by Krista Ames
She smiled and moved her hand to his chest, kissing him with everything she had.
His hands roamed along her back, pulling her flush against him. He moaned, and pressed his bulging erection to the most vital part of her, still tender from her orgasm.
Dana eased slightly away from him to release the top button of his coat. She moved on to the second, and he lifted her chin with a finger to gaze directly into her eyes. He kissed her gently and once again moved his hands from her thighs to her hips as she continued to work his buttons, never taking her eyes off his.
His lips curved in anticipation.
Their passion had always been strong enough to bring down the walls and mold them into one being. The fire they once had seemed to never die.
Once the last button popped free, Dana ran her hands inside his coat and across his tight stomach, feeling the heat sear through his shirt. Her hands slid across his ribs, to his muscled chest, and over his shoulders, pushing his coat down to the floor. She pulled his shirt from his pants and ran her hands along that same path, licking her lips when her hands met flesh. A groan erupted and escaped through his clenched teeth.
She placed a gentle kiss on his chin, pushed the shirt off his shoulders, and threw it on the counter.
He gripped her hips, grinding his erection against her while he ravished her mouth. Nick tore the thin material of her thong, which escalated her excitement and the need to have him. She fumbled to unbuckle his belt, and finally made quick work to unfasten his pants, pushing them and his boxers down in one swift movement.
His lips left her to nuzzle the tender flesh below her earlobe. “I need you…now,” he whispered, kicking his shoes off and tossing his pants across the kitchen.
“Oh?” Dana grasped his shoulders. He hissed a puff of air and gritted his teeth. Nick was beautiful, sun-tanned with six-pack abs stacked hard, and ready—for her.
She held the base of his erection while he nudged her closer to the edge of the counter. He pushed her hand away. “Wrap your legs around me, baby, and hold on. I can’t wait any longer.”
Dana linked her arms around his shoulders and locked her feet at the small of his back. Her fingernails dug into his skin and her head dropped back when he entered her in one quick, deep thrust.
****
He bore down on her, buried in all the way, and her muscles tightened around him, momentarily keeping him there. He stilled a few heartbeats to regain control.
“You feel so good.”
He slowly withdrew, moved back in, and then hesitated. Dana raised her head. She framed his face in her hands and kissed him hard. “Don’t tease me, Nicholas.”
Smiling, he picked up a slow rhythm. “Is this what you want, Dana? Tell me, honey. Tell me what you want.”
“Oh, yes, Nicholas. Yes,” she gasped. “I want you. I want this, please.”
His lips captured hers as he continued a smooth rhythm, soon matching her thrust, deeper and deeper. Then he stilled. An emotion of coming home washed over him and what he’d wanted all along. What he needed. Nick had dreamed, for five long years, of being with Dana again. Returning to her had kept him going on those long, lonely nights at sea. Telling her the truth was a must, before they went any further.
“Dana…”
She frowned. “Nicholas, what is it?”
“Dana, I need to tell you what happened…”
“Don’t, please. Not now. Not tonight. I need you. Please, Nicholas.” She wiggled her hips, grinding against him and clenching her inner muscles to keep him buried inside her.
“Baby, that’s exactly what I needed to hear, but I don’t want to do this on the kitchen counter. I want you in my bed.” Forever. “Hold tight. I’m carrying you upstairs.”
She giggled and tightened her arms around his neck as he lifted her from the counter. He walked slowly through the kitchen and then the living room. The jarring motion between their bodies was beyond erotic and nearly enough to send him over the edge. He stopped a couple of times on the stairs to hoist her from slipping, and finally made it to his bedroom door.
He gently laid her on the edge of his four-poster, pillow top bed, leaning over her and never once losing connection with her. Nick was amazed by the emotion he saw in her loving gaze. She still cared, and knowing that was more than he could ever hope for.
He reluctantly pulled away from her to turn down the plush, burgundy comforter, revealing crisp, white sheets below. Lifting her to rest her head on the pillows, he knelt beside her, and like a starving man he molded his mouth to hers. He broke the kiss and straddled her legs. With trembling hands, he pulled her zipper down and slowly edged her silky dress up and off her.
Dana reached for him, both hands at the nape of his neck, pulling his mouth down to hers in a lingering, tongue-twisting kiss that left him breathless. His hands gently caressed her plump breasts while his lips slowly crept along her jaw to that sensitive spot behind her ear, making her squirm. He continued his journey down her neck, to the wild pulse beating at the juncture of her shoulder. She gasped for breath. He glanced up to see her heavy-lidded eyes and her silky hair spread out over his pillow.
“Dana, you’re so beautiful. I can’t get enough.”
She lifted her head just as his mouth closed onto one pert nipple. Her fingers gripped his hair to hold him to her. He pulled away and moved to her other breast.
“Nicholas, I can’t take much more. Please…”
Pretending not to hear her, he continued to fondle the tip of her breast with his tongue while situating his leg between her own, spreading them with ease.
“I want to make love to you all night long,” he said.
Dana moaned, giving him all the invitation he needed to be back inside her. He found a rhythm that quickly took him higher until he reached his climax. He shouted his release into the quiet room.
Nick buried his lips into her warm neck, nipping at her skin. Her hands moved lazily over his shoulders and down his dampened back. She seemed lost in thought. He moved to her side, pulling her to him tightly, fearing their lovemaking had been a dream. But this time it wasn’t a dream, she was real. Loving her had been more vivid than any dream he had in the past five years. He loved this woman, deep in his soul.
****
Dana woke several times during the night in a heat of passion, starving for Nick, as he was for her. Their last lovemaking had been under a warm stream of water, and then they’d retreated back to his cozy bed to sleep.
With her hand propping her head up slightly from her damp hair, she lay beside him, watching the moon’s reflection shine off the water to dance along the wall of Nick’s bedroom. The shades over the French doors were still open, creating a romantic atmosphere in the room. He snuggled behind her, his arm snaked around her middle just under her breasts. Heaven seemed like the only word to describe how good his body molded so perfectly against hers. His chest hairs tickled her bare skin, and his legs intertwined with hers.
Dana smiled, remembering the intensity of their lovemaking. Now wasn’t the time to wonder about the consequences and what would happen next, but she couldn’t help but worry. Nick had reeled her in despite her better judgment. She wanted him so badly. This…them naked in bed, should never have happened. Dana needed to leave. She had to get out of his house before he woke up. Shit. Shit. Shit.
She carefully grasped the arm nestled around her and lifted it slightly to see if he would move. He didn’t. Whew. Very slowly, she moved away from him, inch by agonizing inch, until she was free. She immediately sensed the loss of his warm body. When he shifted to lie on his stomach, she paused for a moment to watch him sleep. He was so peaceful and handsome. Her heart ached. Well, no more. She couldn’t go back. The hurt was too deep in her soul.
She sat on the edge of the bed, scanning the room for her clothes. Her dress laid in a wrinkled mess near a mahogany dresser and then she remembered the rest of her clothes were on the kitchen floor.
She eyed one of his Navy T-shirts lying
on the old bamboo rocker in the corner of his room and grabbed it as she dashed to the bathroom. Dana held his shirt to her nose before pulling it over her head. It smelled just like him. In the bathroom, she found a pile of neatly folded laundry on the counter. She snatched a pair of boxers, stepped into them, before glancing at her reflection in the mirror. Thankfully she looked presentable wearing a baggy T-shirt and shorts. No one would know the difference. She then tiptoed through his room and down to the kitchen.
Picking up her purse, stockings, and shoes, she called a cab and waited at the door. She had requested the driver not to honk upon his arrival. Not only did she not want to wake Nicholas, because he’d surely come after her, but the sound of a car horn would also wake his neighbors. What a sight they’d get this morning, a woman sneaking out of Nick’s house in the wee hours of the morning. Rumors would be buzzing before morning tea.
Twenty-five minutes later, the cab dropped Dana off in front of Amy’s townhouse. Dana paid the driver, and then said a silent prayer that Dave and Amy had gone somewhere else after the party. She’d sneak in and hope for the best. She dug in her purse for the key, slowly turned the door handle, and stepped into the dark house. No one seemed to be home, but she still tiptoed to the spare room. She dumped her purse by the door and crawled under the comforter, breathing in his scent from his T-shirt. She cried until sleep found her.
Chapter Six
Nick knew Dana had left even before he opened his eyes or moved his hand to where she had slept.
“Damn it.” He pounded his fist into his pillow. “This is not how this was supposed to work out.”
He swung his legs to the edge of the bed, squinting from the bright sun shining through the windows. Reaching for his T-shirt, he frowned. He was sure he had left it on the chair after his workout, but it was missing. Nick laughed. Dana must have taken it. When they were dating, his shirts seemed to disappear and reappear at her house. He loved watching her walk around wearing his shirt. A tempting scent of pineapple and coconut lingered on his clothes when she gave them back to him.
Why was he torturing himself? She had left in the middle of the night and didn’t wake him. That should clearly explain where she stood.
He let out a frustrated sigh and headed for the shower. Damn if the bathroom didn’t smell like pineapples and coconuts. He had created one hell of a huge mess.
****
Dana heard her bedroom door squeak, but didn’t bother to uncover her head. “Go away, Amy.”
She was still mad at her friend for letting her walk blindly into the party with Nick there. The bed dipped as Amy sat on the edge. It was obvious she wasn’t going away.
“I’m sorry,” Amy said. “Just tell me what I can do, and I’ll do it. I feel really bad about this.”
Dana whipped the sheet off her face. “How could you do that to me? You knew what he meant to me. How could you put me in that position?”
Amy hesitated. “I was afraid if you knew Nick was there, you wouldn’t come.”
Dana sat up and stared at her friend. “You’re my best friend. I would do anything in this world to see you happy. It would have been nice to at least know. I could have prepared better to see him.”
“I’m so sorry, Dana. Really, I am. I know you’re angry about how he left, but he seemed so sincere and wanted to make up for the past. The guys had already planned it out, and you had your plane ticket by then. I thought if I told you about Nick, you wouldn’t come. I wanted you here so badly. It wouldn’t be the same without you by my side.”
Oh, geez. Now Dana felt like a selfish idiot. Of course Amy meant no harm. “It was such a shock. I’ve dreamed about him for five lonely, long years, but I didn’t think I’d see him again. I never worked through what would happen if I did.”
“Was it really that bad?” Amy asked.
Dana lowered her head, hoping Amy wouldn’t see the tears that formed at the corners of her eyes. She let out a heavy sigh and fought back the tears. “It was awful…and so wonderful at the same time.” She glanced at her best friend to see a smile cross Amy’s face. “When I saw him, he took my breath away, but then I got so mad and confused. I didn’t know what to do. I panicked, and I ran from the room.”
“I wanted to follow you, but Nick said he had to make things right.”
“I agreed to a truce for your sake. Otherwise, I would have left his house immediately. I may have even left Seattle.”
“Well, I’m glad he convinced you to stay.”
Dana clenched the comforter in her lap.
“So?” Amy asked after a long silence.
“So…what?”
“Don’t so what me, girl. I wanna know what happened after Dave and I left. Details, please.”
Dana shook her head.
“Dana!” Amy’s voice held an authoritative tone.
After a moment’s pause, Dana met Amy’s gaze. “I slept with him, all right? Are you happy? I slept with Nick, and it couldn’t have been more wonderful. Even better than I imagined after all these years of my heart breaking every time I thought of him, which was pretty much every damn waking moment of my pitiful life.” At this point, Dana couldn’t stop the tears streaming down her face, and she just didn’t care.
“Oh, sweetie.” Amy pulled Dana in her arms and held her.
“What am I gonna do, Amy?”
“Nick called this morning.”
Dana wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “What did you tell him?”
“That you were asleep. I didn’t know what happened last night, so there wasn’t anything else for me to tell him. He wants you to call him.”
“I can’t do that.” Dana’s determination to be strong had returned.
“Why not?”
“Because nothing’s changed.”
“Wait, are you telling me you slept with him, but you didn’t talk?”
“I know it was a huge mistake.”
“You’re right. You should have talked first, had sex later.”
Dana laughed. “No, I never should have slept with him at all. He tried to explain, but at the time I didn’t want to hear. I just wanted to be with him so badly. There’s no future for us.”
“Oh, no, you don’t!” Amy shook her head, her hands waving in protest.
“Excuse me?” Dana frowned.
“I will absolutely not let you walk away from this man after all these years, not without hearing what he has to say first.”
“Amy…”
“I won’t let you do it, Dana. You love this man, and I know he loves you. It’s so blatantly obvious.”
“I’m not sure it matters.”
“Of course it matters!” Amy’s scream echoed in the small room. “After last night, do you really think you can leave Seattle, and Nick, and move on with the rest of your life?”
“Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”
“Changing the subject won’t distract me.”
Dana took a deep breath and then sighed. “Honestly, yes, I was hoping.”
“Okay, that’s fine. Bury your head under the covers. I have to go back to work. My lunch break is over, but this discussion is not. Nick isn’t going away, and he isn’t going to let go of you as easily as you apparently think he will.”
“Whose side are you on?”
“You know I’m on your side. He’s a good guy, and he really is sorry. Would you at least agree to talk to him?”
“Fine.”
“So you’ll call him?”
“I’m not sure I can,” she whispered. “I snuck out of his house like a common thief while he slept. He must hate me.”
“Well, I seriously doubt that, but he called, so he can’t hate you that much. He screwed up, now give him a chance to make up. Nick went through an awful lot just to get you to that party last night. He deserves the chance to explain.”
Dana tossed the covers to the side of the bed, nodding her head in agreement. “Man, I have a headache.”
“I have to get back to wo
rk. Get your butt out of bed, take a shower, and get something to eat. You’ll look alive and feel better.”
Dana followed Amy to the kitchen and made a pot of coffee. She searched the cupboard for a bottle of aspirin.
“Let me guess, those are his clothes?”
Dana laughed and then winced as her head throbbed. “Yeah, I couldn’t resist.”
“All right, I’m leaving.” Amy hugged her. “It’s going to work out. Trust me. I’ll check on you later.”
An hour later, Dana stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. She appeared somewhat human again, clean from a much-needed shower and stomach full from leftovers in the refrigerator. The several cups of coffee she drank along with a couple headache tablets helped ease the pain in her head.
“Now I just need to get Nicholas out of my head, so I can get some work done. Like that’s even possible.”
She unpacked her laptop and spread her paperwork over the bed. Dana anticipated the next week to be busy with Amy and wedding plans, so getting ahead of her own work now would be a bonus.
She checked emails and communicated with her stepsister about handling the customers’ shipments. There were new orders to update on her web site, and a few supply-stock orders she needed to check on. She also jotted down a few ideas in her notebook about a cookbook idea she had been throwing around with one of the editors she knew in New York.
The ringing phone in the kitchen broke her concentration, just about scaring the crap out of her. It was probably Amy checking up on her. What were best friends for?
She snatched the phone on the fourth ring, praying she caught it before it switched to the answering machine. Dana would definitely hear a lecture if Amy had to leave a message.
“Hello.” Dana took a deep breath, her pulse racing from running to answer the phone.