Home: Ky & Nick (Six Degrees Book 1)

by Sandy Smith

  Chuckling, Nick reached down to hold the base of the condom as he pulled out slowly, then fell onto the bed beside me. He groaned as he pulled the condom off. We lay there panting, trying to get our breath back, before Nick’s hand reached over and squeezed mine. I squeezed back, and we lay in silence for a while longer.

  Nick rolled to the edge of the bed and stood, glancing back at me. “Do you want a shower, baby?”

  “Sure,” I replied. “Can you just bring the shower in here, though? I’m not entirely sure I am going to be capable of that whole ‘being upright’ thing you have going on for quite a while.”

  He chuckled and walked out towards the bathroom. A few minutes later, he returned with a warm washcloth and a towel. He gently wiped me down and then dried me. The sweetness of the gesture created a lump in my throat. Once done, he tossed the washcloth and towel to the floor and laid back down beside me. I rolled onto my side, wincing a little at the slight pain of movement, and we lay there looking at each other but not touching. It was incredibly intimate and comforting.

  After a while, I broke the silence. “Thank you. For everything.”

  He reached up and cupped my cheek. Nothing else needed to be said.

  Despite Nick’s nerves, meeting Mum and Tim went just as well as I knew it would. Well, after my initial horror at what Tim had done. Once we’d made introductions, Mum offered to get us drinks while Tim directed Nick and I through to the deck. As we walked through the lounge area, I froze in horror. Nick looked up to see what had caught my attention and tried to stifle a laugh. Sitting on the armchair facing the entranceway was a brand new cushion with the words WE HAD SEX HERE in bold print. I hung my head as Tim’s evil grin widened. He stepped past me and glanced at the lounge, where there were two more cushions that each said AND HERE.

  I groaned loudly, and Mum passed me with a few glasses and a bottle of wine in her hand. Looking at me innocently, she leaned towards me and stage-whispered, “Be thankful I moved the ones off the dining table.”

  Nick watched me with wide eyes as I shook my head. Laughing, Tim led us outside and opened the bottle of wine.

  Mum adored Nick, and Tim was on his best behaviour for the rest of the afternoon. Well, except when I hesitated sitting at the hard wood chairs at the outdoor table, and Tim sniggered asking me a little too innocently what was wrong. When Mum asked him what was going on, he continued the wide-eyed innocent act. The afternoon was spent chatting and laughing and drinking, and despite the odd embarrassing story, I really enjoyed myself. I had never brought anyone home to meet Mum and Tim before, never had anyone to consider it with, but this felt… right.

  I told Mum I had training at work on the morning of her birthday, but maybe we could go out to dinner. Nick knew we were trying to sort out a nice dinner, as well as the short trip with Tim for a surprise, and joined in, following my cue. “Oh, you have a birthday coming up?”

  Mum just brushed it off as usual and said she was more than happy to just have a casual dinner and insisted that Nick come too.

  Tim and Mum asked about Nick’s work and about London. Mum oohed and ahhed and asked a million questions. “I used to love English TV shows. I always wanted to visit. God, it would be so amazing. And France. Oh my God, Paris. Is it possible to be any more romantic?”

  I had warned Mum family was a sore point, so they avoided that topic and asked about friends instead. Tim showed Nick around the house a little, and Nick commented on the library in the spare room just as Mum and I joined them. Tim shrugged. “Most of them are Rhi’s. I read when I get time, but she reads obsessively. I think there are some of Ky’s here, too.”

  “It’s not obsessive,” Mum defended herself. “I always wanted a library. I loved reading as a kid. Most of my room was full of books or music. I had rows and rows of books, I loved them all. And I had this huge section full cassettes. Mum had these old Famous Five books, and I read them whenever I got sick or wanted a comfort read. I had this series—you guys wouldn’t know it. It was called Sweet Valley High. It had these twins, and one of them had a boyfriend named Todd. God, I loved those books. They are one of the things I hated leaving behind.” She waved her hand in the air dismissively. “But anyway, I love this room. I finally got my library. And my happily ever after.”

  She smiled at Tim, who looked at her like she was the only one in the room. When he leaned down to kiss her, I grabbed Nick’s shirt and dragged him out to the relative safety of the outdoor area.

  Eventually, Mum and Tim emerged from the house carrying trays of food. I pretended not to notice that their hair was ruffled. Nick complimented Mum on her cooking, trying and failing to keep the grin off his face.

  When I refused Nick’s offer of help with the clean-up, he started interrogating Tim on child welfare programs and charities helping homeless youth he had worked with as a case worker with Family and Community Services.

  Mum and I watched them out the kitchen window as we rinsed the plates. “I think I get it, Mum.”

  She didn’t have to ask me what I meant. She hugged me, grabbed the dessert, and headed back outside.

  Chapter Thirteen

  As I was finishing putting the last of the team’s gear away and washing up before heading back upstairs to my desk, my phone rang. My hands were full, so I let it go through to message bank and washed my hands before pulling my phone out.

  It was Nick. “Hi. Sorry to bug you at work. Nothing urgent. I’ll talk to you soon. Bye.” I hit his number, and it only rang once before he answered. “Hi.”

  “Hey, sorry I missed your call. What’s up?”

  “Nothing urgent. I was wondering if you are free on Friday night. Before you answer, Eric has asked us to go to a boring as hell fundraiser, but I promised I would ask you. Commence polite excuses now.”

  I heard a scuffle and muffled curses before Eric came on the line. “Please ignore him. He’s so rude. I’m on the board of the Crystal Ball charity event. We support them with auction items, but I always have six tickets, and it’s a great night. Nicholas the scrooge always sends a donation instead, which is very generous, but so boring. Anyway, three friends dropped out, and I was hoping you and Nick would come. I know it’s incredibly short notice, but it really is a good cause, and it looks awful if there are empty seats.”

  Nick groaned in the background. He knew the guilt trip would work, even if I hadn’t wanted to go. Which I did. “Put Nick back on, and I’ll see you on Friday.”

  “Yes!”

  There was more muffled sound and then Nick’s voice. “You really don’t need to say yes just because he is a shameless manipulator, you know.”

  “I know. But the Crystal Ball event supports some amazing charities. Charities that make a difference. That I wish… that… anyway, I think we should go. Oh shit, do I need a tux or something?”

  “Yes, but don’t stress. It might be a bit late to have one made. Would you mind if it’s off the rack?”

  “What do you think my answer is?” I asked.

  He chuckled, and we organized a time to go shopping later that night.

  On Friday, I was running late from work, with just enough time for a quick shower and shave. The tux surprisingly fitted perfectly, and I was trying to work out the bow tie for the third time when my phone beeped to tell me the car had arrived. I grabbed my wallet and headed downstairs. By the time we got to Nick's place I had lost patience with the tie, so I left it hanging around my neck and got out to greet Nick with a kiss.

  “Wow,” he whispered as he broke the kiss. “You look amazing.”

  “You look like you were made for wearing a tux. I feel a bit stupid, and this tie is fucking impossible. Please tell me you know how to do them.”

  “Of course I do.” He reached for the tie when the driver cleared his throat. Nick sighed dramatically. “Fine, I admit, you are better at it than me. Ky, this is Jason. Jason, Ky. Jason has seen Eric and I running late enough times that he is the leading expert in all tie knots. I concede to his supe
rior skill.”

  I turned towards Jason and had barely said, “It's nice to meet you,” when he stepped back, and the tie was done. A quick glance at the reflection in the car windows confirmed he really was the master.

  The ballroom was breathtaking: white linen with white and silver centrepieces and crystal chandeliers. A string quartet was playing by the side of the stage, and the area to the side of the dance floor had tables showing the items for auction.

  Once we found Eric, he introduced us to his date Lauren. She looked to be a few years older than me, beautiful and friendly. Not who I would have imagined him with, but something was very likeable about her. After some polite small talk, Nick grabbed us some wine, and we wandered over to the tables of auction items. Nick explained the smaller items would have the auction sheets open until dinner finished, but the larger items were auctioned later in the evening once everyone had enough to drink to loosen the purse strings. Some of the “smaller” items were worth thousands of dollars, and some of the bids so far made my eyes pop out of my head. There were spa days, dinners, and hot air ballooning, a singing lesson and studio time with a famous singer.

  I paused at the sunset harbour yacht charter for four people, with dinner cooked personally on board by Giovanni Pilu—I had always wanted to eat at his restaurant. Then I glanced at the bids. Jesus. I shook my head, and we continued on.

  Dinner was six courses of pure heaven, interspersed with friendly banter and the emcee promoting all the auction items. Eric and Lauren were great hosts. Surprisingly, Lauren took the lead telling stories and asking questions, making sure everyone at the table was included. She was like a mother hen with Eric and was incredibly charming with the rest of us. Eric’s demeanour was more serious than normal, but organising something on that scale was probably a hell of a lot of work.

  As the tea and coffee came around, Eric excused himself and walked over to the wings of the stage. I was only half listening to the emcee, most of my focus on Nick’s hand trailing circles along my thigh. I was surprised when I heard Eric’s name and realized he was taking the stage. I shifted in my seat to pay better attention, and it was like watching a different person. He was mature, and gracious, and funny as hell. As he spoke about the amazing charities the ball was supporting and talked about individuals the charities helped, he had the entire audience captivated. He finished with a heart-warming story of a young woman who had been homeless and working on the streets before getting help through one of the new programs being supported tonight. Now she was a happy, healthy, incredible mother of three kids.

  My throat had closed up, and I hadn’t even realized I was biting my lip until I felt Nick pull at my chin. I turned to look at him. “Wow. He is really…” I wasn’t sure what word fit.

  “If you say hot, we are going to have a problem,” he joked, his voice playful with only a hint of tightness at the corner of his eyes.

  “No. He’s… impressive. I know it’s probably insulting that I’m surprised, but I only know him as Eddie’s little brother or the joking guy we had dinner with. But I guess I see what you were talking about. He has a presence when he talks.”

  I cleared my throat, wondering if that was a bit much, but Nick smiled. “Yeah, he really is. He’s both. He can command a ballroom or sit with a beer telling dirty jokes and be equally comfortable with either. I have always been very envious.”

  Nick turned in his seat as Eric approached the table, stopping to shake hands with a couple at the next table. Lauren stood, gave him a peck on the cheek, and clung to his arm, telling him what an amazing job he did. Nick grabbed him by the arm as he stepped away. When Eric looked down at him, I thought I heard Nick whisper, “Thank you.'' Eric smiled and squeezed his shoulder. They maintained eye contact for a bit, an unspoken conversation happening.

  As we finished our scotch, Nick noticed a young lady hovering near the table. “Hennington?”

  “Yes sir, I didn’t want to interrupt. I’m more than happy to wait.”

  He waved her over, and she gave him a folder with two pieces of paper, a picture of a yacht, and the Pilu logo on it. As he signed his name at the bottom, I realized he had bid on the yacht charter. I glanced at the bottom of the page.

  Holy fuck!

  “Nick? Please tell me that’s a typo. There are way too many zeros,” I whispered, although not quietly enough, based on Eric’s laugh.

  Nick thanked the woman and handed one piece of paper back to her, folding the other and slipping it into his pocket. “Nonsense. I was going to bid on something. The point is the fundraising. This way we’re both happy.”

  That man continued to amaze me. I opened my mouth to argue, then shut it again. I tried unsuccessfully to start speaking a couple more times before Lauren leaned towards me.

  “Close your mouth, dear. Lest someone takes it as an invitation.”

  The next morning, my phone buzzed, and after scrolling the text, I opened Nick’s contact to text him instead. I had come home last night after the gala, as Nick had to be in at work incredibly early for a phone conference with some investors in London.

  Are you free next Sunday?

  I was planning on spending it doing dirty things to my boyfriend. Why?

  Can you do naughty things to me after a BBQ at Alex’s place for the footy grand final?

  Sure. You may have to explain the game, though. I have never paid any attention to league.

  Don’t worry, it's simple. It has to be for league players to work out how to play it. Besides we won’t really be watching much. We’ll spend the afternoon drinking and talking. Bring cossie. Dress casual.

  Sure. I would love to meet some of your friends.

  I had mentioned Alex a few times, and Nick knew I played touch football with some of my old university friends occasionally, but he had never actually met any of them. This seemed like a big step. Until now, I hadn't gone out of my way to introduce them because I wasn’t sure how he would fit. I mean, with me, Nick was the sweetest man on earth, but what if he didn’t get along with my friends? I loved those guys, but some of them were idiots. Most of them were people I had been friends with since school or uni, so we were all very different people but still had that bond.

  God, I hope he did like them, though. I sighed and got up, throwing on shorts and a shirt to go for a run.

  Chapter Fourteen

  On Mum’s birthday, I headed into the station after a meeting to discuss the schedule with other team leaders after training, and Grayson approached me. He stood his regulation two metres “so he couldn’t catch the gay” away from me, but still. He had some good points in regard to Uncle Jeff and Aunt Stacey in the Short case, especially some timeline discrepancies between different family members’ stories. These things bothered me too, and after much of last week being spent on other cases, Grayson and I agreed it was time to have another chat with them both. After much debate, I decided we could fit it in today.

  I was still hoping to get home at a reasonable hour. I let Brooke take the lead while we were talking to Jeff, partly so I could listen as an observer and partly because I really did respect the way the dickhead could run an interview. Afterward, we headed back to the station. I had insisted on driving, and Brooke was sitting looking at his phone. “Any thoughts, or is Facebook too fascinating?” I asked.

  He put his phone down. “Well, I’m not fifty so I don’t have Facebook. I was making notes. I hate not being able to remember exactly what was said. There was something. I don’t know.” He frowned and started fidgeting with his phone but didn’t open it again.

  “I really think we need to know more about him. Did you know he was working at Tourk as well? I thought Stacey just organises logistics like deliveries.”

  “No, I hadn’t known. He didn’t really shine much light on Charlotte and Aimee’s falling out, though. I just don’t feel right about him.”

  “Like what?” I had a similar feeling, but I wanted Brooke’s impressions.

  He only shrugged.

/>   “Spit it out.”

  “I’m not sure how to explain.”

  “Fuck, you are annoying sometimes, Grayson.”

  “So I’ve been told.”

  We drove the rest of the way in silence.

  At six o’clock, I turned my computer off and headed home to shower and change. When Nick arrived, I opened the door and stopped short. He was exquisite. His smile. And those eyes. I had never quite gotten used to them. His smile widened as he looked at me, and before I had worked out how to breathe, let alone speak, he stepped forward.

  “Jesus, Ky, you look amazing,” he whispered as he raised up on his toes and kissed me. Light and sweet and totally breathtaking. He nuzzled into my neck and inhaled. The faint echo of my name on his lips sent a shiver through me.

  Eventually, I stepped back because if I didn’t, we were definitely not making it to dinner. “God, Nick, how do you look better every time I see you?”

  And there was that smile again. My smile.

  The restaurant was amazing. I didn’t think I had ever eaten French food before, but holy cow it was good. I had no idea what to get when it came time to order, and Mum and Tim were unsure too, so Nick asked if it was okay if he ordered for us. He definitely knew what he was doing.

  For the first ten minutes, I couldn’t get a word in as Mum and Nick talked enthusiastically about travel, as if they are old friends. Mum talked about all the places she dreamed of going, and Nick talked about the places he had been. Sitting back and watching them bond was really nice. I caught Tim’s eye as he watched them too, hoping he wasn’t feeling excluded, but he winked at me.

  I didn’t remember ever feeling so happy before, and I didn’t think I was the only one. Nick wasn’t faking this, and it wasn’t one-sided, the connection, the sense of finally being where we should. After dinner, we drank wine and joked and laughed. When my watch said we only had thirty minutes before Mum and Tim had to leave to catch their flight, I gave Mum the gift I had finally found for her, and she silently unwrapped it. She was still careful unwrapping presents so she could save the paper. Once it was, she sat and looked at it. Tim wrapped his arms around her shoulders and asked if she was okay. Mum shook her head frantically and leaped up wrap herself around me.