by Malone, M.
But he didn’t marry any of them, did he?
“I probably shouldn’t move yet. I’m supposed to…” She motioned toward where her hips were elevated by a pillow. Nick’s eyes followed her hand. He looked back at her and winked.
“I like to be thorough in everything I do. So I’m not convinced once is enough.”
His lips rubbed hers once, then again, before she opened for him. His taste flooded her senses. He took her mouth slowly, savoring, drawing out the anticipation.
He moved the pillow gently until she was flat on her back. When she started to protest, he said, “Trust me, okay?”
She nodded, shakily. He got on the bed and turned her until she fit in the curve of his body, her back to his chest, her bottom snug against his hips. His hand trailed over her rib cage and came to stop over her heart. Her breasts tightened in anticipation.
He squeezed the stiff tip of one of her nipples between his fingers and the sensation shot straight to her core. It had been so long since she’d been touched. Her skin was aching for it, practically crying out for more. She turned her head slowly and their eyes met. He looked golden in the fading sunlight coming in through the window.
Part of her wanted to turn away. Being with him like this in the soft light of early evening seemed too intimate. They were here for one purpose and one purpose only. To make a baby.
Him touching her like this, gently worshipping her with his hands, was more than she could handle.
“Nick, make love to me,” she cried. Anything to stop the torturously slow motion of his hands over her skin.
“I am making love to you.” He lifted her leg and hooked her ankle gently over his calf. In this position she was completely still but her body was open to anything Nick wanted to do.
He held her anchored to his chest with his right arm, his fingers playing gently with the tips of her nipples. He thrust into her from behind, going all the way deep on the first stroke. The sudden shocking invasion sent her headfirst into another orgasm.
“Sweet,” he breathed in her ear. “Just the feel of you around me is so sweet.”
Raina shuddered in his arms as he held her closer, not allowing her to retreat at all from the shocking intimacy of being bared to him so openly.
She’d thought she knew what to expect. After all, she was hardly a virgin and it wasn’t like she hadn’t had sex with Nick before. But she hadn’t expected him to want to hold her. To caress her.
She hadn’t expected him to love her like this.
“I love the idea that I’m filling you up when I come. Just the thought that I’m coming inside you, giving you my child, makes me crazy.” Nick growled and held her tighter, pulling her leg up slightly so he could get in deeper.
“I love it, too.” She reached back and grabbed his ass, tugging him up higher, encouraging him to thrust deeper. “Give me everything, Nick.”
Her hands on him seemed to drive him wild because he took the lobe of her ear between his teeth and tugged.
“You already have it. You already have me.”
When he came he clutched her tighter to his chest. She could feel him swell inside her.
It was carnal; it was dirty and wet and messy. But it was also real. Raw and beautiful. Something that she’d never shared with anyone else and never would.
It was undeniably Nick.
* * * * *
RAINA WOKE IN a haze of confusion. She sat up and pushed her long hair out of her face. The bed she was in was covered in soft, white sheets and a downy comforter. The rest of the room was still swathed in darkness but she could see the glow of daylight around the edges of the curtains.
Then she remembered. Nick. Vegas. Wedding.
“Nick,” she called out. There was no answer. She held still and listened. Maybe he’d left to get them something to eat. If so, he’d probably left her a note.
She pushed back the comforter and climbed out of the bed, taking a moment to run her fingers through her hair. Even though she straightened it regularly, its natural inclination was so wild that she usually woke up looking like she’d been attacked. After she was fairly certain she wouldn’t scare him with her appearance in case he was still there, she walked to the door of the hotel room and pulled it open.
The rest of the suite was bright. She walked out into the open living room. There was nothing next to the phone or on the minibar counter. Maybe he hadn’t left after all. He might have just left her alone in the bedroom so as not to disturb her sleep.
“Nick, are you here?”
She listened but it was completely quiet. The curtains had been opened, revealing a stunning view of the Strip. She walked over and looked out onto the jumble of people, buildings, and neon lights. It looked like how she felt.
Out of control.
“I can’t believe I got married.”
Her handbag sat next to the couch. She remembered dropping it near the door when they’d gotten in yesterday. She groaned and covered her face with her hands. “I was so busy ripping my husband’s clothes off that I forgot all about it.” Nick must have picked up her things and put them back inside.
The door slammed behind her and she turned to see Nick at the door.
“Good morning, my beautiful wife.”
Raina couldn’t seem to stop smiling. “Oh my God. You’re a morning person, aren’t you?”
He crossed the room to her and kissed her on the forehead. “This surprises you more than anything else I’ve done?”
Raina smirked. “Well, I already knew you were a freak in bed.”
“This is true.” He set his keycard, a tray of coffee, and several brochures on the coffee table.
“I picked up a few pamphlets about things to do while we’re in town. I figured we could check out a few clubs or maybe see a show.” He gestured to the brochures. “There’s some famous magician who does a show here, an erotic ballet that looks interesting and—”
“The Phantom of the Opera!” Raina exclaimed and snatched up one of the fliers.
“Yeah. That one’s at The Venetian hotel. It’s supposed to be pretty good but we don’t have to see any of these shows. I just picked up a stack of pamphlets downstairs from the concierge.”
Raina waved it back and forth. “I want to see this one!”
He laughed at her obvious delight. “Then I’ll set it up. We can have dinner there, too.”
Raina clapped, already imagining what the show would be like. She’d read Gaston Leroux’s novel many times and seen several film adaptations over the years, but never seen it performed live. “I can’t wait! It’s one of the most romantic stories ever.”
Nick raised an eyebrow. “A creepy guy stalking you and then kidnapping you and holding you underground is romantic?”
She stuck out her tongue. “Didn’t you kidnap me? Besides, he’s not stalking her. He’s just consumed by his love for her. It’s very complex. And very erotic.”
“Oh, well. Maybe I need to give this show a chance after all.” Nick leered and made a grab for her. She shrieked and fell back on the couch, giggling.
“How do you feel?” Nick sat next to her and stroked the back of her hand with his thumb.
“I’m fine,” she replied. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Nick shrugged. He didn’t meet her eyes when he said, “I just wanted to make sure I didn’t hurt you. I thought you might be sore.”
Raina sat up straighter on the couch, suddenly aware that she’d instinctively leaned into him. God, this keeping her distance thing was no easy feat. Just that quickly, she’d forgotten their purpose. She wasn’t here to go to shows and gallivant around the Strip. They were supposed to be making a baby.
“Crap! I didn’t take my temperature.” Raina groaned and let her head drop back against the couch. She turned to Nick. “I should be ovulating today. I forgot to bring a thermometer so I could take my temperature, but I’ll just have to hope that everything stayed on track.”
“I can call down to the concierge and as
k for one.”
“I was supposed to take it first thing in the morning. Once you’ve been moving around, it’s not accurate. For the purpose of pinpointing ovulation anyway.” She reached down into her bag and pulled out her cell phone. She had a missed call from Ridley and five from Sam.
“Oh boy. He’s pissed at me,” she muttered.
Nick looked over at her. “Who’s pissed at you?”
She held up her phone. “Sam’s been trying to get in touch with me. I texted him before we got on the plane.” After heaving a great sigh, she called Sam back. He answered immediately and after several very pointed questions about her sanity, she assured him that she was fine and would be back after the weekend.
After hanging up, she looked over at Nick. His jaw was clenched tight.
“Is he satisfied now that I haven’t chopped you up in little pieces and buried you in my backyard?” he asked.
“Sam’s been a part of my life for a long time. He looks out for me and keeps me safe while I travel around to different shoots. It’s his job to be worried about where I am. But it’s nothing more than that.”
He looked at her finally. “I believe you.”
“Good. Now, as to the reason we’re here, I think we should stay in tonight.”
“All night?” When she nodded, Nick whistled.
“Damn, girl. Not that I mind at all but were you going to let me out of the bed to eat?”
“Nick! Stop teasing me.”
“We have to go out sometime. So it might as well be to a show that you want to see.” He pulled her into his lap. “I don’t mind making love to you before and after the show.”
He reached into the bag in his lap. Raina hadn’t even noticed he carried something. “I brought you a croissant and some coffee. We can go downstairs and get something else if you want. Or we could order room service.” He fed her a small bite of the croissant. Raina sighed as it melted on her tongue like butter.
“Why are you being so accommodating? I feel like you must have an ulterior motive.”
“I do have an ulterior motive.” Nick broke off another piece of the pastry and held it to her lips. “My ulterior motive is to get you to fall in love with me. Because being in love all on your own isn’t nearly as much fun.”
Raina almost choked on the bite she’d just taken. After a few swallows, she sat back and glared at him. “Not fair.”
“It’s not fair to tell my wife I’m in love with her?” he asked quietly.
Raina pushed away and looked him in the face. “Oh my God. I thought you were just saying that to get a reaction. You’re serious.”
“I told you I loved you last night. Over and over again, if I recall correctly.”
“That was pillow talk,” Raina stammered. “Everyone knows you don’t trust what a man says in bed.”
Nick stared at his hands. “I always say what I mean. Even in bed.”
Raina stood up and faced the window. “Nick, I know things got a little… intense last night but my feelings haven’t changed. Well, they have changed. I’ve seen a different side of you. One I like a lot. But I don’t want any more than that. This is why I wanted to keep emotion out of it. It’s too easy for us to forget why we’re here. If you don’t feel you can stick to our original agreement, then we should stop this now before it goes any further.”
She held her breath, waiting for his reply. What if he decided to renege? Technically, she could already be pregnant with his child. What a mess. The seconds that passed before he answered seemed to take eons.
“No, I don’t want to stop this.”
She didn’t turn as he walked away. A moment later, the door shut with a decisive click.
She whirled around, shocked to see that he’d actually left the hotel room. Her shoulders sagged and she sat on the floor right where she stood.
Way to be sensitive, Raina.
Hurting him had never been her intention. She was trying to prevent either of them from being hurt by getting too involved. It was better if she went into this without any unreasonable expectations. What he thought was love was more than likely just the novelty of finally hooking up with one of the few women who’d ever turned him down. She imagined he wasn’t used to being denied.
Which made protecting her heart even more essential.
Nick was gorgeous and brilliant, but he was also immature and selfish. He didn’t mean any harm but he had the power to crush her whether he meant for it to happen or not. When he was tired of her, Nick would move on to the next available woman. Raina would be left heartbroken, raising their baby alone. Something she couldn’t let happen.
Nicholas Alexander could love any woman he wanted, except for her.
* * * * *
NICK SCRUBBED HIS hands over his hair and blinked through the curtain of water in his face before picking up one of the tiny bottles of shampoo provided by the hotel. He dumped a glob in his hand and soaped his hair. After he rinsed it out, he used some of the conditioner. He was contemplating using the conditioner again—anything to prolong the shower—before he finally shut the water off.
He’d been in the shower so long his skin was starting to prune up, but it was preferable to what was waiting for him on the other side of the bathroom door.
Another dose of Raina telling him that she didn’t want his love, just his sperm.
“Damn it all to hell.”
He’d spent the entire afternoon hanging out in the casino. He’d wasted a large sum of money and made a new friend named Gino, all while replaying their argument over and over in his head.
“You just couldn’t play it cool, could you?” he muttered. If he weren’t in the shower he’d kick something. Clearly experience had taught him nothing when dealing with Raina. He kept making the same mistakes over and over again. Most guys would be happy with a woman who didn’t seem to want emotional involvement. It was the main reason he’d avoided any talk of marriage with his prior girlfriends. Just the thought of being with any of them forever had seemed so final. Like he was giving up something.
With Raina, he didn’t feel he was sacrificing anything since she was the only woman he thought about anyway.
His dick seemed not to care whether he was happy or not because it filled and stood straight up at just the thought of his wife. It seemed his body was ready to perform on cue even if his mind wasn’t.
He toweled off quickly and didn’t bother getting dressed. What was the point if he was just going to have to get naked again anyway? No more trying to find things that would please her. No more dressing up and trying to look good. He could just lay around all weekend stark-naked so she could jump on his dick and ride him whenever her temperature was right or whatever.
“If a stud puppy is what she wants, that’s what she’ll get.”
He yanked open the door to the bathroom. Raina sat on the couch looking out onto the sparkling lights of the Strip. It was an incredible view and he stood for a moment watching her, how peaceful she was sitting there, looking out into the night.
She looked back at him, then jumped to her feet when she saw he was naked. “Nick, what are you doing?”
He sat on the couch and patted his thighs. “Aren’t you ready for me by now?” He ran a hand down his chest and gripped his dick. “Stud puppy, reporting for duty.”
She winced. “Don’t say that. This isn’t what I wanted.”
He leaned closer. There were pale streaks under her eyes like she’d been crying. The sight hit him like a fist. The thought of her up here crying her eyes out over him didn’t make him feel any better. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.”
“I don’t want you to be angry with me.” Raina sat next to him on the couch.
He wiped under her eyes with his thumb. “I hate that I made you cry.”
Nick sighed. He was the one who’d changed the rules of the game after the fact. She’d warned him up front that she wasn’t looking for love. If he was going to change her mind, he couldn’t stalk off in a snit every
time she hurt his feelings. The question was did he think it was worth it to endure a few blows while trying to change her mind? He looked over at Raina and his heart rolled over in his chest.
Hell, yeah.
“What do you say to a compromise?” Nick leaned back against the couch, pulling her with him until she relaxed against his chest.
“What kind of compromise?” She looked up at him warily.
“I’ll accept that you just want sex if you can accept that I feel more. I don’t think I can hide my emotions and I don’t think either of us should have to. Isn’t the point of this for us to communicate openly?”
She nodded slowly. “Yes, I guess so.”
“Well, then I’ll accept how you feel and you’ll accept me caring for you. Can you do that, Raina? Can you let me care for you?”
She stared at him like she was trying to figure out what the catch was. “Okay. I can try.”
It was obvious when she remembered he was naked. Her gaze dropped to his waist before she looked back up at him, her eyes suddenly soft. Her breathing sped up a little. He probably wouldn’t have noticed if she wasn’t lying on his chest. But the little hitch in her breathing told him she was affected.
Nick groaned when she turned and placed her hands against his chest. She pushed lightly but when he didn’t move, she made a soft sound in the back of her throat and grabbed at his chest, her nails leaving little scratches on his skin. Before he knew it, she was pulling him down to her, threading her fingers through his hair.
She bit his bottom lip and sucked it into her mouth and he stopped thinking. He picked her up and carried her back to the bedroom. When he placed her gently on the bed, she got up on her knees and tried to pull him down on top of her.
“We have to get your clothes off,” Nick managed to say in between her kisses.
It was pure chemical reaction between them, her skin scorching him through her clothes. He yanked at the fastenings to her shorts, nearly tearing them off in his haste before returning to stand in the cradle of her thighs, pressing against the heat of her mound.
