by Case, Jaimie
“Aww, you’ll hurt his feelings, just like you hurt mine.” Nolan made a sad face, and I laughed.
“As if.” I placed the glasses on the table and handed him the corkscrew. “Wine please.” I sat on the couch next to him and watched as he started opening the bottle. “It’s nice of you to grow a conscience, but I spoke to Jackson today and we’re going to just give the guys a contract to sign.”
“Yes, but do you know how you’re going to bring it up?” he asked me with a curious expression on his face. I could tell from the look in his eyes that he knew that I had no idea what I was going to say.
“Not quite.” I made a face and sighed. “I mean who in their right mind would want to go on a date after someone asked them if they would sign a contract. Someone they’ve never even met, to boot.”
“Well, I think you’d be surprised.” He handed me a glass. “I actually think that you should include the fact that you’re a journalist into your profile.”
“Really? Why?”
“Because you can casually mention that you decided to combine your love of writing and dating and say that you’re getting paid to date. Trust me, most men will be okay with that.”
“Would you be okay with that?” I stared into his eyes.
“If the date was with you, then maybe…” He grinned.
“Yeah right.” I rolled my eyes and took a huge gulp of wine.
“I was going to say maybe not, but you interrupted me.”
“Why are you so mean to me?” I moved away from him on the couch, upset that he had dissed me in that way.
“Sorry, I really don’t mean to be, but when I’m around you I’m taken back to my teenage years and having to look after you and Betsy.”
“You never had to look after me and Betsy.” I shook my head. “What sort of revisionist history is that?”
“Well, you know what I mean? I can remember you as a preteen. Sometimes it’s hard to forget,” he said and then his eyes gazed over my body.
“You weren’t exactly an old man, Nolan. You’re only a few years older than me.”
“Well, it sure felt like a lot back then.”
“Back when?” I watched as he moved closer to me on the couch and I found myself glued to my spot. What was he doing?
“Back in the days you were trying to kiss me all the time,” he said slowly and I watched as he took a sip of his wine.
“There were never any days where I was trying to kiss you all the time,” I mumbled, blushing.
“You don’t remember sneaking to my room one night wanting to do more than kiss?” he said, a wide grin on his face as his eyes laughed at me. “I seem to remember that.”
“I thought you were here to talk about work and my dates.” I moved away from him on the couch feeling flustered. Why was he bringing all of this up now?
“You asked me a question, and I answered it. I always wonder what would have happened that night if I hadn’t said no.”
“Nothing would have happened. I was just testing you.”
“Were you testing me in college as well?”
“Nolan.” I groaned, starting to feel annoyed. “Why are you bringing this up?”
“No reason.” His eyes moved to my heaving chest and I could feel my nipples hardening under his gaze. “I see you gave up the cartoon character pj’s.”
“I’m not a kid anymore.”
“I can see that.” He put his glass down and I felt his hand on my thigh, lightly resting there as if that were the most natural place in the world for it to be. My heart was racing, and I was excited to find out what he was going to do next. I knew I should have hit his hand away, but I didn’t want him to move it. “You were always beautiful though,” he said as he leaned in toward me and my entire body stilled as I waited for him to kiss me.
“What?” I said after he just stared at me without doing a thing. Was he expecting me to lean forward and kiss him?
“Was just wondering if you needed any more lessons.”
“Lessons?”
“Kissing lessons,” he said and before I knew it, his lips were on mine and he was kissing me. At first, his lips felt tender against mine and then, then they were more pressing, more demanding. As his tongue slipped into my mouth, I knew that he wanted more from me. He wanted me to kiss him back, to submit to him. His fingers stroked my naked thigh, and I knew that I could no longer just sit there, not reacting or touching him. My lips moved against his as my tongue linked with his and I grabbed his hair, running my hand through his silky tresses. He groaned against my lips and I felt his hand sliding up my thigh and then to my neck, pulling me closer to him. We fell back on the couch and Heathcliff gave a little yelp and jumped off, the action making us draw apart momentarily to laugh. We laughed for a few seconds and then Nolan growled and pulled my face back down to his and kissed me harder. His hands ran down my back and toward my ass. I felt his fingers on the back of my thighs and then inside my thighs and my breathing grew harder. I writhed against him, feeling turned on and I kissed him back passionately. My breasts were crushed against his chest and I reached my hand up under his T-shirt to feel his bare skin. His skin felt warm and smooth and muscular and I loved feeling his heartbeat racing under my touch. He growled and rolled me over gently on the couch so that we were facing each other. He pulled his T-shirt off and threw it onto the ground and then he started to pull my tank top off. I lifted my arms up so that he could pull it all the way off of me. I was now lying there in my pink bra and shorts, but to my sadness he didn’t take off my bra. Instead, he slid the straps off of my shoulders and pulled them down slightly. With his eyes still on mine, he moved forward and kissed all over my breast, carefully avoiding my nipple. I was still as I waited to feel his lips on me more intimately and when his lips finally made contact with my nipple and his teeth lightly tugged on my sensitive spot, I cried out in shock and excited surprise.
“Like that, do you?” He grinned and before I could respond he was kissing me again and this time his fingers were caressing my breasts, brushing over my nipples back and forth. I trembled slightly as we kissed and I ran my hands to his hair. He kissed down my neck and his fingers ran up and down my inner thighs moving closer and closer to my sweet spot. He pushed my thighs apart slightly and I gasped as he rubbed in between my legs. His eyes stared into mine and they seemed to be laughing at me as I kissed him back hard. My whole body was on fire and I felt like I was flying through the sky as his fingers slipped into my panties. I moaned, and he kissed me harder. I couldn’t believe this was happening. I had always dreamed of being this intimate with Nolan but hadn’t thought it would ever happen after everything that had happened in college.
“You’re so wet, already.” He grunted against my lips. I reached down and rubbed the front of his jeans and I could feel that he was hard already. I laughed slightly as I felt his cock move beneath my fingers. It seemed to be growing harder and larger as I rubbed and all I wanted was to see it naked and proud in front of me. I felt his mouth moving back down to my breast and I was about to go to unbuckle his jeans when the doorbell rang. We both stopped what we were doing and he looked at me quizzically.
“Expecting someone?”
“No.” I shook my head as the doorbell rang again. “I have no idea who that could be.” I got up off of the couch slowly, feeling slightly dazed. Nolan jumped up beside me and pulled my bra straps up before handing me my tank top. “Here you go,” he said with a grin and I pulled it on quickly before heading to the front door.
“Hey, Jackson,” I said, surprised to see the attorney in front of me. “What are you doing here?”
“Sorry for just stopping over, but I thought I could deliver the contract directly to you and just pop by and say hi.”
“Hi,” I said, slightly taken aback by his huge grin. Jackson was tall at six four with golden-blond hair and big blue eyes. He looked like the typical all-American boy and had been super popular in high school and college. Unlike most good-looking high school a
thletes, he had aged well, and I was surprised at the flirtatious look on his face.
“Can I come in?” he asked, stepping into my foyer without waiting for a response.
“Jackson?” Nolan walked out of the living room with his shirt still off and I blushed as Jackson gave me a shocked look with a huge grin.
“Well, I’ll be.” He walked over to Nolan and held up his hand for a high five. “Nolan Montgomery, what are you doing here, you old dog you?”
“Hanging out with Jules,” Nolan said dryly. “What are you doing here?” His eyes narrowed as he stared at Jackson and he certainly didn’t share the same wide-mouthed grin that Jackson was wearing on his face.
“Just came to drop off the contract Jules needs for her dating article. I hear you’re going to be the photographer.” He cocked his head at Nolan. “Or are you going to be more?”
“More?”
“Another coach?” He winked and then laughed and went for a fist bump, but Nolan just glared at him.
“Coach?” I asked, my face reddening. What was he talking about?
“Like in high school, when he had to teach you how to kiss for your play.”
“He told you about that?” I asked, my face burning with shame.
“He told all of us.” Jackson laughed. “Boy, that was priceless, eh, Nolan.”
“Leave the contract and go please, Jackson.” Nolan looked annoyed.
“Sure.” Jackson grinned as he handed me the contract. “How’s Ellen, by the way? Heard you guys were going out now.”
“Heard from who?” Nolan’s expression became cold.
“This is a small town, Nolan.” Jackson shrugged. “It was good seeing you, Jules. Maybe you’ll let me take you out on one of your dates.”
“Maybe.” I smiled back at him weakly. “Thanks for getting me the contract.”
“No worries. I’ll give you a call.” He nodded at me and then turned to Nolan. “See you around, dude.”
“See ya,” Nolan said and walked Jackson to the front door. As soon as Jackson walked out, he slammed the door behind him. “Before you say anything, let me explain,” he said as soon as he turned around to face me.
“Explain what?” I glared at him. “The fact that you made fun of me to your high school buddies.”
“I didn’t make fun of you.”
“Did you tell them about the other nights as well?” I wanted to cry, I felt so embarrassed.
“No, no, of course not. I was out of high school then. I regretted ever telling anyone about that first night.” He walked toward me and put his hands on my arms. “I know you’re upset at me.”
“I’m not upset,” I lied and averted my gaze from his eyes.
“Can I kiss you?” he asked as he moved closer to me, his lips trying to find mine.
“Nope,” I said and pulled away from him.
“Then I think you’re lying to me about being upset,” he said with a sigh. “Jules, that was years ago.”
“I’m not upset. I just don’t think we should be kissing right now. It’s not appropriate,” I said and looked at him with a haughty look. “I’m about to start writing an article about dating and meeting my true love. I don’t need to be knocking boots with you.”
“Knocking boots?” He burst out laughing. “Do you mean having sex?”
“You know what I mean.” I glared at him.
“So we were going to have sex?”
“Nolan!” I groaned and folded my arms. “You should leave.”
“But I haven’t finished…”
“Nolan.” I gasped. “That’s so crude.”
“I was going to say I haven’t finished drinking my wine. Get your mind out of the gutter, Jules. Really?”
“Ugh, you’re so frustrating.” I marched back to the living room. “I can’t believe I was just kissing you.”
“We were doing more than kissing,” he said following me. “Can I sleep over tonight?”
“What?” My jaw dropped and I blinked at him as I turned around. “You what?”
“Well, I’ve been drinking and you know I don’t like to drink and drive.”
“Nolan Montgomery, you haven’t even had one glass of wine.” I shook my head at him as he burst out laughing. “And there is a company known as Uber, you know?”
“I don’t want to be kidnapped,” he said in a deadpan voice and then it was my turn to start laughing.
“You’re totally ridiculous, you know that, right?”
“Would you want me any other way?” he asked with a boyish grin and I could feel my heart racing at his goofy smile. I couldn’t believe that I still had a soft spot for him. “So are you looking forward to your first date?”
“That’s a weird question to ask me after just trying to kiss me.”
“Touché,” he said as he sat back down on the couch. “Shall we watch a movie?”
“You’re staying?”
He nodded and raised his wineglass. “Unless you’re kicking me out.”
“No, but I do need to do some work before we watch anything.”
“Work?” He raised an eyebrow. “Finishing off an article?”
“No, I need to do some swiping and responding to some messages.”
“Oh, hmm.” He sat back. “You have to do that tonight?”
“If I want enough dates to write these articles then yes.”
“Fine, go ahead.” He grabbed the remote control. “Don’t forget to update your profile and say you’re a journalist as well.”
“Yes, boss,” I said as I grabbed my laptop and my phone and sat back down on the couch next to him. “Anything else?” I asked him mockingly.
“Yeah…” He leaned toward me. “Can I get another kiss before you get to work?”
“Are you serious?” I couldn’t tell if he was teasing me or if he really wanted another kiss.
“Nope.” He grinned as he powered through the TV channels.
“So what’s going on with you and Ellen?” I asked casually as I opened my laptop. I didn’t want him to think that I cared, so I didn’t look at him as I waited for his answer.
“Not much. We’re just casually going on some dates,” he said smoothly, and I wanted to scream. What the hell did that mean? Were they sleeping together? The thought made my stomach curdle. Was he in love with her? The thought made my heart ache. And even worse, if he was dating her, what the hell was he doing here with me? Of course, I didn’t ask him any of those questions. I wasn’t absolutely pathetic, and I knew what Nolan wanted. He was just about fun. He never stayed in a relationship longer than a few months. There was no point in me asking him more questions about Ellen or trying to figure out if he actually liked me. He hadn’t said anything about taking me on a date or wanting to be in a relationship with me. All he had done was kiss me and ask to sleep over. I knew what he wanted and it would only make our relationship even more awkward if I asked him deep questions that were not appropriate for our relationship; whatever it was. “What’s going on with you and Jackson?”
“Me and Jackson?” I asked him with a small frown. “What are you talking about? There’s nothing going on with me and Jackson.”
“He just decided to show up at your house tonight because…” His voice trailed off and his eyes searched mine.
“You just showed up at my house tonight as well,” I said pointedly.
“But you’re best friends with my sister and well, you know.” He shrugged.
“No, I know what?”
“You know?”
“Nope.”
“We’re…” He paused for a few seconds and then smiled. “We’re working together.”
“Okay, Nolan. Whatever you say.” I logged into my email account and decided to ignore him. I had no idea what Nolan wanted from me, but after the incident in college, I was done with trying to get closer to him. He’d embarrassed me too many times before. I heard a beeping on my phone and looked down to see a notification that Jose had just sent me a message. “Speak of the de
vil,” I said with a smile as I opened the message.
“Who’s that?” Nolan leaned over and scowled as he looked down at my phone screen.
“Jose, my first date.”
“Jose, huh?” His lips thinned. “Any photos?”
“Yes.” I opened his profile, proud to show off how handsome he looked.
“These look fake,” Nolan said in a tight voice. “He looks like he stole them from IMDB.”
“What?”
“I bet he’s some sort of famous actor in Latin America.”
“He’s American and his parents are from Mexico, actually.”
“Hmm.” He looked into my eyes. “If you say so.”
“That’s him,” I said with confidence, even though I really had no idea.
“You always did like tall, dark, and handsome.”
“Excuse me?”
“Well, you wanted me as well.” He laughed and I pushed his shoulder lightly. He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward him so that I was slightly on his lap. “Didn’t you?”
“No,” I lied as I looked up at him. “Nolan, I need to work.”
“So you can consider Jose work?” he said with a huge grin and I just rolled my eyes at him as I pulled away from him and read my latest message from Jose.
“Good evening, Jules. I’m very excited to meet you for drinks. I keep looking at your photos and I have to admit that you’re my dream girl. I was wondering if you enjoy kissing on the first date. Your Prince Charming, Jose.” I ignored the silent laughter that was coming from Nolan as I finished reading and starting writing my response.
“You’re seriously going to go on a date with that guy?” He chuckled. “Should I start calling you, Princess Julia?”
“Yes, plebe.”
“Do you want me to start bowing to you now or can I wait until it’s official?”
“Nolan Montgomery, you are so immature. I can’t believe that you’re almost thirty.”
“Well, believe it.” He winked at me. “I can do things that only men my age can do.”
“What sort of things?” I said and then groaned as I realized I’d walked right into that one. “You know what, don’t answer me.” I made a face at him and started typing and explaining to Jose that I was a journalist. To be fair, his message had turned me off, but I wasn’t going to admit that to Nolan. Plus, it was only one date. It wasn’t like I had to marry the guy. I just hoped that I would connect with some nice guys. I was ready to start dating again and wanted to find someone as soon as possible before I became hung up on Nolan again. That was a time of my life that I didn’t want to relive.
