by Livia Grant
Her breath caught in her chest as she whispered. "Is that why you came to see me yesterday?"
His dark eyes were devouring her as he reached out to hold her hand resting on the couch between them. "It was part of it, yes. I mean, yes, I do need your help this week but..." Nick set his empty wine glass on the coffee table before shifting closer to Cali. She was unprepared for him to reach up and cup her face gently, holding her face in a way that made it impossible for her to look away. "...But mainly, it was because I find myself thinking of you at the strangest times. While I'm in meetings or at the gym. I ran through a stop sign the other day because I was daydreaming about you. I must have picked up the phone ten times to call you before I finally did."
"Me? Why? You don't owe me anything, Nick."
"Dammit, Cali, this isn't about owing you."
"What is it about then?"
"Damned if I know. All I know is I feel close to you. Even before last night."
"Nick, that's natural. We've both gone through the same hell. We're the only ones who really understand what the other is going through."
"It's more than that, baby. Didn't you feel it tonight?"
Cali's heart contracted with his endearment "I felt a lot of things tonight. I'm more confused than ever."
Cali went without protest as Nick pulled her into his arms to sit in his lap. She felt the steady rhythm of his beating heart as she snuggled against his chest. She was relieved that he didn't push for more answers. They sat silently, holding each other, each lost in thought. Nick's gentle caresses on her lower back relaxed her. For the first time in a very long time, Cali felt at peace.
It wasn't until she detected Nick's erection growing under her bottom that her thoughts returned to their passionate night before. Nick's seduction was subtle as he nuzzled her hair, sucking her ear lobe into his mouth before he trailed sweet kisses down her neck. Her heart rate spiked as she recognized her core clenching with need.
When she lifted her face, Nick captured her lips in a hard kiss as his other hand grasped a nipple through her clothes, pinching hard enough to draw a whimper from deep within. The room felt too warm as their body temperatures rose with building sexual tension.
Relief coursed through Cali as she felt Nick's hands exploring her body, igniting the same passionate feelings they had felt the night before. She'd worried he would think ill of her for her aggressive pursuit of him twenty-four hours earlier. Tonight, he was the aggressor as his hand groped between her legs, stroking her labia through her jeans.
He stood with her still cradled in his arms. She threw her arms around his collar, burrowing into his neck as he carried her silently through the darkened house. He passed the stairs to the second floor, electing to go down a hall instead.
Nick struggled to open a six-panel wood door. Once inside the dimly lit room, she recognized they were in his home office. He stopped to lock the door before carrying her to the large wooden desk with neatly piled stacks of files. They didn't speak as he set Cali down on the edge of the desk before reaching to swipe the paperwork aside causing several piles to flutter to the floor.
He was moving faster, as if his control was slipping. Their brown eyes locked as Nick grabbed the hem of her blouse, pulling it over her head and tossing it aside. He lunged forward to cup her breasts through her bra, stooping to kiss the rounded curves protruding above the lacy trim. When he yanked the fabric below the swell of her globes, he bared her nipples and they were pushed up at attention. Cali held him to her tightly, enjoying the feel of his tongue sucking her greedily.
Cali reached to pull his tucked shirt out of the waist of his jeans. He released her nip long enough to allow the shirt to be pulled over his head. His lips were back on her hardened tips as he unhooked her bra and threw it to the floor.
She had spread her legs wide so he could nuzzle close. He yanked her ass to the edge of the desk before pressing her body to lay back. The desk was just wide enough for her torso and head to fit. Nick's hands moved to her zipper. He divested Cali of her jeans and panties within seconds, leaving her sprawled naked across the top.
Cali lifted her heels to the edge to the desk, bending her knees. The position left her splayed open for her lover to claim her sex with his mouth. When she reached down to fist his hair, Nick glanced up into her eyes with a devastatingly sexy grin. The desire she saw mirrored back at her had her pussy clenching to be filled.
"Stretch your arms out. Hold onto the edges of the desk. Don't let go." Nick's voice was gruff as he took charge of the scene.
Cali did as he asked, feeling the familiar tug of submission. She had learned firsthand how thin the line was between dominance and abuse in a relationship. Her husband had crossed the line more times than she could count. As odd as it was, she trusted Nick in a way she had never trusted Kevin. She opened herself, yielding every intimate part over to the man who was eating her out with gusto.
He pulled her lower lips apart, baring her wet core for his inspection just before he nudged her clit with the tip of his tongue. She bucked her ass off the desk to thrust up against his warm mouth. He answered by plunging two fingers deep into her tight channel, curling them just enough to find her g-spot, tipping her into her first orgasm of the night within seconds.
Cali was still in a haze when she felt his tongue move lower to rim the tight ring of her anus. She had never been on the receiving end of this intimate act. She wanted to feel embarrassed, but it felt too damn good. He slid his hands lower to spread her ass cheeks wide, allowing his tongue to actually venture into her tightest hole. The sexual act was raw... intimate... naughty. It made it that much more exciting.
She had closed her eyes to enjoy the new sensations so she was unprepared for a thick digit, coated with her own juices, sliding effortlessly into her tightest hole. Cali squealed with delight as the pleasurable fullness surprised her. Kevin had used her ass for his rough sport many times. He had even been able to wring orgasms out of her by applying pressure to her clit as he sodomized his wife. Never had he made her feel like she felt at this moment and she almost panicked. Nick chose that moment to peer up at her, his mouth still on her pussy, his fingers shoved in her tight hole – his eyes pierced her heart. The raw heat she saw there melted her to a pool of sexual need. She heard herself pleading for more. "Nick, please..."
He answered by adding a second finger to her ass. It still didn't hurt, but she was acutely aware of her body stretching to accommodate the new intrusion. Her lover's domination of her body continued until Cali shattered into pieces across the desk. As she lay boneless in her recovery, she sensed Nick moving away from her and heard the rustling of his remaining clothes falling to the floor. The room fell silent so when she felt him behind the desk near her head, she opened her eyes to look up at a hard erection jutting inches above her with Nick's grinning face just beyond.
He spoke for the first time in several long minutes. "I'm going to fuck your mouth now, baby." It wasn't a question, it was a command and it shocked her and thrilled her in equal measure. She remained still, allowing him to manhandle her body closer to the other side of the desk, pulling her towards him until her head was no longer supported by the hard wood. He helped her head fall back, presenting her mouth for his consumption.
The idea of him using her mouth to pleasure himself excited Cali. As he moved his body closer, she got her first close-up view of his heavy sac hanging below his thick rod. Nick had to bend his knees to put the tip of his erection against her lips. She opened reflexively, welcoming his cock as he slowly slid inside her as his hands reached forward to squeeze her breasts.
He allowed her several shallow insertions to get used to his thickness. Each stroke went a bit deeper until she finally felt him nudging the back of her throat. Her body revolted with a gag that had phlegm flooding her mouth and coating Nick's thick tool.
He set a steady pace that kept the back of her head pinned against the hardness of the desk. She surrendered to his facial fucking, trusting hi
m explicitly to pull out to allow her deep breaths of precious air. Each break for air had new strings of phlegm spilling from her mouth. She wanted to be embarrassed at the mess they were making, but the pleasurable groans he was emitting told her he was enjoying their session just as it was.
Cali was prepared to drink down his cum, but Nick had other ideas. Her throat felt raw from his rough use by the time he stepped away from her to move to the other side of the desk again. He pulled her body back so her head was resting on the desk before grabbing a condom packet she had failed to notice on the desk before now. The protection slid on easily. He pulled her ass off the desk, pushing her bent legs far apart and back towards her chest, opening her core to him completely.
Their eyes met before he claimed her. There was so much emotion there she couldn't interpret it.
His question surprised her. "Are you doing okay, baby? Still with me?"
"Better than okay. Take me... please. I need you inside me, Nick." Her voice rasped from his use of her throat.
Her words pleased him. His eyes consumed her as he warned, "Don't let go, Cali."
It was hard to hold her position when Nick's carnality had him surging forward in one swift stroke. She fought to keep her wide hold onto the edges of the desk as he plummeted her tightness. She was so wet that their coupling made slurping noises in the otherwise quiet room. Only Nick's occasional grunts of exertion from his fast fucking joined the soundtrack.
"Come with me, Cali. I want to watch you fly, baby."
Always a good girl, she did as he demanded. She arched her back as they both cried out their climax. Several minutes went by as Nick slumped over Cali's body, still connected in the most intimate of ways. He captured her lips in a tender kiss just as she felt his softening cock slip from her body. She finally released the edges of the desk to hug him tightly.
Nick broke the silence with a quiet, "Wow."
Cali couldn't help but giggle. "Double wow."
As intense as their lovemaking had been, Nick pulled her up before lifting her into his arms to carry her the few feet to the comfortable chair near the door. They snuggled quietly, each lost in thought. Cali's last thought before she drifted off to sleep was how grateful she was to Kevin for cheating on her with Veronica or she would have never met the amazing man holding her tightly in his arms.
CHAPTER SIX
"Come on you girls! We need to get moving or I'm gonna miss my flight!"
Nick wasn't finished with his sentence before Cali and Andi appeared at the top of the winding staircase. His heart lurched at the sight of the two most important people in his life. Not for the first time, he marveled at how quickly his life had changed.
He was aware that to many, he was disrespecting his dead wife by moving on with his life so quickly, but considering the circumstances of her death and how she had chosen to betray him at every turn, he felt zero guilt. In fact, he had ceased being angry with his wife and her lover at all. By his estimation, they had done him and Cali a favor because were it not for their sordid affair, he never would have gotten to know the amazing woman walking down the stairs, deep in conversation with his daughter.
When they reached the bottom step, Andi held out a sheet of paper. "Don't forget to sign this Dad. We're going on that field trip into the city today and you forgot to sign the paper when you gave me the money to go. Mrs. Fields said I have to stay behind with the first graders if you don't sign."
Nick grabbed a pen from his briefcase and quickly scribbled his signature. "Oh no! We can't let you spend the day with those first graders." He addressed Cali as he handed the paper to his daughter. "I hope you don't mind, but I added you to Andi's emergency contact list at the school. That way you can sign permission slips like this if you need to when I'm out of town."
Pleasure lit up her brown eyes, the golden flecks visible in the sunlight filtering in the front windows. "Thanks, but what if I sign something you disagree with?"
"You won't and since we text ten times a day anyway, just ask if you're not sure."
Cali picked up her own briefcase and purse from the front table. Nick reached to hand her a travel mug of coffee and they all headed to the garage. They had already developed a comfortable routine in the three weeks since Cali had been acting as their nanny. A surge of guilt hit him as he remembered canceling an interview with another nanny from the service the day before. He knew he was taking advantage of Calista's willingness to help him out, but he suspected she didn't mind.
She had practically moved into the guest bedroom. The first week she had just stayed at the house with Andi the few days he was out of town, but each subsequent week, she had stayed more frequently. He couldn't resist sleeping in the guest room with her most nights, setting his alarm for extra early to get up and go back to his own room before Andi awoke. They both knew they were playing with fire, but as each week passed, he worried less about Andi finding out that they were dating since his daughter adored Calista as much as he did.
Nick drove the family van as they dropped Andi at her school first and then drove to the airport. They had just enough time to drop him off for his flight and get Cali back to her school.
When they got to the airport, Cali jumped out to go to the driver's side. They embraced for a long good-bye kiss before the police officer directing traffic whistled at them to move along.
Nick gazed into her eyes as he said his goodbyes. "I'll be home tomorrow night."
"Okay, text me the details. Andi and I will pick you up together and maybe we could stop to grab a bite on the way home."
Nick didn't miss her use of the word 'home.' She hadn't officially moved in, but he had noticed that the house didn't feel the same when she wasn't there. They needed to talk about where things were headed soon, but as the car horns around them reminded him, now was not the time nor place.
"That sounds like a plan. I'll call you later." With a last kiss, he grabbed his carry-on bag and headed into the terminal.
Nick was led into the boardroom where a half-dozen men in suits were waiting for him. He dropped his briefcase onto the table before turning to the redheaded assistant ushering him to the meeting.
"Thanks Jane. You wouldn't have a place I can plug my phone in, would you?"
Nick's flight to New York had been delayed and he was late arriving at his client's office. He had drained the battery replying to emails in the terminal.
"Sure thing, Mr. Mikos. Let me plug it in out at my desk." Nick handed his dead phone to the attractive administrative assistant and turned his attention to the meeting about to begin.
Not fifteen minutes later, a pale Jane interrupted the meeting. She tried not to interrupt, but since Nick was leading the meeting, it was impossible.
A feeling of dread washed over him when his eyes connected with Jane's because he saw panic and pity shining back at him. He stopped talking mid-sentence, waiting for her to lean down and whisper into his ear.
"I'm so sorry... your phone is charging... I think you need to step out and make a call."
"Can it wait? As you can see, I'm a critical participant this morning."
Her voice broke as if she were holding back tears. "No sir, it cannot wait. You need to call Calista right away."
His heart lurched at the unexpected sound of Cali's name in this setting. It only took a few seconds to know something was really wrong. Cali should be in class teaching. There is no way she would be calling unless there was an emergency. Memories of receiving other bad news when the police had shown up on his doorstep a few months before come next, but they are quickly overshadowed by the realization that the only thing Cali could be calling about was Andi.
Nick stumbled to his feet, barely getting out a short "Excuse me" as he followed Jane out of the boardroom. Each step he took felt like it was his last.
He unlocked his phone to find several missed calls, voicemail messages and text messages. They had started while he was in the air on his flight. He'd expected to see Cali's number there, but t
he fact that the first messages had come from Andi's school had him collapsing into the chair near Jane's desk.
He tried to reason there could be many reasons for them to call. Perhaps Andi had a headache or stomach ache. He had hugged her and she hadn't felt like she had a temperature this morning.
The first messages were vague. "Mr. Mikos, this is Andrea's school calling. Please call into the office as soon as possible."
The second message from the school was more ominous. "Mr. Mikos, this is Mrs. Peterson calling from Andi's school. We really need you to contact us as soon as possible."
Fuck. The principal herself called.
Cali's messages were worse. "Nick, I need you to call me right away. I just got a call from Andi' school. Nick... there's been an accident on the field trip. I don't have any details yet, but I'm heading to the hospital now to be there with her. Call me as soon as you get this... please."
An accident. Another fucking accident. The first one robbed him of his wife. Not Andrea. Not his Andi.
He said a short prayer that Andi was fine before he pressed play on Cali's next message. "Nick. Oh God, I need to talk to you. I don't want to leave this in a message. I'm at the hospital and they won't tell me anything about Andi, but there are lots of other parents coming in here too. I'm trying to find out more. Call me. Please."
The fear in her voice told him how serious things were. He felt numb. He knew he should call her right away, but he took a long minute, praying it wasn't the last minute where he knew his daughter was still with him on this earth. Losing Roni had hurt, but losing Andrea would kill him. He was sure of it.
He felt the tears silently trekking down his cheeks as he pressed Cali's number in his contact list. He reached to accept the tissue Jane was holding out to him as he heard Cali's panicked voice answer the call.