Chapter 22
It was nine a.m. when she woke up. Nick wasn’t home. It felt strange to be in his apartment without him, and even stranger to think that he must have spent the night at his girlfriend’s house. She still couldn’t believe he had a girlfriend. She wondered if he was going to bring her to Carson and Ali’s New Year’s Eve party. She hoped not. Maybe she’d stay home she thought.
She didn’t see Nick much for the next few days. She wasn’t sure whether it bothered her more that he was staying away or that he was spending all his time with his girlfriend and avoiding her even more than usual.
On New Year’s Eve, the bowling alley closed at 6, since Bobby had his private party there after it was closed to the regular patrons. She drove back to the apartment and took a shower. She had no idea what to wear. She settled on jeans and one of the shirts that Gabe had bought her after much deliberation in front of her closet. The shirt was tight and low cut, but she didn’t care.
If Nick wasn’t going to be around the apartment to catch her in her lingerie, she’d make sure he knew what he was missing anyway she thought.
Ali had asked her to come over before the party officially began to help her set up, so Ali and the baby were the only ones there when Ami pulled up. Ali opened the door, Jenesis in her arms.
“She is so gorgeous,” Ami said.
“I know,” Alicia said with a tired smile.
“Has Brian been down to see her?”
Ali sighed, shutting the door behind them. “No. I’ve sent him a thousand pictures, but he keeps putting me off. He says it might be another couple of weeks before he’ll be able to come down.”
The baby’s eyes drifted closed. Ali gently laid her down in the travel bassinet in the living room.
“That sucks. Hey Ali, I wanted to ask you a question.”
“Okay.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that Nick had a girlfriend?”
Ali let out another sigh. “I’m sorry hon. Nick begged me and Carson not to. I don’t know why.”
“Because he’s an asshole maybe?”
“Men are crazy.”
“Where’s Carson?”
“Still at work. That’s why you got elected to help me set up for this party.”
“Isn’t the noise going to bother Jenesis?”
“The nursery is way in the back of the house so it shouldn’t bother her. I’ll have the baby monitor of course and I won’t be drinking because I’m nursing.”
“You’re no fun,” Ami teased.
“Feel free to get trashed. It sounds like you deserve it.”
Ami laughed. “I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”
“I’ve only been drunk once. I don’t want to make a fool of myself in front of everybody.”
“It’s a New Year’s Eve party. Everyone will be making a fool of themselves. You don’t want to know how much money Carson’s spending on booze.”
“Probably not. Is Nick bringing his girlfriend?”
“No. She went to her parents I think. Or it might have been her sister’s. I don’t know.”
“What’s she like?”
Ali shrugged. “Don’t know really. Nick’s only brought her by twice. She’s quiet. Tall. Big but not fat. Hair down to her butt. Weird contacts that make her eyes look really creepy.”
“Where did he meet her?”
“At the bowling alley. On a weekend you weren’t working.”
“Great.”
“I think he planned on her being a one night stand but it turned into more.”
“Is he serious about her?”
“That’s a tough one Ami. I would say yes because Nick doesn’t go out with girls he’s not serious about and he’s been with her for two months. But he’s taken pains to hide her from you, so I’m thinking that you’re the one that he wants and he’s too stubborn to admit it.”
“I doubt that.”
“It’s just my opinion. I still think that you two are going to be together by Valentine’s Day. Now, we’d better get to work.”
Ami helped Ali put out bowls filled with chips and dips. There were sandwiches and cakes and cookies. Carson was bringing the alcohol, so the only drinks they put out were nonalcoholic; soda, bottles of water and a huge bowl of punch. Ami wondered how much money they’d spent on the party.
Carson came home, kissed Ali and Jenesis, and then went about setting out the alcohol.
Soon guests started to arrive. She spied Rick and Candy and gave her friends both a hug.
They couldn’t stay long, but both seemed to be in good spirits.
Ali snuck off about halfway through to nurse the baby. Ami suddenly found herself alone with Nick, who’d just shown up.
“Hi,” he said.
“Hi.” She started to walk away. She didn’t want to talk to him.
“Ami stop.”
“No.”
He sighed. “Come outside with me and have a cigarette.”
She’d been planning to have one anyway, but she didn’t want to go outside with him.
She didn’t care if there were other people around she thought. She was pissed at him. Finally, her nicotine craving won out and she followed him out the door.
And immediately started shivering because she’d forgotten to bring her jacket. Nick draped his over her shoulders. She wanted to shrug it off, but she really was cold. She lit her cigarette, not looking at him.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“For what?”
“For moving your stuff when you told me not to. For not telling you about Carlie. I care about you Ami. I’d really like it if we could be friends.”
“I don’t think that’s going to happen Nick. We can be roommates, but not friends.”
He chuckled. “It’s not funny. How much do you really care about Carlie when you’re too chicken to tell me about her?”
“I care about her.”
Yet, there was a but in his voice she thought. “Of course you do.”
“I do.”
“I don’t feel comfortable living with you.”
“Why not? I’d never hurt you.”
“You’re afraid of me.”
He laughed but didn’t deny it. “You never cease to surprise me Ami.”
“I’m a regular laugh riot Nick. You know what? I don’t care. Bring Carlie over. Screw her in the living room. Just don’t pretend that she doesn’t exist on my account. That’s a real asshole thing of you to do.”
“You’re probably right. I didn’t mean it that way. For either of you.”
“It sounds like you’re really ashamed of one of us.”
“Not true Ami. I’m not ashamed of either of you.”
“Yeah.” She lit another cigarette.
“Did you tell Ali you were with Gabe again?”
She gave him a dirty look. “No. And you and Carson don’t need to gossip about it either.”
“Are you really planning on sleeping with him again?”
“It’s none of your business Nick. I think it’s probably better if we don’t discuss our sex lives. We’re not that kind of friends.”
“Yeah.”
He ran a hand through his hair. It had started to get longer, and she thought he looked even better. He looked so good tonight that she couldn’t stand to look at him anymore. She pushed his jacket back into his hands and went back inside.
She left around one a.m. Nick had already left, but he wasn’t home when she got there.
She sighed and went to bed. He was there the next morning when she woke up, though there was no sign of Carlie, and for that she was glad.
He didn’t say anything to her, merely made a face at the fact she was wearing one of her teddies when she came into the kitchen, and then turned around and went back to his room.
Chapter 23
January passed quickly. Candy and Rick were married in a beautiful ceremony on January 11th. She was in a routine at the bowling alley and found she really liked both Penny and
Missy. She spent as much time as she could with Ali and the baby. Elijah was living with them full time by the end of January and they were quite the happy family. But she still felt no closer to being prepared to raise Charlie.
It was February before Brian made it down to meet his daughter, and the trip disappointed Ali. He only stayed two days, and she confessed to Ami when he’d left that she was glad that Jenesis would grow up with Carson as her father, because Brian didn’t seem very interested in his child. She wasn’t going to give up trying though, and Ami had to hand that to her.
Candy and Rick had a healthy baby boy that they named Riley on February 2nd.
On Valentine’s Day, Ami worked. She’d been tempted to call Gabe for a cheap fuck, but she’d kept her head and decided against it. After she got off of work, she went home to an empty apartment and got trashed; trying not to think about what Nick was doing with Carlie for Valentine’s Day.
In March, Nick started sleeping at the apartment more, even though she knew she was driving him crazy walking around in trashy lingerie.
Chapter 24
It was the second week of March and she was going through the mail when a knock sounded at the door. She got up and opened the door, seeing Brad standing on the other side.
“Nick’s not here.”
“That’s okay.” His voice was slurred. “I came to see you.”
“Um okay. What do you need Brad?”
“I need you. If Nick’s not tapping your tasty ass, then I thought I might as well give it a try.”
He tried to kiss her. She reached out to shove him away, but he grabbed her arm and pinned it behind her back. “Come on Ami. Don’t be a tease. I’ve seen you walking around when Nick’s at work in that skimpy little teddy of yours. Standing in front on the window with the curtain open. Tits hanging out. I know you want me Ami. I can show you what a real man feels like.”
She felt a stab of panic. He was going to rape her she thought. She could feel his erection pressing against her leg. She tried to move, but he still had her arm pinned. He kissed her roughly, his breath hot and smelly in her face. She tried to knee him in the groin, but he blocked it and reached out and grabbed her shirt, tearing it. She wanted to scream. Why did Nick have to be at work? She closed her eyes, wondering what the hell she was going to do. He was too strong to fight off.
Before she had another thought, the door burst open and Brad was knocked off of her and onto the floor, Gabe on top of him, big hands smashing into Brad’s face. She was stunned.
Where the hell had Gabe come from she wondered? How had he known? Suddenly she was crying. Gabe turned towards her briefly, and then went back to smashing Brad’s face. He was going to kill him she thought. She had to do something.
“Stop it Gabe.”
“He was going to rape you.”
“That doesn’t mean you can kill him. Get off of him.”
Brad tried to sit up and Gabe pushed him back down. “Sack of shit,” he said. Brad didn’t say anything, just looked at Ami pleadingly.
“Get off of him Gabe. You’re probably going to go to jail for what you did to his face.”
Brad’s nose was bleeding, his eye was turning dark and his lip was split open.
Gabe laughed. “Yeah, right. I should kill the fucker and bury him. The world would be a better place without sorry fucks like ol’ Brad here. His wife leaves him and then he decides he’s going to take a chance with you.”
He turned and spit in Brad’s face. Brad wiped it off angrily, but didn’t make another move to get up. Gabe was still sitting on him. “If I let your sorry ass up, you gonna try anything else?”
Brad shook his head. Gabe socked him in the gut, and then roughly pulled the other man to his feet. “Get the fuck out of here. If I ever see you around here again, I’ll make you wish you’d never been born.”
Not looking at her, Brad turned and practically ran out the door. Gabe reached over and shut the door.
“You okay?” She nodded, trying to pull her shirt together. “Are you supposed to work today?”
“Yeah.”
“Not anymore.” He pulled out his cell phone and called the bowling alley. “Yeah, can I talk to Nick? Hey Nick. Ami’s not gonna make it in today. She had a little incident with your good for nothing neighbor. No. I’ll take care of her. Don’t even want to think about what would have happened if I hadn’t been here. Yeah. Uh huh. You can talk to her when you get home.”
He hung up the phone without saying goodbye. Gabe pulled her into his arms. “You should have let me kill him.”
“You can’t go around killing people because they hit on me.” She was much calmer now that Brad was gone.
“He would have raped you if I hadn’t been here.”
“What are you doing here anyway?”
“I happened to drive by and saw Brad knocking on the door. I stopped and watched through the window. I had a feeling he was up to no good. I don’t know what I would have done if he’d raped you baby. I probably would have killed him.” She tried to pull back from him but he held to her more tightly. “I have missed you so much.”
She let him hold her, letting herself feel his strength for a moment. It felt so good to be held, even if it was Gabe that was holding her when she wanted it to be Nick. Finally she pulled back.
“I need to change my shirt.”
“Let me hold you please.”
He pulled her onto his lap. She sat still, letting him hold her. It was all too easy to just let him hold her she thought. Finally, when she felt his erection starting to blossom against her butt, she pulled back.
“Gabe.”
“I’m sorry baby. I can’t help it. You can’t imagine what it’s like, wanting you so much and not being able to have you. It tears me apart inside.”
“I know.” It didn’t change her feelings for him, but she knew.
“Those days that I spent with you were some of the best days of my life. When I have you in my arms, I don’t ever want to let go.”
“Gabe, I know that that’s how you feel. I just don’t feel the same way.”
“If you’d let me in, if you’d just let me show you Ami, I know that I could make you happy.”
“You know that it wouldn’t be fair for either of us if I did that.”
He shifted her on his lap. “I love you Ami.”
“I know you do Gabe. And I thank you for being here. But I think it’s time for you to go.”
“Honey you’re upset and understandably so. I don’t want to leave you right now.”
She sighed. “Let me change my shirt.”
He helped her to her feet. She took her time in the bedroom. She didn’t want to be alone, but she would much rather have had Nick with her than Gabe. She returned to the living room and lit a cigarette.
Gabe pulled her back onto his lap. She could tell that he still had an erection. She shifted her weight and leaned against his chest.
“I love the way you smell.”
“Thank you.” She thought that he smelled pretty good himself, but she wasn’t going to tell him that.
He rubbed his nose along her neck. “Can I kiss you?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea Gabe.”
He sighed, and kissed her neck anyway. She shifted on his lap again, so that she wasn’t sitting on his erection. When she leaned over to put her cigarette out, he put his hand under her shirt.
“Gabe. Please don’t.”
“I only want to make you feel good. Let me give you a massage. You’re so tense.”
She sighed. She was tense, but he wasn’t making it any better. Before she could tell him no again, he unhooked her bra and pulled her shirt over her head. He moved her gently off of his lap, and immediately went to work with his hands.
His hands were magic. His hands made her feel things she didn’t want to feel, even though he didn’t make any inappropriate moves. When he was finished massaging her back, he pulled her back onto his lap. She didn’t protest when he kis
sed her this time. He tasted of chocolate and coffee, with an undertone of peppermint.
Her only thought of Nick when she was in Gabe’s arms was a brief fear that he would walk in on them. But soon all thought was gone from her head as his hands roamed her body.
She still didn’t quite understand how he could be so gentle and so passionate at the same time.
When he unbuckled his pants she said “Let’s go to my bedroom.”
He ran his tongue down her neck. “I want you here. Right now.”
Without ever completely letting go of her, he undressed himself and her, and turned her around on his lap so that she was facing away from him. She thought it was incredible. He gripped her hips with hands that were gentle but firm. The rhythm their bodies made together made her cry out his name over and over.
She wasn’t sure how long it lasted, but she was exhausted by the time they were finished, her legs shaky. He helped her stand up and then she almost immediately collapsed back onto the couch. If only he weren’t married she thought. If only he weren’t such an incredible lover.
If only she wanted him as much as he wanted her.
“Hand me my cigarettes will you please?” He grinned, and handed her a cigarette, lighting it for her. She took a deep drag. “Gabe.”
“Yes my love?”
“You know that we can’t do this again.”
He frowned. “Why? We’re perfect together. I know that when we make love you feel it too. The rightness of it.”
“You are a fantastic lover Gabe, but I’m not in love with you and I never will be.”
“Because you won’t let yourself be. I know that it’s hurting you to stay here with Nick when he’s in love with someone else.”
“Yes. But all the great sex in the world unfortunately won’t make me fall in love with you Gabe.”
He sighed. “Will you let me buy you dinner?”
“Fine.”
“What do you want?”
“I don’t care. I should have gone to work.”
“Are you kidding me? You were almost raped. You would have been if I hadn’t been here.”
“Don’t remind me.” She reached for her clothes.
“I’m so sorry babe.”
“Don’t worry about it.” She threw his boxer briefs at him. “Get dressed.”
Misty Reigenborn Romance Boxed Set Page 95