After Hurricane Nina, Nolan's Resolution (Hot Hunks-Steamy Romance Collection Book 2)

by Angela Stevens

  “I guess. But if Mike and I were really meant to be together, I wouldn’t have done that, would I?” A throaty roar of a car engine outside her bedroom window made her get up and take a look. “Oh, Nolan’s here. How do I look?” She smoothed out the red dress and looked in the mirror. Olivia loved the way the neckline crisscrossed and how the stretchy fabric hugged her curves before flaring out. It had been one of Lenny’s favorites and each time she’d worn it, they’d had an amazing evening of dancing and the most wild and passionate night afterwards. Damn that man! Their love had been so perfect, there was no way any other guy could ever fill Lenny’s shoes.

  “Shoot, I forgot my earrings, will you let Nolan in while I find them.”

  Chapter 7

  Nolan

  Nolan leaned against the wall, checking his phone messages, sighing at the mainly Tinder notifications, when the door to Olivia’s apartment opened. A tall African American girl flashed him a grin.

  “Tamika? Huh, sorry, I thought I was picking up Livi.”

  “You are, I’m just leaving. We grabbed a coffee after work.”

  “Ah, girl gossip? Anything interesting?”

  “Oh, we had a very interesting chat.”

  “Hmm, why does your tone make me nervous?”

  Tamika shrugged her shoulders. “Paranoia? A guilty conscience? I’ll let you figure it out. Go on through, she’s nearly done and I need to get home.”

  As Nolan stepped out of Tamika’s way and watched her skip down the steps, he wondered what Olivia had been telling her friend. Had she confided in Tamika about what happened last weekend? His fingers wandered to his lips evoking a delicious memory that he’d been trying to suppress all week.

  Nolan had lied when he agreed to forget the kiss they shared. Goddamnit, the more he did try to pretend it hadn’t happened the more times he found himself daydreaming over it. “Hey, Livi, I’m here.”

  Her voice drifted through the closed bedroom door. “I’ll be a couple of minutes, make yourself comfortable.”

  Nolan lifted a half-full carton off the couch and sat down. Across the room were several boxes in the process of being packed. So, Olivia was serious about moving out of this place. He never thought she’d leave it as she and Lenny had picked out the apartment together. Perhaps if she was ready to move then she was making better progress than he thought.

  Glancing inside the box at his feet, he pulled out a Class of 2010 Yearbook. He flicked through it, grinning at pictures of his high school self. Jeez, he was scrawny in those days. No wonder Lenny always got the attention of all the girls. Even at eighteen, the guy was brawny. Not that being the center of attention ever meant anything to his friend because Lenny was already dating Olivia by then. Nolan doubted the guy ever knew other women existed.

  “Sorry, I kept you waiting.”

  Nolan looked up from the Yearbook and his heart almost stopped. Olivia had her hair swept to one side and delicate curls cascaded from underneath a silk flower fixed behind her ear. The red dress he’d suggested she wear hugged her frame, emphasizing her soft curves. The hem fell mid-thigh on the right side, revealing a very shapely leg, and tumbled to her ankle on the other. Fucking hell!

  He closed the book and got to his feet. “Damn, you look hot woman.”

  She blushed and smoothed out her dress. “Is it okay? I thought maybe it was a little tight, I haven’t worn this in ages.” She turned slowly around. “Now tell me truthfully, does my ass look fat in this.”

  As soon as Nolan got an eyeful of her rear, heat pooled in his loins. “Shit, seriously?”

  Olivia turned back to him. “Be honest, it’ll only take me a minute to change.”

  “No, it’s perfect. Jesus, Livi, I’ll need to fight off every man at the club.”

  She paled. “Oh, lord is it too sexy? Maybe I should…”

  He stepped toward Olivia and pulled her into his arms. “Read my lips. You look fine. In fact, you could not look any finer. How the hell are you still single?”

  With a laugh, she pinched his cheek. “Thanks. I can always rely on you when I need a confidence boost.” Olivia didn’t step out of his arms and he didn’t let her go. He should—damnit he knew he should—but just holding her felt so right. “I see you are serious about moving out.”

  “Yeah, I gave up the apartment so no backing out now.”

  “You find anywhere yet?”

  She shook her head. “No. God, I think I made a terrible mistake. Everywhere is so expensive.”

  His hands slid down her waist and rested on those curvaceous hips. “Then stop looking and take the room at my place.”

  “But…”

  “It makes sense, Livi, you know it does.”

  “I don’t know…”

  “How about this? Move in to mine while you continue to look and that way when the right place comes up, you won’t already be locked into a lease and, if you decide staying with me isn’t too horrendous, I’m good with that, too.”

  She chewed on her lip and looked around her apartment before turning back to him. “Okay, I guess it would take some of the pressure off. There really isn’t anything even remotely suitable out there at the moment. Maybe in the spring there will be more on the market. Thanks Nolan, you are a life saver. I was beginning to think I’d have to move back in with Mom.”

  “Well, there you go. I couldn’t let you live all the way out in Palo Alto, I’d never get to see you.”

  “Damnit, Livi, you’re gonna have to give me a break.” Sweat ran in rivulets down Nolan’s back. He was a fit guy but all this dancing was giving him a workout like no other. Perhaps he should put salsa dancing on the schedule at the gym. It sure would be a fun way to keep fit.

  “Lightweight!” Olivia laughed, but she took his hand and he lead her off the dance floor.

  Finding their seats, Nolan downed what was left of his margarita. “You want another one?” he yelled over the Latin beat.

  Olivia pressed her lips around the straw, shaking her head. “I think I’m done. You want to head back?”

  He checked his watch, surprised that it was already past two a.m. The night had flown by and he couldn’t remember when he’d had so much fun. Through the entire night they’d chatted and danced and Nolan’s eyes hadn’t wandered to another female in the place—not once. Not so surprising really when he was dancing with the most beautiful girl in the place.

  Outside the club, he could still hear the music ringing in his ears and the pounding beat resonating through his chest. The cooler night air hit him and the buzz of the margaritas made him lightheaded. He tugged Olivia into his side and draped his arm over her shoulder. “You still coming back to mine?”

  She yawned and wrapped her arm around his waist. “Yeah, it’s too late to hoof it back to Greenbrae.”

  They walked the few blocks back to his place and on the way, Nolan couldn’t help but enjoy having her under his arm. She fit perfectly there, her short stature nestling comfortably into his side. They paused by the ocean and, as they watched the lights flickering across the bay, she rested her head against his chest. Nolan’s fingers sifted through her hair as he became mesmerized by the moonlight rippling on the waves. The music had stopped ringing in his ears now and the lapping ocean filled them instead.

  “Mmm, you smell nice.” He buried his nose in her hair, inhaling a lungful of her. Olivia swiveled in his arms and he accommodated her, pulling her against his chest. She shivered in his arms. “You cold?”

  “A little.”

  Opening his coat and wrapping it around her shoulders, he pressed her even tighter against him so his body heat warmed her. “Better?”

  She lifted her face to him and whispered, “Much.”

  Maybe it was the moonlight, or the margaritas, or perhaps it was the red dress… Nolan didn’t know but with all three of those things together, it just felt right to dip his head and kiss her. She rose to meet him halfway, pushing up on tiptoes so she could bridge the distance. Her mouth was hot and the kis
s she returned was not at all timid. As he explored her mouth, all concept of time vanished. Nolan was lost in the here and now, never wanting the kiss to end. When it finally did, he half expected a rush of guilt to seize them both but was pleasantly surprised when it didn’t. They parted without a word but he felt something had shifted between them and, as they walked back to his condo, he clutched her hand tightly.

  Inside, they curled up on the sofa and Nolan coaxed more kisses from her. With each new tentative exploration of her lips, Olivia relaxed a little more into his arms until he couldn’t detect any resistance, whatsoever. Lost to the moment, his senses were bombarded. The sweet floral scent of her perfume filled his nostrils and the silky feel of her hair wrapped around his fingers added to the shivers of longing that coursed through his veins.

  Nolan’s head buzzed with things he wanted to say but instinctively he knew any words would break the spell and the crash back to reality would be a bitch. Instead, he reveled in whatever this was and when Olivia extracted herself from him and stood holding out her hand, Nolan took it and went with her to his bedroom.

  Never had undressing a woman felt so sweet. As the swathe of red silk slipped from Olivia’s shoulders and pooled at her feet, Nolan couldn’t suppress the gasp that escaped from his mouth. “Beaut…”

  She pressed her finger against his lips and shook her head, so he showed his appreciation by kissing her throat and tracing his tongue across her collarbone instead. Olivia shuddered and a suppressed mewl told him he was on the right track. He held her hands while she kicked off her shoes and when she shrank back down to her five-foot-three inches, he lifted her, guiding her legs around his waist.

  Her tanned olive skin was soft and flawless and Nolan took his time to stroke every inch of it before he laid her in his bed. Olivia propped herself on her elbows and watched him strip off his shirt and roll down his jeans. When he tossed his clothing aside, his eyes met her appreciative stare.

  Sliding in beside her, he held her until the trembling subsided. Olivia seemed so fragile in his arms that he hardly dared cover her body with his weight so, instead, he pulled her across his lap and admired her from below. She braced herself against his chest and as she lowered herself onto him he pushed her panties aside so he could sink his cock deep into her wet heat. The sensation made his head kick back and he dug his fingers into the flesh of her thighs in a desperate attempt to control his burning desire to flip her onto her back and pound into her until he was empty.

  As Olivia began to move above him, Nolan was caught in a delicious dream—his consciousness teetering between sleep and waking, his periphery vision blurred as only Olivia was in focus. At any moment, he expected the dream to vanish, plunging them back into a reality where guilt and regret would build a wall between them. Nolan dared not breathe least he’d trigger the fall. He gritted his teeth so words did not sully the beauty that was this moment.

  And indeed, this was one of the most beautiful moments that Nolan had ever shared. Olivia’s silence, the way she closed her eyes and abandoned herself—hips rocking against his, a sheen of perspiration lubricating the friction between their hot bodies, her breath hitching moments before they tumbled into oblivion together.

  Her cries rivaled his own and their hearts hammered in synchronization, as the explosion of pleasure radiated from where they were joined. It filled his whole body and he pulled Olivia so tight against him that he could feel her blood pumping through her veins as if it were in a race with his own. An overwhelming feeling of contentment and a realization that he was experiencing a never felt before emotion—love—made him close his eyes to pray that when they came down from this post coital bliss, this wondrous dream wouldn’t turn into a nightmare.

  Chapter 8

  Olivia

  The smell of coffee percolating woke Olivia from the deepest sleep she’d had since losing Lenny. Turning over, she found the bed empty but was comforted by the whistling she heard coming through from the kitchen. She slipped out of bed and went to the door. Peeping around it, she saw Nolan wearing sweat pants, his taught muscular back to her.

  Olivia looked around the bedroom for something to put on. Her red dress seemed over formal, given the circumstances, so she went to Nolan’s dresser and pulled out one of his tanks. She rolled it over her head and laughed at her reflection in the mirror. The top fell mid-calf on her and looked more like a sexy dress than one of Nolan’s workout shirts. Gathering her hair into a ponytail, she hunted around to find her hair tie from last night. Using the bathroom mirror, she fixed her hair and her eyes fell to Lenny’s ring around her neck. An ache settled in her chest and she covered it with the palm of her hand. Taking a deep breath, she headed out the room.

  Almost immediately, nerves and doubt made her stomach churn but the moment Nolan turned to face her with a huge grin plastered across his face, all of that disappeared.

  “You’re just in time, breakfast is ready.” Nolan wrapped his arm around her waist, tugging her against him and dipping his head to give her a kiss. “Mmm, you look good in this.” He nodded towards his tank top. “I’m never gonna be able to see this shirt again without imagining you in it.”

  She looked down at herself. The neck of the shirt and the armholes barely covered her chest, in fact she was revealing rather a lot of cleavage and side boob. Olivia grinned back at him. “I should have packed an overnight bag with my pajamas.”

  He nibbled at her neck. “Would you hate me if I said I’m so glad you didn’t? I’m glad I wasn’t deprived of seeing this.”

  His hand cupped her breast, squeezing her gently as he showed her just how appreciative he was. His kiss made her lightheaded and his touch sent shivers down her spine. A thousand emotions ran through her veins all jostling for position and as she tried to analyze how she was feeling, she realized there was not one ounce of regret inside her.

  “God, Livi, I don’t fucking deserve you.” As Nolan whispered the words, his breathy admission put her mind at ease—he didn’t regret this either.

  She held his face between her hands and, as those blue-gray eyes studied her, Olivia shook her head. “It’s me that doesn’t deserve this. I never thought I could feel this way again, Nolan… thank you.”

  He lifted her off her feet, his muscled arms supporting her like she weighed nothing and sat her on the counter, his fingers slipping under the tee while his mouth devoured her. “Thank you for trusting me, I won’t ever let you down.”

  But Olivia didn’t want to talk about this now. For too long she’d felt numb, the days merging into one, her heart shut down and now—now she felt alive for the first time in two years. She wanted to feel, she wanted to get lost in the moment, and she wanted to forget the sorrow and the grief that had hijacked her life. Reaching out, she grappled with the top of Nolan’s sweat pants, pushing them down over his hips, revealing his hot, fully hard length.

  “Take me, Nolan. God take me, now.”

  In the next second the tank she was wearing was tugged over her head and she was naked, her hips dragged to the edge of the counter where he held her still as he entered her. The primal grunts he emitted and the feline mewls that came from her fueled a fast and passionate coming together. Pure lust and an insatiable desire drove them both to a desperate climax. After, they clung to each other with their chests heaving and their heads spinning with the intensity of their orgasms.

  Nolan smiled back at her sheepishly. “I could get used to sex before breakfast.” He reached over to the plate he’d prepared and snatched up a piece of toast. He took a bite and then offered it to her, “Hungry?”

  “Ravenous,” She bit into the toast. Oh my God! Was it the sex she’d just had that made it taste so good? She grabbed it from him and devoured it in seconds.

  “So I see.” He laughed and handed her a plate full of eggs and bacon. “Here, eat this before you starve to death.” While she held onto the plate and shoved bacon into her mouth, he carried her across the room and placed her on the sofa. After fet
ching his own food and their coffee, they ate in silence, their fingers entwined together.

  For months, Olivia had shied away from intimacy with anyone, terrified of the emotional rollercoaster she presumed having sex with someone other than Lenny would have caused. Now that hurdle had been negotiated, and she felt remarkably calm and at peace. Was that because she had taken the plunge with Nolan, or had she simply set too much score against the act? In all honesty, she wasn’t sure, but one thing she was certain of was her friendship with Nolan, the love and trust she already had for this man, had made this leap feel so much safer. She assessed herself—probing, searching for the guilt she expected to be harboring but came up empty-handed. No doubt it would hit her sometime, but for now, it was nowhere to be found.

  Nolan placed their empty plates on the coffee table and snapped his fingers in front of her face, pulling her back out of her head. “You okay?”

  “Yes.” She confirmed, her hand went to his face and her fingertips stroked the stubbly beard along his jawline. “What about you?”

  “I feel better than I’ve felt in a long time. God, Livi, I… I think I’ve wanted this for a while now. Not that I ever let myself dare think it before, but I think I might be in love with you.”

  Tears glistened in her eyes. Those words caused an ache around her heart. She’d never expected to hear them again and, coming from someone who was not Lenny, it would take some getting used to—perhaps a while before she could comfortably say them back. But even though they made her heart contract, she loved hearing him say them.

  “We shouldn’t try to analyze this. I’m not sure if what we have at the moment is strong enough to be scrutinized yet.”

  “Regret?”

  “No, not at all. I… I can’t explain it, but I know if we try to talk about this now, it will lead to too many tears. Right now, I don’t want to cry. I just want to get caught up in whatever this is.”