NICK (Carsonbrothers Book 3)

by S R Dyble

  "Best seats in the house," he commented.

  "For watching your own death," I said quietly. Reluctantly, I climbed into the seat furthest away, then Nick climbed in, his thighs pressing against mine in the confined seating. Once we were tightened into our seats with the restraints firmly against our bodies, the ride began to move. It started by climbing an incline the size of a bloody cliff.

  "I'm gonna be sick after this," I said, eyeing the drop.

  "I hope you like the loop-de-loop," Nick said, smirking.

  I faked a laugh. "I hope you like the sight of the last thing I ate..."

  Even over the clunking noises coming from the ride and the wind picking up, I could hear him laughing. Within seconds, I could see the brink of the incline we were about to plummet into, thousands of metres to the ground.

  "Oh my fucking God," I said, closing my eyes.

  That was when I felt Nick taking a hold of my hand and my eyes opened to see what he was doing. I stared at him until we started moving again. Straight away, we plunged downward, a scream echoing and threatening to break my vocal cords. I was surprised I could hear Nick laughing. He thought my terror was flipping hilarious.

  "Open your eyes, Petal, the view is great."

  I did as he said, allowing my eyes to skim over the park and the miles and miles of greenery surrounding it.

  "Wow." I smiled just before we were flung deep into another fast and turning downward spiral. I allowed myself to actually enjoy this, and without realising it I had gripped Nick's hand harder as I whooped and revelled in the adrenaline.

  All too fast the ride came to an abrupt stop. All of my hair flew around my face as I breathed deeply.

  "Holy shit."

  The bars around my body came loose which meant I eventually had to loosen my hold on Nick's hand. I lifted the bars, feeling silly for holding onto Nick for so long. I sat forward to get out and felt a little shaky on my legs, but when Nick offered me his hand to get out, I pushed it aside and walked by him. Not missing his whistle mocking me. What the hell had I been thinking holding his hand on the ride?

  "Did I not tell you it would be amazing?!" Luna jumped as I neared her and the rest of the group and I pushed my hair out of my face.

  "Yeah, it was definitely a head fuck," I answered, still feeling slightly on edge.

  What I had said made them all chuckle and I wondered why. Then I remembered that my accent was totally different and practically everything I said made me sound like a bell-end around these Aussies.

  "'Ed fuck." Sawyer laughed. "That's literally what you just said."

  "Head fuck," I repeated, trying my best to pronounce the H.

  As Nick stood amongst us, I couldn't help but watch as Olivia and Frankie bathed in his company and conversation. I headed to the drinks counter to buy myself a drink and started getting sidetracked by the photos on the board. They were the photos taken on the ride. As much as I detested Nick right now, I snorted once I saw our picture up on the board. There were a couple—the first a picture of my face scrunched up as Nick held my hand—the second we were both staring out at the terrific view while we continued to hold hands. I lowered my head and thought briefly about me and Nick when I felt someone brushing against my arm.

  "I'll buy hers too, can I get a coke as well, please?" Omar asked the lady behind the counter.

  "Thank you, but you really don't have to," I said.

  "You seriously gonna deny me buying you a drink?" He smirked at me.

  "It's not that," I said without thought and I wish I hadn't spoken my mind.

  "Ah, the boyfriend..." he said, glancing around to where Nick was still standing with the others. I hadn't missed his eyes on me.

  I shook my head. "He's not my boyfriend."

  "Then why is he protecting you?"

  My eyes shot directly to Omar's.

  "Overprotective, I mean… You know, like he's your boyfriend? Practically killed me for talking to you the first time we met..."

  The more I stared at him, the faster my heartbeat leapt in my chest. For a second, it sounded as if Omar knew Nick had been sent to protect me. To watch over me.

  "We're friends," I said simply, not even believing it myself, so I wasn't sure how convincing I sounded.

  "Fair enough." He shrugged before handing me my drink. He took a gulp of his before turning to walk back.

  "Just FYI though," he turned back around to face me, "friends don't look at each other like that."

  I watched him as he left, feeling uncomfortable and on edge. I turned to see Nick, his eyes still fixated on me.

  After such a long drive and walking round the amusement park at least fifty times over, I'd arrived back at the beach house absolutely exhausted. Once Nick had pulled up to the back of the house, I'd said goodbye to everyone and walked down the narrow, dark path to the side of the house. The sounds of waves toppling over themselves made me smile as my eyes closed momentarily. I hadn't checked to see if Nick had followed me, instead I set my point of target and walked zombie-like towards it. My bed.

  Once inside my room, I stripped out of my clothes, leaving only my underwear on, and slid into the comfortable sheets. Within seconds, I had closed my eyes and had drifted into a peaceful sleep.

  Only, it was short-lived. I fell into a confusing dream. Soft lips and tentative strokes turned into darkness and confusion, waves were swallowing me whole. I stirred, feeling disoriented and confused. I opened my eyes, I could still see the bright moonlight seeping into the room through the chiffon curtains but I frowned as the shadows on the ceiling flickered, instantly drawing my attention to the window. I was expecting my eyes playing tricks on me or that some wildlife had passed by my window. I was not expecting to see a silhouette. A silhouette of a person! The second I spotted it, I laid there completely still and in shock. Then as the silhouette started shifting slowly across the window, the hands and fingers of the silhouette could be seen spreading along the window as if they had their back pressed against the glass. I sat up and screamed at the top of my lungs. I shifted backwards, making various attempts to get up and leg it off of the bed, but not before seeing the figure pelting away. I gasped after seeing the figure moving so quickly and scrambling up over the wall. I heard fast and heavy footsteps moving through the house. Then my door flung open and the light switched on to reveal Nick with a black gun pointing into the open space. Once he'd searched the room he returned to me, staring into my eyes as I watched the very real gun still being held in his hand.

  "Lilly?" he asked as if he'd already asked a few times. He lowered himself to the floor and placed his hand on my knee. Blinking, I looked at his eyes and then back to the window where only seconds ago had I seen someone.

  "The window. There was someone at the window…" I stuttered.

  I saw his jaw shift as he was about to get up.

  "Stay here."

  "No." I grabbed a hold of his hand, careful not to touch the gun.

  "Please don't leave me," I said, quivering. I couldn't stop myself from shaking.

  He nodded, holding my head against his body.

  "You're safe. You're safe with me, okay?" He made me look at him until I nodded.

  "Who was it?" I asked him stupidly.

  "I don't know, but I swear I'm gonna find out."

  The longer we sat there, the calmer I felt until I realised I was sitting in Nick's arms, not dressed at all.

  "Crap," I said, shifting his arms from around me. "I should get dressed."

  "Lilly," he spoke after me as I got up, quietly retrieving some PJ's and then disappearing into the hallway. On my way to the bathroom, my eyes frantically inspected every shadow and plant. Everything looked like a person. Once I reached the bathroom door, I turned the light on and my eyes needed to adjust to the brightness. I made quick work of pulling on my PJ shorts and vest. I pulled my hair into a high ponytail and stared at myself in the mirror. When I eventually returned to my room, I frowned, looking for Nick. I assumed he'd gone back to his r
oom until I saw him standing by the chest of drawers. He was delicately touching the shell I had found on the beach that I had placed there. Placing it back down, he stared at me in the darkness.

  "You should get some sleep."

  I scoffed. "I doubt that's even possible now…"

  "Do you…" he cleared his throat, "do you want me to stay with you?"

  Even in the darkness, I could see his six-pack and built body frame. He had only his boxers on and stood over six foot, just like all of his brothers.

  "That's probably not the best idea…"

  "Lilly?"

  He moved closer, gently brushing my hair over my cheek.

  "Just so you feel safe, that's it," he said.

  I nodded and closed the bedroom door. He watched as I headed over to my bed, feeling awkward as I climbed into the sheets. Then eventually he walked over and climbed in.

  I turned my back towards him, feeling stiff and on edge knowing he was lying only centimetres away.

  As I closed my eyes, they shot open again as I felt Nick's hand shifting under the sheet. Gently, he placed his finger onto my hip and trailed it over the curve of my body until his whole hand crept around my middle. He was holding me, pulling my back into his chest until we aligned like the perfect jigsaw. After a few minutes, I began relaxing again and my eyes drifted close before I fell into a peaceful sleep.

  "Hi."

  Nick smiled at me, his face looking perfectly refreshed. I groaned, remembering how much of a morning person Nick was. His face looked so beautifully refreshed while I probably looked like I'd taken a jellyfish to the face with my skin all puffy. I turned to face away from him.

  "Rude," he said.

  "My bed, I can do what I want to…"

  "Clearly someone woke up on the wrong side of it… What's the matter, feeling hormonal or something?"

  I turned back over to look at him.

  "Just because a woman isn't in a good mood, does not always mean she's hormonal or in need of a bloody tampon, Nicholas!"

  "Okay," he laughed, holding his hands up in surrender. "I'm sorry."

  I sighed, laying on my back and staring at the window.

  "What the hell happened last night?"

  "I don't know," he said after a short while, then got up.

  "Come on, let's take a walk."

  "What?" I sat up rubbing my face.

  "Walking will help me think, usually I jog but…"

  Yeah, didn't I know it...

  I'd witnessed my fair share of Nick’s morning jogs. He'd returned each time shimmering with sweat and his hair looking windswept and good enough to run my hands through...

  "But I'm assuming you're not up for that?"

  I shook my head out of my daydream. "Do I look like a morning jog person?"

  He smiled and got out of bed.

  "Tea it is then, get ready, sleepyhead."

  I watched as he left my room. How the hell was he so calm after what had happened last night? I stared at the window and it all seemed like a bit of a bad dream. I'd been having a lot of those recently…

  I got out of bed and peeked my head out of the window and took a good look around. I left the bedroom and strolled to the bathroom, taking a quick shower before strolling back in my towel.

  Once inside my bedroom, I pulled my towel off, about to get dressed when I screamed and held it against my naked body.

  "Nicholas!" I yelled, seeing him standing outside the window like a deer caught in the headlights. Once I had the towel fully wrapped around me, I rushed to the window and pulled the curtains closed. This was the second time Nick had passed my window and had scared the living shit out of me, only this time I had been naked and perhaps it was about time I pulled the damn half see-through curtain across the window to offer me some shield. I probably should be getting dressed in the bathroom from now on… Soon after and fully dressed, I stormed into the kitchen to see him pouring a cup of tea.

  "Morning, you look perky after your shower."

  "Don't even dare."

  He was about to speak when I shut him down.

  "You make one more inside joke about my tits… or arse, I'm gonna slap you silly."

  He laughed, placing my drink on the counter.

  "What were you even doing outside my window?"

  "Why were you getting dressed butt naked with the curtains open? I thought you'd learnt your lesson after last time..."

  "There's nothing but a fence outside of that window, I didn't think anyone would be—"

  "After last night, obviously you should be thinking differently."

  "Well, after this morning, how do I know it wasn't you?"

  Nick stared at me before smiling and turning away.

  "I don't need to sneak by your window to see you naked."

  "What's that supposed to mean?" I said, facing up to him.

  "Just saying, I have my own resources, that's all."

  I stared at him, and then it suddenly dawned on me.

  Oh fuck.

  I rounded the kitchen island and stared at him.

  "The night I got drunk and…" This was embarrassing and I didn't even wanna say the words. "You don't still have those photos, do you?" I made the mistake of pushing myself between him and the counter so he would look at me. He wasn't making room for me which meant he encased me there, making me more frustrated.

  "You never asked me to delete them," he said.

  Heat was beginning to prick at my skin as I got more and more angry. He was being so foolish about this, it made me furious.

  "Come on, Lill', you never once asked—"

  "I thought you fucking your cleaner was a clear enough indication that you wouldn't be allowed to keep naked photos of me!?"

  Silence. Nick stared into my eyes before eventually looking away. He shifted away, rubbing his head and leaving me there.

  "Nick, I'm sorry, I shouldn't..." I could see how my words had hit him. I'd said them entirely out of anger.

  "Lilly, I thought we'd moved past this shit," he said, looking at me.

  "Nick, it's—"

  "We weren't even together, Lilly, and you know how sorry I am for putting you through that. What have I gotta do for you to understand how sorry I am?"

  "You just riled me up, that's all, I didn't mean—"

  "So that's how it's gonna be? Everytime I piss you off, you're gonna throw that at me?"

  "It's not the same. We were talking about photos I sent you prior to it happening."

  He kept quiet for a moment.

  "Anyway, don't act like you're any better! You're just as bad, you got pissed at me yesterday for allowing Omar to come with us, for sitting in the back with him and totally ignoring you and so you made a complete idiot out of me, playing me in front of everyone!"

  "That was different…"

  "Was it? You got mad and acted out against me, it's no different."

  "I was…" I eyed him, waiting for him to make an excuse for what he'd done.

  He smiled mischievously. "I wanna take that walk now," he said.

  God, he confused the hell out of me. I followed after him but this wasn't over. We were going to discuss the photos Nick had kept of me.

  We walked in silence down the beach, my sunglasses hid my eyes as I continued to stare at Nick.

  Eventually, I broke the silence.

  "Who do you think it was last night?"

  "Could have just been someone passing through. Could have been a burglar…" he said, flicking the piece of twig he'd been shredding away with his fingers.

  "You don't really believe that, Nick."

  I stopped walking and looked directly at him. He stopped to face me.

  "You're in danger, Lilly. Being here with you, I'm putting you in further danger every second."

  I frowned. "You're here protecting me."

  "Because I wouldn't let anyone else do it. I'm unable to leave you alone and that makes you a number one target."

  "You're confusing me."

  "What'
s so difficult, Lill'? Kit loves Eve, they come after Eve. I've told you this before... You've never seen Spiderman?"

  "Spiderman? What the hell are you on about?"

  He shook his head, then rubbed his hand through his hair.

  "You just don't get it," he said.

  "They came after Eve because of her dad's firm, because of Delta."

  "At first yes, what about the time my father wanted Kit to fight for him. How did he get him there?"

  He had kidnapped Eve.

  "Exactly," he said, watching the realisation hit me.

  "You're just doing your job, Nick… I get it, I do. I'm close with Eves, you think they're gonna use me to punish you and your brothers because we're all close. Is that what you think happened last night? You think they came for me?"

  "I don't even know if they know you're here, Lill."

  "Don't lie, Nick. You knew I was on the news. You knew before I did and you didn't say anything."

  He was hiding something, I could feel it. I remembered his face when Omar had told me in the car.

  "I didn't wanna worry you."

  "Well, I'm worried now, Nick. Like it or not. A stranger was creeping around my window last night."

  We kept on walking, or I did and Nick eventually followed after me. We reached a bunch of rock pools and a lifted section made out of rock.

  "Please, just promise you'll stay away from Omar, Lilly."

  I stared at him. "You don't need to worry about him, Nick. You made me look like a fool yesterday so you could warn him off."

  "What if I just wanted to kiss you?"

  "But I know you didn't…"

  "You don't know much, do you?" He smiled at me before looking away.

  Standing at the edge of the rock, I stared into the water.

  "I wouldn't stand there," he said simply.

  "What?"

  "On that rock. I wouldn't stand there…"

  I continued glaring at him, not listening to what he had said when, within a second, what had been innocent waves simply greeting my feet, turned into a huge wave carrying a punch. It knocked me from my feet, drenched my whole body, splashed in my face, then buggered off.