by Ella Sparkle
Steven glared at both of us. “Stop talking about him when he's not here. Jenna, if you don’t get out of here right now, the pizza is going to get cold. If you deliver cold pizzas, I'm going to make you clean the bathrooms tonight.”
I grabbed my boxes and did a mock salute to Steven. “Aye aye captain. I be on my way, matey.”
Steven rolled his eyes at me as he tried to fight a smile. “You are such a dork. No wonder you fit in here. Get going and get your pizzas delivered.”
I grabbed the boxes and headed out the back door to the delivery car. Cassie and Mike... I was going to need to talk to her and find out what exactly was up with that. They seemed like such an unlikely pair, but one that was just so crazy it might work.
While I was talking with Kimmy and Steven, I realized I had become one of those awful friends that gets a boyfriend and gets wrapped up in spending time with him. I couldn’t even remember for sure the last time I spoke to Cassie and I didn’t like that at all.
As bad as I felt about neglecting my friendship with Cassie, I also felt a little flutter in my stomach at the idea that I referred to Nick as my boyfriend. Is that how I saw what we were doing? We hadn't known each other for very long, but everything with him just felt so good and so right that maybe... I had to stop myself from going down that path and remind myself things with Nick were for now, not forever...
Chapter 26
Nick
“So, what has you sitting behind your desk with a huge grin on your face in the middle of the workday? Let me guess someone whose name starts with ‘Jen’ and ends with ‘na’.” Bax walked into my office and flopped into one of the chairs across from my desk.
I looked up at him. He was right, I had been texting with Jenna. We had been texting cheesy baseball references and I invited her to my place where I was going to cook dinner for her the next night. I had never cooked dinner for a woman... in fact, I was not really sure what made me throw that out there, but I liked doing things for Jenna, and cooking dinner for her seemed like something she would be into. I wasn’t going to admit any of that to Bax. Instead, I scowled at him, “Who let you back here; and why are you here?”
Bax laughed. “See that is the beauty of it, my friend. No one. You still haven’t hired an assistant so there is literally no one sitting at that front desk to stop me from just waltzing my wonderful self right back here to talk to your grumpy ass. I just stopped by to say hello, since I haven’t talked to you for a while and this is the welcome I get.” Bax leaned forward putting his arm on my desk as he whispered like we were sharing some great secret. “I'm onto you, Blaine. I know you're only pretending to be grumpy. I saw that smile on your face before you realized I was here.”
I groaned. “I know. I need to get some interviews done and hire someone. I've just—"
“Been busy having pizza delivered?” Bax interrupted, making a gesture with his hands that he must have learned in a junior high locker room.
I glared at him. Actually, he was right, again. I had been so busy seeing Jenna every spare moment I could, that I hadn’t set up the interviews for an assistant yet. Fuck. That was exactly the type of thing I was worried about happening if I got distracted by a... whatever it was that Jenna and I were doing. Hiring an assistant had slipped through the cracks while I drowned in paperwork and Bax waltzed into my office during the middle of the day. I needed to refocus.
Bax snapped his fingers in front of my face. “Hey, Blaine. Where did you go just now? I lost you. What is going on?”
“I don’t know what I am doing, Bax,” I admitted.
“Is this about Pizza Girl? Because I can give you some pointers. I have been told I am quite good at making the ladies happy if you catch my drift.” Bax gave me a wink.
“You are an ass. Plus I am not even talking about that.” I wasn’t going to mention to Bax that we hadn’t even done... that. I didn’t want to pressure Jenna into anything; she was special so I was going to follow her lead and wait until she was ready. And take a fuck ton of cold showers between now and then.
“I don’t know what I'm doing with her in general.” I paused as I ran my hand through my hair, “I haven’t interviewed for an assistant because I have been so wrapped up in spending every spare moment with Jenna. I have been distracted, Bax, and shit is starting to slide.” I waved my arm over my desk which was once again covered in mounds of paper.
“So then, things are going well with Jenna?” Bax asked. I just stared at him, unsure of how to respond. “Feelings, Nick. I am asking how you feel about her. I know you don’t like talking about or expressing or even acknowledging feelings, but...”
“I really like her, Bax. More than I should. She is leaving and I want to just pretend like that is not going to happen. I thought this was going to be easy... that we could just hang out until the expiration date when she left. I'm not so sure I can do that anymore.”
“Fuck, Nick. We have been friends since high school and I can count on one hand, with fingers to spare, the number of times you have talked about your feelings and two of those spots belong to talking about Jenna. Once at the club and now. You really like her, don’t you?”
I rubbed my hands over my face. “I can’t, though. I won’t do anything that could interfere with her going to law school. That was a plan she had in place long before she met me and I am not a part of it. I knew that going into this. I also can’t do anything to interfere with Blaine Construction. I'm on the edge of really breaking through into the big time and I have worked too hard to get to this point just to let it slide away. I have too many people counting on me.”
“So, what are you going to do?” Bax asked leaning back in the chair.
“Keep pretending like she is not leaving, and enjoy it right now, I guess.” I shrugged my shoulders.
"Here's a super crazy idea; have you talked to her about any of this?”
“No,” I admitted.
“Why? Because it would require Nick Blaine to talk about the fact that he feels real feelings for Jenna... what's her last name?”
“Morgan,” I answered.
“Right, you might have to admit that you feel something for Jenna Morgan? Even crazier, you might have to actually tell Jenna you have these feelings for her.” Bax looked expectantly at me. I was growing increasingly frustrated with the whole conversation and I think Bax could sense it. “Listen,” he finally said. “When is the next time you're going to see her?”
“Tomorrow night. She's coming over to my place for dinner.”
“You going to order Pete’s Pizza?” Bax laughed. “Awww, come on. That was funny.” He laughed at my grimace.
“I am going to make dinner for her.”
Bax let out a low whistle. “Damn, Blaine. You do really like her. You've barely cooked for me before and I've known you forever. Until Jenna came along, I was your favorite person and you weren't cooking for me. Don’t tell me you're making your dad’s spaghetti for her.”
“I was thinking about it...”
“You know that's my favorite! It has been since the very first time I ate at your house when we were in high school! What time are you eating so I can be there?” Bax joked and then suddenly turned serious. “Wait, have you ever cooked for a woman before? I think you're entering into some completely new and uncharted Nick Blaine territory with this.”
“You are not invited,” I growled. “And no, I have never cooked dinner at my place for someone that I am... with.” Fuck, what would someone call the thing between Jenna and me?
“Damn, Nick. I have never seen you like this before.” Bax paused as if waiting for me to respond. When I didn't, he continued on, “Before you kick me out, I also want to offer my services to be on the interview committee for your new office assistant. I am an excellent judge of character, and a great friend willing to help you out.”
“An excellent judge of character, huh?” I raised my eyebrow at him.
“Well except for a momentary lapse when I decided to be your lifel
ong friend,” Bax laughed. “Now that one was funny.” He said, laughing at his own joke.
I couldn’t help but smile back at him. “You are an idiot, Bax. Are you really offering to help? You're not going to do anything weird like ask one of them out on a date in the middle of an interview or something like that, are you?”
“I am insulted you would think that... and disappointed in myself for not thinking of it first. No, I won’t do anything ‘weird,’” he said, making air quotes, “I am genuinely offering to help you. You are my friend and occasionally I try to do something nice to keep you around.”
“Thanks, man. I really appreciate that.” I was touched that Bax could see how overwhelmed I was and wanted to help me out.
Bax put his hand over his heart. “That may be one of the nicest things you have ever said to me, Nick Blaine.”
“Yeah, well don’t get used to it,” I pretended to be looking at a stack of papers on my desk. Leave it to Bax to make a moment fucking weird and awkward.
Bax just laughed as he stood up and started to leave. “There is the ‘devoid of any human feeling or emotion’ Nick that we all know and love. I was worried you were getting soft on me for a moment. Good to see that the asshole is still strong in you.” When Bax got to the door he turned around and said with a smirk. “Oh, by the way, Nick. I fucking told you so.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked, genuinely confused.
“Remember when I told you someday, despite all your best efforts to the contrary, you were going to meet some girl who was going to flip your world upside down and I was going to just sit there and laugh and say ‘fucking told you so.’ Remember that, Nick?”
“Yeah...” I said slowly.
“Well, Nick, I am laughing and saying ‘fucking told you so,’” Bax waved as he walked out the door.
Damn him. Especially because I was certain he was right.
Chapter 27
Jenna
The next night I was standing on Nick’s front steps at seven o'clock on the dot getting ready to ring the doorbell. I was suddenly really nervous. Coming to his house seemed like a really big deal. Like something that people in a relationship did. Is that what we were doing? Dang, I needed to slow down. I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans and said a little prayer of thanks that I was wearing my extra-strength deodorant.
I finally worked up the nerve and rang the doorbell. I could hear Nick shout from inside, “It’s open! Come on in!” I opened the door and hesitantly stepped inside. “In the kitchen! Down the hall and to your right.”
I followed the sound of Nick’s voice and when I stepped into the kitchen there were pots and pans all over the stove with delicious smells coming from each of them. Nick looked adorable stirring something in one of the pots with a kitchen towel thrown over his shoulder. “Hi,” I smiled at him. “It smells amazing in here. What are you making?”
“Sorry I didn't come to the door, I need to keep an eye on the sauce to make sure it doesn’t bubble over. We are having pasta with red sauce. None of that shit from a jar. I make mine from scratch.”
“Wow, handsome and handy in the kitchen. What other hidden talents do you have, Mr. Blaine?”
“Play your cards right and you just might find out tonight.” Nick winked at me and I felt my entire body flush. He smiled and gestured to the other end of the counter. “There's a bottle of wine on the counter. Do you mind opening it and pouring us both a glass?”
“I'm on it.” There was a wine opener sitting right next to the bottle. “Your place is really nice, Nick. Have you lived here long?” I popped the cork out and saw two glasses sitting there as well. It appeared Nick had already thought of everything. I don’t know why I was surprised, it seemed like Nick was always thoughtful and prepared.
“No, only a few months. This was one of the condos we did some remodel work on. I needed a place to live, so I just opted not to resell this one. I've been working so much I haven't really had time to purchase much furniture or have it decorated, so it is still a little sparse.” I glanced around and saw he was right. There was a black leather couch with a matching chair in front of a giant TV in the living area and a small table with four chairs near the kitchen. That was pretty much it. It looked like a stereotypical bachelor pad.
“Is there anything I can do to help with dinner?” I asked walking over to Nick with a glass of wine. I noticed when I went to hand him the glass, my hands were shaking. I am not sure if it was nerves or excitement. If I was being honest, it was probably a little of both.
Nick stepped away from the stove and gave me a quick kiss as he took the glass of wine. “We should be almost ready. If you would please put the salad on the table, that would be great. It's right there at the end of the counter.”
“Thank you for doing this. I have never had anyone cook like this for me before.”
Nick paused what he was doing and looked at me. “Previous boyfriends didn't cook? What a shame. My dad was the cook at our house growing up and he made sure I knew how to make at least a few dishes. Mom made sure I knew how to order takeout.” Nick laughed his deep, sexy laugh.
“Well, I am grateful for that, since I met you delivering pizza to your house. Also, it is boyfriend. Singular. Not boyfriends,” I said quickly. I took a sip of wine as I immediately regretted bringing up my past boyfriend.
Nick looked surprised but recovered quickly. “Really? You're so beautiful, smart, kind, and fun to be around, I figured there would be a trail of broken hearts behind you.” I couldn’t tell for sure if he was serious, joking, or probing for more information.
Whatever his motives were, I couldn't help but laugh at Nick’s statement since it was light years away from the truth. “I didn’t really date in high school and I met my ex-boyfriend during my first semester of college. We were together until graduation.” I said simply, I really didn't want to talk about my relationship history.
“That is a really long time to be with someone. It must have been pretty serious.” Nick was looking down at the sauce he was stirring as he spoke and I couldn’t read his facial expression.
I squirmed a little and took another sip of wine. I really did not want to talk about Brett and all of the terrible things that made up our relationship. “I thought so... he did not. How about you? I assume there is a trail of broken hearts behind you.” Initially, I had been trying to change the subject to something other than Brett, but as soon as the question came out of my mouth, I realized I really didn't want to hear the answer. I didn’t want to think about Nick being with anyone else... in the past or the future.
Nick paused and looked at me like he wanted to ask something. Luckily, I think he sensed my discomfort and changed the subject. “I dated in high school and some in college, but honestly, there hasn't really been anyone for the past few years. I have been focused on work and getting Blaine Construction off the ground which has not left much time for anything else.”
Before I could think of something to say, Nick drained the pasta and placed it in a big bowl. “Alright, dinner is ready. Why don’t you grab the basket of bread and we'll move into the other room?” Nick smiled at me and instantly any discomfort I had about the previous subject floated away.
Dinner was amazing. Nick was a really great cook and the conversation flowed easily. The past relationship conversation had been completely dropped, which was fine by me. I put my fork down on my plate and wiped my face with my napkin. “Nick, everything was so delicious! I don’t think I could possibly eat another crumb. Can I help with the dishes?”
“Nah. We can just leave them for now. Why don’t you grab your wine glass and we can go sit on the balcony? It's really nice out there this time of night.”
“That sounds great.” I was really enjoying the evening with Nick. I didn’t want it to end...I was starting to think that the night wasn't the only thing I didn't want to end. I really wasn’t sure what was going to happen when I went to law school. I decided to do the same thing I had been doing an
d push it out of my mind. I wasn’t going to ruin the evening with thoughts about leaving.
Out on the balcony, I leaned against the railing and looked out over the neighborhood. “Are these all houses that Blaine Construction has built or remodeled?” Nick was sitting in one of the chairs on the balcony and I turned my head slightly towards him as I spoke.
“For the most part,” Nick said casually, although the hint of pride in his voice was inescapable.
“That is really impressive.”
“Not nearly as impressive as you are.” I could hear Nick stand up from the chair and felt him walk up behind me. With one hand he brushed my hair away from my shoulder exposing my neck, while the other hand wrapped around my waist and pulled me tight against his muscular body. He started peppering soft kisses along my neck and lightly nibbling my earlobe. I couldn't help it... it felt so good that I let out a soft moan.
“Is this what you had planned for dessert?” I asked, tipping my head to the side to give him better access to my neck. There was no way I wanted him to stop what he was doing. Not when every nerve in my body felt like it was on fire and my heart was furiously pounding in my chest.
I could feel Nick’s breath hit against my neck and cheek as he spoke in a low and sexy voice. “No, there's chocolate cake in the kitchen. Do you want me to stop and get you some?”
“Don’t you dare stop,” my voice was deep and breathy. I had never felt so good with someone before and there was no way that I wanted it to stop. I wanted to feel like that forever... but then I quickly reminded myself that was not what this was... this was for now, not forever.
Nick let out a deep chuckle and spun me around so I was facing him. “You just looked so amazing with the soft glow of the sunset around you. I couldn't resist.” Nick hesitated for a few moments as he seemed to be searching my face. I hoped that the internal conflict between my head and my heart was not evident on my face. “You are something special, Jenna,” he whispered softly as he lightly touched my cheek.
