Dating Two Dragons (89 page)

Message sent. No going back now. I’m meeting Nicholas Berry, bass player of Bear Knuckle Brawlers tonight. Now, what to wear?

……..

I pulled up to the club at eight-thirty and was shocked at the crowd of people. For a Wednesday night, Reggie’s was packed. Nicholas’s band must have a bigger following than I thought.

Or it was the fact that they were opening for Halestorm. A huge poster of Lzzy Hale was up at the box office sneering down at me as I bought my ticket.

The clerk pushed my debit card back toward me. “No charge tonight, miss. This ticket was set aside for you.” He held up the flimsy strip of paper and slipped it under the glass to join my card.

“Are you sure?”

“I am, Miss. I have a sticky note with your name on it.”

I took my card and ticket and pushed my way through the crowd. Once inside it was cocktail time. I needed a vodka buzz to take the edge off, stat.

Before long the opening bars of Bear Knuckle Brawlers’ first song began to play. The floor wasn’t packed in yet, so I pushed my way to the front to get right in Nicolas’s sightline. It worked. The red, cleavage bearing maxi dress set off the bright blonde of my hair. I spent a little extra time getting my effortless waves to look just right.

He noticed. I watched Nicholas’s gaze sweep over the crowd one time before settling on me for the rest of the set. Every minute of the forty they played sent more butterflies into flight in my belly. By the time the singer said goodnight, anxiety had been replaced with the tingle of excitement. Especially, when Nicholas waved as he exited the stage. I could feel the blush creep up my neck. I was glad it was too dark for the rest of the concertgoers to see me.

I had to hustle to get out of the pit. Once Halestorm hit the stage, there wouldn’t be any room to maneuver at all.

I spotted Bear Knuckle Brawlers at their merch table schmoozing and signing autographs for anyone willing to drop twenty bucks on a t-shirt. As I approached, I could see Nicholas scanning the faces and half paying attention to the fans trying to engage him in conversation. I couldn’t make out his words, but I could tell his answers were clipped and not entirely friendly.

A short brunette in a half shirt and her pink-haired friend brushed past me. “That bass player is cute, but he’s such an asshole!” I had to bite my cheek to stifle a giggle.

I guess I’d put poor the poor bastard out of his misery.

I took a deep breath and put on my cheeriest smile as I approached the table. “HI! Nicholas?”

He turned his deep brown eyes at me and I could see his body relax. “Nicole?”

I nodded, my smile spreading wider as he came out from behind the table to me. “Guys, I’m out of here. I got a date. Have a good time!”

The drummer chucked a black marker at his head as we took off. “Your friends aren’t going to be mad at you?”

“Not really. Usually, I’m the one left behind when Dan, our singer, takes off with his random groupie for the night.”

“Fair enough. So it’s finally your turn for some groupie action then?”

“Exactly,” he said with a wink. He took my hand and led me through the bar and out to the sidewalk. The cool fresh air after the stifling body heat inside the club felt so good. Breathing was easy again. I looked down at my hand. Well, mostly. There was the odd hitch.

“Where are we going?”

“We are taking a walk to this sweet little diner up the street. We’ve been out of town for almost two weeks and I have a hankering for an Italian beef sandwich.”

“Oh, perfect.” Low-key, no pressure and definitely not fancy. I glanced down at my flowy red dress and sandals Gussied up, but not overdone. Now, if I could swallow every insecurity that has been popping up in my head, I would have a chance at having a good time.

The tiny diner was quiet for the moment, but I had no doubt that as soon as the concert let out, everyone would trickle down to this end of the street for a post-drinking nosh.

The sign at the door said, “Seat Yourself” so Nicholas pulled us into the most private booth he could find.

Once we ordered our food, Italian beef for him, an iced tea and chicken sandwich for me, we were left with an awkward silence between us. Not such a great start for our little date.

I figured the band was a good topic to start with. “Um, so how long have you guys been together?”

“I’ve been with the band for about two years, though the other guys were playing together for three before that. It’s an exciting time right now because we’re starting to tour outside of Illinois, which is huge for us.”

Our server came back and dropped our plates. “Can I get you two anything else?”

“No thanks. I think we’re good,” I said.

With a nod the server left us alone again.

“That’s fantastic to hear. I know it’s kind of a big deal to start getting that kind of exposure.” I bit down into my sandwich. It was a little spicy and so good.

Nicholas nodded and swallowed the huge bite of food he had taken. “It is good. We’re pretty stoked. What about you, what do you do?”

I almost choked on my food. If I flat out said I was unemployed, chances were good he would go off and probably run screaming from the restaurant. “I was just let go from a job last week. But I’ve worked in advertising for a long time.”

“Why’d you get let go?”

Was that alarm in his voice or was I hearing things? I also wasn’t entirely comfortable telling him the truth, but I figured what the hell? At least that way I wouldn’t have such a negative light cast on me. “I was dating my boss. We didn’t work out and he decided I shouldn’t be able to keep my job either.” Nicholas’s eyes grew wide and hurried to finish my thought before he interrupted me. “I have about six months’ worth of savings and after a short time out, I’ll be on the job hunt again.” I took a huge bite of my sandwich before I babbled myself into a corner.

“That’s awful. I’m really sorry that happened to you.” His full mouth flattened into a hard line. “Guys like that are disgusting. Let me guess, he didn’t want to commit, but was willing to fuck you every chance he could, right?”

Damn, he was good. “You nailed it.”

I didn’t want my misfortune to ruin the evening. “Look, it’s no big deal. It was actually a blessing. After five years I was learning to hate that job more than anything. It was long hours and high stress, and this is really the first vacation I’ve been able to take since I started there right out of college.” Shit, had it really been that long? Getting fired was really the best thing that could have happened to me.

“As long as you’re happy then it’s no big deal right?”

“Exactly.” I folded and unfolded my napkin. The fidgeting helped me think. Do I address the elephant in the room? “So, Nicholas.”

“Yes?”

“ComeShift is an app meant for those that are more than human and the people interested in them. Are you a- are you a shifter?”

Nicholas’s mouth quirked up on one side into the sexiest smirk. “I am. Would you like to know what kind?” he asked with a cocked eyebrow.

“Well, if you’d like to tell me, I wouldn’t mind knowing.”

“I’m a bear shifter. My dad is a bear shifter and my mother is full human. It was a fifty-fifty shot whether I’d be like my dad or not. My sister and I both wound up shifters, my baby brother got the short straw and wound up human.”

“Short straw, huh? Last I checked, being human’s not so bad.” I haughtily sipped my tea. I tried to maintain my angry face, but I busted out into a giggle fit instead. Nicholas joined me and I was so pleased to see him smile. His face lit up with a sexy glow when he laughed that drew me in. I suddenly wanted to kiss him. When our eyes met, I had a feeling he wanted to kiss me too.

Nicholas waved for our server. “Check please.”

Chapter 5

              We left the diner in a rush and went for a walk around a nearby park. The air helped clear my head, but his hand in mine felt too comfortable; too familiar. The problem with that? Nicholas was a one-night stand guy. I couldn’t allow myself to attach myself to that kind of guy again. I don’t think my emotions could handle another blow if I did that again.

We walked in silence for a few more minutes and I was okay with it. Talking was too hard. This was easy.

Our walk had taken us to a quieter corner of the park that overlooked a lake. Nicholas pulled me down onto the grass next to him. Our legs touched and just that minor contact sent my heart beating out of my chest. I wouldn’t tell Mia, but I had been thinking about Nicholas for the whole two weeks before she pulled the contact trigger for me. Staring at his stupid profile picture, I daydreamed a little. That’s why I had a few messaging close calls, but the rational part of my brain kept butting in and shutting me down.

Now here he was in the flesh. No daydreaming necessary. And I was totally wussing out.

Nicholas nudged me with his shoulder. “You okay, Nicole?”

“Yeah. I’m a little nervous.” Yeah, nerves. No big deal.

“Don’t be. I’ll take care of you. I’m a big vicious bear, remember?” he bared his teeth in a dorky sneer.

That earned him a giggle.

“You’re so beautiful, Nicole. You’re even prettier when you smile.” He stroked one long finger along my jaw.

“I bet you say that to all the girls.”

Nicholas chuckled. “That’s where you’re wrong, babe.”

Babe?

His face lowered to mine and in a heartbeat, our lips met. I melted into him. Every stupid promise I made to myself dissolved with his touch and I was his. Our mouths moved together as Nicholas took the lead. I hardly noticed when his hand tangled into the hair at the nape of my neck, drawing me in closer. My breasts brushed against his arm, that light touch drawing my nipples to attention. Oh God, I wanted him.

He pulled away, leaving me breathless. “You want to sleepover tonight?”

I rested my forehead against his. “Oh yeah, let’s go.”

…

Nicholas’s apartment was only a ten-minute cab ride away and we could hardly keep our hands to ourselves. We kissed and giggled like teenagers in the backseat and probably drove the cabbie crazy.

His apartment was on the fourth floor and the elevator ride was one big grope-fest. By the time the doors opened to let us out, Nicholas could barely walk and I had to tuck a breast back in. We couldn’t get enough of each other and couldn’t get to his bedroom fast enough.

With a quick turn of a key we tumbled into Nicholas’s kitchen and we were back on each other. I backed him up to the door and pressed my body up against his. Soft and malleable against hard and lean. Mostly hard; so deliciously hard. I slithered my hands up his shirt to feel the soft covering of hair on his chest and stomach. I had to have it on me immediately.

He stopped me. I wanted to take the lead and he wasn’t about to let me do that. “Get your sweet ass in my bedroom,” he growled.

I looked around the space behind me and couldn’t figure out which door the bed was behind; one, two, or three. “Um…”

Nicholas sighed and tossed me over his shoulder and carried me, fireman style, through door number two to his bedroom. A plush, king-sized bed greeted us when we crossed the threshold. He tossed me down and it swallowed me up. This bed was such an upgrade from the slab of cushioned concrete I slept on every night. I was shopping for a new mattress just before I lost my job so that had to be put on hold. I might have to steal Nicholas’s away from him when he wasn’t looking.

Nicholas crawled up between my legs, pushing the soft fabric up as he went, exposing my legs inch by inch until the entire skirt was rucked up around my waist. He lowered his pelvis until it ground against mine as he leaned into to kiss me again. I gripped his biceps as he rolled his hips against me. The press of his cock, the touch of his lips, and the brush of his stubble against my skin, was almost too much. I was already wet and would likely come if the breeze shifted.

His kisses traced a line along my jawline and down my neck. He hooked a finger in the neckline of my dress and pulled it away, exposing my breast. The first flick of his tongue on my nipple sent shockwaves through my body. I was already so lit up from just making out, he wasn’t going to have to work that hard to get me off, so with each suck, lick, and nibble as he headed south I was in serious danger.

“Oh my god!” I fisted his hair in my hands as he worked his magic on me below the belt. The orgasm built fast and I was coming before I could register what was happening. I’m pretty sure I moaned loud enough for the neighbors to hear, but I didn’t care. No man had ever taken the kind of time and care to make sure I was fully satisfied and we hadn’t even got into the sex part yet.

Nicholas reared up and pulled his shirt off.

“Oh shut up! You’ve got to be kidding me!”

He looked down at his body in confusion. “What? Is something wrong?”

“Wrong? No there’s nothing wrong. Everything about this,” I gestured to his ridiculously hot body, “is perfect. How are you real?”

Nicholas chucked his t-shirt across the room and fell back to the bed on his hands. “Trust me,” he said as he pressed himself against me again, “I’m real.”

The mischievous twinkle in his eye brought me back to attention. Oh yeah, he’s real.

He scooted back far enough to get his jeans unfastened and I couldn’t wait. I sat up and shimmied the tight fabric off his hips, freeing the most exciting part of him of all. Without the confines of the denim, he bobbed to life and I had to have him them. To hell with waiting. I grabbed his neck and pulled him down on top of me and grabbed his ass. Lifting my hips to meet his, I guided him inside me. The rigid thickness of him culled sounds out of me I didn’t know I was capable of. Nicholas hooked an arm under the small of my back and thrust. The head of him stroked over my g-spot; I couldn’t believe he’d found it. The sensation was so different, but no less welcome than having my clit played with.

I scrunched the sheets in my fists as the first delicious wave crashed around me. “Nicholas.” His name slipped from my lips, egging him on. Moved a little faster, rolling his hips to brush against my clit. “Fuck!” I cried as I came a second time, pulsing around him and driving him closer.

He groaned and squeezed his eyes shut. I watched with amusement as his face screwed up and his body went stiff as he spilled himself inside of me. He collapsed on top of me and I wrapped my arms around him. I held him to me as we caught our breath. The warmth of his body felt nice. Until it was too much. “Holy shit! You’re a furnace, Nicholas!”

He rolled off of me, and on to his side. I adjusted my top to cover back up. I didn’t like how vulnerable my nakedness made me.

“I like that you didn’t wear underwear. What are you doing?” He stilled my hands with his.

“I’m not sure.” I just finished having this man’s face between my legs and screaming his name to the neighbors. Why so shy now? He was fully nude and clearly comfortable with every inch of himself.

“Come on,” he grabbed my wrist, “I think a shower will help.”

He led me to the master bath and turned the shower knob. He pushed the straps off my shoulders and my dress fell to my feet. He caressed the skin along my collarbone. “You’re a beautiful woman, Nicole,” he tipped my chin up and placed a gentle kiss on my lips, “There is no need to be shy around me. The water’s hot. Let’s get in.”

He could have been playful and tried to lighten the mood, but he chose not to. Instead he went the tender route. He brushed my hair off my shoulders and massaged a sweet smelling soap into the knots. Once my insecurity crept back in, everything that had relaxed under his hands tensed right back up and then some. How could a man who looked like he was plucked from a firefighter calendar be attracted to someone like me? I didn’t want to be a Mary Sue about it, but as a size sixteen, I don’t often attract the attention of guys like him. In fact, I don’t think I ever did. I settled for whatever I could get and that’s how I wound up in this mess.

“Mmm, Nicholas. That feels so good.” He used the soap to rub well-lubed circles into my upper back. Coupled with the hot water, I eased back into reality.

“You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to, but I’m curious. What just happened?”

No man wants to listen to a woman’s insecurities and I didn’t want to sound like I was fishing for compliments. “Nothing major. Just sort of an after sex crash. Endorphins go up and then come down kind of thing.”

“Fair enough.”

Bless him, he didn’t pry. I silently thanked him for that. His soapy hand slipped down my front and between my legs, cleaning off the remains of our bedroom romp. He pressed himself up against my back, poking me in the ass. It would seem a cleanup wasn’t all he had on his mind.

Chapter 6

Morning came. Now what? I had spent the night with Nicholas – at his insistence – and while it was nice, I wasn’t sure about the leaving etiquette. Sneaking out would be simple, clean, and easy, but made feel dirty just thinking about it. Acknowledging the fact that Nicholas had spent most of the night inside me would be difficult, but felt more like the right thing to do. Whichever I chose, I’d have to cut and run soon. I didn’t want to risk getting pulled in deeper. I could see myself liking Nicholas… a lot.

I felt the touch of a pair of lips on my neck. “Good morning, beautiful.”

I giggled and writhed as he rubbed his stubbly cheek against my neck. “Quit it! That tickles.”

He pulled me more on my back and kissed me on the lips instead. “Time to get up.”

I nodded and propped myself up on my elbows. While he bounded out of bed with the energy of a new puppy, getting up was slow going for me. He tested and worked muscles last night that I didn’t even know I had.

I eventually heaved myself out of bed and slipped my dress back on. I twisted my hair into a knot and slipped my sandals back on. I was ready to go home and get some coffee.

I sauntered out to the kitchen where Nicholas was busy pulling out mugs and arranging breakfast paraphernalia. “Whatcha doing?”

“I’m starving. Would you like some breakfast? I’m making pancakes.”

Tempting, but that was another step down a road I didn’t need to go. “That sounds lovely, but no thank you. I need to get home.” I padded over and kissed him on the cheek. “Last night was wonderful. Thank you.”

As I turned to leave, Nicholas hooked me around the waist, drawing me closer again. He planted his lips on mine and if I didn’t know better, I’d think he was staking his claim. “Are you sure I can’t get you to stay?”

If I stayed for breakfast, I might stay forever. “No. It’s sweet, but I need to get going.” I stroked his cheek, a gesture that seemed to seal my goodbye and left. Once his door closed behind me, I picked up a little speed to the elevator. I had to outrun my urge to stay and I wouldn’t be safe from it until I was on the elevator with the doors sealed behind me. That’s when I let out the breath I had been holding. I survived my first one-night stand.

….

“How did it go?” Mia asked.

I met Mia for lunch three days later. She called me and I knew she wouldn’t be satisfied until I told her everything.

“The other night was the most amazing, satisfying, liberating night of my life. That man made me feel things I didn’t know my body was capable of and I came so much I was almost in pain.”

“But it’s the best kind of pain, right? Like the kind where you kind of like it?”

I nodded. “Oh yeah. I needed that. And I will admit that you were right, sex with a shifter is something that should be shouted from the rooftops.”

“Alright!” We high-fived like frat boys. “So, when are you going to see him again?”

See him again? “Um, I’m not. He was definitely a doer, not a dater.”

Mia tilted her head and studied me. “Did he say that or did you?”

“Well, his profile made that clear. He said he didn’t want anything long term. You saw that for yourself, remember?”

“Yeah. I just wanted to make sure that that was how all of this was going to play out.”

“Let’s put it this way,” I paused and sipped my coffee, “I spent the night, but left without breakfast.”

Mia shrugged. “Okay.”

Okay? What the hell did that mean? “Just okay? I feel like you have something else to say.”

“It’s just, I know how you can be and you have a tendency to get attached and I want to make sure you don’t get hurt.”

Wait, what? “Hang on. You were the one who pushed me to do this – against my will might I add – and now you remember that I tend to get attached?” I shook my head. “You hurt my brain sometimes, Mia. I’ll be fine. I knew what Nicholas was before seeing him so I knew what I needed to do to come out unscathed.” Mostly unscathed, anyway. I’d be thinking about my one night with Nicholas for awhile.

“So now that you got that out of your system, what are you going to do next? He perked your mood up quite a bit.” Our server dropped our food and Mia shoveled a heaping spoonful of oatmeal into her mouth.