Bad Boys for Hire_Nick_Christmas Holiday
Page 15
He wasn’t here to fall in love. That wasn’t part of the plan. He only wanted Carol to own up to her sexiness, to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was desirable, adorable, and deserving of love.
Nick shifted his body, lying back and pulling Carol on top of him. With one large hand, he grabbed her ass and moved her crotch over his straining erection. Whether she could feel it or not, he wanted her to know how hot she was.
Carol gasped and took a breather. She was panting and she stared at him, eyes dark with desire. “I can’t believe we’re doing this.”
He wiped a strand of hair from her face and whispered, “Why not? You’re such a hot kisser.”
“I can still do that.”
“You can do a lot of things.” His voice was husky and low. “When I take you to bed, I don’t want you to think about anything. Nothing about what you can or can’t do. Got it?”
“I’ll try.”
“Great.” He moved her hand and placed it over his throbbing arousal. “This is how much you turn me on. If you’re ready, we’ll forget the movie and move to your room.”
She snapped her mouth shut and nodded.
“What are you thinking?” He ran a thumb over her lips and she ran her tongue over and around it, then sucked a kiss over the tip, sending a signal straight to his groin.
“Let’s do it.” A sly smile spread across her face. “Maybe I can show you a thing or two.”
“I bet you can.” He feathered the backs of his fingers over her cheeks. They were rosy from blushing, and he liked that he had that effect on her. “But you have to tell me what you want me to do.”
“Why’s that? Aren’t you a pro?”
Gulp. Did she think of him as a male prostitute also?
“Actually not. I’ve never had a girlfriend before.”
Where had that come from? She wasn’t talking about relationships, was she? But then, he’d had encounters. None satisfying, and always with demanding women who knew exactly what they wanted him to do.
“I’m sure you’re not a virgin.” She used her arms and moved herself lower on his body until her belly was over his hard shaft. “Look at you, ready to go.”
“Getting hard-ons doesn’t mean I have sex all the time.”
“No need to be so coy.” She pushed herself down until her legs collapsed on the floor. His dick twitched at how close her mouth was to it, but this wasn’t about him getting his rocks off. “Fair play. You should tell me what you want, also.”
That was a new one. None of the women he had before ever cared what he wanted. He was simply the stud of the night, the one whose job was to give them pleasure, and in return, he’d gotten a pat on the back for a job well done.
He swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. “I think we’re talking about you here, Carol.”
“No. You want to focus on me, but maybe I want to give you pleasure.”
“Oh …” No matter how he’d teased women and made them tell him what they wanted—both for the sake of consent and also because it made them hornier—he’d hardly ever verbalized his own feelings.
Carol’s eyes lit like sparklers. “I see you’re shy. The big studly Santa is so used to granting wishes, he doesn’t have one for himself.”
She rubbed her hands up and down his thighs, driving him nuts. Every time she neared his crotch, he wanted to turn so she’d touch him, but he resisted as she circled them over his lower belly, then dragged a trail of heat around his groin.
“I’m not going to touch you unless you tell me to,” Carol reminded as she lowered her face to rest on his lap. She kissed his thighs through his jeans, nipping and tugging, and he arched his back from the couch.
Dang. He needed to exert better control here. What was she doing? The vixen was driving him crazy.
“I think we better watch one of your Christmas movies.” His voice was so strained, it might as well have been soprano.
“What? And lose your testicles? Both of them?” She giggled and brushed her chin against them, before propping herself back onto the sofa. “Okay, A Christmas Kiss it is, then A Boyfriend for Christmas and finally, Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus.”
“I’ll need a drink. A stiff one.”
“So do I. A real stiff one.” She licked her lips, encircling her mouth as she flicked the remote and navigated to the movie menu.
“Is there a message to these movies?” Nick groaned as he downed another shot of scotch.
“What do you think?” Carol snuggled in his arms. “I love Christmas movies.”
“So do I, but not the icky kind.”
“Nothing icky about kissing, or are you still twelve?”
Nick pointed at the first movie, A Christmas Kiss. “So they kissed in the elevator. So what?”
“They felt sparks. Do you ever feel sparks?”
“First time I saw you. But I’m too manly to flutter.” Nick shuddered at the word “flutter.”
“I’ll flutter and you spark then.” She clicked her shot glass with his and took a fiery sip. Making Nick squirm with her favorite Christmas movies was loads of fun.
Halfway through the first movie, Nick wandered to the kitchen. “I have to microwave some popcorn to throw at that idiot. How could he not know who she is?”
“Men. They need everything spelled out.” Carol wagged her finger at him.
“Not this one. I knew the moment I saw you.”
“Kind of hard to miss the wheelchair.”
“Buzz! You’re supposed to forget the wheelchair.”
“Only while having sex, and last I checked, we’re watching Christmas love stories. Where’s your man card now?” Carol tilted her head back and laughed.
“Somewhere with my library card.” Nick brought back a bowl of popcorn. “Don’t let any of my buddies see me now.”
Sometime later, during the second movie, A Boyfriend for Christmas, Nick tapped Carol. “Have you ever wished for a boyfriend for Christmas?”
“No, have you?”
“A boyfriend? No.”
“A girlfriend then.”
“Uh, I don’t really think Santa’s in the matchmaking business.”
“I can’t think of a better matchmaker than old Saint Nick,” Carol countered. “After all, he knows if you’ve been naughty or nice and he would pick a naughty one for the naughty and a nice one for a nice.”
“Too simplistic.” Nick stuffed a wad of popcorn in his mouth, then laughed out loud, spewing popcorn when the onscreen villain popped the question to a big resounding no. “Serves him right. The douchebag. What guy proposes without a guarantee?”
“Huh? So that’s how it is with you? You want a guarantee before proposing?” Carol turned and gaped at him.
“Obviously.” He brushed popcorn crumbs from his chest. “I’m not that much of a fool.”
“Why bother asking if you know the answer?” Carol teased. “I see how unromantic you are.”
“Hey, still got one testicle left.”
“Not after we see this last one you won’t.” She tried not to laugh at Nick’s exasperated grunt.
After the second movie finished, Carol browsed to Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus.
“Ahhh! How cheesy can this get?” Nick exclaimed when they introduced the main characters. “And why is that dweeb named Nick?”
“Because all Christmas movies have names like Nick, Kris, Holly, Candi, Cole …”
“And Carol.” Nick gave her a gentle noogie. “Carol is the perfect name for Nick.”
“I didn’t think you were the gooey romantic type.” She punched Nick’s bicep and pointed at the TV. “Ahhh, look. This Nick’s really romantic. He wants someone who feels like the other side of his heart.”
“Only side my heart has now is burn.” Nick swirled the shot glass and coughed.
“You keep this up and you’ll be too drunk to drive your sleigh.”
“Not if it’s a sleigh bed.” He blew her an alcohol-breath kiss.
“Watch the movie.”
“It’s just one giant cock block,” Nick grumbled, taking another shot.
“But he takes it, because he really loves her.”
“Owee, he really loves her.” Nick mocked in a sing-song voice. “I think my balls have been decapitated.”
Carol wiped tears when it looked like the movie Nick, who finally told the truth, that he was Santa Claus, had to go back to the North Pole all alone because the heroine disbelieved him and thought he was a nutjob.
“I’d believe you,” she whispered to her Nick. “If you told me you were really Santa Claus.”
All she got for an answer was a long, drawn out snore.
He was asleep and he would never find out if the single Santa ever found his Mrs. Claus.
But then, he’d lost his man card, his testosterone, and both of his balls, all because he wouldn’t tell her what he wanted her to do with him in bed.
Twenty-Four
“My, my, don’t you two look cozy.” Marisa’s voice intruded into Carol’s dream of cross-country skiing with Nick at the North Pole. “Look at the popcorn all over the floor. And drinking too? Wow.”
“Wha … Where am I?” Nick’s body stretched as he woke.
Carol rubbed her eyes and noticed she’d left a drool spot on Nick’s shirt. Hopefully, he wouldn’t notice.
Her stepsister was standing over them, blocking the TV, and she didn’t look happy.
“What’s the problem?” Carol asked. “Nick and I will clean up the mess.”
“The problem?” Marisa glared at them, disgust evident from her snarl. “You ditched Jason. He was expecting you to call and you plumb forgot!”
“Should I be going?” Nick picked up the shot glasses and scattered popcorn.
“No, stay.” Carol grabbed his arm. “I want you the hear this. Jason is not my boyfriend. I had the distinct impression he wanted some space when I spoke to him this morning.”
“That’s because he needs reassurance. Sheesh, Carol. Is it so hard to understand? I mean, you’re in a chair, so is he.”
“And somehow that means we should be together?” Carol pulled her chair toward her and transferred into her seat. “Even if I’m dating Jason, it’s not exclusive, okay? I spent the day with Nick, and if I feel like spending tomorrow with him, it’s up to me and not you or Jason.”
“I’m sure Jason’s man enough not to want a pity date,” Nick said, clearing the takeout boxes, wrappers, and chopsticks from the table.
“He missed you,” Marisa said to Carol. “He thought you’d call and talk to him. He says he has things to explain, and he really is looking forward to another date.”
“Please stop making Jason seem so pathetic.” Carol wheeled herself around Marisa and plugged in a stick vac. “I’ll call him later if you think he’s still awake. Otherwise, tomorrow morning.”
“He’s awake.” Marisa glanced at her watch. “I just left his place after holding his hand and telling him you’d call, so if you’re going to call, you should hurry.”
“I’ll call him after I clean up.” Carol’s voice hardened. “Why is it so important to you?”
“Is it so bad to want you to be happy?” Marisa rolled her eyes and grabbed the bottle of scotch. “After my day, I could use some of this, too.”
“What? Dealing with Jason is driving you to drink?” Carol couldn’t help the snide remark. “Maybe you should get into another line of work. Mortician’s assistant might work better since they won’t care how freaking condescending you are to them.”
Carol turned on the vacuum cleaner before her sister could reply and ran it over the popcorn crumbs. From the side of her eye, she saw Marisa toss back the drink and march to her room.
Did Carol truly need Marisa around? At her level of injury, she could do everything an able-bodied person could do except change light bulbs and reach in high places. She could cook. She could clean. She could get her own groceries and pack the refrigerator. Maybe if she got leg braces she could even stand and take a few steps, if only to reach something high.
Nick bagged the trash and came back to Carol’s side. He knelt in front of her and hugged her. “I have to go now, but I’d like to see you tomorrow and every day after that. How about we meet at the gym and go from there?”
“I’d love to.” Carol hugged him back. “Let’s go Christmas tree shopping. Marisa hates the mess they make, but there’s nothing like the scent of a fresh cut tree.”
He looped her into a sweet and sensuous kiss, massaging and caressing her until she was good and giddy. With Nick around, how could she be a Grinch and not have a tree? Marisa or no Marisa.
Later that night, Carol lay on her bed, unable to sleep. She’d called Jason as soon as Nick had left, and a groggy Jason told her she’d woken him up. After asking her out, he’d said something that had really disturbed her.
Why, oh why had she called him? She should have left well enough alone—but then, being an ostrich and hiding from the facts wasn’t an option. She would never be able to bleach her brain and forget what Jason had implied.
She replayed the conversation in her mind, trying out angles and wondering why she was so disturbed.
First of all, it had been awkward explaining how Marisa had goaded her to call without hurting his feelings and making it seem as if she needed to feel guilty for having fun with Nick while Jason stayed home.
Carol had wanted to set some boundaries with the dating and had suggested taking it slow.
“Slow is fine,” Jason had agreed. “It’s kind of hard to think about dating when I can’t control my own body. At least with you, you’d understand if something leaked where it shouldn’t have.”
“Believe me, I take extra precautions. Making sure everything is emptied out and monitoring my fluid intake.”
“At least you can work your own catheter. I’m sure you saw my indwelling one when the paramedics came over.”
“Yeah, I tried to miss it. Whatever happened to you?” Carol allowed her natural curiosity to take over. Jason didn’t seem like he was flirting with her, and just being able to talk normally with another spinal cord injured person was a relief after trying so hard to hide her issues from Nick.
In a twisted way, it’d been lucky Marisa had interrupted her movie night with Nick. While all Nick had to do was go take a piss, she would have had to excuse herself and go through the entire catheter procedure while he waited outside. If she didn’t empty herself out, she would risk leakage and ruin the romantic mood.
“I had a kink in my catheter, and it resulted in my bladder ballooning to burst point. My blood pressure skyrocketed and well, you saw what happened.”
“You know I understand, right?” Carol wished she could have called him earlier to reassure him that he was still attractive. “Even if we have to deal with these things, it’s the person inside of us that’s real. These things we deal with are accessories like eyeglasses, hearing aids, and pacemakers.”
“Right. Maybe someday we’ll have brain implants and robotic suits.” Jason mused. “Have you thought about it?”
“Of course I have,” Carol replied. “Most are still experimental. I’m thinking I should get leg braces so I can stand and reach things. But truthfully, I can move around a lot faster with my wheelchair than using leg braces, so I haven’t tried it yet.”
“I don’t even have that option,” Jason said, sounding depressed.
Great. Now she felt guilty again. Would this be a block to whatever relationship they could have had? She’d better be sure she controlled her downer side around Nick.
“Let’s focus on what you can do. I bet you’re a great dispatcher for the fire station.”
“It always helps when I know the guys and the situations,” he readily agreed.
“Yep. There are lots of things we
can do.”
“How come you always know how to say exactly the right thing?” Jason’s voice deepened and she could feel the subtle change of atmosphere.
“Uh, well, I’m not always right,” she responded, aware of the flutters, or were they knots, in her stomach.
“Would you be right if you told me we shouldn’t date each other?”
Wow. Carol hadn’t been expecting him to segue into a relationship question so quickly. Besides, the way he worded it was strange. What kind of answer did he want?
“I’m not interested in being right or wrong,” she said carefully. “I want what’s best for you.”
“Oh, that’s a mealy-mouthed thing to say.” He huffed, and she could picture him shaking his head. “What’s best for me? How would you know?”
“That’s exactly the point. I don’t know.” A squirmy feeling twisted in her chest. “Are you ready to start seeing someone?”
“I might be. I mean, I really like you …” His voice trailed into a sigh.
“I like you, too, but the other night, I don’t know if you remember …” Carol’s heart raced and a clammy feeling settled over her forehead. “Who’s Carolyn?”
It wasn’t her business, but then, it would be if she were to get serious with him, and she was fragile enough to know she couldn’t take competition—not in her state. If Jason were dating someone else, she’d just as soon step back.
“I’m not ready to talk about her. What we had was busted. Over.”
“Did she walk away from you because of, you know …”
“No. It’s a lot more complicated, but I don’t see what it has to do with me and you. She’s out of the picture for good.”
Okay … He wasn’t going to be forthcoming about a woman who he was begging to marry while hallucinating. She’d obviously hurt him deeply, and if she wanted to take a chance with Jason, she’d have to let it slide—for now.
Except, he sounded so bitter about Carolyn.
“If it matters, I’m also seeing Nick Wolff.” The words slipped from her mouth.
“Ahhh, Nick.” Jason sniffed. “I knew it was too good to be true. Did he tell you he applied to be my night caregiver?”