by Vi Keeland
As usual, William is at the same table we always sit at when I walk in. He’s surprised to see me on time. I smile at him, but put more effort into it than usual. Maybe this won’t be so hard to do. The look on his face tells me he’s happy to see me too. He tells me I look beautiful as he kisses me on the cheek and gives me a warm, be it quick, embrace. He’s a good man, I know he will make a good husband and father some day.
We order our drinks and William takes my hand on top of the table. It’s a bit outside of his norm. Public displays of affection aren’t something he prefers, which has always been just fine with me. Softly, his thumb caresses the top of my hand. I look at where our hands are joined and watch as his thumb strokes back and forth on the top of my hand. It feels...what does it feel like? Nice. Comfortable. What it doesn’t do is make my heart rate speed up. And it definitely doesn’t make the little hairs on the back of my neck stand up at attention.
My phone buzzes and I excuse myself to look at it. I lie that I’m waiting to hear from Regina about a call. But I’m stalling. Waiting for a sign on what the right decision is at the last minute of my self-imposed deadline.
I can’t stop thinking about you. Nico. My pulse quickens and I feel my palms start to sweat. I finally realize that all the lists I’ve made didn’t help me decide because they’ve been about William and the problem isn’t with William. It’s me. I don’t feel what I should feel about him, no matter how hard I want to.
I set my phone aside and don’t respond to the text. William reaches for my hand and I pull it back. I force my eyes from the table and look up at William. He sees what I’m thinking in my face. He’s a good attorney, knows how to read people, especially me. I finally stop stalling and make my decision. Even if Nico isn’t the one for me, William isn’t either and I’m not being fair to him.
Twenty minutes later I’m back in my car. Of course William was a perfect gentleman about it when I told him I couldn’t see him anymore. I’m not sure if it just didn’t upset him or if he’s good at covering his emotions. Either way, I’m wearing mine on my sleeve tonight. I’m going to put myself out there emotionally for the first time in ages. I’m scared, but excited at the same time.
In my car, I take out my phone to respond to Nico, but then put it away and decide to take a leap of faith. The restaurant is only ten minutes from Nico’s place. I drive with my head in a cloud, thinking about what I will say when I get there. He can’t stop thinking about me. I can’t stop thinking about him. Where it will take me I’m unsure, but maybe I can really give it a try. It’s the first time I even want to try.
I’m happy and excited the whole drive to his place. But when I arrive, I’m suddenly nervous. I think about sitting in my car for a few minutes and regaining my composure, but I know I’m stalling and if I give myself time to overthink it I’ll probably leave. I’m doing this. I walk briskly to the door and ring the bell and wait. Long minutes pass and I’m just about to turn around and chicken out when the door opens.
“Did you forget your key?” Nico is buttoning the top of his pants as he speaks and doesn’t look up right away. His hair is wet and he has no shirt or shoes on. I’m silent and I don’t move. My feet are stuck to the ground as I take in his naked chest for the first time.
“Elle?” Nico looks up and finds me standing there instead of whoever he was expecting.
I open my mouth to begin to speak, but a voice from behind me takes me by surprise. A woman’s voice. “Hey.” I turn. She’s beautiful. The woman standing behind me is smiling and beautiful. My chest tightens and I feel a huge knot in my throat. Then she turns to Nico. “You going to just stand there, or are you going to be a gentleman and take the packages so I don’t drop one?”
Nico takes the bags and the woman turns to me. “Sometimes you have to hit this one over the head to get him to snap out of it.” She smiles and tilts her head to the side, assessing me. “I’m Lily.”
Nausea overwhelms me. I didn’t stop to think that Nico might have company when I decided to drop by unannounced. I smile apologetically to the woman who is still smiling at me. Oddly, she doesn’t seem bothered that a woman is standing at his door as she arrives with groceries in her arms.
Feeling the wind knocked out of me, I respond as loud as I can, but it still comes out as little more than a whisper. “I’m sorry. I should have called first.” I look at Nico and then to Lily and quickly turn to go. I’m embarrassed and I want to run home and throw up in privacy.
Before I can take my first step, Nico grabs my arm. “Elle, wait. Don’t go.” He looks confused. I want to shrink down and crawl in a hole somewhere.
“Elle?” The woman asks and I must look at her as confused as Nico is looking at me.
I look back at Nico, at his hold on my arm, and back up to his face. “Really, it’s fine. I should have called. I’m sorry I interrupted.” I look at Lily apologetically and then back at Nico.
Something passes over Nico’s face. A look of understanding and he smiles at me. There’s a glint in his eye and he looks amused. Suddenly, my embarrassment turns to pissed that he hasn’t released my arm and he finds my uncomfortableness amusing.
“Elle.” Nico waits until I look up at him and he has my full attention before he continues. “This is my sister-in-law Lily. She was just dropping something off.” He turns to Lily to speak. “Goodbye, Lily.”
“I could stay for a little while.” Lily offers and I hear her smile in her words even though I don’t turn to look at her.
Nico never takes his eyes off of me as he speaks to Lily. “Bye, Lily.”
Lily giggles and turns to leave. She takes a few steps but then turns back to say something. “I’m going. But you better bring her to next month’s dinner.”
Nico shakes his head and smiles at me as he steps aside. “Come in.”
We walk through the dark gym and into the elevator that leads to his loft. Nico reaches up to pull down the gate and I watch as the muscles in his back ripple as he extends his reach high. Every inch of his back is defined and two large tattoos cover each shoulder blade.
After the gate reaches the floor Nico turns and catches me checking out his back. There is heat in his eyes, it makes my breath catch the way he looks at me. He takes one step toward me and stops, but doesn’t turn around to face the front of the elevator. He takes a second step, closing the distance between us almost completely. My instinct is to take a step back, to keep hold of my personal space, but I don’t. I stand my ground and look up at him. My heart is beating so loudly I’m sure he can hear it.
Nico slowly bends his head and buries his head close to my neck. Arms at his side, he doesn’t touch me, but he’s in my space. He takes a deep inhale and I know that he’s taking in my scent. There’s something incredibly erotic about when he takes a deep breath in, as if he needs to absorb me into his every sense. When he speaks, his voice is guttural and low, his hot breath lands on my neck and sends a shiver down my spine, straight through to the tips of my toes. “You’re here.”
I look up at him. “I am.” My voice is soft, but I can tell by the smirk on his face that he hears me just fine.
“Does that mean not really is a no then?” His face is serious now.
“Ask me again.” I grin up at the handsome face that is towering over me, invading my personal space.
“Are you seeing anyone?”
“No.” My response is assertive.
“Yes. You are.”
I’m confused. “I am?”
“I don’t share Elle.”
“Oh.” Oh my.
My pulse races as he slowly lowers his head and brushes his lips against mine ever so softly. The gentleness of his touch makes me want to pull him to me and slam my mouth into his so that I can be sure it really just happened. But I don’t. I’m too mesmerized by this man and want to see what he does next.
Nico pulls his head back slightly, but doesn’t step out of my personal space. “We’re going to try this again.” He searches my eyes b
efore he continues. “Are you seeing anyone Elle?”
“Yes?”
Nico smirks. “You don’t sound so sure of your answer, Babe.”
“Will you kiss me again if I get it right?”
My response amuses him and he drops his head laughing. “A lawyer. Do you negotiate everything?”
I stop and think before answering. “I do.”
Nico smiles at my truthful answer. His eyes close and he leans his forehead to mine. “God you smell so damn good.”
***
I’ve never seen a body like his so close before. It just doesn’t seem real. Both of his arms are covered in tattoos, it looks like he’s wearing colorful sleeves, only he has no shirt on. They intertwine and wrap around his bulging biceps and I get the urge to trace a path from the first splat of ink to the last with my tongue. My body’s reaction to him is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. These aren’t feelings that I’m used to, they seem to come out of nowhere and are uncontrollable.
One side of Nico’s lip curls up slightly, as though he is amused at my staring. He hands me a glass of wine without asking if I want one and I take it because I need it to calm my nerves. I’m here staring at this bigger than life man, and suddenly I’m speechless.
The wine can’t seep into my bloodstream quick enough. Half the glass is gone in one long, unladylike gulp.
“Thirsty?” I look up at him and find a glimmer of amusement in Nico’s eyes, mixed with something else. I think he knows I’m trying to calm myself and I fidget in my seat on the couch as he stands there looking so unaffected.
I ignore his question and set my glass down on the table at my side. I’m trained to steer a conversation. I can regain control here, it’s what I do. I push thoughts of wanting to lick his naked body out of my head and force my eyes to stay trained on his rugged face. “So tell me something about yourself, Nico Hunter. What do you like to do when you aren’t training?”
He cocks one eyebrow suggestively and looks even more amused. I feel my face redden at just his simple gesture. Instead of clearing my head, he now has me thinking about what he likes to do. And I feel the need to fan myself when a visual of him doing those things to me assaults my brain.
Nico laughs and takes the few steps to close the space between us, settling next to me on the couch. He brushes a stray lock of hair from my face, pushing it gently behind my ear. There’s a devilish glint in his eye because he knows what he’s doing to me. He slips one large hand behind my neck, easily cupping it in his palm and his thumb remains in the front in the hollow of my neck slowly stroking small circles.
Without thinking, I lift my hands and touch his bare chest and my eyes drift closed at the hard warm feeling under my fingers. I feel the rhythm of his breathing as his chest rises and falls rapidly and I don’t even realize my hands have slowly begun moving, feeling the hard corded muscle from his pectoral to just above his belly button. There isn’t an ounce of fat on the man anywhere and I get the urge to dig my nails in and score him. It’s totally out of character for me, the feeling comes from somewhere deep within me. A place I’ve cut off access to a long time ago.
Nico puts a finger under my chin and forces my gaze up to his eyes. My knees feel like jelly and my mouth is parted when I look up into his beautiful green eyes. I see a reflection of my need and I have to clench my thighs together to stop the tingle between my legs, but I can’t move. No one’s ever looked at me the way he looks at me. I feel a silent rumble in my gut and I know something’s just changed in me forever. I’ll never be able to go back to comfortable and nice after feeling whatever it is burning between us. It scares the hell out of me and draws me in at the same time.
I watch as Nico closes his eyes and reopens them a few seconds later. I can see he’s composing himself, and I feel weak that I don’t have the strength to do the same. But I don’t care. “Did you eat?”
I shake my head no. I went to a restaurant, but I never made it to dinner.
“Come on, I’ll take you out to grab a bite.” Although he doesn’t release the hold he has on me. He watches me for a few seconds longer and then smiles down at me. “What is it about you, Elle?”
It’s a question, but his face tells me he doesn’t really expect an answer.
Chapter 12
Nico
“I think I wanna go back in.” My words stop Preach in his tracks and he isn’t prepared for the shot I land into his sparring gloves. He winds up on his ass.
I extend a hand down to him on the floor and he gets up rubbing his hip. “Do you think you can tell me this shit when I’m not going to get a bruise. A fucking cup of coffee. Maybe we sit down over a cup of coffee and discuss things like normal people for a change.”
I shake my head at the drama of Preach. He’s bugged the crap out of me for over a year and then he complains at the way I tell him I’m ready. Fucking Preach.
“Why the change of heart son?”
“Does it matter? You’ve been up my ass for a year and now I tell you what you’ve been wanting to hear and you start questioning it.”
“How was your date last night?” A voice comes from behind me. I hadn’t seen Lily walk in. I’m starting to regret hiring her to do my books. Her timing sucks and she’s got a big mouth.
“The checkbook is upstairs.” I don’t respond to her question.
“Date?” Her comment gets Preach’s attention.
“Oh, you haven’t told Preach about Elle?” Lily drags out her words. She sounds like my sister teasing me. I’m suddenly glad that I grew up with three brothers who had no interest in gossip or my love life. I shoot Lily a look that says go away, but she stands her ground and her and Preach begin to talk about me like I’m not even there. She tells Preach about Elle and the two of them lap up the shit like two schoolgirls.
I’m stopped, waiting for Preach, and I feel my muscles starting to go cold. There’s a pause in their chatter and I dart into the conversation before they can resume. “Think we can get back to work ladies? I’m not paying both your asses to stand around and talk about me like I’m not even here.”
Lily smirks at Preach, but takes the hint and heads upstairs to get the books.
Preach lifts the pads he’s holding to block my hits back up and I bounce up and down a few times to get the blood flowing again before I swing my leg high into the air and land a strong strike in the middle of the reflector pads, exactly where I aimed the kick.
“The girl have anything to do with your decision to get back into the cage?” Preach says as he repositions himself for the blow he thinks will come next.
I decide to change it up with a roundhouse that lands just barely on the reflector pads. He wasn’t expecting another leg, and it catches him off guard, but he’s able to recover and protect himself at the last minute.
I again ignore Preach’s question about Elle. I don’t even know if she likes MMA, so I’m not getting back into the cage to impress her, if that’s what he thinks. The timing just feels right. I don’t know why or what changed, I just feel ready today.
Chapter 13
Elle
“I can’t believe you broke it off with William!” Regina claps her hands together in excitement as we tear into our lunch delivery. It’s almost three and we are just getting around to eating. The day has been so busy. Leonard is due back next week and I’ll be glad to go back to only dealing with my own caseload.
I’m surprised at Regina’s excitement over my decision to end things with William. I always thought she liked him. “I thought you liked William?”
“I do dear. It’s just. I don’t know...” Regina trails off.
“Say it.” I prompt her in a tone that tells her I really want to hear what she has to say.
“He’s very nice, and handsome too.”
“And?” I prompt.
“He’s smart and polite.”
“This doesn’t sound like a list of the reasons that you would be happy I’ve stopped seeing someone.” I pop a small cher
ry tomato into my mouth from my salad. “It sounds like the reasons you tell someone to start seeing them.”
Regina smiles, but her face turns serious when she speaks. “I had twenty years with my husband, and I don’t regret a minute of that time. He wasn’t always polite, he didn’t stand when I entered a room, he used foul language at the dinner table, but it was there.”
I furrow my brow. I know she is trying to be helpful, but I’m not quite sure how any of what she is saying supports my breaking up with William.
Regina sees my confusion and continues. “But when he walked into a room, he took my breath away. He made my heart race and even after twenty years of marriage, I still wanted to rip his clothes off when he looked at me and I saw things in his eyes.”
My mind goes to Nico. I feel those things about him. He makes my knees weak and tests my self-control like I’ve never endured before. I look up at Regina and see the pain fresh in her eyes. It’s been more than ten years, but she still misses him like it happened yesterday. It saddens me to realize the strength of what she had and now it was gone.
I smile at Regina and nod in silence, letting her know I understand what she’s trying to tell me.
“So let’s get to the good stuff. When are you going out with Nico Hunter? That man looks at you like he wants to eat you alive.” Regina wiggles her eyebrows suggestively. A look that she seems to use a lot when it comes to the subject of Nico Hunter.
