by Mia Ford
Nick pulled me against him, tucking me close to his body as he stroked my tangled hair. I fell asleep like that, waking to the alarm and his mouth between my legs. I was weak as he climbed over me after my release, taking me deeply as I moaned his name. I stared at Nick as he walked into the bathroom, bringing a washcloth to clean me up. He told me that he was going to make some coffee and kissed me before he left the room.
I knew that Carmen would be up in about forty-five minutes, so I quickly dressed and grabbed some coffee before we went to check on her together. Carmen was still sleeping peacefully, and Nick felt her skin gently as he stared at her.
“How is she?” I whispered as Nick stood up and looked at me.
“She still feels a little warm. Maybe I’ll keep her home one more day to rest and get some work done here today,” he said as he looked at me. We left the room and walked back to the kitchen as he pressed me against the counter and stared into my eyes. I wondered if this was just rebound to replace the memories of his wife as he kissed me, holding my face in his hands again as I got lost in the feel of his tongue against mine.
We managed to break apart before we ended up back in the bedroom, but my heart was still pounding. He went to get Carmen when she called out for one of us while I looked over the beach for a moment. I was confused about the best night of my life because of the man that I shared it with.
I managed to get a walk in later, calling my mom as I usually did to talk. I didn’t discuss the night before with her, just that Carmen was feeling a little better but staying home today. The wind whipped my hair around, reminding me of what a mess it was as I stared at the ocean. I spent as much time down here as I could, finding it typically empty on any given day. It was off the beaten path a bit and private, just what I needed on some days. I turned back to go towards the house, seeing Nick standing on the balcony watching me. I looked at him as I kept strolling along the sand, feeling something inside that was much more than just lust.
I wasn’t even divorced yet, and I was already more involved with another man than I wanted or needed to be, a man that was my boss. I thought about Carmen and how close we’d grown and fear rushed through my veins at the thought of her getting hurt by this affair.
I walked up the steps and into the kitchen, setting my phone down on the counter as my stomach rumbled. I pulled out the stockpot of soup and fixed a bowl as I sensed Nick looking at me. “Want some?”
“Sure. It was delicious,” Nick replied as I grabbed another bowl and took a small pot from the rack. It would be quicker to heat it up on the stove, so I dumped both bowls in and turned on the flame. “What would your mother think of this?”
“Of us?” I asked as I glanced at him, seeing him nod. “She loves the two of you, as you know. I think that she’d be worried about my getting hurt in this, though, especially after everything with Sean.”
“Are you still in pain over that ending?” Nick asked as I pondered the question. I’d heard from friends in Boston that the baby was a girl, making me a little resentful for a moment or two. Still, I wouldn’t want that with Sean.
“I think it was a blessing since we didn’t want the same things in life,” I replied as I stirred the soup absently. “I am back home again and happy, though this might be happening quickly.” I looked at him as I listened through the house for a moment. “Are you still suffering your loss? Am I a replacement in your bed? I don’t want to risk hurting Carmen further.” My voice was small enough for Nick to hear me without carrying through the house, making a stricken look cross his perfect face.
“No, Celia.” He glanced around before moving closer to me. His voice was still a whisper as he spoke. “I wasn’t happy with Melanie any longer when the accident happened. I was considering divorce, but I was trying to work out the best plan with my lawyer to keep Carmen as safe and secure as possible. Melanie was having an affair, Celia. She was on the way to his house when the drunk driver hit her on that curve.” He swallowed before speaking again, looking around. “Carmen isn’t mine. I have always known that but I let the lie that she was telling me continue because I loved her from the moment that I saw her at the hospital, and there is no fucking way that she’s going anywhere else but this house. The man that Melanie was with at the time left as soon as he found out she was pregnant. I had a PI looking into everything. Melanie got through that, and I swore that I’d be the best dad that I could, even though I knew that my marriage was suffering. She didn’t have another affair until recently, at least not one that alerted any red flags though by then I only cared if the piece of shit that didn’t want Carmen came back for her. I was going to fight that every step of the way if he did, but so far there has been nothing.” Tears were sliding down my cheeks as he cupped them to wipe my skin gently with his large thumbs. “I felt alive when I saw you that first day. I didn’t want to fall for you, but I knew that I was and last night sealed the deal.”
“Do I look like her?” I asked as he narrowed his eyes for a moment.
“Vaguely. Carmen loved her mom and Mel did the best she could with her. I always made sure of that and had no intention of ripping that love away from my daughter. I can see why she’d see Mel in you at that time, but now she loves you for you, Celia. I see it every day.” He smiled before kissing me gently. “You’re a beautiful woman, inside and out.”
There was no stopping us from there. When Carmen was at school, Nick worked from home as much as possible, and we’d be in bed much of the morning when she was at school. I learned more about intimacy than ever before, as well as the pleasure of light domination. I’d work out with him at night, working us both up until we went to his room to fuck like animals, all the while listening to the monitor.
Carmen didn’t know about us yet. We wanted to make sure that it was going to last before we told her anything, and every day I felt more hope for a future with Nick.
It was the arrival of the holidays that slowed us down. Rebecca arrived, and while I adored her, Nick and I didn’t have a great deal of time to be alone. We didn’t push it, wanting to keep our affair between us but it was hard to stay in my room at night. It was hard to act like everything was normal during the day with Rebecca, and every time I talked to my mom, I fought the urge to tell her about us.
Since Nick’s house was bigger, he got the list of things needed for Thanksgiving and passed it along to the personal chef, so Mom could cook here. She was thrilled and tried to offer him money several times, though Nick declined every time as he assured her that she did a lot for his daughter. He wanted her to consider the gesture a thank you, and he was appreciative of her cooking for us. Nick was great in the kitchen, but he loved Mom’s cooking more and enjoyed the idea of Carmen’s local grandma making dinner in the house. I did as well, though I was on edge having to be away from him more than I cared to.
We had a few quickies when we could, times that were rushed and careless. It was just to get our lust out of our systems the best we could with the time that we had. I wanted to sleep in his bed wrapped in his arms until the last moment before the alarm went off, but we didn’t want to risk being caught. We weren’t ready to talk about it, even as much as we missed each other and I knew that my frustration was getting the best of me.
I was helping Mom in the kitchen the morning of Thanksgiving, trying to focus on the traditions that I loved over the fact that I was falling in love with the man in the office several feet away. Carmen was there as well, and I forced my eyes onto her as she helped eagerly with anything she could. She was so happy, and it filled me with a warmth that scared me.
Mom was patient as she told Carmen what to do and I laughed when Rebecca joined us to watch and learn. It was such a good time with my favorite people in the world, and I observed everything before I felt eyes on me. I glanced up to see Nick watching all of us with a warm gaze, though his eyes were locked on me. He smiled, and I almost melted at the intensity in his eyes, longing to run over and hold his body close to mine. Rebecca looked up and lau
ghed as she taunted her brother to join us, and I looked down at the counter as I tried to regain my composure.
He and I did sneak away for a cold walk on the beach, thick with clouds and fog. I didn’t care as we rounded a curve and he shoved me against a rock as his lips claimed mine hungrily. I wrapped my legs around him, desperate to feel him inside of me as our mouths met clumsily. We didn’t make love down there against the cold rock, but he fucked me with his fingers as we watched for any passersby. After that, I jerked him off hard and fast, near tears because we couldn’t be together the way that I wanted.
He held my face in his hands when we were done, staring into my eyes as he kissed me gently. It had only been a few months that we were involved, but it felt like years to me as I let the tears slide down my cheeks. He told me that we’d find a way to be together tonight. We’d set the alarm or anything to just have a few hours in his bed, fucking the way that we both needed to.
I was calm by the time we walked back towards the house, my tears dried. When we came around the corner, we saw a little figure standing on the stairs looking around, and I felt Nick brush his hand against mine. Carmen saw us and took off down the beach, screaming our names as I felt emotion wash over me again. “I love you, Celia.” Nick’s words were soft over the wind that blew around us, and I turned to look at him with wide eyes. He glanced at me with a smile, and I felt the weight of the world fall from my shoulders as I met his eyes. “We’re going to figure this out.”
“I love you,” I replied before Carmen rushed into us, wrapping her arms around both of us as we hugged her back. I looked up to see two people watching us from the stairs and smiled, knowing that we looked like the little family. We would be a little family.
I drank a lot of wine throughout the afternoon and meal, along with Rebecca. Nick watched us as he sipped beer but he didn’t mind later that night when I went into his room, tipsy and horny. He locked the door and crawled over my naked body on his bed to take me hard from behind as he locked his hands around my thighs. “You feel so goddamn good. I can’t be away from you, Celia. I love you,” Nick whispered as I rocked with him, needing his cock to fill me.
“I love you. I am not even divorced yet, but I love you. Is that crazy?” I let out a low moan as his finger found my needy clit, stroking me while he fucked me hard and deep. I knew that I couldn’t prolong the release that I needed so badly and I whimpered as the pressure released inside of me, coating him as he jerked and came with me.
“This is going to work, Celia. I’ve never felt this way in my life,” Nick told me, still hard as he started to move inside of me again.
We didn’t have the monitor on since Carmen was sleeping with Rebecca that night in the guest room, and I regretted that when Nick and I left his room to get some water. We were dressed, but anyone that saw us would know what we were just doing, and his sister was in the kitchen sipping some juice as we stepped inside, holding hands and giggling. “I fucking knew it. You guys looked different this time, and you…you’re so happy.” She threw herself into Nick’s arms as he kept holding my hand, his eyes wide with surprise. “How long has this been going on?”
“A few months, Becca. Carmen doesn’t know. We were keeping it concealed until we knew what it was to protect her,” Nick murmured as he looked at me with a small smile.
We ended up cutting thick slices of pie and sitting at the table as she looked at us with a huge smile on her face. “Your mom knows that something is up too.” Her eyes were shrewd as she looked at me. “That moment when the three of you were on the beach together was precious. It spoke volumes of the love that the three of you have, not just you two.”
“I don’t want her to get hurt again,” I whispered as Nick reached for my hand.
“I have seen her grow in the last few months. Carmen was broken when I came here before, and I knew that she missed her mom. She still does, but she loves you.” Rebecca looked into my eyes as I felt a tear slide down my cheek. “You were meant to be here with Carmen and Nick. It’s fate.”
We stayed at the table for a little long her, talking and eating before Rebecca went back to her room and Nick led me to his bedroom. “I guess the cat’s out of the bag.”
We dropped on the mattress softly, making love sweetly this time. The secret was out, though we had to find a good way to tell Carmen. I also knew that I’d have to call Mom and admit what she already suspected was true. I pushed all of that behind me as I snuggled into his chest to fall asleep, feeling complete as I reminded him that I loved him.
We got up in the morning and started breakfast, smiling when Rebecca and Carmen came downstairs. Today was the day that they decorated for Christmas since it was both the holiday as well as Carmen’s birthday in December and she loved it. We were going to get a tree and set it up in the living room and spend the evening decorating the house. Mom was even coming over for that, and I smiled as I sipped coffee and looked at Nick. There was an ease between us now even though we were waiting to figure out how to tell Carmen about us.
Nick went to the same tree lot every year, and Carmen picked out a massive Douglas Fir that a few guys secured to the top of the SUV. We took it home as Carmen sipped her hot chocolate in the back seat with her aunt. I looked steadily at Nick as he drove, grinning widely as we chatted during the drive.
Nick got the tree set up in the corner by the window before he strung lights all around it. Mom was coming over in a couple of hours, and we were going to eat leftovers before we started decorating, since we grabbed some cheeseburgers and fries for lunch. When Rebecca settled on the couch to watch a movie with Carmen, Nick tugged me into his room and closed the door before kissing me senseless. I wrapped my arms around his neck, happy to let our tongues dance together as I heard him lock the door. “They’re just out there,” I told him as he smiled against my lips.
“They’re watching Frozen. Carmen won’t come back to Earth for a couple of hours,” His lips claimed mine again before he lifted me and carried me to the bed, sliding down my jeans before he buried his face between my thighs. His tongue had lapped at me before his teeth drew my sensitive skin between his lips, making me cover my face with a pillow so I wouldn’t clue the house into what we were doing. When he was covered with my release, Nick tossed his pants to the side of the bed and drove himself into me as I held him close. He took me slow and hard, breathing my name with every movement as I closed my eyes. “You’re sleeping in here with me from now on. We need to tell Carmen so we can live like this.”
“I know,” I replied as I came around him, kissing him to keep myself quiet. He shot inside of me seconds later, holding me close as I cried in his arms. I was feeling so emotional as things progressed with us and Nick kissed me softly as he assured me that everything would be okay.
We cleaned up and made our way back to the living room, one by one as I went to the kitchen for some water first. I drifted in during what I knew was Carmen’s favorite part of the film, slipping onto the couch beside her as Rebecca gave me a knowing smile that made me blush.
Mom was knocking at the door just as the three of us were finished piling up the boxes of Christmas decorations. She had a small bag in her hand, explaining that they were some special ornaments that I made as a child that she wanted to split between the houses.
We ate some dinner first, heating up the spread from the night before and gathering around the table to enjoy it. Carmen was dancing in her seat beside me, and I grinned at her before I glanced at Nick. I think all of us rushed through the meal a bit so the little girl could tear into the boxes with gusto.
In a matter of hours, the tree looked beautiful, and the mantel was rearranged to suit the holiday. I saw Carmen looking at a picture of her mom for a moment in all the excitement and nudged Nick, who was beside me. He glanced at his daughter, stilling for a second as she touched the picture and came over to give me a hug. “I think that Mommy gave you to me for Christmas. She wanted me to have an angel.”
All the women s
tarted to cry, and Nick choked as I moved to my knees and wrapped my arms around her. You could hear a pin drop as she nestled against me and I closed my eyes. “Thank you,” I whispered to her as Carmen took a deep breath.
“Can you be Daddy’s angel too? I think that he needs one.” Carmen said as I gasped.
Nick dropped to his knees and hugged both of us as I held my breath. “She is my angel, Carmen. I was going to ask you if you wanted Celia to be my girlfriend for Christmas, but I think you beat us to the punch.”
“Yes, yes!! Will you, Celia?” She said with sheer delight in her voice as I laughed to hold back my tears.
“Of course, I will, sweetie. I love you and your daddy so much, and it’s fun living here with you every day.” I told her as I felt arms wrapping around me. I looked to see Mom, who was crying as she shook her head at me.
“I had a feeling about the two of you.” I smiled and kissed her cheek as Rebecca hugged Nick. We finished decorating after a long group hug, during which I explained to Mom how things happened. She was so happy and assured me that fate took over, that I shouldn’t feel bad that it was just a short time after Melanie’s death. She’d want him to be happy, just like Carmen said.
Once the living room was festive and Carmen was going to sleep with Rebecca, I slipped my arms around his neck and kissed him by the light of the tree. “I am so glad that everyone knows.”
“I am as well, though I’ll warn you that there will be rumors. They might hurt, but I want you to know that I love you,” Nick told me before kissing me again. We made our way to the bedroom, deciding to christen the living room one night when we were alone.
