“Motherfucker,” I mutter under my breath. “He’s a douche.”
“Nah, he seems okay. I was chatting to him last time about…”
BJ continues telling me about Chris and how nice he is, but I zone him out as the image of him with his hands all over Nicole makes my stomach knot and my fists clench. I don’t give a fuck how nice he is; he’s not good enough for her.
I’m really pissed off by how much the knowledge of Nicole’s impending date has affected me. By the end of the day, it’s all I can think about, and the need to march into the shack and demand she doesn’t go is getting harder and harder to contain. The only thing that stops me in the end is that she’ll want to know my reason, and like fuck am I telling her why I don’t want her to go. That could lead on to all sorts of crazy shit.
So instead of stepping foot in the shack the second I’ve got all the kit packed away from a day on the beach, I head for home. I decide it’s probably best if I’m alone to sulk. I think BJ agrees because when he announces he’s going next door for a drink, I don’t get invited.
Chapter Seven
Nicole
I’m not sure if it’s something I did or said, but I haven’t seen Dec since he left with his family on Sunday morning. I knew he was about; I saw him from a distance down on the beach and I heard his voice booming through from the shop, but at no point did he come to see how things were going.
I fucking hate myself for thinking it, even more for admitting it to myself, but I miss him, damn it. I hadn’t realised how much I’d been keeping an eye out for him, or looking forward to him coming in, but it’s becoming clear and I’m not sure how to feel about it. The more we argue and bicker, the more I’m beginning to realise that I actually kind of enjoy it. I needed a little excitement in my life, and it seems that not knowing what’s going to come out of his mouth next is filling that need—possibly a little too well.
Today’s my first day off since I started at the shack. I wasn’t sure whether I was going to end up working it, but everyone else seems to be capable of holding the fort, so I decided to go for it. Plus, it’s date night. I’m hoping it’s going to be the perfect cure for my issue with Dec. I think I’m hoping too much that this guy is going to be perfect for me, but I can’t help it. I don’t want to be disappointed when he isn’t everything I’ve made him out to be, but I fear that’s what’s going to happen.
“Okay, I think I’ve got everything. You ready?” Lilly asks after I’ve spent the best part of an hour watching her get everything she’ll need for the twins together for our shopping trip. I told her I could go alone to save all this faff, but she was adamant.
“You sure you’ve got everything? The kitchen sink is still over there,” I point out with a laugh.
“I know, I know. Take the mick all you like, but one day I’ll get my own back.”
“There aren’t twins in my family, so I think I’ll stick to having the usual one when my time comes.”
“You still can’t go out without taking half the house. Especially when they’re weaning.”
“I’ll remember that.”
“Just think, tonight could be the start of all that. If you and Chris get along, he could be your baby daddy.”
“We’ll see,” I mutter, as I will away the image of Dec that pops into my mind.
“Are you okay? You look a little pale.”
“Yeah, I just haven’t eaten,” I admit in the hope it’ll pacify her and stop her digging further. She doesn’t need to know the kinds of images I’ve had in my head when it comes to her twin brother.
Lilly takes me into the city and shows me about. It’s the first time I’ve had a chance to get out of town, and it’s nice to be in the middle of all the hustle and bustle again. Our little sleepy seaside town is lovely, but it can be pretty quiet at times.
We wander in and out of as many shops as we can, looking for an outfit for tonight before the twins start getting hungry. We head to the closest coffee shop and begin the mission that turns out to be.
Thankfully, I find my perfect outfit just after we’ve eaten. If I hadn’t, I’d have been rummaging through my suitcases because the twins were having none of it. They were desperate to get out and move.
Lilly offers to pay for a taxi for me if I want to stay shopping longer, but I’m pleased with what I have so I’m more than happy to go back home with her.
* * *
I’m meeting Chris at a pub just outside of town at eight o’clock. Ten minutes before I need to leave, I stand in front of the full length mirror in Lilly’s guest room, thinking that this place is good for me. Since eating actual food once again, I’ve regained some of the shape I’d previously lost. My pale, sickly skin has been replaced by a sun kissed glow, which makes my freckles stand out that much more, and my dark and tired eyes look alive. I may have questioned it at the beginning, but I always knew coming here was the right thing to do.
My eyes drop to my new outfit. A pair of tailored navy shorts with a pinstriped blue and white off-the-shoulder blouse, finished with a pair of wedges and a couple of bangles. Lilly was pushing for a pretty dress, but I’m not really a dress kind of girl. This is much more me. I pull my hair over one shoulder and quickly plait it into a messy fishtail, and I’m done.
“Whoa, Chris isn’t going to know what’s hit him tonight,” Lucas says when I bump into him on the way out of my room.
“Thank you, and thanks for setting this up.” Although I can’t seem to get Dec out of my head, I’m looking forward to meeting someone new.
“I can’t take any of the credit. It was all Lilly. She’s was like a woman on a mission.”
“I can imagine.”
“Have a good night,” Lucas calls as I descend the stairs.
Lilly pays me the same compliments and sends me on my way after telling me to enjoy myself and that there’s no curfew if I decide to make the most of my night.
I’m all for going out and enjoying myself, but I don’t think I’ll be doing what Lilly’s blush was alluding to—not on a first date, anyway…maybe the second. It’s been a long time since I saw any of that kind of action.
“Nicole?” someone asks as I sip on my drink at the bar. Turning around, I find the most stereotypical surfer I think I’ve ever laid eyes on. His hair is long and blonde, tousled in a way most women would be envious of, his eyes are bright blue, and his body is tall and lean. As I stand looking at him, I can picture him out on the sea with a board beneath his feet.
“Yes. Chris?” I ask, although it’s not necessary. From Lilly’s brief description, I know this is him. She said he was just my type…I wasn’t aware that surfer was my type, but between what’s stood in front of me and my weird fascination with Dec, it seems she may be right.
Once all the introductions are out of the way, we’re shown to our table and handed menus.
“Wow, this all looks delicious,” I say as I read everything on offer.
“The food here is amazing. I would usually recommend a dish or two for you, but honestly everything is incredible.”
“Well, that’s no help,” I say with a laugh, hoping he gets that it was a joke. Thankfully he does, and his eyes crinkle at the sides as he smiles back at me.
“So, Lilly said you work at The Dalton. What do you do?”
“I’m the restaurant manager.”
“Ah, hence your knowledge of the food here.”
“Yeah, I guess you could say I have some kind of obsession with checking out the competition. So what about you? Lilly was very vague.”
I’m grateful she was, but now I’m not really sure where to start. I can hardly kick off this date with talk of cancer and dead mums. “Lilly and I are old school friends. When I needed a fresh start she offered up a room for me. I’ve been working for her brother at his new surf shack.” I see something cross Chris’ face at the mention of Dec, but it’s gone again so fast that I don’t get a chance to read it. “You know him?”
“Just from surfing.” I fe
el he’s got more to say but he shuts his mouth and turns the conversation back to his work.
Chris is really nice. He’s obviously good to look at—he’s been turning heads in here since the moment he walked in—and he’s interesting, but something’s just not quite clicking for me. Deciding it’s just that I need to spend more time with him, I pull myself from my thoughts and focus on what he’s saying. That is, until someone approaches out table.
Looking up, I see one of Dec’s surf instructors, although, I’ve never spoken to him and don’t know his name.
“Nicole, good to know you’re still breathing. I guess maybe you just forgot to call after our date, then?” He stands at our table, bold as brass, staring down at me.
“Uh…what?” I stare back at him, totally confused.
“I thought we had a connection. We definitely did between the sheets,” he says, dropping his voice so only Chris and I can hear.
Anger gets the better of me. “What the fuck are you talking about? We haven’t been on a date, let alone a roll in the sheets.”
“Oh, come on, Nicole. I’m sure your date won’t mind me taking his place.”
“WHAT?” I’m starting to lose my mind.
“Or I could join you. I’m not against those kinds of things.”
“Fuck off,” I grate out, just about managing not to shout it. My voice must be loud though, because it causes the waiter to come over and ask if everything’s okay. “Yes, he was just leaving.”
I stare daggers into Dec’s employee until he gets the message and starts backing off. “Call me when you’re lonely, sweetheart. I’ll be waiting.”
Shutting my eyes for a few seconds, I try to calm myself down. What the fuck was that? When I open them, I find Chris staring back at me with his mouth hanging open. “Anything you want to add to all that?”
“I swear I’ve never been on a date with him. I don’t even know his name.”
“That’s not always necessary.” I sit up a little straighter in my seat as the meaning of his words hits me. “I’m sorry, that was uncalled for. If you say you don’t know what that was about, then I believe you. Let’s not allow it to ruin our night.”
Thankfully the mains arrive and put an end to the awkwardness descending around us. We both sit and eat in silence, occasionally glancing up at each other and offering an unconvincing smile.
While I eat, I can feel my phone vibrating against my foot in my bag. Every time it rings off, it starts again. By the time we’ve both finished eating. I get fed up and excuse myself so I can get rid of whomever it is.
Marching to the toilets, frustration still overpowering most of my thoughts, I pull my phone from my bag and groan.
“What?” I bark.
“The till won’t work.”
“Well, ring technical support. I’m on a date, Dec.”
“I have, they’re not answering.”
“Well, you’re going to have to figure it out.”
“You don’t think I’ve tried?” He’s probably right. I can’t imagine he’d willingly ask for my help on anything.
“For fuck’s sake. You’re demanding I come look at it, aren’t you?”
“Or just tell me what to try over the phone,” he suggests, but I’m sure he knows just as well as I do that I don’t know the till well enough for that.
“Ugh, I’ll be there soon.”
I make use of my time in the toilet and when I’m washing my hands, my reflection catches my eye. I look up at myself, angry that my time with Chris has been nothing short of a disaster. Maybe it’s karma for thinking we weren’t clicking.
“I’m really sorry,” I say to Chris as I approach our table. “I’ve been called into work.”
His face drops a little but I can see he’s not all that disappointed.
“Here.” I hand him a couple of notes that should hopefully cover my half of the meal. He goes to argue and refuses to take them so I just place them on the table, thank him, and leave. There’s no point dragging out the pain of me abandoning him.
I jump in my car and focus on where I’m going to attempt to keep my frustration at bay. It’s bubbling just under the surface, threatening to break.
I pull the hand break, jolting the car to a stop behind the shack and jump out. In seconds I’m pulling the door open and marching past the customers, towards the till.
Ethan looks up as I approach and his face shows his surprise. “Nicole, what are you doing here? ”
Ignoring his question, I go straight for the issue at hand. “What’s up with the till?”
“Uh…nothing. It’s working fine for me.” To prove his point, he presses a button and the cash drawer pops out like it should.
“What the fuck?” I mutter to myself, but a thought slams into my head. “Is Declan here?”
“Yeah, I think he’s in the office.”
Anger races through me. I grind my teeth as I consider my options. The longer I think, the more my heart pounds. Each bang in my chest escalates my anger that little bit more.
“Give me a shot,” I bark at Ethan.
“Of what?”
“Whatever is closest.”
I watch him grab the bottle of vodka and begin pouring. “Keep going.” When he hands me the glass, there must be at least four shots in there.
The alcohol burns as it goes down and it only adds to my fire.
I slam the glass down on the bar. “Another.”
With the vodka warming my belly, I hop off the bar stool and march towards the office.
The door crashes back against the wall as I step in. Dec’s head flies up from whatever he was doing but he doesn’t look all that surprised to see me standing there. I slam the door shut once again, cutting us off from prying eyes out in the bar.
“What. The. Fuck?”
He doesn’t even have the fucking decency to look slightly guilty about dragging me here for no fucking reason.
“There’s nothing wrong with the fucking till,” I shout as I make my way towards him. I’m fairly sure he doesn’t hear a word of it because his eyes drop from mine and slowly take in my entire body. I feel his gaze burn a trail into me and it fucking pisses me off that all he does is sit there and ogle me.
“What, for once you’re speechless? I didn’t think that would ever fucking happen.” I stand in front of him with my hands on my hips, waiting for a response.
When his eyes eventually return to mine, they’re so fucking dark it makes my insides clench, and desire floods my core.
I watch as he slowly stands as if I’m not waiting on an answer from him. He stills at his full height and stares into my eyes, that are almost level with his with my wedges on.
He opens his mouth and I watch impatiently for what he has to say for himself. But instead of speaking, he comes at me. I stumble until my back hits the wall with a bang and his lips land on mine.
Declan
I tried, I really did, but I couldn’t allow her to spend a night with another man. Yes, they were just going out for dinner, but that could lead to more and I couldn’t deal with that.
When Shane came back to say the shop was finished up for the night and told me he didn’t have any plans, I couldn’t help myself. I know I shouldn’t be interfering in her life, but the words fell from my mouth before I had a chance to stop them.
I told myself he wouldn’t go through with it, but deep down I knew Shane wasn’t one to back away from a challenge. He was a prankster at heart, and I knew he’d get a huge kick out of doing what I asked of him.
Excitement raced through me when I saw his name pop up on my screen but the second he told me they were still in there enjoying their meal, I knew I had to do more.
I know it was pathetic and childish, but the images of Chris with his hands on Nicole pushed me forward. If anyone was going to find out if she had a magical pussy, it was me.
I just about manage to contain my smile when the office door slams back against the wall not that long later. She’s obviously disc
overed my little lie about the till.
Her eyes are wild, like the night at my house a few weeks ago, and her anger is palpable. My cock twitches at that alone, but when I get the chance to get a good look at her, it strains against the fabric of my shorts. Fuck me, she looks sexy as fuck in those little shorts. Her legs look a mile fucking long. The image of them wrapped around my waist as I thrust into her fills my mind, and I’m up and moving before my brain’s registered.
Her eyes widen as anger radiates from her. She’s worked up in the way I fucking love.
Her back hits the wall and I press my body against hers, ensuring she’ll feel exactly what she’s doing to me. My lips find hers and the second my tongue parts her lips, her taste explodes in my mouth and makes my need for her almost painful.
The tiny bit of fear that she’d push me away vanishes almost instantly as she begins to kiss me back just as violently. She pours all her anger for me into our kiss. A deep moan vibrates up my neck as she sucks on my tongue before biting my bottom lip. Fuck me, if this is what making her angry does, I’m up for needing plenty of punishment.
Her fingers tangle in my hair and they tug as I move my lips down to the smooth skin of her neck. I kiss, suck and bite as her chest pants out her laboured breaths.
“You…ruined,” she manages to get out, “my…fucking date. You’re such a…wanker.”
Oh, Nicole, you have no idea, I think as images of all the ways she’s tortured me over the last few weeks pop into my mind. I had to do something to take the edge off.
“You don’t sound all that concerned about it.” I pull back and look into her heated eyes. “He wouldn’t have made you feel like this.”
“What, so angry I want to kill him? No, probably not.”
“No, Gingernut, so angry you need him to fuck it out of you.” I lift my hands and squeeze her breasts. She moans as her head falls back against the wall.
Falling For Declan (Falling Book 8) Page 9