I convinced him that we needed to make an appearance downstairs and went into the bathroom. I looked like a different person altogether, and I washed my face as best I could and pulled my hair up into a random tie that was on the counter. Nick laughed as he saw the look on my face and assured me that it was Bonnie’s. He told me that he used the pool room for sex, and no girls came in here. It was sacred space. “You brought me in here.”
“You’re a sacred person to me,” Nick walked into his room and put his clothes back on. I put mine back on and told him that the story was that I got sick outside, and we chilled in his room for a little while.
Nick was right about a few things. Our best friends were drunk and having a great time dancing. Once they knew that I was feeling better, they pulled me out onto the dance floor and made me stay out there, and even Nick joined us. His spirits seemed to have lifted, and he acted as goofy as Brandon as he moved to the songs. He even moved against me a few times and my body reacted as I tried to control myself. One night. There was no need for anybody to know about it,
The house finally emptied around four, and I asked the guys how much they had paid their neighbors not to be angry with them. “They were all here,” Nick told me. I met his eyes and blushed a little. Bonnie was ready for bed, and she said that she’d be in the guest room as she padded barefoot to the hallway that led to it. I helped the guys clean up a bit before Brandon headed to his room and I looked at Nick. “So this is good night, I guess.”
“Sleep in my room?” I laughed and shook my head.
“That won’t fly as much as everything else did tonight,” I promised him, as something that resembled sadness crossed his face. “Thank you.” I looked around at the space and lifted myself to my toes to kiss his cheek. Nick watched me walk away as I went to the room where Bonnie was already passed out and laid beside her on the king sized mattress, then stared at the ceiling.
I finally fell asleep, and we were the first ones up in search of water. Bonnie didn’t seem to remember the night before, as we grabbed some bottles of water from the fridge and I looked inside to see what to make for breakfast. “This place is a mess,” Bonnie told me. She glanced around as I laughed. “You’re a clean freak. It’s not driving you insane?”
“They’ll have someone come clean it,” I casually said, as I pulled out some eggs and bacon. “We could make breakfast. That always got Brandon up, at least before he lived in this castle.”
“It works with Nick, too.” We decided on bacon, eggs and waffles, since that was Bonnie’s specialty. “I’ll eat his share if he sleeps through it.”
We cooked and talked about school and the party, and Bonnie told me that she had got the hockey player’s phone number. He had a condo here and stayed in town sometimes during the offseason. She asked if I had met anyone and I shrugged and took a slow sip of my water. “No, not really. I just kind of looked but didn’t touch. Did you see some of the girls here?”
They had been beautiful, but I had been the one in Nick’s bed. I still couldn’t believe it.
“So what? Guys see past that, Mel. Unless they’re Nick, of course. I think that even Brandon has some standards,” Bonnie said, and I heard something in her voice. I looked at her as she poured the mix into the iron and frowned. “I am not size zero, but I’ve never heard any complaints.” Bonnie was curvy, and she always reminded me of a pin-up girl with her dark hair and big eyes. “You’re prettier than most of them, too. Those natural looks of yours? Guys love that.”
“I guess. They didn’t seem to last night,” I quipped, as I remembered Nick’s lips on my skin and shivered. “Besides, you know that Bran wouldn’t want me dating any of the guys that he knows, which is an extensive list these days.”
“True.” Bonnie gave me a rueful smile and piled the waffles on the plates as she finished them. I had a large platter of bacon made and started on the scrambled eggs that I covered with cheese before setting the plate down and looking around. “Eggs are gross when they’re cold. I’ll knock on some doors and see how they feel. Make some coffee?”
I left the kitchen as she agreed and tapped on Brandon’s door on the north end of the house first before I told him that breakfast was ready downstairs. I heard his response then walked over to Nick’s room and slipped through the door to give him a more personal greeting. “Hey, you. Breakfast is ready downstairs.” He held out his hand from the bed and rolled onto his back as he pulled me over his body. I gasped when I felt him hard and ready, and he slid my underwear to the side slowly. “I missed you.”
I watched as he got another condom and nervously slid over him as he filled me. I was uncertain of what to do, but I started moving, and he guided me with his hands as I felt him go deeper. His hands cupped my breast over my shirt, and I moaned as I rocked harder against him. We both came within seconds of each other, and I jumped off him and fixed my clothes. “Nick, they’re waiting downstairs for me.”
He narrowed his eyes and looked at me as he stood to go to the bathroom. “I’ll be down in a minute, Mel.” I heard the tone in his voice and left the room and walked down the stairs to find Bonnie pouring coffee alone in the kitchen.
“They both know. We’ll see, I guess.” We made our plates and poured big cups of coffee before we sat down at the table in the kitchen, and I tried to focus on the food instead of the feeling between my legs.
Nick strolled in wearing some workout shorts that showed off his massive chest and tattoos. I paused mid-bite. Bonnie rolled her eyes and shook her head. “You could wear clothes, you know. You don’t need to impress us.” Nick looked at me as he picked up the coffee pot and poured some into a cup. “Did you hook up with anyone last night?”
Nick choked for a second as he sipped his coffee and shrugged. “Not particularly. It was a bit crazy last night.”
“It was. We’ll need to call the maid soon.” Brandon walked into the kitchen fully dressed and poured his coffee. “Dinner tomorrow at the folks and then it’s time to get serious. Coach is going to be riding our asses.”
“Fuck yes, he is. I think we can say bye to sleep or any free time.” Nick gave me a wistful look as he filled his plate with food to reheat it. Brandon followed suit and they joined us at the table to eat. Nick sat beside Brandon and we chatted while we ate.
The guys started calling their maid and Bonnie and I prepared to head back to the apartment and get settled for the night. We were all meeting at my folk’s house the next night for dinner. Bonnie walked to her car as I glanced behind me. I felt like so much was left unsaid, but I hurried after Bonnie to go home.
Chapter Four
As we walked into our apartment, my phone vibrated in my purse. I went to my room to check it and relax on my own bed when I saw Nick’s name. I opened the text to see him telling me to call him. I listened for Bonnie before I dialed his number. When he answered, I smiled. “What’s up?”
“I’ve been thinking over the last few hours, Mel. I thought about what happened and how it made me feel. I want to keep seeing you.” I let my mouth drop open as I stared out of my window. “I mean…I can’t give you a relationship. Not now, with the game coming up and all of the time I’ll be training. I just want to…see you.”
“You just want to sleep with me,” I finished, as he paused. “You could do that with anyone.”
“I don’t want anyone else. I won’t be with someone else, Mel. I just can’t give you much more than that. I am going to be slammed,” Nick explained, as I fell into silence. He was asking me to be a friend with benefits, and I was considering it. “Melissa?”
“Nick, I…I don’t know. I have always wanted what happened last night, and I’ll always appreciate it. I just don’t know if I can drop everything for you when you have free time.”
“Mel, it’s not like that. We enjoy each other’s company, and I’ll be the same I’ve always been with you. You’ll just be the only girl that I’m having sex with,” Nick explained. I pressed my lips together. “I know that you want
to keep this between us for now.”
“I just can’t imagine telling them.” My voice was soft, and I waited for his answer.
“I want to ease into this. I just know how good it felt to be with someone that cares about me. All of the women before were just sex and not worth all the shit in the tabloids.” There had been so many stories, and I’d heard about love children and affairs. I’d heard that he’d got a DUI a few years ago and that he was an alcoholic. Deep in my heart I knew it wasn’t true, and I knew that Nick had a good heart, that he was just lost. I’d never asked him about any of it, but now I wondered if I’d have to. We were going to be closer. “I don’t want you exposed to all of that, Mel. I think you’re too good for it. I still want to be with you, though.” His voice was so sincere, and I melted a bit into my pillow. “Think about it. Tell me tomorrow at your parent’s house. I hope you want me as much as I want you.”
“I will, Nick. Have a good night. I’ll see you tomorrow.” We ended the call with that, and I dropped my phone onto my bed and closed my eyes.
It would be a hard balance sleeping with Nick and keeping my feelings at bay. But still, I remembered how he’d felt every time that we were together last night, and it was more than I could ever imagine. I wasn’t dating anybody else so I wouldn’t be hurting anybody. Would this work?
I got up and joined Bonnie in the living room for a movie and Thai food. We chatted about her hockey player. She was so excited for him to call her and I smiled at her enthusiasm. She’d freak if she knew that her brother was asking me to be his bed buddy. Bonnie would freak if she knew that I had already slept with him. I let her chatter as I listened and ate and thought about my life. Would I ever want more from Nick? Would I ever want to settle down with anyone? Marry and have a kid or two? If Nick wasn’t willing to do that, could I walk away and not look back?
I went to bed after a second movie and tossed and turned as I thought back to the way that Nick had felt last night. I knew that it wasn’t love, but it didn’t feel like casual sex to me, either. What did I know, though? It was my first time having sex at all, and it wasn’t the situation that I had planned on. I got up early after a restless sleep to work on my project in the quiet house before I showered and got ready for dinner.
We were the last to arrive and walked into the house where my boisterous family were going on and on about the big win. Nick and Brandon were on the couch telling my Dad all about the plays as his eyes lit up, and it made me smile. He loved football, and he loved his son playing even more. I saw my mother poking her blonde head into the room and smiling my way as she shook her head. “Hello, Mel and Bonnie.” Nick turned to look at me as I waved at everyone and his eyes made my skin heat up as I pushed my hair back. “I love the red, Melissa. It suits you.”
I thanked her and walked forward as Dad stood to hug me and mess my curls up with his hand as he kissed my cheek. “I heard you were at the big party last night, Mel. How was that? Your mom and I were in bed by ten.”
“It was so full of celebrities, daddy. Your son and Nick are stars.” I hugged my oldest brother Jimmy and then went to my Mom and held her tightly. We were closer than the others, and I adored her. I longed to tell her about Nick and my skin burned as I felt his eyes on me again. I’d picked my worn skinny jeans with him in mind and topped them off with a purple burnout t-shirt with a thin camisole underneath. “Hi, mama. How are you?”
“I am so proud right now.” She beamed with her bright smile. “My babies are doing so well, and we’re all together tonight. I couldn’t be any happier right now.” My brother Jimmy had been promoted to partner at the law firm that he’d worked at for ten years, and he had finally decided to start a family with his wife of five years, since Riley could stay at home now comfortably with the new income.
“The boys are doing well. I am still in school,” I smiled at her, and she ran her hands through my hair as she shook her head.
“Don’t be silly. You’re talented, sweetheart. Your turn is next.” Mama hugged Bonnie as she approached and greeted her. “I am so proud of Nick, honey. Your mama would be too.” I squeezed Bonnie’s shoulder at the mention of her mother. She smiled.
“I know she would be. Nick is doing so well, and I’m beyond proud.” She was so good at looking at the bright side, and I wondered how she’d handle hearing about her brother and me. “Can I help with anything? It's sports talk central in there.” The two of us helped mama cut up vegetables and marinate them while the chicken was cooking on the grill. We also made a salad filled with fresh veggies and prepared a pot to boil some corn on the cob. Riley got in just as we were finishing with her delicious cheesecakes and we all hugged her before we put them into the fridge.
“I am so happy for Jimmy!” I told her, and she grinned and nodded.
“He’s worked so hard. I know that his hours might be awful sometimes, but I can deal with it and take care of him.” The cute brunette smiled, and her blue eyes twinkled as she looked at us. “I’ll be busy once he knocks me up.”
Mama clapped her hands together, and we all laughed at her as Riley went to get Jimmy. He was the man who grilled in the family, and I noticed that when Brandon and daddy joined him to walk out to the backyard, Nick remained seated. He met my gaze and I licked my lips as he clenched his hands. “Did you get that pig sty cleaned up?” Bonnie teased him, as she went to sit down on the couch next to him.
“We got her out there yesterday. It’s good as new,” Nick replied, as he messed up her straight, dark hair with his hand. “Good timing, too. Hell starts next week.”
“It’s that coach that got you through the season, goof. He knew what to do with you guys,” Bonnie reminded him, as he laughed and looked around the room.
“True. I am just glad we get a chance. I have dreamed of this since I was a kid. It’s all that Bran and I talked about, and to be here together is better than anything.” Nick smiled and gave me a curious look as I seated myself across from him. He took a sip of his beer, and I watched as he swallowed it before I forced my gaze away.
It took everything that I had not to crawl into his lap and kiss him. I forced myself to stay still and listened to the conversation until Brandon walked in to get the chicken and peered into the living room. “Come on out, Nick. There’s more beer out here.”
“Be right there,” Nick answered, as Brandon disappeared. “Guess I should go make sure that Jimmy doesn’t burn dinner.” We all knew that my brother could handle a grill better than any of us and laughed as Nick walked through the kitchen to join the men in the back. I watched him before I looked back at mama as she started asking Riley about babies. I thanked my lucky stars that I wasn’t there yet in life. I still needed to finish school.
We ended up eating outside about an hour later, and the conversation flowed smoothly as it typically did. We were all close, and I sipped wine as I laughed at the topics that everyone chose. My family was so outgoing and fun, and I was glad that they’d adopted Nick and Bonnie so quickly. We were eating outside at the big patio table since it was a relatively nice day, and I went in to get a new bottle of wine once we realized that some glasses were empty. I stepped into the empty kitchen and reached into the fridge when I heard footsteps behind me. I jumped as I felt a hand on my hip, and then Nick spoke to me. “It’s just me. I had to use the bathroom.”
“Did you?” I had the heavy bottle in my hand, and I stared into his eyes as I straightened up.
“Did you think about it?” His voice sounded like he’d been thinking as hard about it as I was. “I didn’t sleep well after we talked.”
“I was restless too,” I admitted, as he searched my face. “I want to try. I can’t stay away from you, Nick.” He grinned and took the bottle to set it down before he pulled me into the living room and down the hallway. I was glad that I wasn’t wearing lipstick as he pressed me against the wall and kissed me hungrily.
“Thank you. I’ll do the best I can with what I have to give.” We kissed for a few minutes be
fore we heard someone calling our names and I wiped my mouth and walked into the kitchen.
“There you are.” Mama was pulling out the cheesecakes and glanced at the wine. “What happened?”
“Nick reminded me that I had to use the bathroom as well,” I took the bottle of wine and grabbed some plates from the cupboard to follow her outside. Nick joined us as we were passing around dessert and as he took his seat next to Brandon he shot me a look across the table. He had been gone for a while, and I wondered what he had been doing back there, since I was aroused at just the kiss that we shared. I’d never been the sex toy type, but that might change very soon.
We ended the night close to ten, and everyone hugged goodbye as we wandered to our cars. Nick held me a little longer, and I breathed him in as I let my hands stay around his neck for as long as I dared. Bonnie led the way to my car, and I found myself unable to wait for the next time that we could be together.
Chapter Five
School kicked in hard the next day, and I fell back into a routine quickly. I spent days at school and evenings working as I passed the time between the texts and calls that I got from Nick. The first time we managed to sneak away was the following Friday, and he gave me a hotel room number to meet him in. Nick told me that he wanted to fuck me properly and to be ready for him. He’d been putting in long days at practice, and I knew he was tired, but I agreed to meet him. I dressed in a short gray skirt and a sweater with some tights and boots. I told Bonnie that I was meeting some other students to work on a project and started my car with a big smile. I couldn’t wait to see Nick again.
The hotel was beautiful, one of the boutique style ones in town. I parked in the garage and walked inside with a quick glance around to see that nobody was looking at me. The red hair seemed a bit bright as I walked through the lobby and to the elevators to head up to the third floor. I stepped inside the elevator with a couple that was young and holding hands as they gazed into each other’s eyes. It was sweet, and I pictured a future where I could act like that with Nick, but this was sex for now.
ROMANCE: Older Man Younger Woman Romance: Daddy’s Business Friend (First Time Virgin Pregnancy Taboo Romance) (Alpha Male Contemporary Romance Short Stories) Page 12
