Sarah strolled over to the bar, nudging Brad. “Keep her busy for us.”
“Excuse me?”
“Nicole, keep her busy for us. It’s obvious she’s infatuated with him. Too bad. He warned me he had to put on a good show, before breaking her heart.”
“What?”
“You don’t think he would give up all this for a cripple, do you?”
“Watch what you say about her!”
“His family wants to have pure elite blood. Do you really think they would allow him to marry her? Dylan and I are meeting tonight to discuss our wedding plans and take up where we left off last week in Alaska. I so love sex with him. Don’t have her stay up. He is going to break it to her tomorrow.”
“You’re such a liar. There is no way he would kiss her like that if he was going to…”
“You know Dylan, it was his last kiss. He told me he wanted one last kiss and then he would be all mine. Really, don’t have her stay up. We wouldn’t want to hurt her anymore than we need to. That’s why Mrs. Richardson is be breaking them up and not me.”
“You’re a liar, Sarah. He would have told me. He would have said something.”
“Brad, you’re so naive. You need to get out more.”
“Why do you want to marry him so bad? You don’t love him, do you?”
“Brad, look around, what’s not to love? This is the lifestyle I belong in. She doesn’t belong here. Besides, ever since last autumn we’ve been kind of an item.”
“Last autumn? Dylan was dating Nicole then.”
“Silly boy, it was thanks to her not sleeping with him that we got close. He realized he needed a real woman. He was going to break it off with her with her and then she got injured and he just felt sorry for her, but she is almost all better. We were getting together when you took over the shift at the hospital. He didn’t want you to find out. I guess he thinks highly of what you think of him. The wedding is in June. I’m sure he is going to ask you to be the best man.”
Bradley looked confused. He muttered, “There is no way. There is no way that all the time he was dating Nicole, he was sleeping with you. If he was going to break her heart, why would he kiss her like that? You’re lying.”
“Look at you, Brad. You like her too, don’t you?”
“What do you mean?”
“I see how you look at her when she isn’t looking, and you were in that hospital just as much as Dylan. Why don’t you do something about it? It would make tomorrow less painful for her. That is, if you care about her.”
Just then Nicole walked over to them. She turned and watched Dylan leave the ballroom with his mom.
“Bradley, can I use your arm to bring me back to my room? My legs are getting weak, and Dylan’s mom said she needed him for something really important. Dylan said he would be back soon.”
Sarah winked at Bradley, “Yes really important, right Brad?” She leaned over and whispered in his ear. “Don’t let her wait up. He gets kinda kinky when he drinks. Don’t tell the cripple.”
The anger began to boil inside Brad. “Shut up, Sarah. Watch what you say.”
Sarah strutted away, flipping her hair over her shoulder as if to throw it in Nicole’s face that she was more of a woman.
Chapter 57
*Bradley*
The anger began boiling inside Brad as he walked Nikki back to her suite. Could this be true? Sarah had to be lying. Maybe that is why Dylan said he was going to step down. The idea of them pretending they were getting married had been Brad’s idea. That was so stupid! Dylan said he didn’t care, but the way they kissed each other… Brad could tell by the way they were kissing that Nikki completely opened herself to him again.
Steve’s messages had begun to seep under his skin and Brad couldn’t get Nikki out of his mind. He hated Dylan for kissing her. Especially if what Sarah said was true. Should he tell Nikki? What should he do? Poor Nikki. Oh my god, she is going to be devastated. It has to be a lie.
“He loves me, Bradley. He loves me.”
Brad didn’t know where to begin. He looked at the sparkle in her eyes. Anger grew as he realized Dylan was going to crush her. Dylan had been unfaithful all this time. How could anyone ever cheat on someone so…so…
Brad grew enraged. All this time thinking he was being a loyal friend to Dylan but to Dylan, it was just a game. He couldn’t tell her. Brad couldn’t tell her what a douche bag Dylan was. She would never believe him, especially after a kiss like that.
Nicole and Bradley finally made it back to her suite. “Bradley, will you hang out with me until Dylan gets back?” Nicole asked, entering her room. He agreed, but her hours of talking about how in love she was with the cheater made him nauseous.
After a few hours she would glance at the clock, or look to the door. It hurt Bradley so much to see the transition from excitement to the realization he wasn’t coming. Around two a.m. she finally realized she should just go to sleep.
Bradley was furious when he left the room.
“Hey Brad, want to come by for a drink. There will be lots of hot babes and plenty of alcohol.” Justin asked catching up to Brad in the hallway, carrying a case of beer.
“Justin, hey,” Bradley stopped and turned to him. “Is it true that Dylan and Sarah have been seeing each other?”
“Where have you been? They can’t keep their hands off each other.”
“What about Nikki?”
“You know how Dylan is. He’s not really good at the whole one woman thing. Nicole was a challenge. He wanted to get a piece of her before he moved on, if you know what I mean.”
Justin winked at Brad. “You got to hand it to him, saying he was working on the slope worked like a charm. What an easy way to get to do both of them. Sarah and Dylan aren’t getting married till June, so he still has a little time to fool around. Don’t tell Nicole I said anything. He’d be pissed. I think he was planning to tap that tonight but found a better opportunity when Sarah got there. You know how Dylan is. He’s an opportunist, especially when it comes to women.”
“What an ass!” Bradley turned and stormed away without saying goodbye. I can’t believe how stupid I was. I really thought he loved her! All he wanted was to conquer her. When Bradley got to his room he realized Dylan was still not there. It’s true. The hotel was full so they decided to share a room and let Nikki have Dylan’s suite.
Brad stared at the clock. He couldn’t sleep. Two-thirty. Three o’clock. Four a.m. Finally he heard the door. Dylan entered, hair messed up and shirt untucked, obviously wasted as he stumbled through the door.
“What the hell, man?” Bradley commented, “Why would you kiss Nicole like that if you are going to leave her?”
Dylan unbuttoned his shirt and laid it on the bed, grabbing another one from his suitcase. Looking in the mirror, he combed through his hair with his fingers.
“I should have never looked into her eyes.” He looked at Bradley through the mirror. “I thought it would be easy to just move on. I have never had this problem before.”
“You can’t play with her, Dylan. She’s still in love with you.”
“I thought I could do this and keep my guard up. But tonight, once I held her, once she looked at me, I couldn’t help it. I knew it could potentially be our last kiss.”
“You can’t mess with her like that if you don’t care about her.”
“Don’t care? I’m still in love with her, Brad. I wish I never kissed her. She’s like a drug that I can’t get enough of.”
“If she means so much to you, why did you keep her waiting all night?” Bradley knew Dylan slept with Sarah and it made him furious. Nicole deserved better. He was sick of Dylan’s bull shit. Brad could tell Dylan was holding something back. “So how does this end for Nicole? She waited for you for hours just to get her heart broken again
.” Brad raised his voice.
“Wait, who broke whose heart? I came back and all of a sudden you were a factor.” Dylan glared at Brad.
“She doesn’t fit into your world, Dylan, and she is going to get hurt.” He stood up in Dylan’s face, yelling, “How is this going to end for her? Dylan, since I have known you, you have never been faithful to one girl. Nicole deserves better than that.” He wanted Dylan to admit he’d been sleeping with Sarah.
Dylan walked passed Brad as if there was nothing wrong and grabbed a fresh pair of jeans. He changed out of his pants, tied his shoes and splashed on some cologne.
The anger swelled even more inside Brad again. “It’s four a.m., Dylan. You can’t possibly even think about going to see Nikki now.”
“All I have thought of all night is being with her. I need to see her.”
“Dylan, I know about the slope, I know about Sarah, I know about the wedding. Please don’t go to Nikki. Please don’t hurt her anymore. Dylan please.”
“What about the slope?”
“I know it was a front so you could see Sarah. I know you never worked there.”
“What are you talking about- – I never worked there? So I could see Sarah?”
“I know you have been seeing Sarah the past six months also.”
“Are you crazy? Where did you hear that? I saw Sarah two times in the last six months, at my sister’s wedding and when she showed up at the hospital when Nicole was in a coma. I know I have never been faithful to a girl before, but I haven’t seen anyone since I started liking Nicole. Even before we started dating. I didn’t want to be with anyone but her. I haven’t been with anyone in over six months. And Sarah, of all girls? Where are you getting your information? Who told you I wasn’t working on the slope? Where did I go?”
“I was told you went to Seattle to see Sarah.”
“Who said I was dating Sarah?”
“Sarah said you were getting married in June. Dylan, you don’t have to lie to me anymore. I know the truth.”
“What a bitch. She knew you would say something to Nicole. What did you say to Nicole? Did you say something to my baby? Oh my god, that would kill her.”
“So did you sleep with Sarah last night?”
“Look if you don’t believe…. I don’t need to deal with this crap. You think I have been leading a double life? When have I ever tried to hide anything from you? I dated two girls at the same time, all the time and never tried to hide it. Why would I now? I can’t believe you Brad, What the hell did you tell Nicole?” He walked out the door, slamming it behind him.
Chapter 58
He took my face in his hands, “I want to spend the rest of my life kissing you.”
~Dylan Richarson
Obsession and Sacrifice
Tiffany Carmouché
*Nicole*
The next morning, rubbing my eyes, I opened the door of my hotel room. “What do you want?” I spit out at Dylan. He stood in the hall with a bouquet of roses. “You had your chance last night. Goodbye Dylan, I’m not interested.” I began shutting the door.
Dylan grabbed it, holding it open, and followed me inside.
I turned pointing to the door, “Dylan, I’m serious, please leave me alone. If you gave a damn about me, you wouldn’t have left me waiting here all night like an idiot.”
“Baby, I…” He grabbed the grocery bags he had sitting in the hall and closed the door behind him.
“Don’t baby me. Please leave, Dylan. Please just leave me alone.” I pointed at the door. I couldn’t look at him. I didn’t want to show him how much he hurt me.
“Nicole, I,” Dylan left the bags by the doo and ran over to me, handing me the roses again.
“It’s too late.” I took the flowers, throwing them down on a chair. “I don’t want your stupid flowers. I just want you to leave. I don’t know why you kissed me last night. Was it funny to you?”
He put his arms around me, trying to look into my eyes, but I turned my face.
“Please leave.”
“You don’t want me to leave.” He gently turned my face toward his. “Maybe I want to kiss you again.”
His scent filled my nose, that sweet Mediterranean blend cologne. I loved being in his arms. Don’t look at me like that. I tried pushing him away, knowing the longer he stayed…“No Dylan, I want you to go.”
“Well, I’m not leaving without my shirt,” he smirked, commenting on the man’s dress shirt I borrowed from him to wear as a night shirt. “You’re wearing my shirt. I will need to take that with me.” He began unbuttoning it.
“What the hell is wrong with you? Don’t touch me.” I grabbed his hands.
“You don’t want me to go, baby.” He looked into my eyes, continuing as if my hands were not there.
I secretly loved how his hands brushed against my skin as he undid each button and before I knew it I was standing in front of him with it completely undone. The shirt still covered my breasts, but he opened it enough so he could see the crevice in between them, my belly button and my white lace panties. His hands slid inside the shirt, around my waist.
Please don’t look at me like that.
He pulled me closer. “Mmm.”
“Dylan, stop. You have to go.”
“I’m just getting my shirt.” He leaned in, delicately kissing my neck.
I closed my eyes for a moment then came to my senses, pulling away from him again and closing the shirt with my hands.
“I’ll give it to you later. Just go.”
“No, I can’t do that….I need to take it with me now.” Dylan’s hands again slid into the shirt and around my waist. Picking me up as if I weighed nothing, he brought me over to the counter in the little kitchenette that was in the room. Sitting me on the counter, he opened my legs so he could come closer. “I want to kiss you again, Nicole. Mmm.” His fingertips grazed my thighs and gave me goose bumps. He leaned in to kiss my lips but I turned my head.
Suddenly, I felt his tongue on my leg, making its way up my thigh. A tingle pulsated through my body. I closed my eyes for a moment as his tongue drifted up my inner thigh closer to my panties, intermingled with tiny delicate bites that sent shivers through me.
“You don’t want me to go, Nicole.”
Grabbing his hair, I stopped him before his lips touched my lace. I pulled his head up before I completely lost control. “What is wrong with you, Dylan? Stop!”
As I did, my shirt fell open, revealing my breasts. His fingertips then grazed over my erect nipples as he smiled. “I can tell you don’t want me to leave, Nicole.” His head gravitated toward my nipple to taste it.
“Stop!” I smacked Dylan’s face, startling him, and he stepped back. “I said stop it.” I quickly closed my shirt. “What do you think you are doing?” I jumped off the counter and winced as I hit the floor. Pain shot up my leg for a moment. I staggered a little, regaining my balance. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
Dylan stood in shock holding his face.
“Where the hell were you last night? If you wanted to make love to me, why didn’t you ever show up?”
“I did. You were already asleep.”
“You’re such a liar, I was up till two am waiting like an idiot. God I’m so stupid. I almost…I know you were with her. Justin told me everything.” I rebuttoned my shirt.
“What do you mean, he told you everything?”
“I know you were with that girl Sarah last night and that is why you never showed up. I know you chose her over me. You have the nerve to show up here today. You are so sick, just like he said. Why would you come here like this? Why would you touch me? Get away from me. I hate you.”
“Is that what all this is about? Is my baby jealous?” He tried to put his arms around me again.
“I’m not your baby.” I pushed them away.
“My baby’s jealous.”
“No Dylan, I don’t know why you would kiss me like that. I’m sick of your games. One minute you’re an ass, the next you’re the most wonderful thing that has happened to me. I can’t do this to myself. I won’t do this to myself.” I pushed him away again. “If you were with her, I don’t ever want you to touch me.”
“Don’t lie to yourself, Nicole. What happened to you begging me to have sex with you in my room?”
“I was being stupid. I realize now, all of this is just a game to you. I don’t mean anything to you.”
“Nicole, you mean everything to me.”
“If I meant everything to you, you would have been with me last night instead of her.”
“I was with my mom last night. My mom was upset. My dad is sick really sick. He may be dying. He doesn’t want anyone to know. I wasn’t with Sarah. My mom needed me.”
“Justin told me. He came by after Brad left. Why would he lie?”
“Justin feels like you broke up the band. He would say anything to get rid of you.” Dylan lifted my chin. “Nicole, I haven’t been with another girl since I fell in love with you. I’m completely in love with you.”
“If you are in love with me, why were you so mean to me? Why didn’t you make love to me when I threw myself at you? Why did you put me on Brad’s bed? I’ve just been so stupid. I don’t know what I was thinking last night.”
Dylan stroked my face. “I loved you too much. I couldn’t handle it. The way you looked at Brad, it was killing me. I wanted to hate you, so I wouldn’t love you.”
Obsession and Sacrifice (Alaska #2) Page 23
