Nicolas

by Dianne Hartsock

  “We’re going to retire for the night,” Nico told them, his voice kind. “It was nice meeting you all, and if we don’t see you in the morning, have a Merry Christmas.”

  The sentiment was returned, Frank and Bob McKorkle standing up to shake Nico’s hand. The children hugged his legs. Jamie said good night, distracted, flushed, and achy. Would they never reach their room? At last their host returned and led them to the second floor and down a short hallway, opening a door on to a charming guest room with a queen bed prominent in the center. A quaint bedside lamp cast a soft glow over the chamber.

  “Thank you, Susan,” Nico murmured. Jamie took a few steps inside and leaned against the antique dresser, his gaze on the floor. He shivered when the door clicked closed, silently begging Nico to come to him. Nico’s sigh was almost a groan, and his footsteps were loud in the quiet space. Jamie let out a pent-up breath when Nico put a finger under his chin and raised his face, then brought their lips together.

  Chapter Eighteen

  JAMIE LET out a breathless laugh, the rush of lust and heat leaving him weak, pliable under Nico’s mouth. He’d let the man do anything he wanted with his body if he’d just….

  “Stop!” Giggling, he scrunched up his shoulder as Nico nibbled that one ticklish spot on his neck. Joy surged in him. How did he deserve a lover like this? Nico’s hands were busy everywhere, rubbing his arms, his thighs. Nico pushed his legs apart and nudged between them, gripping his ass and lifting him onto the dresser to crush their groins together. God!

  He grabbed Nico’s shoulders as the man seized his lips, literally fucking his mouth with his tongue while he ground roughly into him. The friction was amazing, tiny stars bursting behind Jamie’s closed lids as pleasure spiraled from his crushed dick. But he needed to breathe! He pushed Nico’s shoulders, using a little force to get him to stop trying to suck Jamie’s tongue right out of his mouth.

  Giddy, he found it hard to think with Nico grinding against him through their clothing. “You’re suffocating me,” he gasped, turning his head when Nico tried to seal their lips together again.

  Nico made a growling noise in his throat, then suddenly reached for the bottom of Jamie’s sweater and pulled it up, exposing his chest, but trapping Jamie’s arms over his head. His head was covered as well and Jamie panicked slightly until Nico folded the edge of the shirt above his mouth and nose so he could breathe.

  Holding Jamie’s wrists over his head with a firm grip, Nico ran his tongue over Jamie’s bottom lip, making him whimper. He pulled back; Jamie trembled, knowing Nico was staring at him, and his nipples tightened. Usually he grew self-conscious under a man’s scrutiny, but Nico’s breath hitched and confidence flooded through him. He felt desirable, wanton, and thrust his chest out in blatant invitation.

  A nipple was seized, held gently between Nico’s front teeth as that wicked tongue licked at the sensitive nub until Jamie squirmed. He cried out at a sharp nip, pleasure sparking through him. He was released and the sweater was whisked off his body. He dropped his arms, gasping when the blood rushed back in, and blinked at Nico’s impassioned face, curls damp on his forehead. So beautiful. He reached for him and gave Nico a questioning look when he backed away.

  Nico flashed him a naughty smile. “Undress, amore mio. I’ll be right back.”

  Jamie watched him cross the bedroom and exit through another door, then grinned, heart thumping when he heard water running. He slid off the dresser and pulled down his pants, kicked them toward his shirt. His dick slapped against his skin. Palming it, he wondered if Nico would like to see him masturbating. Climbing back on the dresser, he spread his legs, planting his feet on either side of his ass, toes gripping the rounded ledge. Open, vulnerable, he fondled his balls and stroked his dick, groaning with the slide of hot skin over his hard length.

  He kept his head down when he heard Nico return, focusing on the moisture beading on the blushing head of his cock as he pulled and squeezed. He knew Nico watched him and fought back the orgasm building in his gut, wanting it to last, hoping to break his lover’s self-control. Nico stopped in front of him and set a small bottle of lotion on the dresser, his hand shaking.

  Jamie moistened his lips, thinking to swipe his thumb across his dick. But Nico gripped his hand, stopping him, then bent and licked the head of his cock. Instantly, Nico pulled up and kissed him and Jamie ignited as the taste of his spunk on Nico’s tongue filled his mouth. He moaned, gripping the back of Nico’s neck with his free hand, deepening their kiss while Nico began to pump him. His head reeled with pleasure and he had to jerk away from those fantastic lips, the need to come overriding everything else. “I can’t—”

  Nico instantly released him. “Not yet, mio caro,” he warned in Jamie’s ear, voice thick with need. He grabbed the bottle beside Jamie and squirted lotion onto his fingers. Jamie shook with anticipation when Nico put a hand on the small of his back and nudged him to the very edge of the dresser. He kept his hand there, steadying Jamie while a slick finger circled Jamie’s balls. Nico’s breathing grew ragged as he touched Jamie’s hole and stroked the sensitive ridges.

  Jamie squirmed, trying to nudge the teasing digit into him. Nico’s rumbled laughter made him shiver in anticipation, and he gasped when the finger pushed inside. Nico suddenly seemed impatient and added a second finger, opening Jamie in widening circles, loosening the tight ring of muscle. Jamie groaned and pushed down, driving the fingers deeper into him. Flexing his hips, he fucked himself on the fingers Nico shoved up inside him. Lost in sensation, he cried out when Nico’s soft lips closed on his cock and drowned him in heat.

  Too much! A finger slid over his prostate, and he sobbed in bliss, unraveling in waves until all he knew was Nico’s fingers in him, his lover’s mouth sucking and licking him into orgasm. He bucked up into Nico’s mouth, spilling his cum into that hot throat swallowing him down. He whimpered when Nico suddenly pulled back and his dick slid from between his lips. The fingers were plucked out of him, leaving him empty, but his blood surged at the unmistakable rip of a condom packet. Then Nico’s hands gripped his ass, and he was lifted off the dresser and impaled on his lover’s erect cock.

  He flailed, losing his balance, and Nico slid a strong arm against his back, crushing him to his chest. Jamie clung to Nico’s straining shoulders, legs around his waist, Nico’s muscles bunching and flexing against him as Nico’s hips snapped, his thick cock filling him as Jamie pushed down to meet his thrusts. With a groan betraying his intense pleasure, Nico carried him around the dresser and lodged him against the wall. Shifting, he angled Jamie so his cock slid over his prostate. Stars burst behind Jamie’s eyes. He grew impossibly hard again, his dick crushed between them, the friction driving him mad.

  Nico’s breath stuttered, his rhythm broke, and he groaned Jamie’s name as he came deep inside him. Jamie followed, warmth splashing between them as his mind whirled in pleasure. At the very edge of thought, he found Piter watching them, face flushed with lust, wanton, wanting the three of them together.

  “Never,” Jamie swore coldly, letting the creature see his disgust. Piter’s green eyes flashed, fury mottling his lovely face. He opened his mouth in a scream that pierced Jamie’s ears, deafening, painful…

  …and Jamie’s ears popped as if he had come down from a tall height. What was happening? Was Piter playing another game with him? He cringed at the thought, and was pulled back to the bedroom when Nico suddenly set him on his feet. They stared at each other in shock at the terrible screech of tires and twisting metal and breaking glass outside their window.

  Adrenaline shot through Jamie. “Oh God, what was that?”

  “Sounds like a car accident. Come on.”

  Nico grabbed up their clothing, tossing Jamie his pants. They dressed with haste, slipping into their shoes, with Jamie still yanking his sweater over his head as he followed Nico down the stairs. Several other guests were in the dining hall pulling on coats, and joined them as Nico crossed the floor and opened the front door. Snow
swirled into their faces when they stepped into the parking lot.

  Jamie’s heart stumbled. A tan SUV lay on its side in the street, tires spinning in slowing circles, its doors crumpled from the force of the impact. But where was the vehicle that had struck it? Taillights caught his eye, and he saw the flash of a car in the swirling snow as it rounded a corner of the road, out of sight. What had he seen? It had looked like a red sports car, but that couldn’t have been real, not out in this snow. Jaimie rubbed the ache starting in his temple, his mind full of doubts. He glanced at Nico, but apparently he hadn’t noticed anything, his gaze focused on the truck as they hurried up to it.

  “Has someone called emergency services?” Jamie asked, and Bob McKorkle, who’d joined them, held up his phone.

  “They’re on their way.”

  Children’s panicked cries from inside the truck reached Jamie’s ears, twisting his heart. The group circled to the front windshield, shattered on impact, and Jamie choked back a horrified cry. It was the family they’d met inside earlier. The father slumped over the deflated airbag on the steering wheel, unconscious, the crushed door pushing up against his side. Jamie couldn’t tell the extent of his injuries. His wife lay against the door on the ground, her airbag also deflated, but blood stained the broken windshield.

  The streetlight didn’t illuminate the backseat, where the children’s cries had grown frantic.

  “It’s all right. Everything will be okay. Can you tell me if you’re hurt?” Nico’s calm voice carried in the stillness of the falling snow, broken only by the clicks from the cooling engine of the SUV and the children’s voices. Jamie’s rampant heartbeat calmed at his soothing tone. The children quieted.

  “Nicolas? I’m scared.” A child’s voice reached them, close to tears.

  “I’m here. Help is coming. Can you be brave for a few more minutes?”

  “My leg hurts,” the other child, the little girl, whined, then raised her voice. “I want my momma!”

  “I know, bambina. Help is coming.” Nico’s voice broke and he cleared his throat. “I’ll be right here when they bring you out.”

  “Okay,” she sniffled and they heard her older brother comfort her.

  Nico spoke with authority and gentleness, and underneath, Jamie could sense his deep love and concern for them, perhaps for all of humanity. Had he been presumptuous to think he could keep such a man for himself?

  Sirens sounded in the distance, and Jamie drew a steadying breath. Time to focus on helping the family, but he and Nico would definitely talk later. Nico had Jamie’s heart, but Jamie needed to know the truth of Nico and Piter’s story before he committed to their future. He ached to share his life with him, but wondered if it was just an illusion on his part.

  He pushed off the troubling thoughts when a police cruiser and fire and rescue vehicles pulled to a stop on the street. Nico had knelt by the broken windshield, quietly speaking to the children in the backseat, and Jamie joined him when he stood up and moved to the sidewalk, out of the way.

  “How are their parents?” he asked as the uniformed men went to work, the paramedics checking the crumpled bodies of the adults while others set about freeing them from their seatbelts and removing them safely from the vehicle. The children had begun to cry, and Nico’s hands clenched, anguish crossing his face. Jamie took one of his hands, loosened his fist and laced their fingers together.

  Nico gave him a tight smile. “They’re both breathing, but haven’t woken up. I didn’t want to touch them and maybe do more damage to their poor bodies. I couldn’t tell how serious their injuries are.”

  They watched an officer approach and speak with Bob McKorkle, and Jamie tensed when they both looked at them and walked over, the need to protect Nico uppermost in his mind.

  The officer gave them a searching look, his eyes grave. “Did either of you witness the accident?”

  Nico answered. “No, officer. We heard the crash from our bedroom and came outside as quickly as we could. The truck was on its side when we arrived.”

  “Did you see the vehicle that struck it?”

  Nico started to shake his head and Jamie hurried to add, “I caught a glimpse of a car as it rounded the corner down the street when we first came out.”

  “Do you have a description?”

  Jamie’s cheeks warmed. “Sort of. I swear it looked like a red sports car, but that couldn’t be right.”

  Nico drew a quick breath and held his hand in a hard grip. What….

  “I wouldn’t think so,” the officer agreed, but his voice wasn’t accusing. “There are flecks of red paint on the side of the SUV, though, so that much is accurate. We’ll send out an APB for a red vehicle spotted in the area at the time of the accident. We might get lucky.”

  “How is the family?” Nico asked, voicing Jamie’s concern as well.

  “Too soon to tell. They’ll be taken immediately to the hospital. We’ll try to contact their families to help with the children.”

  The sound of breaking glass caught their attention. Firemen were clearing the broken windshield while the injured adults were taken from the vehicle and placed on stretchers, the paramedics hovering over them. The children came next, bewildered by the activity around them. The little girl started crying, clinging to her brother’s hand. Nico let out a troubled breath and moved toward them, then stopped, looking anxious.

  Catching sight of him, the children launched themselves on him, clinging to his legs when he set them down. “Nicolas, we’re scared,” the little boy told him, voice trembling.

  The police officer stepped to his side. “Do you know them?”

  “A group of us had dinner together earlier. I must be a familiar face in this chaos.”

  A paramedic approached them. “The children appear unharmed, but we’ll take them to the hospital to be sure.” He gave Nico a curious glance. “Are you a family member?”

  “I’m a friend—”

  “Where’s Momma?” The little girl set up a wail. “I want Momma!”

  “We’re taking you to her—”

  “I want Momma!” The girl covered her eyes, sobbing. The little boy tugged Nico’s hand. “Come with us.”

  Nico looked helpless, and the paramedic gave him an almost pleading look. “They have an aunt in the area who’ll meet us at the hospital, but it might help if you came with us. It’s a short ride.”

  “Of course.” Nico took the children’s hands. The ambulance holding their parents had already left, and the children hurriedly climbed into the back of the second emergency vehicle. Jamie wasn’t sure what to do, but Nico waved him over.

  The driver lifted a brow but shrugged as the other paramedic joined Nico and the children in the back. “You can ride up front with me. There’s room.”

  Jamie gave a fleeting thought to their clothing still in the bedroom as he climbed into the passenger seat and the driver started away from the scene, lights flashing. They’d have to come back for their stuff later. As it was, he held on while the driver maneuvered the slippery roads toward the hospital. Now that they were leaving the accident, he wondered about Nico’s reaction when he’d mentioned the red sports car. Fear raised the hair on the back of his neck. Was Piter involved in the accident somehow? Was that why Nico had agreed to go to the hospital? To keep the children safe? He turned in his seat and met Nico’s worried gaze. Damn. Something had brought the strained, despairing look back into Nico’s eyes.

  As promised, it was a quick drive across town to the hospital, the driver silent as he concentrated on the slick road. They pulled into the emergency entrance and the man put the vehicle in park, climbing out to open the rear door. Jamie exited more slowly, careful of the ice under the accumulating snow. He met Nico on the sidewalk, the children clinging to his hands. Nico nodded to him and they followed the paramedics into the bustling emergency room.

  A young woman hurried across the tiled floor to meet them, and the children gave a happy shout. “Aunt Sandy!”

  Nico let go
of their hands, introducing himself to the distracted woman. He looked surprised but delighted when the children gave him a quick wave before disappearing with her and several nurses into one of the adjacent rooms.

  “You were good with them. Thanks for the help,” one of the paramedics said, shaking Nico’s hand before heading back out into the snow. The driver nodded to them and followed, pulling his cap down over his ears.

  Jamie gave the emergency room a troubled look. Nurses hurried as if preparing for arrivals, urgency in their movements. A sense of unreality swept through him. Something felt off… “Nico—”

  “In a minute.” Nico held up a hand to stop his words, glancing quickly around. “Come with me.”

  Jamie followed him to a set of chairs against a far wall. Nico sat and held out his hand and kept hold of Jamie’s fingers when he took the chair beside him. “Now, tell me again about that car you saw after the accident.”

  “I don’t know what I saw, Nico. It was snowing so hard, but I could have sworn it was some kind of a red sports car, low and fast around that corner. But a car like that couldn’t be driven in these conditions, could it?” Nico kept silent and Jamie’s pulse slowed, a cold dread seeping into his veins. He managed a whisper, “Was it Piter?”

  Nico sighed, looking bleak. “I think it must have been. He drives a car like you described, sometimes.”

  “But in the snow, Nico?”

  “It wouldn’t matter to him. It could have been a sports car, but remember, he’s a master at illusion. He can make a person see whatever he wishes them to.”

  “Nico, I need to know. What exactly is he? How is any of this possible?”

  Sorrow filled Nico’s eyes. He lifted Jamie’s hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to his palm. “I will tell you, cuore mio. But it is a long story. Please, have patience with me. It will take time to explain—”