Wine & Whiskey: Everything for You (Surviving Absolution Book 2)

by Nikki Belaire

  “Okay, that’s enough. I’m ready for my adult time now.”

  He keeps his lips pressed against her abdomen and looks up as her fingers curl around his ears, trying to tug him toward her. “Blackmail one guy and you think you can boss everyone around, do you?”

  She raises her eyebrows, giving him her most serious expression. “Yes.”

  “Okay.”

  Another burst of laughter welcomes him as he trails kisses up her body and finds her mouth. Four weeks of torture evaporates from her soft moan, her body lifting up to meet his. He can’t get enough, his hands feverishly roaming from her hair, to her face, to her breasts, trying to take in every bit of her sweetness. Never expecting to be with her ever again, every nerve in his body pulses like a jackhammer with her pressed against him, her hands gripping his back, her satiny lips brushing against his neck.

  Fucking shit. He’s got to control himself. He takes a deep breath and places gentle kisses along her throat before whispering in her ear, “Tell me what I like to hear.”

  She glides her fingertips across his stomach and up his chest before stroking his cheek. “You’re very sexy.”

  “You think you’re pretty funny, don’t you?” He tickles her side, making her squeal. “Try again.”

  Her fingers wrap around the back of his neck and tug on his hair. “Your curls turn me on.”

  God, how he’s missed her playful side. He growls in her ear. “Don’t toy with me. I know exactly how to get what I want.” A shaky gasp escapes from her mouth as he slips his hand between her legs, caressing her soft folds. “Something you want to tell me?”

  “I love you, Nick.”

  His groin throbs even harder at her absolute conviction. She finally says the words he’s longed to hear without stress or worry. Only tenderness surrounds them. “See, I told you I have my ways.” He dips in one finger, and her hips lift, straining against his hand. “What else?”

  “I know you love me.”

  “Good.” He circles her throbbing nub with his thumb, her back arching off the bed as he sucks the tender skin behind her ear. “One more.”

  “I-I don’t know.” Her eyes squeeze shut with her breathless answer.

  “Yes, you do. My favorite…”

  “Fiancé?”

  Kissing her forehead, he smiles down at her before jumping off the bed.

  She laughs and rises up on her elbows, watching him dig through the dresser drawer. “What are you up to?”

  Shivers roll through her naked body as he sits next to her. He lifts the comforter and wraps it around her shoulders. “Are you cold?”

  She shakes her head, a huge smile lighting up her gorgeous face. Finally for him. Because of him. The love radiating from her sparkling eyes gives him his answer before he even asks, yet the words must still be spoken. For both of them.

  “I know this is the worst proposal ever, but I have to do it.” The black velvet box sits on the blanket between them while he holds her hands, her delicate fingers squeezing his with unwavering reassurance.

  “You’re the only person to ever see good in me, even though I know it’s really your own goodness reflected back at you. But I want to be the man you think I am, and if you’ll marry me, I promise to do everything you and the baby need for you to always believe in me.” He palms the box one last time before he opens it. “Will you let me be your husband?”

  “Yes.” Her face glows as he slides the ring on her trembling finger and kisses it. “I will be proud to be your wife.”

  Proud. Yet again, she stirs emotions in him no one else can generate. Not since his mother’s disappearance has he swallowed down the thickening of his throat. “Promise me you won’t ever take it off.”

  “I promise. It’s forever.” A whispered vow against his lips before he lays her back on the bed.

  Supporting his weight on one forearm, his other hand glides down her arm and rests on her fingers splayed across her belly. The glistening against her skin is the only other light in the sun-drenched room. His ring. His baby. The fantasy he’s dreamed of, almost since the first moment he saw her, has become reality.

  He caresses her cheek, curled into his palm from her stunning smile. His breath hitches as she wraps her fingers around his and turns to let her lips graze each of his fingertips. “I trust these hands. I know they’ll only touch me out of love.”

  No hesitation or doubt. Just unwavering certainty as her eyes lock with his, her hand lighting an inferno he can’t control, gliding from his cheek down his torso to his need pulsing between their entangled bodies.

  God fucking damn. A shudder rocks him to his core, a primal moan ripping from his chest at her feathery strokes before she guides him against her softness. Giving him permission to take her. Completely. Unconditionally. Fully. To find the only peace he knows from being inside her.

  Their fingers entwine as he sinks between her silky folds, fighting every desire screaming inside him to ravage her. His forehead presses against hers, letting her delicate body adjust to his fullness. “I swear to God I’ll never hurt you again.”

  “I know.” Her mouth meets his, sharing a hungered breath.

  Skin skimming against skin, they synchronize into the same slow rhythm, building intensity threatening to consume him as he buries himself deeper. Her eyes drift shut, and her lips part, slender fingers tangling in his curls. Unable to get enough, his hand slides under her cashmere thigh, holding her tighter against him. She answers his need, wrapping her legs around him, encouraging his thrusts with her fingernails grazing over his scalp.

  The urgent whisper of his name against his shoulder undoes him, and his restraint gives way. He drives into her wet heat, over and over, almost convulsing at the feel of her around him. “You’re mine, and I’m never letting you go.”

  Her throaty moans drive him to the edge, her panting breath singeing his skin, her cheek against his. “I love you, Nick.”

  He kisses her lips as she trembles and cries out. “I love you too.”

  Chapter Three

  Max tosses his phone on the cushion next to him, his gut clenching at the outcome of his call. Exactly the result Nick wants, but what he fears neither of them can recover from. Against his own objections, he sets the plan in motion to eliminate any doubts about Nick’s reputation for ruthless domination. Not since the aftermath of Salvador’s assassination attempt have they implemented anything this destructive.

  Last time, Nick was arrogant and naïve, eager to prove himself and unafraid of the consequences from his actions. Now, they both understand exactly what he’s doing, including the price he’ll pay if their plot fails. “That’s the last one. Everything’s set for Friday.”

  Nick looks up from the sonogram picture Shae must have given him. His thumb swipes over the image before he tucks it back into the corner of the picture frame on his desk. “Even Enrique?”

  “Yeah, he’s the most eager of everyone to attend.”

  Nick leans back in his chair, stretching out his arms and lacing his fingers behind his head. His expression is unreadable as he stares at the ceiling. “Good.”

  Although he already knows the answer, he must try one last time to convince his boss to call off the scheme he’s orchestrating. “Are you sure you want to do this? It’s a hell of a risk.”

  “I don’t have any fucking choice.” Nick points to the closed door of his office, his voice tinged with regret as strong as his own. “She’s been through hell, and I can’t let it fucking happen again.”

  Not wanting Shae to be alone upstairs, Nick convinced her to watch a movie in the living room while they worked. Asleep after about ten minutes, the evidence of her exhaustion revives Max’s guilt. Starting to get an inkling something was off with Carter, he had his men tracking down the proof he needed to take it to Nick. Confirmation of his suspicions came through while Nick was at her house. Just five minutes sooner, and Carter would never have fucking gotten to her. “But, if you die—”

  Nick puts his han
d up, dismissing the argument. “I’ll do anything I have to do to keep her safe. Besides, I know you’ll take care of her.”

  The promise he made long ago never more likely than now to be kept. At the time, he accepted the commitment out of loyalty to Nick. Now, his dedication to Shae is just as strong. If something happens to Nick, her heartbreak would devastate him. “Yeah, but she’ll fucking hate both of us for it.”

  “I know.” Nick rubs his hands across his face, blowing out a deep sigh. “Now, I just need to figure out what to tell her. I can’t take a chance and have her there.”

  “Either way, you’re screwed. She’ll never let you host a memorial service without her. And she sure as hell won’t let you go through with what you’re planning if you tell her the truth.”

  Although she may not fully comprehend their world, she understands the damage caused by their demand for revenge—a desire she doesn’t possess—and he knows she wishes they didn’t either. Even after the attack at the airport, she cried over Carter, as well as the hit men who didn’t feel a bit of remorse for gunning after them. Although he’s never killed a man with a woman trembling beneath him, he can’t deny the satisfaction in seeing the shooters dead after terrorizing her.

  “I’ll figure something out. Anyway, do you have the paperwork for the lab? I can get the paternity test taken care of while she’s sleeping.”

  He pulls the folded forms from inside his jacket and slides them across the desk. “I’ll let Oscar know we’re going out.”

  “No, I’ll take him with me. You stay here and keep an eye on Shae in case she wakes up while I’m gone.” Nick rises from his chair and stuffs the sheets in his pocket. “When I get back, why don’t you take off for a while? Other than her doctor’s appointment at noon, we won’t be going out again.”

  Getting away would be good. Maybe clearing his mind would end the unwelcome thoughts tormenting him during the day and the dreams haunting him each night. “Yeah, I could definitely use a long ride.”

  Nick nods at him as he opens the door. In the living room, Nick pauses in front of the sofa. He covers Shae with another blanket and caresses her cheek before walking out of the house.

  He smiles and shakes his head at his boss’s gentleness with her. A sharp contrast to the brutality he invokes for the men invited to the ruse of Carter’s funeral. Destroying Juan’s distribution system was a calculated risk that squelched some of the rumblings of his weakness. Hopefully, this next gamble will be the final answer to any uncertainty.

  Unable to remember the last time he allowed himself a day off, he jogs to his room to change clothes and grab his helmet. He’s never needed time away more than today. Shrugging into his jeans, he freezes at Shae’s scream from the living room.

  What the fuck?

  Every nerve in his body pulses as he yanks his gun from its holster and races down the hallway. Who in the hell can be hurting her here? His body softens at the discovery no one else is in the room, yet his stomach twists at her fear. She struggles against the blankets, her soft cries muffled from her thrashing.

  He shoves the weapon into the sheath and drops next to her on the oversized couch. Lifting her from the cushions by her trembling shoulders, he gives her a gentle shake. “Hey, it’s okay. Wake up.”

  She blinks a few times before her eyes focus on him. “Max?”

  “Yeah, it’s me. It was just a dream.”

  Her arms fly around his neck, her body shivering against his. “It…it was Carter. He killed you and Nick. He wouldn’t let me go.”

  “You’re safe now. Nick and I are fine. Everything’s okay.”

  Her hair brushes against his cheek as she nods, accepting the reassurance he provides. Yet, she doesn’t loosen her grip. “It seemed so real.”

  “Carter’s dead. You don’t have to be afraid anymore.” He reaches up to rub her back before jerking his hand down. What the fuck is he doing? He can’t touch her like this. As soon as Nick gets back, he’s got to get the fuck out of here. Away from the stress jacking with his mind. Away from the confusion she generates in him.

  After a few minutes, the shaking stops, and a deep, shuddering breath tickles his neck. “Thank you.”

  He forces a smile to greet her as she leans back from him. “We’re good?”

  “Always.” She gives him a small grin and looks around. “Where’s Nick?”

  “He went to take the paternity test.”

  She nods and tucks a wayward hair behind her ear. A little bit of color returns to her cheeks. “I’m starving.”

  Another good sign. How she stays so tiny with that enormous appetite, he’ll never figure out. “I’m making a shake. Do you want one?”

  A growing smile lights up her face. “Chocolate malt?”

  “No, protein.”

  Wrinkling her nose, she shakes her head. “Not if it’s the one that tastes like feet.”

  A huge laugh erupts from his chest. Please let this be a pregnancy thing. She cannot be a pervert. “Now how do you know what feet taste like? Do you have some kind of weird fetish I don’t know about?”

  “No!” She shrugs her shoulders and smooths down the blanket covering her lap, her voice squeaky with embarrassment. “It just smells like how I think feet would taste. I can’t explain it.”

  He stands up and offers her his arm. She wraps her fingers around his bicep and giggles as he escorts her to the kitchen.

  “Okay, how about I make you a smoothie instead? I guess Marta went to the store because the fridge is loaded with fruit.”

  “I’d rather have chocolate.” Her tone is lyrical like a song, as if her cute ploy will make him say yes.

  “Not on my watch. No more sweets for you.”

  She washes her hands before sitting on the bar stool across the island from him, cutting the stems off the strawberries. The huge diamond on her finger sparkles as it catches the light. At the time, he thought Nick was crazy for having a ring made after only knowing her for a week. Who drops millions on a woman he’s just met? It’s not very often he’s this glad to be so wrong. “Could you please turn to the left a little bit? That ice cube on your hand keeps blinding me.”

  Her cheeks tint pink as she drops her gaze and rubs her finger across the stone. “He got a little carried away, didn’t he?”

  “Love will do that to you.”

  Another huge smile lights up her face. “Yeah, I guess it will.”

  “Congratulations, by the way. On the wedding and the baby. I’m happy for you guys.” Which is the truth, yet fused with worry he keeps from her right now. Her trepidation in telling Nick was more valid than she realizes. Children are the ultimate weakness, easy targets for retaliation. He’ll have to hire a team to keep this baby safe.

  “Thanks. Now, you’ll be like a cool uncle.” She wiggles her eyebrows at him, trying to ensure he gets her hint. “You know, the good kind who takes you out for ice cream and donuts.”

  “You might as well stop. I’m not giving in.” He puts his hands up before turning around and digging through the refrigerator. “Okay, drop in the berries, and then I’ll add Greek yogurt, mint, vanilla extract, and honey.”

  Once it blends, he pours a tall glass and hands it to her. Her eyes close after taking a sip. “It’s fabulous. How did you come up with this?”

  “I found the recipe in a magazine.”

  Her laughter fills the room. “Okay, I take back what I said about you being cool. You’re a nerd.”

  This is what he missed the most when she was gone—her simple sweetness and cheerfulness easing some of the hellish tension permeating their world. “Takes one to know one.”

  “What are you, ten?”

  He crosses his arms, pretending to negotiate a truce. “We’ll be nerds together. You can have your movies and popcorn, and I’ll have my smoothie recipes.”

  “Deal.”

  She clinks her glass against his as Nick walks into the kitchen and drapes his arms around her shoulders, making her face glow with love. For
Nick. The way it should be.

  Nick kisses her cheek before nodding at Max. “You’re not making those shakes that smell like feet, are you?”

  Shae’s hands fly to her mouth as she tries to hold back her laugh.

  “I’m out.” Max rolls his eyes and sets the pitcher in the sink. “Good-bye. You two deserve each other.”

  Grabbing his helmet, he doesn’t look back as he closes the door behind him.

  * * * *

  “What’s that about?” Nick kisses across her bare shoulders, warm and silky under his lips. She was all he could think about on the ride home, failing to focus enough to get any work done regardless of the revised takeover strategy screaming from his inbox for his review. Unable to concentrate on the final proposal knowing she waits for him.

  That she would be there when he returned.

  That she will always be home to him, no matter where they live or what they do.

  She stretches underneath his fingertips, following his strokes before her eyes drift shut. His body tightens, hard and throbbing, needing her again, even after burying himself inside her just a few hours earlier. Never able to get enough. Never wanting to endure the torment of being without her again.

  “I…I told him the same thing.” Her distracted tone fuels the fire. The shudder of her delicate body drives his hands down her arms to the soft, cotton skirt covering her legs, pushing up the hem to caress the satiny skin of her thighs. “He thinks we’re making fun of him.”

  He doesn’t even know who the hell she’s talking about anymore, doesn’t care as long as she lets him touch her. Lets him love her.

  “Everything go okay at the hospital?” Slender fingers cover his, pausing their upward trail, and he lifts his head from the tender hollow of her throat to meet her worried gaze.

  “Yeah. Quick and easy.” The trepidation darkening her expression melts away as he cups her face, a soft smile growing on her lips. “What about here?”

  A cloud of hesitation dims the happiness shining in her eyes before she shakes her head, as if clearing away the doubt. “Good.”