The Pickup (Imperfect Love Book 1)

by Nikki Ash

  “Really?” I ask as tears fill my lids. It’s the first time anyone besides my dad has ever told me I look like my mom.

  “Really! Now wipe those tears, and let’s get this party started!”

  Twenty-Six

  Nick

  “Holy shit, bro.” Killian’s eyes dart over my shoulder, and when I turn around, the women are standing at the bottom of the stairs. All of them in dresses that I’m almost positive are illegal in several countries and high heels that could kill a man—figuratively and literally. They’re all wearing makeup and look beautiful in their own way. But my eyes zero in on Olivia, who looks devastatingly fucking gorgeous.

  Closing the gap between us, I pull her into my arms and give her a kiss on the corner of her mouth so I don’t ruin her lipstick. “You look stunning, Liv,” I whisper in her ear.

  “Thank you.”

  “All of you look beautiful,” Killian adds. “Now let’s go.”

  We pile into the SUV I ordered, and about twenty minutes later, we’re at AM Southampton night club. Of course the bouncer recognizes us right away, and we’re let in and brought over to the VIP section.

  “Let’s dance.” Olivia pulls me onto the dance floor before we can even sit down. The music is thumping, and the club is crowded as hell. I pull her into my arms, and she grinds her body against mine to the music.

  “It’s like we’ve come full circle,” she yells over the music, and I laugh. She’s right. A year ago, we were at a club dancing just like this. I thought back then she was the one for me, but now I know she is.

  We spend the next few hours drinking and dancing, and only when Olivia is so drunk and horny that I fear for the pictures that might surface, do we call for the car service to come back and pick us up.

  “I need you to fuck me good and hard,” Olivia slurs as we walk up the steps to our room. I chuckle at her brazen remarks. Killian, Giselle, and Celeste all laugh, and it’s then Olivia remembers we aren’t alone. We reach the landing, and Olivia throws her arms around Celeste.

  “Thank you for not having sex with my boyfriend. If you did, we wouldn’t be able to be friends and then you wouldn’t be able to one day be a princess like me.” Celeste shoots me a please help me look, but I just shake my head. My woman apparently has no filter when she’s drunk.

  “And don’t you worry. When we get back from vacation, I’m going to find you a prince to love. I’m Princess Aurora, but you can be…” Olivia backs up, swaying slightly, and looks at Celeste for a moment. “You can be Belle.” She nods, agreeing with herself. “She’s not born into royalty and has no desire to marry Gaston, but when she meets the beast, she can’t help but fall in love. While some would say the beast saved her, I think they actually saved each other. You’re going to meet a man, and you’ll both find love in each other. Yep! You’re definitely Belle.”

  “And which one am I?” Giselle asks, of course playing along.

  “You’re…” Olivia taps her bottom lip in concentration. “Rapunzel.”

  “Rapunzel? But I have brown hair.”

  “It’s not about how she looks. Rapunzel is strong and brave and knows how to stick up for herself.” Olivia crosses the landing, and when she’s only a few inches away from Giselle, she places her hand on her cheek. “And one day you’re going to meet a prince you will trust with all of your secrets and he’s going to save you just like Flynn Ryder saved Rapunzel.”

  The room goes quiet, quickly realizing Olivia’s drunken silliness has turned serious. “All right, my drunken princess. Let’s get you to bed before your chariot turns back into a pumpkin.” I grab her hips and guide her toward our room.

  “Yes!” she squeals. “But that’s Cinderella! I’m Aurora!”

  Twenty-Seven

  Olivia

  I wake up with the most intense, pounding headache I’ve ever experienced in my life. When I open my eyes, I glance next to me and see the bed is empty. Noticing a ripped piece of paper on the pillow, I snag it, and with only one eye open, read it.

  Good morning Princess Aurora, I’ve left you a glass of water and two Advil in case you need them. I have Reed with me. Take a bath and relax. Come down when you’re ready.

  –Your Prince ;)

  After I’ve taken the pain meds he left for me and soaked in a hot bubble bath, I make my way downstairs. Everybody is sitting around the table talking, and when they see me, they all go quiet and then crack up laughing.

  I look down to make sure I’m dressed appropriately. No nip slips…“What?”

  “Nothing, Princess Aurora.” Giselle giggles, and Celeste throws her head back in laughter.

  “Ha ha. Very funny,” I say dryly, which only has them laughing harder. Why? I’m not sure.

  Giselle’s phone rings, and she stands up, excusing herself to the other room to take the call.

  I walk over to Nick to sit down next to him, but before I can sit, he pulls me into his lap. “Good morning, baby,” he murmurs into my neck.

  “Morning. Where’s Reed?”

  “Taking a nap.” He sniffs my hair. “You smell good. Did you take a bubble bath?”

  “I did. Thank you. So, why was everyone laughing?”

  “You don’t remember last night?” Killian asks.

  “Going to the club?” I question.

  “No.” He shakes his head. “When we got home.”

  I try to remember, but I can’t. “The alcohol must’ve hit me hard since I haven’t drank in over a year,” I admit.

  “Don’t worry about it, babe,” Nick says. “All you need to know is that you, Celeste, and Giselle are all princesses and—”

  “Umm…Olivia…I need to go.” Giselle comes back into the dining room, looking pale and worried. “And I don’t have a car. I came here with Killian…Shit!”

  “What’s going on?” I ask.

  “My dad left my mom. My sister just texted me that she came home for the weekend. She planned to leave this morning, but when she woke up, my dad was gone. I need to get there. You know how my mom is…”

  “I know. Why don’t you take Nick’s car? We can ride home with Killian or my parents…”

  “I’ll drive you,” Killian offers.

  Giselle gives him a once over. “I have to go to my parents’ house in Rye. It’s going to be a good two-hour drive there, and another hour drive back to Brooklyn, and I don’t even know how long I’ll be there for. Could be a few hours… if she lets me in, that is.” She cringes at her last sentence, and my heart breaks for Giselle and the rocky relationship she has with her parents.

  “Then we better get moving.” Killian walks back out of the room without waiting for Giselle to respond.

  We spend the rest of the day out back. It’s warm enough to grill outside, so my dad and Nick grill up some chicken and steak while Corrine, Celeste, and I make up some sides. We eat outside on the back patio while Reed naps. Afterward, Corrine offers to watch Reed while Nick and I go for a walk.

  “I love the ocean, but I hate the sand and the salt water,” I admit as I toe the sand.

  Nick chuckles. “I’m pretty sure without the salt water and the sand you have a pool.”

  “Oh…well, whatever.” I laugh.

  “I looked up some schools this morning while you were asleep.” Nick reaches down and picks up a stick that’s washed ashore.

  “And what did you find?”

  “A couple schools where I can take all my classes online, but I was hoping to take the writing classes on campus. The problem is I don’t know where I’ll be, so I’m going to have to wait until I find out who I’m playing for next season.”

  “That makes sense.” I sit down while Nick, using the stick he picked up, writes in the sand. “Until then you could do something you enjoy, like writing for fun.”

  Nick stops drawing in the sand. “What do you mean? Like write a book?”

  “Sure, why not? You don’t need a degree to write.”

  Nick comes over and sits behind me, his legs outstretc
hed on either side of my body and his arms wrapping around me. “I also think I’m going to get more involved in the charity my mom runs for me.”

  “You have a charity? What is it for?”

  “Promoting literacy in kids. I started it a few years ago when my publicist said it would look good. I used to go to different schools and read to classes in lower income schools.”

  “That’s amazing, Nick! Why did you stop?”

  “The short answer is I got busy, but the truth is, looking back, once it was established, my mom stopped scheduling events, and I didn’t push her to do it.”

  “Well, if you want, I can take a look at it. I ran the youth program at the museum I worked for in Paris. I worked with several charities and organizations.” And then an idea hits me. “What would you think about expanding the charity? I’ve always wanted to start one. What if we combine both of our passions by having one charity that helps promote the arts and literacy?”

  “Absolutely. I’ll text my mom and let her know you’ll be contacting her. She can give you whatever information you need.”

  We stand, and I brush the bottom of my jeans off. When I turn around, I look at the writing in the sand.

  “Umm…Nick, did you write that?” I ask dumbly as I look over my shoulder to find Nick smiling at me. I know he wrote it because I watched him.

  “Yeah.” He grins. “I did. I love you, Brown-Eyes. It’s probably too soon to be saying those words, but they’re exactly how I feel. I love you.” My heart tightens and then expands. It has never felt so full in my life.

  Throwing my arms around Nick’s neck, I pull him down for a kiss. I’m not quite ready to say the words back yet, and he doesn’t push for them. So for now, I just show him how I feel.

  Twenty-Eight

  Nick

  “Close your eyes, Liv.”

  “Is this really necessary? First, you wouldn’t tell me where the plane is flying us, now you’re not going to let me see where the driver is taking us?”

  “It’s a surprise.”

  “Fine. I know we’re in another country, though. That flight was way too long to still be in the U.S.”

  “I’m not telling you anything. Now shush.” I put Reed’s pacifier in his mouth. He’s getting a bit antsy, but surprisingly he did well on the flight over here. I can’t imagine having to fly commercial with a baby, though. I give major props to the moms and dads who do. It was enough work on a private plane.

  Olivia rests her head on my shoulder while the car service takes us to where we’ll be staying. I wanted to get away with her and Reed for a couple weeks. No media or paparazzi. Just us on a sandy white beach under the warm sunshine, where our son can—as Olivia put it—wear a single layer of clothing. She doesn’t know it yet, but I’ve left all of our electronics at home. I gave her dad the number to the resort we’re staying at in case of an emergency and gave Giselle and Killian our info for when they arrive. They’ll be joining us the last half of the trip, and we’ll all fly back together.

  We pull up to the resort, and the driver opens Olivia’s door while the valet opens mine. She steps out of the car, opens her eyes, and glances around. “I can smell”—she sniffs the air—“the beach.”

  A Hawaiian woman comes over and says, “Aloha” while placing a pink and yellow flowered lei over Olivia’s head.

  “Are we in Hawaii?” Olivia asks excitedly. She runs around the car and jumps into my arms. “I’ve never been here before! Oh my God! It’s so warm here! Thank you!” She plants a wet kiss to my lips before dropping back onto the ground.

  She fiddles through her purse then looks up with a frown. “I don’t have my cell phone. I wanted to take a picture.”

  “No cell phones.” I hand her a digital camera I picked up for the trip. “You can take photos with this.”

  “Where’s your cell phone?” she questions.

  “Back in New York. We’re electronic-free for two weeks.”

  “A girl can get used to this kind of treatment: a week in the Hamptons, two weeks in Hawaii. Where are you taking me next?”

  “Unfortunately, this is our last stop. After this trip, I have to go home and get my contract situated for the season. But once that’s taken care of, we can plan another trip before the season starts.”

  “Are you staying with New York?” Olivia asks.

  “I would like to, but you know it’s not up to me. So, for now, let’s enjoy ourselves.”

  “But what if you have to move?”

  I’ve only known Olivia for a short time, but this is the first time I’ve seen any type of real insecurity shine through her tough façade. I was worried about tearing down her wall, the one she keeps erect to protect herself. But as I stare at her, I see that somewhere along the way she lowered her gate and willingly let me in.

  Sliding my arm around her waist, I pull her into my embrace. Leaning down, my green eyes meet her brown. “We’ll figure it out together.” I place a soft kiss to her forehead and another one on her plump, pouty lips. “I promise.”

  We grab Reed’s stroller and car seat and let the valet grab our bags. After checking in, Olivia insists we bring Reed down to the beach. I’ve rented a cabana on the beach and by the pool for the entire two weeks, so after getting changed into our swimsuits—thanks to the hired personal shopper who did some last-minute shopping—we make our way down to the beach.

  “This place is beautiful, Nick.” She plops down onto one of the lounge chairs under the cabana and lays out a blanket for Reed. I hand him over to her, and she lays him down against her stomach so he’s able use her like his own personal lounge chair. The waitress comes over, and we order some drinks and food.

  We drink, eat, and watch the waves hit the shoreline the entire afternoon all the way through the sunset. Reed naps occasionally on a blanket, on the lounge chair, or in one of our arms. It’s relaxing and exactly what we needed. Eventually, we make our way up to the room, and after settling Reed down for bed, settle into bed ourselves. And this repeats every day for a week until Giselle and Killian arrive.

  Twenty-Nine

  Nick

  “This is so cool!” Olivia removes her snorkel and mask from her face and finds me. “Did you see all the fish?! The one that looks like Nemo! And the shark looking one!”

  Giselle and Killian are keeping an eye on Reed this morning while I take Olivia out. Last week, we stuck to the beach, the art museums, and finding the local marketplaces—all things we can enjoy with a baby in tow. We spent a lot of time talking and getting to know each other. This week, we’re taking advantage of having help with Reed, and exploring the outdoors. We had surf lessons yesterday, and today we’re doing some snorkeling off a private island we took a yacht over to. It’s just the two of us here on this beach. Tonight, the four of us—and Reed—will be attending a dinner and show. And tomorrow, as a surprise, I’ve booked a day spa for Olivia and Giselle.

  “It’s cool as hell. I’ve never seen water so clear before.” We wade through the water until we’re back on shore. Setting our gear down, we both grab a towel to dry off before taking a sip of our waters. There’s usually staff down here to wait on people, but I requested for them to stay at the restaurant, and if we need anything we’ll come up.

  I sit down on the beach chair, and when I look up I see Olivia is right above me. She straddles my lap, a sexy leg on either side of me, and her hands come up to my cheeks. “I love when you don’t shave,” she says with a smile.

  “Oh yeah, and why is that? Because when I don’t shave I look closer to your age?” I joke, and she shakes her head.

  “No.” Her hands move up and down the sides of my face along my stubble. “Because when you go down on me your hair tickles the insides of my thighs.” She blushes pink, and I laugh. Then I imagine my face buried between her thighs, and I groan, my dick enjoying the visual as well.

  Her eyes widen slightly when she feels my bulge pushing through my board shorts. “Are we…completely alone here?” She glances aro
und. Even if we weren’t alone, the cabana we’re in blocks anyone from seeing inside unless they’re standing directly in front of us.

  “Yep.”

  “So if I wanted to pull your shorts down right here and ride you, I could?” Her eyes are hooded with lust.

  “Fuck yes, you could, and I fully encourage it.”

  Olivia backs up slightly, her ass coming off me long enough so I can pull my shorts down. My dick bobs between us, but I’m only semi-hard. When she looks down at it, she frowns for a second before she gets a mischievous glint in her eyes. She lifts each of her legs up as she pushes her bikini bottoms off her, exposing her delicious cunt. Then she pushes the triangles, which cover her tits, to the side.

  My dick is getting harder by the second. My mouth goes to her perky tit, and my lips wrap around her pert pink nipple. My hand goes to her other tit as I massage it. Olivia lets out a moan, the outside of her pussy grinding against my shaft. Her back arches slightly as I suck on each of her nipples.

  “Jesus, Nick. I want you inside of me,” she groans. My lips move upward as I trail kisses along her breasts and neck. She grinds harder, and I can feel the wetness from her pussy against my dick.

  “Are you wet enough?” I ask. She nods, but I don’t take her word for it. Instead, I push two fingers into her. She wiggles her ass, needing more, and lets out a growl when it’s not enough.

  I swallow her frustration with a kiss to her lips. It’s filled with lust and want. She quickly attacks my mouth with fervor I’ve yet to see. Her thighs clench on either side of me as I continue to fingerfuck her, her pussy grinding down on my fingers.

  “Please,” she begs. I pull my fingers out of her wet and ready cunt, and within seconds she’s guiding herself onto my dick. When I’m all the way inside her, my head goes back, hitting the back of the chair. It’s never felt as good with any other woman as it does with Olivia. I know that sounds fuckin’ nuts. Like she has some special pussy that’s unlike any other woman’s. But it’s the truth. Every time I’m with her, I feel it. I don’t think it’s her pussy per se—although, it really is a great fucking pussy. It’s the connection we share. When I’m with her, it’s more than just sex. It’s every-fucking-thing.