The Philadelphia Series: The Complete Collection Boxed Set

by Taryn Plendl

  “You might want to wait until you’re a bit more sober to talk to her about anything important, Nick,” Tom suggested as he buckled my seatbelt.

  “It’s okay, I won’t put all of my cards on the table right away. I’m going to find out where we stand,” I slurred.

  “Seriously, Nick. You’ll scare her off at this point.” Trevor laughed.

  “Why do you say that?” My voice sounded funny. “That. That. Isn’t that a funny word?” I started laughing again.

  “Nick, there are two kinds of brutally honest people in the world: very small children and drunk people. You might want to sober up a bit before you pounce on her with your verbal vomit.” I looked at Trevor, trying to process what he had just said, but all I heard was “vomit.” My cheeks were beginning to hurt from the perma-grin I was wearing.

  Before I realized it, I could feel my two best friends helping me up to my apartment. Tom took my keys out of my hand and unlocked the door, shoving me forward. Laughing, I shouted, “Honey, I’m home!”

  Chapter 17

  Chelsea

  I heard the laughing and the ruckus at the front door. I heard Nick holler, and then it sounded like someone was banging into the walls. Rounding the corner, I saw why.

  “Wow, should I take it that he won his game?” Nick was drunk. Not sick and sloppy drunk, but fun, goofy and happy drunk. I couldn’t help but smile at him.

  “Chelsea, I missed you.” He grinned at me, holding his arms out to me.

  I looked at Tom and Trevor with raised eyebrows, taking in their guilty looks. “Um, he had a bit too much to drink.” Tom smiled.

  “You think?” I giggled. “What happened?”

  “Chelsea, I think you should let him sober up, and then he can tell you all about it.” Trevor was biting his lip nervously.

  “Okay, but can you guys help him to his room before you go?” I was pretty sure that I wouldn’t be able to hold him up with him in this condition. I walked behind them down the narrow hall to Nick’s bedroom. Nick sat on the end of the bed, just smiling at all of us.

  “Do you want us to stay and help?” Tom asked me as I knelt down to take off Nick’s shoes.

  “No, I think you two have done enough.” I smiled and winked at them.

  “Okay, we’ll talk to you later.” They practically ran over each other trying to get out of the apartment. I couldn’t wait to hear about what brought this on and why Nick seemed to be the only one who was intoxicated.

  Nick laid back and started to pull his shorts off. “What are you doing?” I gasped, backing away from the bed.

  “I’m getting out of my pants.” He waggled his eyebrows. “I may need some help.”

  I laughed, “I think you can manage that on your own.” I turned away, beginning to get nervous of what I would see if I didn’t. “I’m going to go get you a bottle of water.” I moved to the kitchen, grabbing him a bottle of water and a couple of aspirin before making my way back to the bedroom.

  Nick was lying back against the headboard in his underwear. “Um, here, drink this and take these.” I handed him his water and aspirin, waiting until he swallowed them. I pulled the blinds down, making the room darker so he could get some rest.

  I walked over to him, smiling at the goofy look on his face as he shimmied down until he was lying flat. “Do you need anything before I go?” I dragged my finger down his naked arm, watching as his muscles twitched. When he didn’t answer, I turned around to leave. One second I was walking away, and the next, I was laying next to Nick on his bed where he had pulled me down.

  “Don’t go,” he whispered. I tried to get up and he wrapped his warm arm around my waist, pulling me back against him. I could feel the heat from his body, permeating through my t-shirt and yoga pants.

  “Nick?”

  “Please, Chelsea. I need you with me, please.”

  “Okay, Nick. Get some rest.” I felt him relax as he snuggled closer to my back. After five minutes and a long sigh, he was asleep. I tried to carefully move his arm off me, but he instinctively pulled me tighter. I gave up the fight and just stayed in his arms.

  It’s not like I didn’t want to be there anyway. I had dreamed about this so many times, but I hadn’t expected him to actually want me there. I had to remind myself that he was just drunk, and things would be back to normal when he sobered up.

  I placed my hand over his, tracing his fingers with mine until I felt how swollen and scabbed up his knuckles were. “What the …” I shifted so I could look at his hand better. His right hand was obviously swollen, and he had cuts and bruises along his knuckles. What the heck could have done this? You don’t even use your hands in soccer. I shifted again and took a look at his left hand. There weren’t any obvious cuts or bruises on that one. I guess I would have to wait until he sobered up to get the full story. I lay back down and closed my eyes. I might as well get some sleep since I was stuck here.

  ***

  I felt him behind me. Not really him, just a very prominent part of him, pressing against my back. Just knowing what it was, made a heat spread all the way through my body. I tried to pull away from him, but his arm tightened around my waist as he pressed himself even harder into my backside.

  I gasped, he chuckled, and now I wanted to die. “You’re awake?” I asked, without turning to face him.

  “Oh God I hope so, ‘cause if this is a dream, baby, please don’t wake me up,” he mused.

  “How are you feeling?” I forced myself to sit up and turn to face him.

  “Surprisingly, I feel pretty good.” He pushed himself up onto his elbow and watched me closely.

  “Holy crap, we slept for almost five hours, Nick!” I exclaimed when I got a look at the clock.

  “Hmm, no wonder I feel better.” He sat up, leaning against the headboard. “I had a bit too much to drink.” His smile was so adorable.

  I laughed, “You think?” Nick was still watching me, and I knew that I needed to put some space between us before I did something I might regret. “Um, are you hungry?”

  “You have no idea.” He leaned toward me, and I panicked.

  “Shit!” My foot got caught in the sheet as I tried to climb out of the bed, and I tumbled over the side, landing on my back precariously with one leg still wrapped up in the sheet on the bed.

  “I was going to help you, but I’m thinking I like you just like this.” I looked up in time to see Nick peering over the bed with a front row view of my crotch.

  “Stop screwing with me, Nick. Help me untangle my foot,” I demanded, trying to keep a straight face as he casually set his chin on his hands, watching me lay there in an incredibly vulnerable position. My tight yoga pants weren’t leaving much to the imagination.

  I sighed, “Please, Nick. We are seriously blurring the lines of friendship today. I need to get out of your bedroom where I can think straight.” I saw his mood change slightly as he unwound my foot. “Thanks.” I stood up and headed for the door.

  I turned and smiled. “Why don’t you get a shower, and I’ll make us something to eat. Then we can talk about what brought on your little drinking excursion today.”

  Chapter 18

  Nick

  I watched Chelsea leave my bedroom before finally climbing out of bed. My head was still a bit foggy, but I had definitely sobered up, and surprisingly, I really didn’t feel terrible.

  When I woke up and realized that Chelsea was still in bed with me, I immediately got hard. There was something so right about having her pressed against me, in my arms. I didn’t want it to end.

  I wasn’t sure when things had taken such a drastic turn for me. In the time that I’d known Chelsea, I had become very protective of her, but seeing her with Adam, that wasn’t just protective—it was unequivocally full blown jealousy.

  I wanted her like I’d never wanted anyone before, but it wasn’t just physical. I craved her company. I could spend endless amounts of time with her and still want more. She was right. I was blurring the lines today, but ma
ybe it was time to see where things went—beyond friendship.

  I stood under the shower, allowing the water to hit me with the constant pressure of the spray. As much as I wanted to stay under the warmth of the water, I hurried through the process, anxious to talk to Chelsea.

  I felt like I hadn’t really spoken to her lately. With my obnoxious reaction to her and Adam, and the incident with the blonde bimbo that I’d brought home, I couldn’t blame her for not wanting to sit down and have a heart-to-heart. I hadn’t exactly made her feel like she could come to me as a friend, much less anything more.

  After drying off, I dressed and headed toward the kitchen. Chelsea moved around fluidly as she threw together a couple of sandwiches for us. “Mustard?”

  “Uh, what?” I asked. I had been so busy staring at her that I hadn’t really heard her. While I was in the shower, she had changed into a pair of jeans that hugged her ass like a glove. She was wearing a black silk shirt with ruffles around the buttons that gapped right above her breasts, showing an ample amount of cleavage. She was hot.

  “Do you want mustard on your sandwich?” She grinned.

  “Yes please.” I reached up into the pantry and pulled down a couple bags of chips. “Are we sitting at the breakfast bar or in the living room?”

  “Let’s sit in the living room.” She picked up the two plates and brought them over to the counter where I was leaning. We both added chips to our plates and grabbed the bottles of water she had pulled out.

  “I took a guess that you might not really want a beer.” She smiled and nodded at the water. I followed her to the living room, sitting down and taking a bite of my sandwich.

  “Mmm, so good,” I mumbled. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was. I couldn’t remember if I’d eaten at the bar with Trevor and Tom.

  We sat in silence, eating and thinking. I knew it was only a matter of time before my feisty redhead started asking questions. I wiped my mouth and tossed my napkin on the plate as I waited for her to finish. Sure enough, as soon as she did, she curled her feet under her and turned toward me.

  “Do you want to talk about what happened today?”

  “How do you know something happened?” I asked innocently.

  She cocked her eyebrows at me. “Did you win your game? Is that why you got drunk?”

  “I’m not sure if we won or not.” I shrugged.

  Chelsea frowned at me. “What do you mean? Didn’t you play?”

  I groaned and sat up. “I did, but I got kicked out of the game. Trevor and Tom took me to the bar to blow off some steam.”

  “What happened Nick? Why did you get kicked out?” She sat up and leaned toward me. Her face was clouded with concern.

  “I got in a fight, Chelsea—with Adam.”

  “Oh, Nick. Why?” She looked sad. I could understand why. I mean, I had beaten up her boyfriend, even if he had deserved it.

  “I know you are probably mad at me for fighting with your boyfriend, but …”

  “Wait, what?” She stopped me. “Nick, Adam is not my boyfriend. In fact, I’m pretty sure we won’t be going on any dates after last night.” She chuckled.

  I leaned forward. “Did he hurt you last night?” I swear, if that asshole did anything to hurt her, I was going to finish what I’d started.

  “No, nothing like that.” She smiled. “You can put your big brother tendencies away.”

  “Trust me, Chelsea. The last thing I have toward you is big brother anything.” I smiled back at her and continued before she could question me.

  “Adam kept taunting me on the field. I could ignore him for the most part, but the second he mentioned you, I lost it.” I played nervously with a string on my shirt.

  “Me? What was he saying, Nick?”

  “Are you sure you really want to know?” I asked.

  “Nick.” She warned.

  “Okay.” I held up my hands. “He basically said you were a tease and then accused me of moving you in here so I could wear you down and have my way with you,” I blurted out.

  “Are you serious?” She stared at me with wide eyes.

  “Completely.”

  I watched as she reached over and drug her fingers across my knuckles where they were bruised and scabbed. “You hit him? Is this how you hurt your hand?” she whispered.

  “I didn’t just hit him.” She snapped her head up. “I’m pretty sure I broke his nose among other things.” I shrugged.

  “Oh, Nick. I hate that you got kicked out of the game over me. I know how much you love soccer. You should have just ignored him.”

  “Hey,” I reached down and held her hand. “You're worth fighting for. And if that means I have to break somebody's face, then so be it.”

  I could almost feel the change in the atmosphere. Chelsea looked up at me, and my heart rate increased. She was so beautiful, with her red hair hanging down her back. Her flawless skin begged to be touched, and her plump pink lips certainly begged to be kissed.

  “Chelsea, can I try something?” I whispered as I leaned into her. She didn’t back away, so I took that as a good sign. I watched her eyes, almost begging her to say yes. She nodded slightly, but it was enough.

  I reached up and grazed my finger down her cheek and slid my hand behind her neck. Without taking my eyes off of her, I leaned toward her until my lips brushed softly against hers. That light—almost nothing—kiss was better than any kiss I’d ever had before. I continued to watch her, waiting for her to tell me to stop, but it never happened. I leaned in again, pressing my lips harder against hers, dragging my tongue lightly against the seam of her lips, begging for entrance. She moaned and I lost all control, pressing myself into her, claiming her mouth. Carefully, I lowered her to her back, leaning over her as I lost myself in our intoxicating kiss. Our tongues danced and curled in a moment so intense that I actually shuddered. This kiss was so much more than I’d ever expected, and the realization of what we were doing hit me like a ton of bricks. I pulled back, watching her chest rise and fall. Her lips were swollen, pink and beautiful.

  “Nick?”

  “Shit, Chelsea,” I gasped. “What are we doing?” Chelsea brought out emotions in me that I had never known. I didn’t know what I was doing. I was in completely uncharted territory.

  “Why did you stop, Nick?” She sat up, dragging her hand over her hair.

  I stood up and paced, stopping in front of the window. “I’m so fucking confused,” I mumbled more to myself than anyone else. I could hear Chelsea moving around behind me, but I couldn’t bring myself to turn around—not until I heard the front door close, and she was gone.

  Chapter 19

  Chelsea

  “I’m at a loss.” I shook my head and looked around the small bar, watching people talking and having fun around us. Ava and Talia sat across from me, faces covered in sympathy.

  “Did he say anything after he kissed you?” Ava questioned.

  “Um yeah,” I scoffed. “He said ‘Shit, Chelsea, what are we doing?’ ”

  Talia sighed, “Guys have no idea how long the stupid shit they say sticks in a woman's mind.” She paused and looked from Ava back to me. “I know you won’t believe what I’m about to say, but I think we need to cut him some slack.” She took a drink as Ava and I stared at her.

  “What?” Ava touched Talia’s forehead. “I know you are the nurse, so you would know better, but I’m pretty sure you are sick.”

  She laughed and swatted Ava’s hand away. “No, I’m serious. Tom told me about the fight at the game, and he didn’t go into detail about what happened at the bar, but from what I gathered … Nick is pretty invested in you.” Talia shrugged. “Granted, the man is seriously lacking proper social skills normally, but I think he’s totally out of his element with you. For as long as I’ve known Nick, he has never been interested in a woman beyond his one night of fun.” I grimaced, but Talia held her hand up to stop me as she continued, “He is different with you. I mean, really different.”

  “I don’t know,�
�� I sighed. “Things have been uncomfortable for the last few days, but today … today things felt so right.” I thought back to the kiss we shared earlier. It was different than the first one we shared at Ava and Trevor’s wedding, but it was just as good, if not better. Whether I wanted to admit it or not, I was pretty invested in him, too.

  My phone buzzed from in my purse, and my gut told me it was Nick. I was right.

  Nick: Where are you?

  Me: With Ava and Talia. Why?

  Nick: We need to talk.

  Me: I know. I’ll be home soon.

  I tossed my phone back into my purse, took a drink and glanced back up at my friends who were sitting patiently for details. “He said we needed to talk.” I smiled halfheartedly. I knew we needed to clear the air, but I was afraid it wouldn’t go the way I wanted, and the thought of trying to reel my feelings back in and just be a friend to him seemed almost impossible.

  “It will be okay.” Ava touched my hand.

  “So, enough about me. How are you all doing?” I asked the girls, trying to take my mind off of my own issues.

  ***

  The drive from the bar seemed to take forever. Ava and Talia had a way of making me feel so much better about the situation. They had both had their issues with the men in their lives, and they had been around Nick longer than me. If they said he was different with me, I would have to go with that until I was given reason not to.

  I pulled into my parking spot next to Nick’s car and took a deep breath as I headed into the building. I wanted this. I wanted him. Not just because he was gorgeous, but also because he was my best friend. He was the total package for me.

  The elevator doors opened, and I stepped out. I was so busy digging in my purse for my keys that I almost ran into the blonde bombshell in front of me. “Oh! Excuse me,” I gasped.

  It wasn’t until I’d looked at her face that I noticed who she was, and a sense of déjà vu came over me. The woman who was standing in front of me, glaring at me like I’d just kicked her dog, was the same blonde that was with Nick the night of the fire.