“Not here,” she said breathlessly, staggering when he pulled back. “My bed.”
“Nicole—”
“My bed,” she repeated, and grabbed his hand, tugging him toward her bedroom before he could come to his senses and say goodbye. She didn’t want goodbyes, and she was banking on the hope he didn’t really want them either.
It was late and the room was dark. She flipped on the light switch, then hesitated. Maybe she should leave them in the dark, give them some place to hide.
No. No, she thought, turning back to him as she pulled her shirt over her head and watched his gaze flare with unchecked desire. She wanted to see him want her. Wanted to capture that and save it. Store it in a part of her heart to pull out when she needed.
After he was gone.
“Nicole—”
She wanted to cry at the rough, low voice, tinged with regret. He wasn’t going to change his mind, not now, he couldn’t. She unbuttoned her jeans and he swallowed hard.
“Wait, I—” His words broke off into a rough groan when she shoved the jeans down her hips and kicked them free, leaving her in a siren-red lace bra and a sunshine-yellow silk thong. Laundry day, damn it. She never matched for him. But she couldn’t worry about that now. To make sure he saw her, all of her, she turned in a slow circle, running her hands down her own body.
When she turned back to him, he was suddenly right there, so close she bumped into his chest. “Not fair,” he whispered.
“What’s not fair is that you haven’t started.” She tugged on his shirt. He raised his arms so that she could pull it off and toss it over her shoulder. The bruises on his ribs made her physically ache for him. “Are you okay?”
“Right now I am. I love your color choices today.”
She grimaced. “One of these days I’ll get it together and pay attention in the morning.”
“No, I like it. Tough, cool tomboy on the outside, thoroughly unorganized siren on the inside.” His palms slid up her sides to cup her breasts, while she combed her fingers through his hair, bringing his mouth back to hers for the hot, wet, deep kiss she’d been longing for.
“Nicole.” His voice was hoarse, and he repeated her name as if he couldn’t hear it enough. He kissed her jaw, beneath her ear, her throat, touching her everywhere his hands could reach. Then her bra fell to the floor, followed by her mismatched panties. “I don’t want to hurt you,” he said.
“Then don’t.” She opened his jeans and slid her hands inside, squeezing his very squeezable butt. Not enough, but she knew he couldn’t easily bend so she dropped to her knees to work his jeans down. She tugged off his knit boxers, too, her mouth watering as his impressive erection sprang free.
“Nicole—”
She took him in her mouth and he staggered back a step, then swore reverently as his hands entangled in her hair. His head fell back. She ran her tongue up his length, and he shuddered, but then pulled away and hauled her up to her feet.
“Ty, I want to—”
“Bed. Now.”
“But—”
“I’d play the hero and toss you on it,” he said in a thrilling rough voice. “But—”
“Your ribs.”
“My ribs,” he agreed, following her down to the mattress. Lying at her side, he touched her feet, ran his hands up her calves, over her knees���then met her gaze as he wrapped his palm around her thigh.
“Careful of your ribs—” Her words ended abruptly when he splayed open her legs.
Staring down at her with such intense heat she felt herself go up in flames, he let out a slow breath. “I won’t hurt myself, I won’t have to. You’re already killing me.”
Very carefully, he shifted his weight. His intent became clear when she felt his warm breath high on her inner thigh. “Careful—”
“Shh.” He kissed her quivering, slick flesh, and suddenly her skin felt tight, her chest too small to hold her heart. Then he kissed her again, and writhing on the sheets, she cried out.
“I want you.” His gaze locked on her as he slid a finger into her body. Her moan of pleasure meshed with his. “I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anyone.”
“I want you, too.” She barely managed to put the words together, but sensed how much he needed to hear them to ground him here, to this place. To her. “I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anyone, Ty. Love me.”
“Like this?” Sliding his hands beneath her, he put his mouth on her, and with one slow, sure, knowing stroke of his tongue he nearly drove her right out of her living mind. Then he sucked her into his mouth, and he did drive her right out of her living mind. While she was still trembling with the aftershocks, he came up to his knees, wrapped his hand around his erection and buried himself deep within her.
Then he went still as he uttered one concise and perfectly descriptive oath.
She was just about crazy with the need for him to move within her. ”What?”
“Condom,” he growled, and pulled out of her, his sex glistening with her own wetness. She watched him grit his teeth as he got off the bed, searched out his wallet, opened a foil packet, and stroked a condom down the length of himself.
“Hurry,” she said.
“This isn’t the emergency room, Dr. Hot Pants. There’s no hurry.” And he proceeded to prove it to her by slowly, far too slowly, entering her again, watching her with hot, hot eyes as he did.
Oh, he destroyed her, completely destroyed her. Arching her hips, she tried to pull him in, faster, harder.
“Slow,” he whispered, running hot, openmouthed kisses along her jaw, her throat, pulling a patch of her skin into his mouth to suck.
But she needed all of him and she needed it now. She needed that to ease her tight chest, to soothe her fear that she’d wake up and he’d be gone. “Ty—”
But he couldn’t be rushed, so she slapped her hands to his tight butt and tugged. Still no go. He was a solid mass of muscle, with a mind of his own.
He held her like that, on the very edge. She would have been furious at the way he mastered her body if he hadn’t been right there with her, head back, jaw clenched in a grimace of passion, just as on the edge as she. Then, when she was nearly sobbing in frustration, he thrust deep, stretching her, filling her. The penetration was so powerful and complete they both cried out, and then again when he withdrew only to plunge back in. His grip on her hips tightened as he stroked harder, deeper, his powerful body crushing her to the mattress.
Legs tightening around his waist, she moved with him, slowly at first, as he’d wanted, but the pressure built until her heart beat in her ears in tune to the thrust of his pumping hips.
Intense pleasure gripped her, shoved her over the edge as lights exploded behind her eyes and shudders rippled her body, robbing her of breath. Vaguely she felt him bury his face in her neck and groan out her name as he followed her over, but all she could do was cling to him, lost, as hot wave after hot wave continued to take her.
Ty collapsed to the side, hauling her with him. They lay still like that except for the sound of their racing hearts and uneven breathing.
Nicole concentrated on the physical, which was incredible, and refused to think of anything else. Then Ty kissed her shoulder and pulled back so he could look into her eyes. “Okay?”
“Definitely.” She might have said fantastic. Euphoric. Better than she’d ever been. But he got out of the bed and disappeared into the bathroom.
She stared at the ceiling.
When he came back out, he stood by the bed, still naked, looking down at her with those depthless eyes. “Should I go?”
Go? The thought made her heart clench. No. No, he shouldn’t go. To show him, she lifted the covers, held them open.
He flipped off the light, climbed in, and scooped her close. She put her face into the crook of his neck, loving the feel of his warm, strong arms around her, having his hard body cradling hers as if he never wanted to let her go.
She loved him.
She knew that now
, even though she’d never felt such an overwhelming, terrifying emotion for a man before. It was a bitter pill to swallow that Taylor, smug Taylor, had been right. The Lword was involved.
Now what? Good God, now what? Deep breath, Nicole. After all, she’d handled some pretty tough situations before, she could handle this.
They could handle this. Together.
That thought held her, made her smile in her sleep, made her smile as she woke up with the sun shining in her eyes.
She smiled all the way until she reached for Ty and found him gone.
CHAPTER TWELVE
HE COULDN’T REALLY be gone. Nicole cocked her head and listened, thinking he’d gotten in the shower, or was in the kitchen, though God knew, the fridge was so empty she couldn’t imagine what was keeping him.
But, she heard nothing, and the truth hit her. Ty was gone and she was alone. No problem, really, as she was used to that, and she lay back in a relaxed pose to prove it.
But then she heard a sound in the hallway, and before she could think about it, she’d leapt from the bed so fast her head spun. Maybe he’d just gone for donuts and coffee.
If that was the case, she’d love him forever.
Hand on the front door, she realized she was still entirely naked so she went racing back into the bedroom, grabbed the blanket they’d tossed to the floor sometime in the deep, dark of the night when they hadn’t needed anything but the heat they’d generated while making love.
Back at the front door, wrapped in the blanket now, she hauled the door open.
Nothing.
But since she still heard sounds, she tiptoed down a few stairs, thinking any moment now he’d pop into view with his grin, holding donuts and coffee, and she would offer to be his sex slave forever.
“Nicole? Is that you?”
Shit. Suzanne. Nicole whipped around and lifted a foot to race back up the stairs, only she tripped on an edge of the blanket and ended up facedown on the stairs.
“Honey, you okay?” Suzanne came into view holding some sort of brass frame. At the sight of Nicole sprawled in her blanket, with her naked arms and shoulders peeking out, she stopped short.
“Don’t ask.” Nicole managed to sit up.
Holding the back end of the frame, Taylor came up behind Suzanne. “Rough night?”
Nicole tugged her blanket closer and remained silent.
“Hmm.” From Taylor, that was a loaded hmm. “Tell you what, let’s skip you for a moment and get right to me. I’m selling this antique brass quilt holder today, and I can’t be here. Neither can Suzanne. I was hoping you’d be in bed with Ty all day and could handle the transaction for me.”
“Ty is gone.”
“He’s gone out to get you caffeine?”
“He’s gone out, all right. Slunk out.” Nicole scrubbed her face with her hands. “Happy now?”
“Ah. We’re back to this being about you.”
Nicole dropped her hands and glowered at Taylor. “I’m the one sitting bareass naked here.”
Taylor sat on the step next to her. “You and Ty do it last night?”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Did you?”
“Yes! Okay? Three times! Now is my humiliation complete?”
“Did you happen to mention you love him during any of those three times?” Suzanne asked.
Nicole resisted the urge to strangle her. “Why would I do that?”
“Because it’s the truth.”
Nicole glared at Suzanne, who continued just to look at her serenely. Confidently. Smugly.
“Did you?” Taylor pressed. “Did you tell him?”
“No.” Nicole thought about how perfect the night had been, how many times they’d turned to one another, how she’d wondered how that much happiness could fit into her chest. “He didn’t say it either.”
“Maybe he’s just as scared as you,” Taylor said very gently, and put her arm around her shoulders. “Love is fairly terrifying.”
Nicole looked deep into Taylor’s eyes and saw a haunting pain. “You know this for a fact, don’t you?”
“Oh, yes.”
Suzanne sat on Nicole’s other side. “Tell him. See what happens.”
Nicole drew a deep breath, but never having been a coward, she stood up. “Yeah. Okay.”
“Great, but…honey?” Taylor tugged a little on the blanket. “Much as I think Ty would appreciate what you’re not wearing, I think you should get dressed first.”
NICOLE DID GET dressed first, and then drove straight to Ty’s house. There was a car parked next to his, and boxes in the driveway.
He was already leaving.
Well, she thought with a deep breath, he’d be taking her heart with him. Chin high, heart hammering, she knocked on his front door. Tell him, she coaxed herself. Just tell him.
The moment he opened it, she swallowed hard and said, “I love you.”
For the longest heartbeat in history, he just stared at her. Then from behind him came a voice. “Ty?” A woman came up behind him, tall and beautiful, with bright blue eyes.
Since no big hole had opened up and swallowed her, Nicole took a step backwards. “I’m sorry.”
“No,” said the woman. “I’m sorry.” She turned to Ty and smacked him on his arm. “You big lug, why didn’t you tell me you had a girlfriend?”
That was it for Nicole, she whirled and ran toward her car, fumbled for her keys, and had just opened the driver’s door when she was whipped around.
Ty stood there, his piercing blue eyes narrowed against the sun. He put his big hands on her arms and held her against the car, and when she would have wriggled free, he simply pressed his body in close.
As if he hadn’t done the same thing all night long.
She closed her eyes and fought for control. “Please,” she whispered, out of breath from the adrenaline and emotions running through her body. “It’s been a long, humiliating morning. Just…just let me go.”
He was out of breath, too. “Not until you repeat what you just said.”
She opened her eyes, but kept her mouth stubbornly shut.
Ty sighed and gentled his hold, sliding his hands up to cup her jaw. “Nicole—”
“I’m late for work.”
Still breathing unevenly, he put his forehead to hers. “I shouldn’t have left this morning without a note. I realized that after I was halfway home. But I woke up early, and you looked so tired, and…and I needed to think. I went home and there was a message from my sister.”
This made her open her eyes. “Did you find her?”
Just like that, Ty’s heart tipped on its side. She was shaking, visibly upset, and yet she could put it all away to ask about his sister.
Because she loved him.
It made him start shaking. “She found me, that’s her in the house.”
Nicole looked over at the young woman standing in his doorway with his own see-through blue eyes, his own dark, do-as-it-pleased hair, his own cool, easygoing smile that told the world she was tough-as-hell while on the inside she was terrified.
“Have you talked?” Nicole asked quietly.
“We’ve started.”
“And I interrupted.” She winced. “God. I’m sorry, I—”
“My sister and I will have our time.” He cupped her face. “But right now it’s our time. Nicole—”
“The boxes. I…thought you were leaving.”
He gave her a half smile. “It sure as hell would be the easy way out, and I like that, believe me. Or I did, until last night.”
“What happened last night?”
“I realized I was an idiot.” He stroked his thumbs over her jaw. “An idiot who loves you right back, Nicole.”
“You…” A half laugh, half sob escaped her. “Really?”
“Oh, darlin’, if you only knew how much.” He pulled her close. “I thought I enjoyed the wandering, you know?” He buried his face in her hair. “It kept my past off my heels. Moving around,
I wasn’t just a screw-up, a nobody from nowhere and no one. But then I ended up here, and suddenly there were these strings on my heart.” Pulling back, he smiled. “California for one. God, I love it here.” He ran a gentle finger down her earlobe. “And then I had a sister who wanted me in her life. That messed with my head for a while.”
Nicole smiled. “She’s stubborn. Like you.”
“Yeah.” He stroked a hand down her spine, keeping her tucked close because he couldn’t get enough of her. That had given him some bad moments last night, not being able to get enough, which had led to him stupidly getting out of her bed before dawn. He’d convinced himself he shouldn’t get used to having her around all the time, because she wouldn’t want that. But now he wasn’t ever letting go of her again. “And then there’s you,” he said, kissing her softly. “You, darlin’, were the strongest string of all. I’m never cutting you loose. Say that’s good for you.”
“That’s good for me. Really good.”
“I want to marry you, Nicole. Have babies with you. I want to start a family and do it right.”
She paled a bit, which made him laugh and hug her hard. God, he loved her. “We don’t have to start right now. We could just…be. If that’s what it takes to make you smile again. Just knowing you love me is good enough.”
Her breath caught, and looking uncertain, she bit her lower lip. “What if I never want to get married? What if I never want children…what then?”
“I just want you, Nicole. That’s all I need, the rest is a bonus, that’s all.”
Her smile was slow and brilliant and made his heart tip on its side. “You’re my miracle, Ty. Knowing you love me that much.”
“That I do, Nicole.”
“It’s…amazing.”
“You don’t think you’re that lovable?”
“I know I’m not,” she said with a laugh. “But I’m selfish enough to marry you anyway.” She laughed again, as if shocked by the admission. “I even want to have a little boy who looks just like you.”
“A little girl.” Ty kissed her, not quite as softly this time. “With eyes just like yours, and a smile that melts me.”
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