Jealousy (25 page)

She swore her heart just leaped inside her chest.  What was it about Nick that had her so aroused?  Besides his good looks, broad chest and obvious interest in her, that is.  She smiled as she realized that she just answered her own question. 
“I think you better kiss me again,” she said.

He slid his hands around her waist and across her lower back, slowly, almost as if he was the one who was nervous.  He placed his lips on hers, ever so gently.  Despite his strong appearance, he was surprisingly tender.  It left her thirsting for more, and she ran her hands along his upper arms and over the curve of his shoulders.  She snuggled into his body and hoped she didn
’t seem overzealous.  He lightly ran his hand up her back and into her long dark hair.  His mouth moved in a slow circular motion on hers, and his soft facial hair tickled her cheek.  As their kisses multiplied, Nick’s erection announced its presence against her leg.  She was totally helpless as her body pressed against it and her pelvis gyrated around it.

Nick
’s hands wandered down her body, and he cupped her buttocks firmly in his hands.  She tried to think clearly.  She told herself that she couldn’t jump into bed with Nick.  She liked him, and he would get the wrong impression about her, but there was no turning back now.  Her body craved his.  She flung her head back and panted while he nibbled at her neck, and his hands found their way under her top and onto her breasts.  They removed their clothing with urgency, and fell to the kitchen floor in a heap of tangled arms and legs.  Nick entered her gradually.  His movements were slow and methodic, penetrating her deeper with each thrust of his pelvis.  She moaned and arched her back, wrapped her legs around his torso and pulled his body closer.

The familiar surge of stimulation that preceded climax surprised her.  She had never been on the verge of an orgasm this quickly.  She breathed heavier, dug her fingers into Nick
’s back, and let out a deep wail of bliss.  The inside of her body pulsated around him and the sound of her pleasure seemed to push him into overdrive.  He braced the palms of his hands against the cold tile floor and pushed himself deeper inside her.  He moaned loudly, but the sound of his voice was drowned out by her cries.

At last, he collapsed on top of her.  He rolled over onto the kitchen floor and spread his arms and legs out to the side while he tried
to catch his breath.  Heather’s emotions were running wild.  Her actions astonished her and turned her on at the same time.  She had plenty of one night stands in her life, but they were usually the result of a tumultuous night filled with copious amounts of alcohol.  This was totally different.  She was stone-cold sober and succumbed to unprecedented passion on her kitchen floor with someone she barely knew.

Nick turned his head toward her and let out a small laugh. 
“I don’t know about you, but now I’m
really
hungry.  Let’s go to dinner.”

Embarrassed at her lack of self-control, and self conscious about being naked, she shielded her body with her clothing as she got to her feet
.

Nick chuckled. 
“Don’t get shy on me
now
!”

“
I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about me.”

He laughed again. 
“You’re precious.  You know that?”  He took the clothing from her hands, put them on the counter and placed a faint kiss on her lips.  “Don’t ever cover your body,” he said softly.  “It’s too beautiful.  C’mon.  Get dressed.  I worked up an appetite.”

Chapter Fifty-Four:

After dinner, it only took about
twenty minutes for Nick to change the faucet and eliminate the drip that annoyed Heather so much.  He admired his work.  “What do you think?”

Heather
turned the water on, then off, and brandished a huge smile.  “Thank you so much!”  She put her arms around his neck and kissed him.  It was a closed mouth kiss that quickly evolved into something very heated.  Their attraction was strong, almost hypnotic. She led him into the living room, before they ended up on her kitchen floor again.

Nick leaned her back into the corner of the couch as he kissed her, and she draped her legs over his
lap.  She could feel his breath hot and fierce on her skin.  He ran his hand down her body, over her hip and down her thigh.  His mouth moved to the crook of her neck, and she arched her back.  While Nick cradled her with one arm, his free hand navigated her body over her clothes.  He lifted her top and unbuttoned her jeans, all single handedly.  He didn’t even touch her flesh yet, and she already had goose bumps over her entire body.  Every hair was standing on end.

She brought him into her bed, which was something she rarely did, but Nick clearly wasn
’t a one-night stand.  She felt a deep connection to him, even though she knew him for less than 24 hours.  They explored each other’s body with intense interest.  Their previous sexual encounter was in response to instant gratification.  It didn’t afford them the opportunity to study and peruse one another’s body.

Her pleasure mounted to an extraordinary level as they delayed intercourse.  She couldn
’t hold out any longer.  She yearned for Nick to be inside her and opened her legs wide with invitation.  He gently glided himself deep into her body, and they both moaned simultaneously.  He leaned back on his knees and held onto her hips.  She propped herself up on her elbows and threw her head back.  Her eyes rolled up into her head, and she shuddered with pleasure.  Nick adjusted his position, and a few quick thrusts brought him relief.

#

Sometime in the middle of the night, Heather woke to the sound of Nick’s footsteps in her otherwise quiet apartment.  She quickly popped her head up and spotted his shadowy figure in the doorway.

“
You’re not leaving, are you?” she asked.

“
No.  Not unless you want me to.  I was just using the bathroom.”

“
I don’t want you to leave,” she said, sweetly.  She enjoyed sleeping next to Nick these few short hours. It made her realize exactly how lonely she really was. “Come back to bed.  I miss you.”

“
I’m not going anywhere, beautiful.”

He slipped back into bed, and she fell asleep enveloped in his arms.

#

The next morning, Nick kissed her awake. 
“Did you sleep OK?”

“
I slept great.”  She smiled at him and gazed into his pale, light blue eyes. They were the color of tranquility.  She didn’t want to leave the sanctity of the bed or end the magical night they shared.  She just wanted to lie next to Nick, touch his soft beard and stare into his warm, handsome face.  “I think last night was the best first date I ever had,” she said.

Nick chuckled. 
“I think that was the best
date
I ever had.  Let’s go to breakfast.  I’m starving.”

The invitation was unexpected.  She naturally assumed that once morning came, he would be eager to leave.
“You want to take me to breakfast?” she asked, with a wide-eyed innocence.

“
Yeah.  Unless you’re sick of me already.”

“
Of course not.”  She offered him a deep kiss, hoping to keep him interested.  “Stay here and relax.  I need to jump in the shower.  I won’t be long.  I promise.”

She tilted her face up into the hot spray of water and pushed her fingers through her wet hair.  She closed her eyes while her subconscious drafted off and replayed the previous evening with Nick in her head.  The rumble of the shower doors abruptly startled her back to reality, and Nick stepped inside to join her.  She turned toward him and folded her arms in front of her body.

“Stop doing that.”  Nick took her arms and placed them around his waist and kissed her amidst the steamy water.

They lathered and washed each other, slowly, sliding the soapy water over the curves of each other
’s body.  It was sensual, not sexual.  His kiss penetrated her mouth, while the water pelted off her back and splashed onto him.  Her hand traveled over his sleek wet chest, and just when it was about to travel further downward, he removed it from his body and kissed the palm of her hand.  He stepped out of the shower, unfolded the large bath towel and held it open for her.  She looked at him quizzically for a moment before exiting the shower.

Nick wrapped the bath sheet around the both of them and hugged her close to him.  They stood on the plush bath mat with their naked bodies pressed against one another.  Nick held her in his arms without moving or making a sound. 
He left her with a gentle kiss and the towel, and strolled into the bedroom to dress.

Heather’s
eyes followed his bare, round butt cheeks as he walked away from her, and she realized that she was beginning to fall for him.  Her defense mechanism kicked in and she reminded herself that she barely knew him . . . and he was young.  She wondered how old he was, maybe 29 or 30.  He was probably only still here for sex.  After yesterday, why else would he be here?  But he just passed up a perfect opportunity in the shower.  He was visibly aroused, and she was clearly receptive.  They could have easily had a third encounter, but he didn’t pursue it, and now they were going to breakfast.

Nick looked up at her from buttoning his jeans, and they shared a smile
.

She brushed the incident off, resumed drying herself with the towel and quickly dressed in anticipation of spending more time with him.

#

N
ick ate with gusto.  He had a hearty appetite, and the physical labor of his work left him physically fit.  Heather enjoyed watching him eat, but her cell phone reminded her that she totally forgot about Justin.

“
Excuse me,” she said, digging her phone out of her bag.  “I forgot I was supposed to meet my best friend this morning.”

“
I’m sorry!” she squealed into the phone.

“
Where are you?” Justin asked.

“
I’m having breakfast with someone.”  She smiled across the table at Nick.

“
I guess your date went well last night,” Justin said.

“
Yes.”

“
I get it.  You can’t talk.  Call me later, sweetie.  I want to hear all about him.”

“
OK.  Thanks for not being mad.”  She returned her phone to her bag and apologized to Nick.

“
You blew off your best friend for me?” he asked.

She shrugged and smiled at him. 
“You were hungry.”

Nick wanted to take her to dinner that evening, but she declined.  She was afraid their relationship – although she could hardly call it a relationship – was moving too fast and would crash and burn, and she wanted to prolong it as long as possible.

C
hapter Fifty-Five:

Tonight was the fourth time Heather saw Nick since she met him less than two weeks ago.  She liked him
a lot, but they were spending too much time together.  He would get the wrong idea.  She needed to set him straight.

“
I need to talk to you about something,” she sat on the couch next to him.

“
Did I do something wrong already?” he asked, with a half smile.

“
No.  Nothing’s wrong.  I really like you, Nick . . . but . . . I’m not looking for a serious relationship.  I don’t want a commitment.”

“
But I thought we had this great connection.”

“
We do.”

He looked disappointed, and she felt bad.  She could tell she hurt his feelings. 
“I care about you.  A lot,” she said.  “I can’t remember the last time I felt like this about someone.  I just don’t want to be in a committed relationship right now.  I’ve been down that road, and it didn’t turn out so well.”

“
Is there someone else?” he asked.

“
No.  I swear.  I’m not seeing anyone else.  You can believe me.  I’m a very honest person.  I’ll never lie to you.  I’ve just had my heart broken too many times. I don’t want to open myself up to that again.  Let’s take it slow.  We barely know each other.”

Nick put his elbows on his knees, rested his chin on his hands and stared blankly ahead.  After a few seconds, his eyes scanned the room
.

She watched him.  He looked pensive, upset.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.  “What do you keep looking at?”

“
Alright.”  He sat back and fanned his hand out in front of him.  “Who’s this guy in all these pictures?”

She smiled. 
“That’s Justin.  My best friend.”

“
Your best friend?”  Nick wrinkled his brow.  “The one who’s always calling you and texting you?  Your best friend’s a guy?”

She leaned closer to him for emphasis. 
“He’s gay, Nick.  Can’t you tell from looking at him?”

“
No.”

“
No?”  She tried not to laugh.  “He’s wearing eye liner.”

“
I didn’t look that closely at the photos.”