“What?” I asked, tilting my head to get a better look at his face. He slowly turned to face me, water in his eyes.
“How do you do it, see me this way?” he choked.
“How else would I see you?” I gulped my body began to tremble. His eyes were so focused on mine. Then he looked back at the sketch that I had done of him, in pencil, except for his eyes, I had used a pale blue shade to bring out the colour of his eyes, making them looked so real.
“This almost doesn’t look like you sketched it. Every detail is flawless—I’m speechless.” He rubbed a shaky hand across his lips.
“When I told you that you touched me, I meant it. I never forgot anything we shared together,” I replied, feeling the tears well.
“Lauren!” Claudia called out. I turned in her direction, and she waved me over.
“Excuse me,” Nick said, walking away.
I turned to stop him but he had gotten too far for me to reach. All I could do was watch him disappear in the crowd. I closed my eyes and sighed. Then I heard Claudia call for me again. That was the last time I had saw Nick, that night.
At the end of the night when everyone had cleared out, Claudia sat on the corner of the desk by the front door.
“That went really well, guys. I’m very proud of our numbers this evening. Tomorrow is Saturday, and I think that it will be an even bigger event. Lauren, my father bought one of your pieces.” She smiled.
“Oh really?” I smiled, proudly.
“Yeah, the one of the woman reading a book,” she said.
“My mom,” I said with a big grin.
“How sweet.” She smirked. “Well, I have some cleaning up to do, so if you want to stay to help, that’s great. If not, I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, stood and then walked away. I stayed behind to help her. Plus I had some questions that needed answering.
“Claudia, can I ask you something?” I began.
“Of course,” she said, throwing napkins away.
“Is Nick seeing anyone?” I bit my lip nervously.
“Not that I’m aware of,” she replied. “Why?”
“Oh—uh—I was just wondering,” I stuttered. She stopped cleaning, stood there a moment, and then turned to face me.
“You still care for him.” She smirked.
“I never said that.” I blushed.
“It’s all over your face and your work,” she said, crossing her arms, smiling.
“Is that so bad?” I sighed, clenching my hands against my chest. “I don’t think I ever stopped loving him.”
“Really?” Her brow furrowed.
“I don’t want to bore you with all the details, but plain and simple, yes.” It felt good to admit it out loud.
“Did you want me to call him?”
“No, no. I think he hates me.” I looked away, sad.
“I think you’re wrong.” She said taking my hand in hers.
“But he is so cold to me.”
“It’s not because he hates you, sweetie.” she said, taking my hand in hers. My heart raced.
Did he say something to her? I wanted to text him and ask him to come back, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
“I’m good here if you want to head back to my place,” she said, turning away. She was texting someone then put her phone in her pocket.
“I’ll help you, I don’t mind.” I said.
“Okay,” She stopped when her phone chimed. She took her phone out then shoved it back in her pocket. “Can you do me a favour? I need a few things from the trunk of my car.”
“Of course.” I replied.
She turned around. “My keys are on the desk out front.”
“What do you need?” I asked. My brow furrowed.
“You’ll see when you get out there,” she replied.
When I got to the front door, I saw Nick leaning on her car. My heart started to beat rapidly. Slowly I opened the door and stepped out.
“Hey,” I said, walking closer. Our eyes locked. “I was just talking about you.” I gulped. “Claudia was just telling me that people were impressed with my work.” He continued to stare at me without saying a word. “Nick, I don’t know what this all means but—” My breath came to a halt when he stood and came straight at me, scooping me up in his arms. Our lips met and he breathed me in. Our tongues entangled . . . And then it hit me. The love and passion I felt all came crashing back. He pulled away, holding my face in his hands. Our foreheads pressed lightly.
“I’ve been dying to do that since I first saw you yesterday,” he breathed.
“Why didn’t you?” I said breathy.
“I wasn’t sure if you were in the same place.” His eyes were glossy. It made my heart jump into my throat.
“I never left.” I cupped his cheeks. I had missed him so much. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me tight. “You are the reason I couldn’t marry Mason,” I whispered. He pulled away and held my face in his hands.
“I thought—but you said yes to him.”
“I felt pressured to say yes. He sprung it on me. Everyone was waiting for me to answer, and all I saw was your face.” A tear escaped. “I never stopped loving you, Nick.” I chocked back the tears.
He grabbed me tight. His hand splayed on the back of my head, tangling in my hair. “I never stopped loving you,” he cried into my hair. When I opened my eyes and looked up, Claudia was standing at the door, smiling. She fingerwaved then walked away. “What do we do now?” he said pulling away.
“Start over?” I replied. His eyes bore into mine. My heart swelled as his head started to nod. I cried. He hugged me tight, and I could feel his body shudder. Then he asked me back to his place. I sent a text to Claudia, who had already anticipated as much.
The entire ride I couldn’t help but stare at him. He kept blushing and asking why I was watching him, and I just kept saying I was making up for lost time. I felt the tremble in my chest as I fought against the urge to burst into tears of joy. I didn’t want to get a head of myself. I don’t know what could happen in the next few hours.
At his apartment he opened a bottle of wine handing me a glass, then he walked over to the fire place and threw some wood in the fireplace. I sat on the arm of the chair sipping the wine watching him. When he stood and turned he smiled at me, looking just as nervous as I felt.
“Now what?” He said, his fist clenching and unclenching at his sides. I shrugged and stood walking towards him.
“Whatever you want,” I slid my hand up his chest to his face and caressed his cheek. I missed this so much. I wanted to shout out that I loved him and just kiss him all night long. It had been four months since I had seen him at Cassie’s going away party but it felt as though I held him yesterday. He took my hand and led me over to the couch where we snuggled up close. He ran his fingers through my hair, kissing my head.
“I can’t believe how much I missed this,” he said, lifting my face to meet his.
“Me too,” I said and a tear escaped.
“None of that.” He said wiping it away then kissed my cheek.
“There are no surprises.” He whispered. “I promise.”
“Me either.” I said stretching to kiss him.
He scooped me up in his arms, carrying me to the bedroom. He put me down and we undressed each other. I was nervous because it had been a while since we had slept together, and I had not slept with anyone since him.
I sat on the bed, moving back slowly as he climbed on with me. His hands ran up my body. When he looked up at me, I felt the love emanating through his eyes. Biting down on my lip, I closed my eyes, enjoying the warmth of his hands as they explored every inch of me, bringing every nerve in my body to life. The world slipped away. Ordinary thoughts and worries left behind. I arched my back, pressing against his touch, wanting every inch of him against me. Slowly, we took turns removing the clothing that remained, until all that separated us was our excited breath. He cradled his body over me, my hands ran up his strong back and then his lips pressed ha
rd on mine. Both my hands cupped his cheeks, then slid in his hair, our faces inches apart as he stared into my dark-grey eyes. Then I pulled him down for a kiss. He reached down and gently pushed inside me. We both let out an uncontrollable gasp. I recovered the kiss, playfully biting his lip and gently sucking. Hands gripping and sliding across our bodies, pleasure filled us to the very core and we gasped with pleasure. I rolled on top, balancing myself with my palm against his chest.
“Yes,” I whispered. His hands gripped my thighs as I moved faster and the desire took hold of us. My head fell back and my moaning got louder. I felt his hands cup my breast. “Oh!” I gasped. He began to thrust his hips faster, and I fall forward, my hands firmly planted on the bed, twisting the sheet around them. He brushed the hair from my face, stretching his neck to kiss me, mastering my mouth. I moaned, gripping a handful of his hair. The blood roared through my veins as if it were on fire. The harder he pushed, the harder it was to stay in control. I firmly planted my hands on his thighs, gripping tightly as his thumb rubbed in circles, sending my arousal searing through me. Then as my body convulsed in a chain of spasms, I cried out his name. His hands gripped my thighs and he then let out his breath in a long, uneven hiss. His chest rapidly moved beneath me. Then just as he opened his mouth to speak, I came forward to give him a French kiss so erotic it made him forget what he wanted to say.
I snuggled in, wrapping my arm and leg around him. He turned his head in order to kiss me again.
“I don’t want this to ever end,” he whispered, kissing my forehead. I looked up at him, smiling, with my chin resting on his chest.
“Okay,” I sighed, stroking his chest with my fingers. He turned on his side, wrapping his other arm around me. He nuzzled into my neck, kissing me, and I gasped as his lips trailed lower.
“I love you,” he said, and kissed the tip of my nose.
I smiled. “I love you too.” I couldn’t control the tears that followed.
“What’s wrong?”
“I just—wish things had worked out back then. So much time was wasted from then until now,” I said, and wiped the tears feeling foolish.
“Don’t think about it.” He caressed my face. “We have now and we don’t have anything to stand in our way.” He kissed me again.
“Promise?” I looked him in the eye.
“I do.” He smiled.
“I have missed you so much.” I cuddled into his chest. His fingers tickled across my shoulders. I listened to his heartbeat and closed my eyes as his breathing rocked me to sleep.
“I’m sorry I let you go,” I whispered, choking back the sob.
“No regrets, remember? That’s what you told me,” he replied.
“Did you listen?” I smirked.
“No, but those feelings of regret started to dissipate the moment you told me that you loved me still,” he replied, holding me close.
“I’m sorry I made you feel that way.” I wiped my tears.
“I’m sorry that I was not honest enough to make it work.” He kissed the top of my head.
“Okay, enough with the apologies.” I laughed. “Let’s move forward and just enjoy each other from now on.” I kissed him.
“Okay.” His finger trickled down my cheek to my lips. “What would you say if I asked you to move in with me?” he asked.
“You don’t think it’s too soon?” I let out a nervous laugh.
“No,” he replied. “I think we’ve waited long enough.”
“Really?” My eyes welled.
He nodded, and bent down to kiss me. “Yes.” He laughed. “I don’t want to be away from you again.”
I hemmed and hawed a moment. “Where?” I replied.
“Anywhere you want,” he replied, straining his neck to kiss me. I didn’t know what to say, but it felt right when I answered him.
“Yes.”
“Yes?” He was surprised.
“I want to be with you as much as I can.” I nodded and sat up. He rolled on top of me kissing me. His kiss trailed down my neck to my chest. I tangled my fingers in his hair, pulling him up to kiss him again. His body slowly slid on top of mine, rubbing gently, and his touch arousing me once more.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The next morning I woke to the smell of freshly brewed coffee. I grabbed his shirt and pulled it over me. Nick was making breakfast and hadn’t noticed that I had taken a seat on the counter behind him. When he turned around, he jumped then smiled.
“ Good morning, beautiful,” he said, walking over, sliding his hands up my thighs as he kissed me.
“I could get used to this,” I teased.
“I figured we’d spend the day together before you have to go to the gallery tonight,” he said through our lips.
“I’m fine with that.” I wrapped my arms around his neck. “What did you have in mind?”
“A little of this.” He kissed me hard, his tongue slipping through my lips. “Maybe some of that,” he said, gently biting my lip.
“I think I like what you have planned,” I replied, wrapping my legs around his waist. The doorbell buzzed. Nick’s brow furrowed as he wondered who would be stopping by unannounced.
“Excuse me a minute,” he said, kissing me again before slipping out of my arms. I pouted, making him chuckle. When he returned, I was caught a little off guard. He hadn’t made it back to me in time to warn me that Mason had walked in.
“Mason—Mason!” Nick shouted as he came close to the kitchen. I hopped off the counter and pulled the shirt down as far as it would go. “Shouldn’t you have called before just showing up?” he asked.
“What’s the big deal?” Mason scoffed, then turned around and we came face to face. He glared at me, and then turned back to Nick.
Nick stuffed his hands in his pockets and held Mason’s stare.
“When did this happen?” he asked.
“That’s none of your business,” Nick replied, and peered over Mason’s shoulder at me. “What are you doing here?” He asked Mason.
“Never mind,” Mason said and started to walk back to the front door. “You know—if you wanted to be with my brother, why didn’t you just say so?” he said, turning around. I looked at Nick, then back at Mason with dismayed eyes.
“I think it’s been far too long to even get into it anymore,” I replied, and then walked past Mason.
“No, I want to know.”
“Mason—”
Mason ignored Nick and interjected, “You liked me, then you liked Nick, then you liked me again and now Nick again. Is this some sort of a game for you? If you wanted a threesome, why didn’t you ask?” he snarled.
“Mason!” Nick snapped.
“No, its fine, Nick. I can defend myself,” I said, looking over at him, walking towards Mason. “You want honesty, Mason?” I asked, and he nodded. “What makes you think you deserve it considering you were never honest with me?” I paused. He held my stare. “I don’t know what it was that I ever saw in you. You are selfish and deceitful. Our relationship was a lie. I was in love with Nick, and he was all I could think about.” I hit a nerve with that one. I knew it was a little spiteful, but he angered me. It wasn’t normal for someone to date two brothers, was it? It certainly was a new thing for me. “Even when you kissed me, I thought of Nick, and he was also the reason I never slept with you.” I was a little too honest, but there was no going back now. Mason’s jaw unhinged and he glared at me.
“You’re a whore!” he growled.
“That’s the kettle calling it black.” I crossed my arms. “At least in my basket, I can admit to having two eggs my entire life, not more than a dozen—in a month or a week,” I said, and walked away. Nick tried to hide his smile, but it didn’t work. Mason spun around and stood there speechless as I disappeared down the hall.
“Good luck with that one,” he sputtered, and then stormed out. Nick snickered. I paced the room, furious and hurt.
Nick joined me after the front door slammed.
“You are amazing.” He
laughing, scooping me up in his arms.
“This isn’t funny.” I froze.
His head tilted as he came towards me. “No one ever stands up to him but you.”
“I don’t see why no one does.” I scoffed.
“I don’t know either.” He kissed me. “Was all of that true?”
“Yes,” I said, jerking my head back to look at him. “He tried several times to set up a romantic night, but I never could.”
“Because you still loved me?” he asked, and I nodded. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”
“I thought you were with Stacey,” I replied, looking away. “It wasn’t until my birthday when you told me you broke up, and then I figured it was too late,” I said with a shrug.
“It’s in the past. Let’s forget about all that and just start fresh,” he said, wrapping his arm around my waist. I nodded.
“I love you, Nick.” I said wrapping my arms around his neck.
“I love you, Lauren.” He lifted me up and carried me over to the bed.
Later that night at the gallery, things got interesting. Claudia had invited a big group of her wealthiest clients. Her father was there again as well, and he brought a few of his colleagues. The one person I never expected to see was Mason. I kept my distance, not wanting to cause a scene because it would not be pretty. Nick mingled, fitting in perfectly with the clientele. Some of them recognized his face in my work and asked about it. He easily spoke of being my inspiration. I could feel the pride emanating from him.
His father was a little surprised. “So I hear you and Nick are back together,” he said, walking up behind me, standing at my side looking out at the crowd.
“Yes ,” I said, then wanted to cower in a corner. “I hope that is all right? I know Abigail wasn’t too happy about it the first time.”
“I wouldn’t worry about her. She’s a little pretentious for my liking.” He chuckled. “Nick is happy, and it’s been a long time since I have seen that boyish smile of his.” He glanced down at me.
“I know how terrible it must look—”
Robert interjected, “You don’t have to explain anything to me.” He wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “I am quite aware of Mason’s—indiscretions,” he said, and laughed. Then he saw a man he knew and called out to him, “John, how’s it going? Excuse me, sweetheart.” He said, and walked away.
Hard To Love Page 24
