted her legs onto my shoulders and drove deep, grinding against her G-spot with unerring accuracy. I wanted to hear her come again and again. I didn’t think there would ever be a time when I tired of that sound. Her lovely legs, strong and sleek, were up around my ears as I bent her in half, drilling her with my entire length, fucking her so deep that my balls slapped against that plump ass. Jesus, has sex ever been this good with anyone else? I didn’t have the mental brainpower to do more than focus on building the heat between us. I needed her release so I could claim my own, but I was already losing the battle. My ability to control the need to come was becoming shaky at best.
“L-Lauren,” I choked out, my balls tightening as everything began to clench in preparation for launch. “Holy fuck...I can’t stop...”
But Lauren was right there with me. Stiffening, she cried out, almost sobbing as she came again, and I groaned as I came harder than ever before, jetting over and over until I was left with absolutely nothing in my body. Everything pulsed wildly as pleasure blotted out rat
ional thought and I floated in a pool of total bliss.
Somehow I had the wherewithal to roll away and toss the used condom into the bedside trash before collapsing beside her, my breath harsh, my heart thundering.
We remained side by side, struggling to catch our breath. I didn’t want to talk. Talking would only shed light on something that I didn’t want to see clearly. I wanted to curl my arms around her, drawing her against my front, and fall asleep.
Holy Jesus, I wanted to...cuddle?
But Lauren did us both a solid and climbed from the bed, scooping up her discarded clothing with a gleefully whispered “Thank you, I needed that,” before slipping from my bedroom, leaving me alone.
Which should’ve been ideal.
How many times had I wished the women I’d brought home would take themselves away so I didn’t have to lie there, uncomfortable and wishing I had the entire bed to myself?
Lauren had done that. Wham, bam, thank you, dude, and she was gone.
I drew the blankets up around me, feeling ridiculously vulnerable. I wanted to march into the spare bedroom, scoop her up and return her to my bed.
Which, of course, would blow out of the water our agreement to keep things discreet and on the DL.
I wasn’t accustomed to taking the needs and wishes of other people into account.
Couldn’t say I liked it either.
For Grady’s sake, I would adhere to Lauren’s wishes.
Getting her into bed had been the deceptively easy part, I realized. Hiding the fact that I wanted to keep her there was going to be the hardest thing I’d ever done.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Lauren
“MAMA, YOU’RE HUMMING,” Grady remarked as I rummaged around the kitchen, looking for something to make for breakfast. I whirled around, a guilty smile forming as I tried to tamp it down. “I bet you had a good sleep. Nico’s bed is really comfy.”
“Yes, it was very nice,” I agreed, unable to keep the blush from heating my cheeks. Thank God, Grady was too young to catch those subtle cues, but I needed to cool it with the humming. Every muscle in my body was deliciously sore, reminding me of the workout Nico had given me, and I couldn’t stop smiling. I’d managed a quick shower before Grady woke up, needing the private time to put my head on straight, but I was still turned around and twisted up inside in the most wonderful way.
As if hearing my internal dialogue, Nico appeared, adorably rumpled from sleep and sexy as ever. Did the man ever have an off day? Didn’t seem fair to the rest of the mere mortals in the world.
To Nico, I said, “Good morning,” and returned to seeking out cereal or something, but in truth, I was trying not to appear as if anything had changed between us.
But something had changed.
I couldn’t deny it. My body was in tune with his in a way that I’d never imagined possible.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d enjoyed good sex before, but what’d happened between Nico and I had been beyond good—it’d been...life-altering.
So, pretending it hadn’t happened...well, that was easier said than done, but I had to find a way because I wasn’t about to let Grady think that Nico was going to be a permanent part of our life.
He squinted against the morning sunlight and rasped, “Are you looking for anything in particular?”
“Breakfast cereal?”
“I don’t eat cereal.”
“That would explain why I can’t find any. No worries, I’ll just make toast with peanut butter for Grady, then.”
“Do you like that?” Nico asked Grady before reaching for the coffeepot to start brewing.
“It’s okay,” Grady admitted. “I like pancakes better.”
Nico looked to me with a grin. “Then he should have pancakes.”
I graced Nico with an indulgent look but said, “We don’t have time to make pancakes. Grady has school this morning.”
Grady immediately started protesting, “But Nico said we were going sailing today!”
“Well, Nico probably didn’t realize that you had school. You can go sailing another time,” I said, but I hated the crestfallen expression on my little son’s face. How could spending the morning learning the ABCs possibly compare with the open ocean, especially given Grady was already way ahead of his classmates and was most times bored in class. But I had to adhere to structure, so I held the course. “Come on, let’s get dressed while your bread is toasting. We have to leave a little earlier to make it on time.”
Apparently, Nico was also destroyed by Grady’s sad expression and said, “How about a compromise? We sail after school? We can still get in a few hours of quality time on the ocean in the afternoon.”
Grady brightened with hope. “Really?”
“Of course. To be honest, I’m usually never awake this early so I often sail in the afternoon.”
“Do you have your own sailboat?” Grady asked, his eyes shining.
“I do and it’s been too long since I’ve taken her out. She deserves a little time away from the dock. So here’s the deal, you go to school, your mom and I will do a little work, and then afterward, we’ll pick you up and hit the water. Deal?”
“That’s a deal and a half!” Grady hit an exuberant high five with Nico, and my heart stuttered. I wasn’t sure if I was comfortable with how easily Nico had my kid wrapped so tightly around his finger, but I loved seeing Grady so happy. To be honest, most days Grady was such a serious soul, it felt good to see him act his age.
Grady scrambled to the bedroom to dress, and I turned to Nico to whisper, “Careful making promises to a six-year-old. They have a memory like an elephant and they will not let you forget.”
But instead of heeding my warning, Nico said, “Good. We all need an accountability partner from time to time,” and I was both awed and fearful of what was happening.
“We are truly going to work, right?” I asked him before Grady returned.
“Sure,” he answered, but the glint in his eye made me shiver. “But I didn’t say how I was going to work you.”
My breath hitched in my throat. I should’ve shut him down, reminded him that I was here to do a job and that had to be the priority, but my body was still tingling with the aftereffects of what he’d done to me, and I wanted more.
Heaven help me, I wanted more.
I swallowed and dragged my gaze away from the hunger in his, nearly jumping when the toast popped from the toaster. Nico chuckled, knowing where my head was at, but he did me the courtesy of remaining silent as he poured two cups of coffee and slid mine over to me wordlessly. I spread a generous helping of peanut butter on the toast and grabbed a short glass of milk before I could risk meeting Nico’s gaze again.
“Thank you,” I murmured, lifting the coffee mug, my thoughts stubbornly returning to the memory of last night. Grady returned, looking like a million bucks, if a million bucks wore its shirt inside out and both shoes on the wrong feet. “Baby.” I chuckled, going to help him straighten himself out. “One of these days you’re going to have to learn your right from your left shoe.”
“But they look the same to me,” Grady complained with a frown.
Nico chuckled and grabbed a permanent marker from a drawer. “C’mere, little man,” he said, helping Grady onto the counter. Then he drew an R and an L on each respective shoe in an inconspicuous spot so it wasn’t completely obvious. “There. Now you can just look for the R and L. Easy-peasy.”
“Awesome! Mama never lets me draw on my shoes!”
I laughed, sobering slightly to say, “And I still don’t, but we can let this one slide. Okay, now you have zero excuses. Eat your toast. We need to leave in about five minutes, and you still need to brush your teeth and wash the sleep from your eyes.”
“Aw, Mama, you’re always trying to make me fancy. I’m not trying to find a girlfriend yet, you know.”
Nico guffawed at that and I chuckled, too. “Well, maybe I just don’t want your poor teacher to catch a whiff of your dragon breath and faint.”
Grady giggled but said, “Mrs. Tipper is the one with dragon breath. I think she brushes her teeth with dirt.”
“Grady Erickson Hughes, you take that back,” I admonished. “We don’t talk about our teachers like that. Or anyone for that matter.”
“Okay, Mama,” Grady said but grinned when Nico gave him a conspiratorial wink. Good Lord, Nico was like a kid himself. Grady finished and headed for the bathroom, giving me a minute to scold Nico, but Nico had other plans.
“You—”
His mouth sealed against mine for a stolen kiss, and my knees threatened to buckle. Everything we’d done together last night came roaring back in full detail, and it took everything I had not to moan like a porn star on cue.
But before I embarrassed myself, Nico released me and I spun out of his arms just in time for Grady to appear, face scrubbed, teeth brushed and ready to slay the dragons of kindergarten.
I may always question my judgment when it came to dating Houston, but we’d made a beautiful child together, and for that, I couldn’t spare a moment of regret.
“Let’s do this,” I said, reaching for his hand.
“The car is downstairs waiting,” Nico said, sinking into the sofa with his coffee in hand, a delicious grin on his sexy mug. “I can’t wait to get to work when you return.”
And by work I was fairly certain he meant something else entirely.
Funny thing, I was totally okay with that.
For now.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Nico
MY BODY VIBRATED with anxious energy as I jumped into the shower, dressed and awaited Lauren’s return. Last night had been an anomaly, and I was eager to see if it’d simply been the thrill of victory or something else entirely that caused me to react like an alien had taken over my brain.
I wasn’t a cuddler by nature. I preferred my space. In fact, I was always the one biting my tongue in half after a hookup so I didn’t ruin my chances of seeing the woman again by saying something rude such as, “That was great. The car is waiting downstairs to take you home.”