Take It

by Francesca Penn

“Hey, sweetheart. Please tell me you’re back.”

  Kalilah’s stomach fluttered, and her body tingled. His voice always made her feel something, but there was an extra layer of something more potent in his voice this time.

  Kalilah smiled into the phone. “Yes, I just made it, but it appears my AC isn’t working. It’s fucking hot.”

  Nick sighed. “Aw, baby.”

  Another endearment. She hated how it made her feel special – like he was her boyfriend. She’d missed him like he was her boyfriend. The girls were right; she needed to take them to the next level before she died from yearning.

  “Let me call my guy, and I’ll get him to meet me at your house. I just got out of the shower. I’ll be there in fifteen.” He hung up before she could respond. It didn’t matter. She was too busy trying to picture him naked.

  Nick’s plans with Dex that night didn’t allow her to get her hopes up. He wouldn’t be staying longer than necessary. They had brunch plans on his birthday, but that was still too many hours away. Kalilah looked at the time on the phone. 4:30. The doors opened at seven for the concert, and Nick couldn’t stay longer than an hour and a half. Sweat started to trickle down her back. Kalilah packed a bag and took a quick, cool shower.

  Nick arrived twenty minutes later to find Kalilah sitting in her SUV with the AC on high. He knew being without AC in Houston’s summer heat – he felt September was still summer – was highly inconvenient, but he couldn’t help but smile. She was ever resourceful and refused to be overheated for long.

  He walked up to the car and knocked on the window. She jumped like she did the last time he’d surprised her at her car. This time, a smile greeted him instead of a scowl. Kalilah turned down the radio and rolled down the window.

  “Well, hello, Mr. Sinclair,” she said and gave him a finger wave.

  Her brown eyes shone in the sun. Her well-oiled arms and legs her pink tank top and short blue jean shorts left exposed glistened in the light. He knew from experience that she was smooth and soft all over; he longed to uncover the treasures that her clothes hid. He adjusted the shades on his face and smiled.

  “Come in. Enjoy some AC.” She crooked her finger at him.

  Nick chuckled. “You smell very good for someone without AC.”

  She smirked. “I took a cold shower,” she bragged. “I’ve become somewhat of a cold shower expert. I have them down to a science.”

  Nick’s pang of guilt quickly faded into amusement when her already big eyes grew bigger when she’d realized what she said.

  Wes pulled up before he could respond. He honked at him from his big red pickup truck before he jumped out.

  Wes grabbed his equipment and headed toward Nick with a big smile that crinkled his light brown eyes. Nick was a good customer, but he knew a smile that lofty came from the “speed bonus” he’d offered. Nick rarely used his money or family name to his advantage, but for Kalilah he would do whatever it took.

  Nick looked at his watch and nodded. As agreed, he would give Wes $5,000 plus the cost to fix the AC for arriving within thirty minutes.

  “Nick! My man.” He drawled in a west Texas accent. His clothes practically hung off his lanky form and his skin was wrinkled from too much sun exposure. “Let’s get a look at the AC.”

  “Go ahead. I’ll be there in a few.” Wes nodded and tipped the brim of his baseball cap at Kalilah.

  “Ma’am,” he said by way of greeting before going into her house.

  Nick turned back to Kalilah and noticed for the first time that she had an overnight bag in the passenger seat.

  “Do you want me to carry that in for you?” Nick asked as he tilted his head in the direction of the bag.

  Kalilah looked at the bag as if seeing it for the first time. “Uh…no. Not yet. I didn’t expect anyone to come that fast. I packed a bag to go to a hotel. That bag is staying right there until I get cold air in my house.”

  Hotel? Nick didn’t like the idea of her being in a hotel by herself. He didn’t see the point in her wasting money when he had a practically empty five-bedroom house.

  “Kalilah, you and I both know that you’re staying with me if he can’t fix it today.”

  Kalilah raised her eyebrow. “I assumed no such thing.” She showed him the browser of her phone to prove her point. She was searching hotel rates. “See?”

  Nick opened the car door and pulled her into his arms. He moved his shades to the top of his head. He wanted her to see the sincerity in his eyes.

  “Baby, if he tells us the AC cannot be fixed today, I have a pillow with your name on it. Besides, you still haven’t fully seen my house yet.”

  Kalilah’s eyes roamed his lips, and she subconsciously licked hers. His pulse quickened. Her glossy lips had been beckoning him since he’d arrived. He hadn’t kissed her since Lazy Friday. Nick was dying to taste her.

  “Where might this pillow be located?” she asked, her voice was breathless and raspy.

  They were closer now. Their bodies were flush against each other – their breaths mingling, and the sun bathing them in heat. Nick’s hands were splayed on her sides; he hooked his thumbs in her belt loops of her shorts and leaned in closer until their lips almost touched.

  “Wherever you want that pillow to be.”

  The loud shrill of slasher music from a horror flick scared them. Nick yanked his phone out of his pocket.

  “Dammit, Dex! What did I tell you about changing my ringtones? You scared the crap out of me.” Dex’s laughter greeted Nick’s irritated ear. “What’s up?” Nick asked impatiently. “Are you on the way?”

  Dex sobered. “About that…”

  Nick rolled his eyes. “You gotta be fucking kidding me, Dex.”

  Dex sighed. “Sorry, bro. I need to be on a plane in thirty minutes. I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon in time for your birthday party. I have a contract appearance I forgot about.”

  Nick pulled his shades back on his eyes. “I got these tickets a long time ago…”

  “I know,” Dex interrupted. “Take Kalilah and have fun.”

  Nick glanced at Kalilah. She was looking at him curiously. “But Dex, you’re assuming that she doesn’t have plans and that she would enjoy this type of music.”

  “Did you ask her?”

  Good question. “Okay. I’ll figure it out. Be safe.” Nick disconnected and turned to Kalilah. “Do you want to be my date tonight?”

  She nodded. “Sure…What happened to Dex?”

  Nick shrugged. “He had some out of town event. What you’re wearing is good for the concert…” He studied her bejeweled, strappy sandals and her exposed pink glitter polished toes. “But, you may want to put on tennis shoes. We’re in the pit.”

  Those perfectly arched eyebrows inched closer together. “Pit?”

  Nick toed a blade of grass with his black Vans. “Yes. It’s a rock concert. We’ll be standing the whole time.” He stuffed his sweaty palms in the pockets of his charcoal cargo shorts so as to not appear nervous. Kalilah shrugged and went back into her house to change. Well, at least Nick hoped that’s what she was doing. He had no idea what she liked. Hopefully, a night at a rock concert wouldn’t run her off.

  The excessive heat in her house punched Nick in the face the moment he crossed the threshold. The air was so thick and stifling that Nick instantly knew that the AC had been broken for several days. He was both relieved and sad that she was out of town when it broke. It was good that she was out of town and not suffering, but it would have been a great opportunity to have her over had she been in town.

  Anticipation flowed through his veins. He would have loved having her at his house, in his bed. Naked with her skin flushed from arousal. Her fingers intertwined in his hair, pulling him closer while he held her legs wide open, licking and sucking her to completion.

  His white Rise Against t-shirt was starting to cling to his body; he plucked at it desperately trying to get air where there wasn’t any. Nick found himself in the kitchen standing in front of the ope
n refrigerator door letting the frigid air soothe his body and salacious thoughts. Damn. He wanted her so bad that he was tempted to pay Wes to say it couldn’t be fixed. She wasn’t the only one who’d mastered cold showers.

  Wes appeared in the kitchen. He’d just finished wiping the sweat of his face and pulled his hat back on. Nick handed him a cold beer while Wes explained the issue. Nick tried not to smile as he thanked God for small favors.

  Chapter 17

  “I

  t won’t be fixed until Wednesday!” Kalilah said in disbelief for the second time since they’d climbed into Nick’s SUV. “That’s five whole days from now.”

  “At least it will be a simple fix once he receives the part,” Nick pointed out.

  Kalilah studied his profile as he zoomed between vehicles on the way to The Woodlands. She could not shake the feeling that he was happy about the whole ordeal. She knew staying with him was the most convenient option, yet she was not looking forward to infringing on his personal space. She should still try to book a hotel.

  Kalilah decided she would see how the night went, and if things felt too tense, she would get a room. In fact, she’d insisted that they drop her SUV off at his house first. She looked at him again. Okay, infringing wasn’t her issue. Kalilah was trying her damnedest not to jump on him, and she couldn’t make any promises if she was holed up in his house.

  He was dressed casually for the concert with his cargo shorts, t-shirt, and tennis shoes. He’d never been sexier. His hair was freshly cut, and his aviator shades enhanced his look. Nick’s shirt was thin and didn’t hide his muscles. If he was to become sweaty or wet, his shirt would cling to him in the most delicious ways. His arm muscles had been flirting with her for the last two hours – at her house and now, as he drove and switched lanes.

  The flick of his signal made his muscles twitch. Kalilah crossed her legs to ease the ache. She was grateful that her bra was thick enough to contain her run-away nipples that were begging for Nick’s attention. To hell with the pillow he was talking about, she wanted to put her head in his lap. And if she wasn’t scared that giving Nick his first blowjob from her while driving would kill them, she would have done exactly that.

  Nick glanced at her and smirked, his right dimple greeted her. She wanted to lick that, too. She shuddered inwardly; she needed to get her life together.

  “Do I want to know what you’re thinking?” Nick asked as he pulled into the VIP parking garage.

  “No. Not yet at least. I was thinking about your birthday gift.” It wasn’t a complete lie. She did have the lingerie with her. She also had the backup gift that she’d bought when the girls weren’t looking.

  Nick nodded like he didn’t quite believe her as he pulled into a parking spot. He killed the engine and jumped out the vehicle. Shit. She’d forgotten to look up who they were going to see. She’d spent at least fifteen minutes alone staring at his forearms. She’d never felt as needy as she did around Nick.

  She was downright…what did people used to say? She searched her mind for the term and almost snapped when she found it. Wanton. She woke up thinking about sex. Ate lunch thinking about sex. Went to bed thinking about sex.

  Nick wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. It was so humid and muggy outside that she would have pushed him away if he were anyone else. He still smelled good despite being in that inferno she called a house. Fucking Wednesday.

  Nick squeezed her tighter. “It’s funny, the way you looked at me, I could have sworn you were thinking about…other things.” His lips were close to her ear when he’d said, “other things.” Kalilah pushed him and took off in front of him. She heard him chuckle. “Where are you going? I have the tickets and the keys.”

  Good point. Kalilah turned and tried to fix him with a stern look. It didn’t work; he was still smiling at her with those damn shades on.

  “Behave, Nick. That’s not our focus right now.” He nodded still amused. “Come on. We still need to get inside and get drinks and snacks before the concert starts. On me, of course.” Nick frowned. Kalilah stood her ground. “It’s your birthday weekend, sir. You are not supposed to pay.”

  “Really?” Nick asked as he showed their tickets to security.

  There were perks doing concerts VIP style. No wait for parking, no lines, and access to the lounge.

  “When is your birthday?”

  Kalilah rolled her eyes. “That ship has sailed for this year, buddy. March 21st.” Kalilah took her focus off Nick and looked around to see the venue posters. Oh shit. AFI, Linkin Park, and 30 Seconds to Mars teamed up again! She’d been so busy she’d missed the memo. All her rock star husbands were on stage together again. She reigned in her inner fan girl. She was not about to act like a teenager at a concert when she was damn near thirty.

  “T-shirts, Nick.”

  Nick looked at her confused. “Huh?”

  “We’re buying t-shirts.” Nick rolled his eyes but didn’t argue.

  Nick was still humming Linkin Park’s last song as he headed back to his SUV. His fingers were linked with Kalilah’s while she chatted with her sister on the phone. They had more fun than he thought they would. He grinned remembering how surprised he was to discover that she knew almost all the songs for each band. They’d been friends for almost five months. Nick was amazed that he’d neither asked about her taste in music nor had they ever listened to music when they were in the car together.

  Before the concert, they’d managed to eat, buy drinks and merchandise, and make it to the pit loaded down with their purchases. It felt nice not being concerned with pushing your way to the front. They had a good view and didn’t have to work that hard. Kalilah insisted on paying for the shirts and bag. Instead of arguing, Nick made sure to have his money ready.

  He paid the guy before she could get her card out of her wallet. She pouted and complained that he was breaking birthday rules. Nick loved that her complaint was genuine; she wasn’t just saying she was going to pay with the secret hope that he would pick up the tab. She meant it and was truly irritated that he didn’t listen.

  Nick pacified her by allowing her to pay for the food and drinks. Of course, her sudden desire to purchase merchandise made sense. She was probably the bigger fan of the two. She continued to talk to her sister as he navigated back to his house. He didn’t mind her lack of attention since she had to live with him for the next five days. Five days. Nick looked forward to making every moment count.

  Nick went through the drive-thru and grabbed them some burgers. She passed him her card and gave him a pointed look. They weren’t starving and didn’t feel like going to a restaurant, so they decided before her sister called to go to Whataburger.

  He shrugged and thanked her before handing her the burgers. She gave him his and started to eat after ending her call with her sister. She teased him about taking a picture of him eating his food for ransom in case she had to send it to Natalia.

  By the time they made it to his house, they were full and ready for showers. After years of living in Houston, Nick was still stunned that it could be humid in the middle of the night. The air was still stuffy enough to momentarily steal his breath. He grabbed Kalilah’s bag out of the backseat and unlocked his front door.

  She looked around as if seeing his house of the first time. Nick shook away guilt. In theory, this was her first time seeing his house since he’d practically kicked her out before she’d made it past the foyer, during her last visit.

  He pulled her hand and gave her a tour. He loved how her eyes lit up when she saw things that impressed women like hardwood floors or granite countertops. She gushed over his outdoor patio and pool.

  “Nick. You didn’t tell me you had a pool and hot tub. I could have brought my bikini.”

  Nick tried not to create the image of Kalilah in a barely-there bikini climbing out of his pool as water cascaded down her body. Of course, his mind conjured the image at its own volition, and his body reacted. He turned back towards the house befo
re she could notice.

  “Well, I’m about to take a shower. You have several days to explore.” Kalilah followed him in the house and locked the door.

  “I would love a shower, as well.”

  Nick nodded and escorted her to one of the guest bedrooms with its own bathroom.

  “You can shower in here, then meet me in my room.”

  Kalilah looked at him slightly amused. “I thought I could choose where I put the pillow you offered.”

  Nick nodded. “You can…as long as that pillow is somewhere in my master bedroom.” Nick knew that there was no way he’d be able to sleep with Kalilah in the house unless she was next to him. Heat flashed in her eyes when he leaned in. He kissed her forehead. “I’ll see you in a few.”

  Kalilah looked around Nick’s guest bathroom. It was more beautiful than her master bathroom, and she liked her master bathroom. His floors were dark brown and laid vertically with big rectangular tiles. The countertops looked like a natural stone that mixed brown, cream, and tan. The cabinets and sinks were bamboo.

  Kalilah ran her finger across one of the rectangle vessel sinks in awe of its beauty. Nick may not go out of his way to flaunt his wealth, but it showed in his home. She studied the panel on the wall that controlled the heated floors. He also had heated towel racks.

  Her clothes dropped to the floor, and she stepped in the huge shower. The same natural stone from the counter tops lined the walls. The brown mosaic tiles that decorated the shower floor followed the same vertical pattern of the bathroom floor and went up the wall in a vertical line behind the rain style shower head. Kalilah was glad she had her shower cap. She was not interested in blow drying her hair. She toyed with the knobs until she found the one that controlled the main shower head. Once she was comfortable, she turned on the body jets.

  She sighed at the pleasure of feeling the warm water hit her from different angles. She made a mental note to price check remodeling her bathroom shower. She grabbed the provided soap and squeezed it on her wash cloth. Nick’s scent filled the bathroom; she looked at the soap she’d never heard of before. That’s why he smelled so good. His soap was not available at the usual stores. Kalilah lathered her body and willed herself not to think about Nick.