by Andrea Hurtt
Nick quickly stripped down to join her. “Uh uh, scoot forward,” he said.
“Why do you get the back?” she pouted. She slid forward and turned off the water as he stepped in behind her.
He pulled her back between his legs.
She rested her head against his chest.
“Cause then I can do this?” He ran his hands over her body, caressing her breasts.
She sighed and relaxed into him.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, letting the stress of the day drain away. Hope tilted her face to the left and looked at him. “How’s Charles?”
“He’ll be okay.”
She waited for him to continue, not wanting to pressure him.
“I took him to the hospital. His nose is broken, but the doctor got him all packed up and I got him settled into a hotel near the airport. He’s gonna go home for a while.”
“Where do you live?” she asked, trying not to let the shock come across in her voice.
“Nashville. Most of the time.”
Hope had been trying to avoid telling him she didn’t live in L.A., but it didn’t matter because he didn’t either.
Tennessee.
That seemed so much farther away.
“Did you get things worked out with Charles?” she asked.
“Some of it, but there’s been so much crap over the years, it’s not gonna get fixed in one night.” Nick sighed.
“You did the right thing,” she said.
“Well, it’s not gonna get better if we don’t work on it. He needed to get away from Grace for a while, anyway.”
Hope hated to ask, but she needed to know. “Are you flying back with him?” She tried to keep her voice light, but he saw right through that, and teased her.
“Why? You trying to get rid of me?”
She rolled over to look him in the eye. “I totally understand if you need to go. Families are forever. But would I be disappointed if I had to spend another couple of days with you?” She left the question hanging, as if she was debating the answer.
He tickled her, causing water to splash out of the tub.
They both broke down laughing.
“Come on,” Hope said, standing up. “Let’s go to bed.”
Nick ducked his head under the water before standing up.
She handed him a towel, and they dried off.
When they hit the sheets, she curled up against him, enjoying the comfort of his arms, and quickly fell asleep.
Chapter 8
Hope waited with Nick and Blaze for Grace to finish her meeting at the new theater. Her bestie was about to take on a life changing role.
It was nice to have the boys to entertain her in the meantime.
She was excited when Blaze picked them up at the hotel in a red Mustang convertible.
They walked around the Tar Pits looking at the sculptures.
Hope was wearing out.
Blaze checked his watch. “It’s almost one. Grace said she’d meet us for lunch. Maybe we should head that way?”
“Sounds good! I’m starving!” she said.
She’d assumed they’d just head back to the hotel restaurant to wait for Grace, but Blaze drove them to an old movie theater called The Majestic.
It didn’t look like it’d been a working theater in years. The front was covered with semi-clear plastic, torn in various places. The ancient-looking marquee had multiple busted light bulbs, but the name of the place was still visible.
“What’re we doing here?” Nick asked.
“Picking Grace up. I thought we’d surprise her.” The boybander wore a devilish grin.
Hope smiled back, conspiratorially.
The exterior of the theater gave the impression that renovations were slow-going.
She let her gaze roam.
Where is everyone? Or anyone?
All four sets of double doors were open, leading into the theater, and she pulled on Nick’s arm, holding her breath, as they walked into the spacious auditorium. Hope went down to the front row and sat in the center seat.
Nick and Blaze followed, taking seats on either side of her.
“Oh, no!” She pushed them out of their seats. “I’m here to see a play, so go entertain me.”
Her would-be man flashed a naughty smile and ran toward stage right.
She raised an eyebrow in Blaze’s direction.
Both men took on her challenge, surprising her with their rendition of Romeo and Juliet.
They were pleasantly interrupted by Grace, which silenced Nick, who’d been playing Juliet.
Their performance ended with a round of applause from not only Hope, but two well-dressed men, and some of the construction crew.
Hope couldn’t help but laugh at her best friend’s reddened cheeks.
“Are you ready to go get lunch?” Grace asked.
“Not yet. Nick and I have one thing we need to do first,” Blaze said.
Nick nodded and gestured to Hope. “Why don’t you come up here, Hope? Grace, stay put!”
The guys exchanged a look, then Blaze sang.
“The moment I met you, my beauty, my life as I knew it, had changed.
You gave me your back, denied your broken heart,
Even it deserves a second chance.
Just a minute of your time, that’s all I’m asking for,
to show you what you mean to me.
“Don’t put us all together, not all men are created the same.”
“Let me mend your broken heart, let me wipe your tears,
My life is tied to yours, we’ve waited all these years.
Let me mend your broken heart, let me wipe your tears.
My life is tied to yours, we’ve waited all these years.”
They ended with an unbelievable harmonic tone.
Hope’s heart raced with the speed on an Indy 500 car. She’s never been serenaded before. And here was this hot, famous man, singing to her.
How did I get so lucky?
Lunch was amazing. Blaze took them to a Chinese place he said he loved. Hope was so hungry, she didn’t care where they ate.
The food was great; the conversation was… off.
Grace announced she was moving to L.A. permanently.
Hope was beyond excited for her best friend. It was a much-needed change in her life. Grace had lost her parents when they were teens and hadn’t learned to move on. This would be good for her.
She was jealous, though. Hope would give anything for a major change in her boring life.
“I have to leave tomorrow morning. I’m rather quick at packing, it’s the drive that’s gonna kill me.“
“Why don’t you just get someone else to pack for you,” Nick suggested.
If only I could help.
“I learned from a young age not to let someone else pack for you. Things get broken, or stolen. If I pack it and break it, it’s my own damn fault.”
“I can come with you and help you pack,” Blaze said.
“Umm. No, you can’t,” Nick said. “Wednesday and Friday we’re filming shows, remember? Ellen and Jimmy Kimmel? Management would kick your ass if you disappeared. The Ellen show is her once a year anything-goes live show. We can’t not have you there.”
“Dammit!" he cursed under his breath.
“It’s okay, I’m better at packing when I’m alone, anyway. I just turn on some music and get it done.
“I really wish I could help, it took everything I could do to get the small amount of time off to come here now.”
“I know, And I appreciate that,” Grace said.
They headed back to the hotel where Blaze suggested meeting for dinner.
“Mind If I spend some more time with you?” Nick asked, pulling Hope off to the side, away from his buddy and her best friend.
“Oh, I’d love that.” She could feel her cheeks heat.
They entered her room moments later; the door closing with a click.
Hope was nervous, and she didn’t know why. Her p
alms were sweating as she clenched in and out of fists. She glanced toward the bathroom. She’d never be able to take a bath again without thinking about Nick’s hands on her as they bathed together.
Her body was still deliciously sore.
He stepped up behind her and placed a chaste kiss on her neck.
It sent goosebumps rippling over her skin.
He leaned in closer, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her back to his chest. “There is nothing more I want to do,” he whispered into her, “than make sweet love to you, again.”
Her breath hitched. She tried to turn in his arms, but he held tight.
“But,” he continued. “Please don’t take this wrong.”
Hope’s stomach, full of wonderful food, lurched, his words hit her in the gut like a fist. “But…?”
“I’m so tired. Honey, you wear me out. Would you mind if we just curled up together and rested?”
Her entire body relaxed. She’d been so afraid he was going to say something like, ‘thanks for the ride, but I gotta go,’ or something to that nature. She wasn't expecting him to want to cuddle.
This time, when she tried to turn, Nick let her. She pushed to her tiptoes and kissed him softly. Once, twice, a third time. “A nap sounds wonderful.”
He sat on the edge of the bed, then slipped off his shoes and socks.
Hope lowered the zipper on her jeans, but he stepped up to her.
“Baby, I really do want to just nap.”
“I know.” She frowned.
“Then, why are you getting naked?”
She laughed. “I don’t know about you, but I can’t nap in jeans. Too uncomfortable. I was going to put on pajama pants.”
Nick’s face brightened, and Hope couldn’t help but smile.
“Do you sleep in your jeans?” she asked.
“Well, I don’t normally nap. It doesn’t fit into the schedule. But if I want to make it through dinner, I need sleep.” Nick pulled her close, under the covers, her back fitting perfectly against his chest, her ass resting against his crotch.
She wanted him to do mind-blowing things to her, but her body was saying ‘no, not right now’. She too, really needed sleep.
“Shit! Hope, wake up!” Nick jumped out of bed, his heart slamming in his chest.
The clock was the only light in the room.
They’d slept for far too long.
“Dammit. We’re supposed to meet Blaze and Grace in twenty minutes.”
She yawned. “Yeah. So?”
He rushed around the room, snatching his jeans up and looking for his overshirt, feeling completely out of sorts. “We gotta get ready!”
“Nick. Breathe. Twenty minutes is plenty of time,” she said, her voice still thick and groggy with sleep.
He paused his frantic movements, listening to her words and her tone. “It is?”
Hope nodded and climbed out of bed, getting ready faster than any woman he’d seen before..
Sure enough, less than twenty minutes later, they were ready and waiting in the lobby for their friends.
Dinner was uneventful, nothing more than the standard hotel bar and grill. However, when Blaze suggested his favorite karaoke bar, Hope’s face lit up.
Not what Nick expected. “You’ll sing, then?” he whispered in her ear.
“Of course. I love karaoke!”
He never could understand why his brother-from-another-mother loved the dive bar so much, Blaze dragged him there any time they were in town together.
They all laughed when Grace, unbeknownst to her—until afterwards—sang her heart out to a Razor’s Edge song.
Hope had braved singing a Pink song she didn’t know.
After being pushed by Grace, Nick relented, and sang his favorite song by Journey.
“Will you sing with me?” Hope asked after her third drink.
“Um, yeah? What song?” he asked.
“I kinda already put it in. I hope you know it.”
Shit.
They called Nick and Hope up next. He held his breath waiting for the song title and lyrics to appear on the screen.
She’d chosen a song by Kid Rock, and Sheryl Crow, called, Picture.
He ran his hands through his hair as he belted out the heartbreaking lyrics. He was singing words true to him; his heart fully in the performance.
Hope’s voice sounded as if it held the same heartache.
Their voices blended together so perfectly, like they’d been singing as a couple for years.
Nick slid an arm over her bare shoulders when they finished singing, and joined their friends back at the table.
The karaoke host called out the last song; it was for the whole crowd; everyone was to join in; Closing Time by Semisonic.
The entire bar sang, the sound a joyous one. Those who didn’t know the verses had no problem catching on to the chorus.
They were still laughing, as they walked back to the hotel, arm-in-arm.
When they got into the lobby, Nick directed Hope to the elevator, hollering goodnight over his shoulder.
“Hope?” Grace called to his woman. “I won’t get to see you in the morning.”
The petite brunette slipped out from under his arm and headed back to her friend. “It was so good to see you! Thank you for everything! Call me tomorrow after you get settled, okay?”
They stepped back and peered at each other,
their eyes swimming with tears. Hope hugged Grace one more time before she joined Nick in the elevator.
He slipped his arm around her, ready to hold her while she cried. Surprise washed over him when no more tears fell.
They entered her hotel room and the moment the door was closed, she backed him against the wall.
“It was so hard keeping my hands to myself at the bar,” Hope said, as she stood on her toes to kiss him. Her hands slipped under his T-shirt.
She was a little more forward than she’d been before. No idea where it was coming from, he was totally okay with it.
She had his shirt off before he could process any thought—with his big brain, anyways.
He matched her, piece of clothing, per piece of clothing. Soon, they stood there, both naked.
Nick shifted them around, pressing Hope up against the wall. He slid his hands down the sides of her body, catching her behind the knee. He encouraged her to wrap her legs around his waist.
He carried her back to the bed. Then knelt on the edge and laid her gently down. He let his mouth roam from hers to her delicate neck.
Her hands ran down his back as he moved slowly on, to tease her nipples with his tongue.
Hope’s back arched, begging for more.
Nick kept moving, swirling his tongue around her belly button ring, and she gasped.
She moaned when he took in her most sensitive area.
The sound of her pleasure caused his cock to jerk. He stroked her with his tongue, taking his delight, and Hope cried out.
Her sex pulsed with climax.
He crawled back up her, placing himself between her soft thighs. Nick thrust into her.
She was hot, welcoming, and deep.
Their eyes met, and the unbridled passion in her eyes made him need to move faster.
Hope met him stroke for stroke, helping drive him deeper.
Right as his release crested, and he couldn't contain himself anymore, she orgasmed again, her core tightening around him. Nick lost control, exploding inside her.
She held him tight when he collapsed on top of her, ran her fingers through his hair when he nestled into her neck.
Their breathing slowed, and Nick was still inside her.
What the hell had just happened?
His previous lovers had always jumped up and run to the shower to wash off as soon as they finished.
Hope seemed content to lay here and hold him, and him hold her.
Why was that so comforting?
It seemed like such a girly thing to want to cuddle, but he did. Nick had always liked
to cuddle afterward.
He looked up at Hope.
She had her eyes closed, and her beautiful face was flushed pink from their shared exertion. She glowed, and her beauty made his breath catch.
She seemed so content.
And…so was he?
Chapter 9
Nick awoke the next morning sprawled out on his side, covering Hope protectively with his body.
He’d insisted on sleeping on the right side of the bed because it was closest to the door.
He could hear her smooth rhythmic breathing. She was still asleep. He lay there a few minutes, reliving the night before.
Hope had let herself go with a reckless abandon and he’d enjoyed every minute. He hoped it meant she felt safe with him.
She stretched as she woke before she slid out from under him and walked naked into the bathroom.
Nick heard the sink running and could only guess what she was up to. When the shower started, every part of his body stirred.
He exited the warm bed and knocked on the bathroom door.
“Yeah?” he heard her call from the other side.
“Can I join you?” he asked, poking his head through the door.
She stuck her head out of the shower and looked at him suspiciously.
“I don’t know… I’m naked in here and I’m not sure I know you well enough to have you see me like this,” she teased.
“Oh, trust me. You know me well enough,” Nick said, flashing what he thought was a seductive smile.
She ducked back behind the curtain.
He didn’t wait for an official invitation. He stepped into the shower when she was rinsing her hair.
The small shower suddenly felt even smaller, with him towering over her. There was almost a foot difference in their height, but Nick didn’t mind.
His hands slid around her wet body, pulling her against him for a kiss. Her lips were soft, and she tasted of mint toothpaste.
She wrapped her arms around his neck.
He took the opportunity to tickle her under her biceps.
She slipped back, letting the full spray of the shower hit him.
He jumped back out of the water. “Geez, what are you trying to do? Scald me?” he said, his eyes wide.