“Yup, perfect,” I take the bowl of vegetables from him and put them into the sauté pan “Have you been awake long?”
“A couple of hours. I was trying to read through the hundreds of emails that came through while we were away last week.”
“Hundreds?”
“My inbox indicated I had more than five hundred new emails,” he shrugs. “It’ll take me a few hours to read through all of them, although Melody has already flagged any that she believes I should read first.”
“Guess I know how you’ll be spending your day,” I laugh.
“I need to get through them today because I have a pretty busy week ahead of me. Oh, Melody set up a meeting for you, Tuesday morning, with the Director of our Finance Department. Will that work for you?”
“I’m sure it will be fine. I don’t have anything really going on this week. I’m going to try to meet with Ginny tomorrow afternoon, but otherwise I think the week is open.”
“If you are free, I have a business dinner Friday night that I was hoping you could attend with me,” he asks hesitantly.
“Sure, that’s fine.”
We fall into an awkward silence—we seem to be in some sort of a limbo between our new arrangement where I help him change his image for the press and our new… whatever we have going on between us since Fiji. Our arrangement has always been for me to accompany him to certain events, and with our “marriage,” it’s even more important now than it was before that I am seen with him. I think we are both are a little unsure how to proceed with whatever this new thing is that has happened between us.
“The omelets are done,” I place a plate in front of Nicholas, essentially ending the weirdness between us.
“Wow… how did you fix the stove?”
“I didn’t, there was nothing wrong with the stove itself… I think it was user error.”
“What… oh…”
And like that things are back to normal between us.
He gives me a rundown of his schedule for the week, which sounds absolutely crazy to me, but I can tell by how he talks that he is actually looking forward to getting back to work this week. Although, I know he had fun this past week, I can tell how much he missed being at PFS. I hadn’t realized how much he gave up to plan the wedding and honeymoon for me. He could have easily spent the entire week working from Fiji, but instead, he barely spent more than a couple of hours on his computer or checking emails on his phone.
“Thank you for breakfast, Kenzie,” he pulls me off of my stool so I’m standing between his legs.
His hands are on my hips, and he is looking up at me—he doesn’t move to do anything more, but his eyes are full of questions. I’m kind of relieved to see those questions in his eyes; I was concerned I was the only one unsure of where things are between us. I think we are both wondering if what happened in Fiji will continue now that we’re back in New York, or if things would change between us, now that we’re back. Though, when I think about it, things started changing between us even before we left on our honeymoon. Maybe things would have evolved even if we had stayed in New York. The attraction between us has been there for a while, only increasing after I moved in.
I gasp when his lips suddenly crush against mine. I moan when his hands slip up the back of my shirt, all the while he ravishes my mouth. He groans in return when I cautiously run my hand over his ass, loving how he flexes his hips against me when I grip him. He lifts my shirt above my head, quickly tossing it on the floor as we begin to walk down the hallway. By the time we reach the bedroom, I am no longer wearing any clothes and he is standing before me only in a T-shirt. Before the door even closes, it’s on the floor and he is leading me to the bed.
“I need to taste you,” he whispers in my ear as his fingers tease my sex. My face heats up at his words—I don’t know that I will ever get used to how blunt he is in the bedroom.
He moves onto the bed, lying on his back, and I follow him, but before I can lay down, he grasps my hips me and moves me so I’m kneeling next to his head. He maneuvers me how he wants: I’m straddling his head while leaning over his firm abs. Before I can even think, he lifts his head and lazily runs his tongue along my slit, causing me to moan loudly. He groans and pulls me against him when I grasp his erection and bring it to my lips. Within seconds, we are both moaning loudly as we try to focus on the other person—
“You taste so fucking good.”
Nicholas’s fingers are in me, his mouth is on me, and I can feel myself falling apart against him. I’ve never felt like this with anyone else—I was never able to orgasm with—
“Hmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!”
The force and intensity of the orgasm surprises me. I’m completely unprepared for it. He holds my ass firm against him as my body shakes and bucks against him, the orgasm never seeming to end. When it does finally, he manages to move my body around, as if I’m a limp rag doll, so that now we’re facing each other. He brings me against him, his erection slides against my still throbbing sex.
“I want you,” he whispers against my lips.
“I want you, too.”
“I need to get a condom from our bag… I didn’t… there aren’t any in here,” he kisses me before slipping from the bed, to go into his bag which was placed in his closet. I think about what he said, or rather what he didn’t say…
“Found them,” he opens the drawer on his nightstand and tosses the box of condoms in there, keeping one out before climbing back onto the bed.
“You didn’t have any in here because…” I ask, unsure if I really want to know the answer. Are they not in here because he took them out before I moved in or—
“I’ve never… you’re the first woman to ever come in here, Kenzie. I’ve never…”
I silence him by kissing him—his answer was nothing I had expected, but for some strange reason it makes me smile to know that he hadn’t fucked other women in here. He obviously has a lot more experience than I do, so I wouldn’t have been surprised if he had said that the reason there were no condoms in this room was because he got rid of them before I moved in. I like that he sees that things are different between us. I could never do sex without an emotional attachment.
“God, Kenzie,” he moans as he slides completely into me.
He thrusts into me a few times, before slipping his hand under my back and turning us over while never losing our connection. I lay on his chest for a moment, loving how I can feel his heart beating just below mine. I kiss him before sitting up, groaning when he slips even deeper into me.
I reach behind me and hold onto his thighs, which immediately gives me the support I need. His hands are on my hips, urging me to move, as I feel his body tense below me. I move harder and faster, only vaguely thinking that he is likely watching me because in this position I’m fully exposed to him.
“Nicholas!” I gasp when his fingers suddenly find my clit.
He thrusts hard into me just as I come down; our names are on each other’s lips the moment our releases hit. He leans up, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulls me down so I’m lying on his chest.
“Take a shower with me?” he whispers.
“Sure,” I kiss him before slowly sliding off of him.
From the outside his shower looks huge, but once you have two people in there, it’s actually pretty cozy. There are two overhead rain showerheads, making you feel like you’re standing in the middle of a summer rain shower. There’s just enough room for us to be in here but not too much room like when we were in Fiji. I actually prefer this shower over that one because I can be closer to him.
After, he gives me another outfit to wear, rather than letting me go upstairs and grab my own. Obviously, at some point I will need to go up there since I can’t wear Nicholas’s clothes forever, but I don’t think either of us are in any hurry. The rest of the day is relaxing for me, I curl up on the big chair in the library, while Nicholas continues to read through his emails. Although he assures me it isn’t necessary, I cook us dinner r
ather than heating up something Julie had previously prepared. After spending the last week not cooking, I felt an incredible need to cook something rather than simply heating something up.
Chapter 24
Kenzie
I wake up to the sound of the shower running; a quick glance next to me confirms that Nicholas is no longer in bed with me. Last night after Nicholas finished working, we watched a little television together before heading to bed. I thought there would be a question as to where I would sleep; I was inwardly preparing to head upstairs, but once again, he took my hand and led me to his bedroom. Since he’s in the shower now, I quickly head upstairs to my bedroom to use the bathroom and change into something more appropriate.
“You scared me!” I exclaim, Nicholas is standing in my bedroom when I open the bathroom door.
“I came out of the shower and you weren’t in bed,” he runs his hands through his hair, something he seems to do when he’s nervous. Though, I’m not sure why he would it would bother him that I wasn’t in bed…
“You were in the bathroom, and I figured I should change into something less revealing before Julie or Carter saw me.”
“Maybe we should move some of your clothes to my closet so you don’t have to worry about that,” he’s looking everywhere, but at me, when he makes the suggestion.
“Maybe we should,” I whisper.
When his eyes finally find mine, I see both relief and nervousness in them, but I have no doubt that mine are also reflecting the same thing. This is the first time that we’re sort of discussing our sleeping arrangements since Fiji. I’m definitely relieved he suggested that we make our sleeping arrangements permanent, but at the same time, I’m also nervous, although I’m not entirely sure why.
“I came looking for you, to let you know that breakfast is ready if you wanted to eat,” Nicholas says.
He takes my hand and pulls me close to him before kissing me gently on the lips. We then head downstairs to the kitchen where Julie has prepared breakfast for us.
“You’re meeting with Ginny today, right?” he asks.
“Yes, this afternoon once the bakery is closed.”
“Be sure to take Hunter with you.”
“I already texted him the details,” I smirk at Nicholas, which just causes him to chuckle.
I don’t know why he feels the need to remind me to have Hunter with me when I leave Accord Towers. He’s been assigned to me ever since I moved into the building and I’ve never once dared to leave without him. Although, I don’t think I necessarily need the security, it’s comforting to know that he would be there to assist with the press if they get out of hand.
“I’ll probably be home late tonight, actually probably most of the week. Unfortunately, some of my meetings had to be rescheduled this week and evenings were the only time they could be fit into my schedule. Julie should have dinner ready around six, but if you want to eat earlier, just let her know. And Hunter is available to you at any time if you need something. If you can’t get ahold of him—”
“I’ll be fine,” I assure him. “You don’t need to worry about me.”
“Mr. Parker,” Carter appears at the doorway to the kitchen.
“Call or text me if you need anything,” he leans down capturing my lips in his, kissing me just enough to leave me breathless and wanting more before he pulls away. “I’ll see you tonight.”
I place our dishes in the sink before heading up to the bedroom, grab my laptop and head into the library. I bring a table next to the chair, setting it up as a mini work station with my laptop and cell phone. The next few hours are spent researching everything I can about running a bakery. Meeting with Ginny this afternoon will be very helpful, but I don’t want to rely entirely on how she ran the bakery. I start making a list of the things I’d like to change, and what I want to keep the same. One thing that will definitely not be changing is any of the recipes. People come to the bakery for the food and the recipes speak for themselves.
Lunch today? –Cara
Would love to. I have a meeting at 3 –Kenzie
How about Main Street Bistro at 1? –Cara
Sounds good, see you then! –Kenzie
I send a quick text to Hunter, letting him know there has been a change in plans for today; his confirmation reply is almost instantaneous. I go back to researching running a bakery and just running a business in general, trying to learn as much as I possibly can from the internet so that I somehow don’t manage to run the bakery into the ground when Ginny leaves in less than a year.
“Mrs. Parker, Hunter has arrived,” Julie alerts me.
“Oh! I hadn’t realized what time it was. Thank you!” I quickly shut down the laptop and run to the bedroom to put on a pair of shoes before meeting Hunter in the foyer.
“Mrs. Parker,” Hunter nods in greeting.
“I’m Mrs. Parker now? What happened to Kenzie?” I ask.
“I thought now that you…” he nervously responds.
“I’m still Kenzie, Hunter. Getting married hasn’t changed that,” I assure him.
“Yes, ma’am. Are you ready to leave to meet Ms. Parker, Kenzie?”
“I’m ready, Hunter,” I smile thankful that the momentarily awkwardness is over.
“I expect the press will likely follow us to the bistro, however, once you are inside they should leave you alone,” he warns.
“Right,” I had forgotten about the press when Cara asked me to lunch, but I refuse to hide out all day, simply because the press might take pictures of me. I’m dressed casual today, just in jeans and a long sleeve blouse, but I think I look okay if I end up being photographed. In the car, I quickly touch up my make-up, knowing that this will be the first time that I’m being photographed as Mrs. Parker and not just Nicholas’s girlfriend or date.
“They followed us here,” Hunter alerts me. “Ben is already inside and has confirmed that Ms. Parker arrived a few minutes ago. I’ll get you to the door and he will take you inside, keeping you safe there. I will be with the vehicle and will meet you at the front door when you’re ready to leave.”
“I’m sorry, Hunter, I had no idea all this would be involved just to go to lunch.”
“It’s not a problem, Mrs.–Kenzie. Don’t let them stop you from living your life. They’ll eventually get bored when they realize there isn’t much of a story here.”
“Thank you, Hunter.”
The moment I step out of the SUV, cameras are going off as three different people seem to be waiting for me outside the bistro. Hunter has a hand on my back and one in front of us leading me through the small crowd, which is quickly gathering on the side walk. I’m sure innocent bystanders are wondering what is going on; likely thinking I’m someone famous or something.
“Mrs. Parker! Mrs. Parker!”
My name is called repeatedly, but I just keep walking with Hunter, ignoring everyone.
“What do you say to the rumors that Mr. Parker only married you because you’re pregnant?”
“I can assure you that Mr. Parker and I did not marry because I was pregnant,” I say firmly.
“What is it like to be married to New York’s richest playboy?”
“I wouldn’t know,” I snap. “I’m not married to a playboy. I’m married to a wonderful, faithful, kind man who makes me happier than I’ve ever been. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m meeting someone for lunch.”
Hunter doesn’t say anything, but smiles before handing me off to Ben who is waiting at the front door for me. I’m immediately relieved when the door closes behind me, even though the cameras continue to flash behind me as we walk through the restaurant. I realize that Hunter likely called ahead to arrange for me to meet Cara here as I’m lead to a small table in the back of the bistro, barely visible from the sidewalk.
“Kenzie!” Cara immediately jumps up and hugs me when I reach the table.
“Cara, thank you for inviting me to lunch!”
“I’m glad you were able to come! Tell me about your honeymoo
n! Was it everything you imagined? What was Fiji like?”
For the next hour or so I tell Cara about Turtle Island and the different activities that the resort offered. I can’t hide the blush when I think about our honeymoon and everything that changed between us that week. We became closer, not just on a physical level… I think we learned more about each other on that trip than we would have had we only been in New York.
“I’m so glad Nicholas decided to take you on a proper honeymoon, I half expected him just to take a day off of work and head right back into the office after the wedding.”
“No, thankfully, he didn’t.”
“We always tried to get him to take a vacation but he never would. I’m really happy that you were able to get him to take one—”
“It was all him. Really, I didn’t plan anything—”
“True, but you’re the reason he took the vacation in the first place. If it weren’t for you he never would have taken one.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
“So what are you up to today? You said you had a meeting or something?”
“I’m meeting with Ginny at Sweet Dreams—”
“Please tell me she didn’t sell it to one of those big coffee chains…”
“You don’t know?” I guess I just assumed Nicholas’s family would have known about the wedding gift he gave me.
“Know what?”
“Nicholas bought the bakery.”
“He did what? You’re kidding? What is Nicholas going to do with a bakery? He can’t cook to save his life!”
“He gave it to me… he bought it for me as a wedding gift.”
“Oh, my God! That’s so sweet! I can’t believe he didn’t tell anyone!”
“I assumed you all knew. He gave me the deed on the way to Fiji.”
“Wow… that’s so cool Kenzie! I’m so glad one of those big companies didn’t buy it out. I could never go there if they changed it into a donut or coffee place.”
“I know! I thought the same thing when I first heard Ginny was selling the place.”
“How are you going to run it? Oh! I didn’t mean it like that—”
On Her Terms (The Arrangement Duet Book 2) Page 24
