“I can't tell you how much I've been looking forward to this night. Ever since the party, I’ve wanted to make it up to you, whatever went wrong.”
"I'm sorry about that. I'd just let things get out of hand when I shouldn't have. These days I've really been focusing on my career and on my cheerleading. I haven’t had a lot of time for dating. I guess I just felt like it got really complicated really fast."
"I understand. And I'm sorry. I don't want to make you feel pressured in any way."
She smiled at me. "Thanks, Nick. That means a lot to me."
When we arrived at the restaurant, I helped her out of the car, and offered her my arm. It was with a sense of pride that I escorted her inside and into the elevator leading to the restaurant. Alone in the elevator, as the car climbed to the top floor, I wanted to take her in my arms and kiss those luscious pink lips of hers so bad, but I refrained. There was no way I was going to risk scaring her off again. Instead I took a deep breath and said, “You look beautiful tonight. That dress is perfect on you.”
“Thanks. You look pretty good yourself.” I’d cleaned up and put on a suit for the occasion. It was the least I could do, and if Eden needed slow that's what I would give her.
The elevator doors opened and I caught the sparkle in Eden’s eye as she looked around, taking in the ambience. Between the soft lighting, the setting sun, and the modern, streamlined decor, the restaurant had a relaxing yet sophisticated vibe. The maître d’ showed us to our table. I ordered a bottle of champagne, and we perused our menus.
“Have you ever been here before?” I asked.
“No, but I’ll bet you have.”
I grinned. “I’m not going to take you somewhere I don’t know firsthand. Not on our first date.”
“That’s nice. So what’s good here—everything?” She laughed.
“Probably, but I usually go with the catch of the day or the steak. I eat a lot of protein.”
“You’d have to. Fish sounds good.”
I ordered for us both and we settled into an easy conversation. I didn’t know about her, but for me being with her felt like slipping into an old pair of comfortable shoes—if those shoes were the hottest one’s ever, and they made your stomach do a flip when you wore them.
The champagne arrived, and I made a toast. “To old friends.”
“To old friends,” she repeated and clinked her glass against mine. “I probably shouldn’t be drinking this.”
“Why is that?”
Then she told me about the scrutiny she was under from the cheerleading director of the Scorpions.
“I hear you. I don’t drink much during the season myself, but tonight seems like a special occasion.”
“Oh, it is. I agree with you! And I am having the fish.”
“You are. What a good girl.” I wanted to offer to help her work off some of the calories later, but I behaved myself and only thought it.
She giggled. “Okay, so I have a question.”
“Shoot.”
She smiled before continuing. “I heard these girls talking about how you have bunnies… What does that mean?”
It was my turn to smile. “It’s like saying someone has hops—like they can jump.”
Her face lit up. “Oh, so it’s like how Charles Barkley calls you Air Apparent because you can dunk so well.”
“Yes, exactly like that.”
“How do you do it—dunk I mean?”
I shrugged. “Practice. Lots of practice.”
“Well, that’s a relief. I was afraid they were talking about Playboy bunnies.”
We both laughed.
“Not quite. I steer clear of that place.”
“The Playboy Mansion?”
“Yeah. That scene is a trap for guys like me.”
“In what way? Seems like guys like you would love that sort of, ahem, environment.”
“Nah. Maybe if we could stay incognito, but once people recognize you, know you’ve got money, they all want one thing from you.”
“And I’m guessing it’s not your hops?”
“Nope. Everybody wants a payday, a piece of you. When you’ve got money you can’t trust anyone.”
She shook her head. “Especially if you’re famous. I do well with my medical business, but it’s not the same.”
I stood corrected. Damn, I needed this girl. She brought me back down to Earth. “You’re right. I’ve lived in the public eye too long. I don’t know if I’ve ever been out of it. You know, you owe your mom a lot, bringing you back to Texas and raising you here. I’ll bet you had a pretty normal childhood, at least your high school years.”
She looked wistful. “I guess. The weird thing for me was graduating early. I wasn’t like most kids. I started medical school around the time most of my friends were starting college.”
I shook my head. “That’s right. You’re amazing. You know that?”
“Thanks. I could say the same thing about you.”
I took her hand across the table and held it, the warmth of her skin felt so good in my hand that for a moment I forgot all the outside pressures, the untrustworthy people and the users in the world. Everything else melted away and it was just me and Eden, who’d known me when I was a boy. The girl who was my friend before I became a household name or signed my first contract for millions. When it was just us blowing bubbles during the hot summer days and chasing fireflies at night.
Holding hands with her like this—it felt like home.
In fact, I was so comfortable with her that I brought up something I’d never even asked my siblings.
“Have you ever thought of what it would have been like if they hadn’t died—our fathers? Like, what our lives would have all been like if they’d never gotten on that plane?”
“No, have you?” She pulled her hand away and took a sip of water.
“All the time.”
She stared at me, then finally said, “What do you think it would be like?”
“I don’t know if I would be a basketball player. I don’t know if my siblings would do what they do.”
Her jaw dropped. “Really? Why not?”
“Because I’m not sure there’s room in a family for more stars when you’ve already got Ziggy Barnes.”
She nodded. “I can see that. He was larger than life.”
“Your dad too.”
She shook her head. “He was a great guitarist, but he wasn’t Ziggy.”
“Yeah, I don’t think my mom would have had the energy to put so much into building our careers if she’d still been managing my dad’s.”
“That makes sense, but you’d still be good at basketball. Dynassy would still be gorgeous, and the twins would still have his musical talent. You might all have found your way to where you are now. Maybe you’d have traveled a different path to get there, but you’re all pretty amazing.”
“Thanks, Eden. That means a lot coming from you.”
She rolled her eyes. “Why me? Who cares what I think?”
“I do. You’re just about the smartest, most amazing girl I’ve ever known. Or course I care what you think.”
She flushed, and I couldn’t help thinking I’d like to see more of her creamy pink skin.
“What do you think would have happened with us?” she asked, her pink cheeks turning red.
“Us? Well I guess we’d have spent more time together over the years. That would have been great, but I have to admit you would have distracted me.”
“In what way?” she teased.
“C’mon, Eden. Look at you. I love what I do, but if I had you around, I’m not sure I would have been as committed to training as I was.”
“You’re sweet. I probably wouldn’t have been able to focus on my studies with you around either.”
I nodded. “So what about your mom?” I asked. “How has she been?”
“She’s good. She lives on a ranch, has a bunch of animals.”
“I always remember your mom being a sweetheart.”
&n
bsp; “She is. Kind of a hippie too. She’s always posting about this cause or that one.” Eden laughed. “And oh God, you don’t want to be friends with her on Facebook, because she posts about one thing after another all the time. And it all makes you feel guilty. I know mothers are supposed to make you feel guilty, but mine is the worst! She’s a vegan now, so just yesterday she posted a video with all these cute little fishes and they were doing tricks and things. The whole point was to make you feel guilty about eating them.”
I laughed. “Doesn’t work on me. I need my protein, but you know who I think she would get along great with?”
“Who?”
“My sister Ivy.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. She’s very socially conscious. Always trying to teach us about making the world a better place.”
“I’ve seen her on the show. It’s so weird because I just remember her and Leo as toddlers.”
I nodded.
A grin spread over her lovely face. “She does have wicked cool hair. What color is it now?”
I raised a finger to my lips. “Shh! If I told you I’d have to kill you.”
She giggled. “Fair enough.”
“No, really. It’s usually a wig so I never know what it will look like until I see her. She keeps her real hair pretty short so she can pop those wigs on and off.”
“So that’s how she does it. That’s brilliant. I’ve always heard wigs are awfully hot to wear.”
I shrugged. “Lucinda’s the one who got her wearing them. She doesn’t give a damn about comfort.”
“I can see that.”
We skipped dessert, and as soon as I paid the bill, I escorted her toward the elevator. This time when we got on, she stood closer to me. Close enough I could put my arm around her and hold her. Her body pressed against me, and it was all I could do not to push the red “emergency” button and take her right there.
Deep breaths. I had to take deep breaths and make myself picture my first-grade teacher naked to keep from getting an erection. Mrs. Tharpe was not an attractive woman and she’d had two hairy moles on her face, so that usually did the trick.
When the elevator doors opened, I took Eden’s hand and vowed again to take things with her slow. When we got to the car, I opened the door for her, and adjusted my suit jacket.
As much as I longed to have sex with Eden one day, right now it was more important to reconnect with her and bring her back into my life. I’d made that mistake last time, and I had no intention of screwing things up again.
CHAPTER SIX
Eden
When Nick pulled the car into my driveway, I half expected him to kiss me in the car and then drive away once I got out of the car. Instead, he opened his door, got out, and came around to open mine for me.
Was he being presumptuous? Assuming he would be coming up to my apartment or just being a gentleman?
I didn't like the idea of him assuming, but I did want him to come inside. In the worst way. He held my hand as we walked up the sidewalk and I felt like a teenager again.
When we got to the door I started to fumble for my keys, but he stopped me, taking my hand and holding it in his "Do you mind if I kiss you good night?"
I inhaled his masculine scent, and the wave of lust that overtook me left me tongue-tied, and all I could do was nod. He leaned in close, placed one hand on the small of my back, cupped my nape with the other then touched his mouth to mine. His tongue dove between my lips, exploring my mouth, and my knees threatened to give way. His hands roamed over my body, caressing my curves possessively. I wound my arms around his neck, holding him tight as I kissed him.
Too soon, he released me and took a step back. I wanted to cry out like a toddler whose pacifier had just been stolen. His kiss had been so delicious… Why had he stopped?
I must've looked puzzled, because he said, “Thanks for going out with me, Eden. I had a great time. I hope we can do it again." He turned around and started down the corridor.
"Wait!” I screeched. “Where you going? Why are you leaving?" Was this some kind of a joke? Did he not find me attractive enough?
He looked back over his shoulder. “I thought you said we needed to take it easy. Go slow."
I crooked my finger, beckoning him to come back to me. Without a word he turned around and strode toward me with a determined look that reminded me of a lion stalking its prey. If I didn’t want this man, now was the time to tell him.
But oh, I did want him. I wanted him with every cell in my body.
I pulled him into an embrace, kissing him hard on the lips before unlocking the door and tugging him inside behind me. "Why don’t you come in?”
His only response was to thread his fingers in my hair and pull my head toward him, deepening his kiss.
We fell inside the door and as soon as the door closed our clothes started coming off. I'm not even sure who took off what, I only know that before we got to the bedroom, we were both stark naked. Nick picked me up, and I wrapped my legs around his waist.
A hard-as-concrete penis poked against my stomach as he carried me to my bed, and I wiggled north, hoping to help it settle inside me, but before that could happen, he peeled me off him and tossed me down on the bed.
“If I go get a condom, you’re not going to run away this time, are you?” He looked genuinely worried.
“Nope,” I said, getting a good look at him in the light from the streetlights outside. His body was more toned and muscular in person than even his underwear ads showed. It was more raw—his veins pulsed and his muscles rippled as he did even the simplest thing like search his pants for his wallet.
“Good, because I don’t think I can take that kind of disappointment twice.”
He rolled the condom onto his rock-hard cock, then climbed back onto the bed.
Usually, I appreciated some foreplay, but right then it was clear to me that our entire lives leading up to that moment had been foreplay. Dinner and that kiss at the door were all I needed tonight to set me on fire and make me drop my panties for this man who made my heart sing and my pussy cream.
“Open your legs for me.” His words made my heart race. His six-foot-seven frame towered over me, even though he knelt between my legs. My legs were already somewhat open, but I assumed he meant for me to spread them wider. The request made me shy, but it turned me on too. Thanks to cheerleading, my flexibility allowed me to put them almost anywhere he wanted, and while I felt shy about this, I wanted to please him more.
“Wider,” he commanded, his voice hungry with desire. A ripple of desire flowed through me, and my nipples hardened into tight little points.
I opened myself to him as wide as I could. “Like that?” I boldly met his gaze.
He licked his lips. “My God, you’re more beautiful than I dreamed.” The head of his cock nudged against my entrance. Then he licked his thumb, placed it on clit, and started to rub it around ever so slightly, with just enough pressure to make me cry out his name.
“Nick!”
“Yes?” His tone was husky yet playful.
“Please,” I hissed.
“All right,” he acquiesced. “It’s not like we both haven’t waited long enough for this.”
Then he slid his cock into me, slowly—so slowly that I was forced to savor every inch. The teasing pace was as excruciating as it was exquisite, and I whimpered every time he pulled back the least little bit.
By the time he was finally buried all the way inside me I groaned and wrapped my legs around his waist, my hips rising to meet his every stroke.
“Damn, Eden. You feel so fucking good, girl.”
“Oh my God.” That was all I could say. I was out of practice, and I’d actually never had much luck with sex anyway, but words became impossible and my mind went blank as my climax crept up on me. My muscles clenched and I began to tremble. “Oh God, Nick!” His cock pumped into me, one of his hands cupped my breast as he bent his head to tweak my nipple lightly with his teeth.
Tha
t right there sent me over the edge. I grabbed at him, my fingernails raking down his back as I called his name over and over, thrashing my head from side to side like someone having a fever dream. “Nick! Nick! Nick!”
He gripped my shoulders and picked up the pace, his hips moving in and out of me frenetically until he finally came with a soft moan that may have been the sweetest sound my ears had ever heard.
When he collapsed next to me, he stroked my hair before tucking his arm around me. “I swear, Eden, you are the most amazing woman…”
“You are too. I mean man though.”
We lay there, laughing occasionally, until our breathing returned to normal.
After a few minutes, Nick got up.
"Crap," he muttered.
"What is it?" My blood ran cold. What had just transpired between us had quite possibly been the most earth-shattering experience of my life. Now something was wrong? Could it have been different for him?
"Damn condom broke. Don't worry I'll clean it up."
"Um, okay." I didn't know what to say. Certainly, this wasn’t a good thing to have happen, but I was relieved it wasn’t something worse—like that he’d hated having sex with me. No, I wasn't going to let a busted rubber ruin my joy at having Nick back in my life and the intimacy we’d just shared.
I was afraid he would be a "love ‘em and leave ’em" type of guy, so I was thrilled when he curled up behind me in a perfect spoon position. His hand snaked between my breasts, cradling the top one, his lips brushed the back of my neck, and he spoke in a soft voice.
“Remember when we were kids, and we used to talk about what we wanted to be when we grew up?”
“Yes.” I did. Dynassy had always wanted to be a movie star. I wanted to be an astronomer or a dancer, and Nick wanted to play basketball. With Nick it had always been basketball.
“Do you ever wish you became an astronomer?”
“No. My first college class in astronomy cured me of that.”
“Really?”
The Barnes Family Romances: (Books 1-3) Page 4
