Silent No More (13 page)

“I think you will look a lot better out of this
tank top,” he says as he’s gathering the bottom and pushing it up. I pull it
over my head and toss it behind me. I lean forward and kiss him on the mouth.

“Panties off, now,” he demands. 

Jackpot. 

It worked.

I wake up to a puppy whining beside the bed.
Ughhh, hush…please. I need more sleep after Nick thoroughly worked me over last
night, and then a second time. I lift my head a little and look over to Nick’s
side of the bed; he is still asleep, lightly snoring. It’s cute, but how does
he sleep through her crying?

For the love of God, shut up!

I roll over onto my side and drape my right arm
over the bed to pet her on the head. “Do you need to go outside, girl?”

Pulling back the covers, I go to get out of bed
when a warm hand reaches around my waist before my feet hit the floor. Apparently,
he wasn’t sleeping very soundly. He rapidly pulls me back down into the bed, straddles
me then pins my hands down by my head.
      

“Going somewhere?” His dark brown hair is
disheveled, but he looks scrumptious. He has a playful and youthful smile
splayed across his face, and it occurs to me I don’t know how old he is.

“I was going to let the dogs out, but first I want
to know how old you are.”

“Thirty. Why do you want to know?” He lowers his
head to my neck and lightly kisses that spot right above my collarbone he likes
so much. Then he moves to the right side and repeats.

“Just curious. And your sister?” The dogs can
surely hold their pee. I don’t want to move from this spot. His lips feel like
velvet against my skin. The sensation ends too quickly.

“Thirty,” he says as he chuckles. Releasing my pinned
down arms, he gets out of bed. I rise up on my elbows and watch his hot ass
walk to the closet.

“Wait…are you and she twins?” They look a lot
alike, but I never thought they were twins, plus I know he called her his
little sister. He walks back into his bedroom wearing a pair of sweat pants and
plain white t-shirt. The man knows how to rock the simple look.

“No. Nikki turned thirty a month ago. I’m exactly ten
months older than she is.” He walks over to my side of bed and reaches out to
me. I place my hands in his and he pulls my naked self out of the bed. He’s
kisses the corner of my mouth before releasing me.

           
“I’ll
let the dogs out and start breakfast. You need to put some clothes on that
pretty little ass before my dirty mind is fully wake,” he says as he starts to
head out the door.

“So when is your birthday?” I ask him as I search
for my discarded clothes from last night.

He pauses at the door and turns to me. “June 20th,”
he says and I look up. No way. Really? No fucking way. “What’s with the
dumbfounded look?” he asks.

“That is the same day as mine. Too cool,” I tell
him and head into the closet carrying my dirty laundry. I toss it on the floor
and faintly hear him laugh before walking out of the room.

God, I’m getting more addicted to this man every day,
and I don’t want to leave. I know I have to find an apartment if we are going
to continue dating. Are we even dating? It feels like dating, but neither of us
has clarified. Regardless, I have to leave this heavenly house. I haven’t felt
like I was at home in a place or in my own skin since I was a young teenager.

After I put my tank and sweats on, I head to the
bathroom to pee and brush my teeth. My phone is lying on the bathroom sink. I
don’t remember placing it there, but I scoop it up and send a text to my mom asking
for her realtor’s name. I haven’t told her about my breakup with Luke yet. Hopefully,
she won’t think anything of it. The last thing I want to hear is how much she
adores Dr. Lucas Carter.

After sending her a text, I wrap up my bathroom
routine and head to the kitchen where I find Nick whisking eggs in a bowl. “I
hope you like omelets,” he says as I hop up on the granite island next to him.

“I love eggs cooked just about any way,” I say as
I cross my legs Indian-style. “Is there anything I can help with?”

“Yes, you can fix me a cup of coffee.” I hop off
the counter. There are two coffee mugs
 
next to a Keurig single-cup coffee maker. I position one of the mugs
into place, and pop in a K-Cup of
Green
Mountain Coffee’s Nantucket Blend
.

“How do you like your coffee?” I ask as I place
the other mug under the machine and repeat the process with the second cup.

“Black with a little sugar. The sugar is in the
cabinet in front of you.” I take the sugar out of the cabinet and scoop a tablespoon
into each cup. I stir his and place it on the island behind me. I take my
coffee to the refrigerator and pour in a small amount of milk since I don’t see
any creamer. I walk the few feet back to the island, stirring my coffee. Nick
sits a plate of the large omelet on the island countertop.

“I hope we are sharing that? There is no way I can
eat all of that.” I take a sip of my coffee.

“We are,” he chuckles. I love hearing him laugh.
It puts a smile on my face. I’ve never paid attention to someone’s laugh
before.

Is that weird?

We finish the omelet in no time. I didn’t realize
how hungry I was, but then I haven’t worked up an appetite in a long time.

“So what do you want to do today?” he asks placing
the plate in the sink.

I hear my phone beep with a text message. I grab
it and it’s my mom responding. She sent the name of her realtor and nothing
else. No, ‘Hi, how are you?’, ‘I miss you.’, ‘I love you’. That’s my mom. I
love her, but to say we are not close is an understatement.

“Whatever you want, but first I need make an
appointment with a realtor for tomorrow so I can find a new apartment,” I say
as I shoot Vicky Smith, Mom’s realtor a text telling her who I am and what I’m
looking for.

“What?” I snap my head up from my phone. He’s wearing
an alarmed expression. “What the fuck is wrong with my house?" he asks,
waving his hand about, indicating his home.

“Your home is great and I love it, but I don’t
live here. Nick, I don’t even know what we are.” I indicate the space between
the two of us. “Are we dating or is this just casual fun for you?” I place my
hands on my hips. I’m pretty sure we are about to have an argument…yet another
common theme with this man. I can’t recall one argument Luke and I ever had,
but with Nick, it’s been something every day.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap.” He runs his
hands through his hair as he’s eyeing me.

“I…I haven’t been someone’s boyfriend in a very
long time. Not since high school actually, and I don’t really consider that a
real relationship.” He’s not asking a question. Wow, he’s thirty and has never
dated. What’s wrong with him?

I wrap my arms around his waist as he cages me in
against the counter top. “You’re right, we haven’t talked about this. Us,” he
says as he lifts his right hand on the counter to move his index finger in
between both of us. I don’t interrupt him, but I continue to stare up at him.

“I don’t exactly know how to do the normal
relationship thing, but there is something about you. From the moment I laid
eyes on you, I knew I wanted you. Wanted to get to know you. I want all of you
and I want you here. I don’t want a causal relationship. I want you as mine…as
my girlfriend.” He’s waiting for my response. Is that what I want? I just got
out of a long relationship. I know in my head this is moving way too fast, but
damn it I want him too.

“Okay.” I hear myself saying. I have no idea what
I’m agreeing to.

“Okay, you’re staying?” His lips turn up into a
smile.

“Okay, I’ll be your girlfriend. I’ve never really
done a casual relationship before, and I really don’t want that. However, if
that is what we are going to do, I still can’t live here.” I like the sound of
being his girlfriend.

“Why the hell not?” His lips quickly turn down
into a frown as he pulls his eyebrows together.

“Because normal people don’t start dating and move
right in together, that’s why.” What does he not get here?

“Maybe I don’t want a normal relationship. Babe, I
can guarantee you I’m certainly not the normal boyfriend type. I want what I
want. It’s really that simple,” he says back to me.

No, he’s certainly not normal, and apparently,
he’s used to people doing what he says. I try to push him back, but he isn’t
having it. He’s not being forceful, but he’s holding his position. What is it
going to take to get through to him?

“Nick, if you want this to work,” I say moving my
finger back and forth just as he did a moment ago, “then we need space, and we
need time to get to know each other. We need to slow us down.” He rolls his
eyes, not liking what I have just told him.

“Fine, I’ll concede on the apartment if it’s what
you want.” He pauses, but I can tell he isn’t done with this conversation. “You
can have you own space so long as you are here with me most nights.”

“Thanks for the permission,” I say sarcastically,
ducking under his arm.

“Babe, I don’t want to argue. Tell me what you
want and I’ll have a furnished apartment for you by this time tomorrow.” He’s
following me out of the kitchen into the living room.

It’s my turn to roll my eyes, but he can’t see me
doing so. I plop down on the couch. Nick comes up and sits down on the corner.
He reaches for me, pulling me into his arms with my back to his chest. He’s
making it difficult to stay irritated at him. He feels too good. I lay my head
back against his shoulder. I don’t want to argue either. I just want to relax
in Nick’s warm arms, but I don’t need this man coming to my rescue. I’m
perfectly capable of taking care of myself and I need to make him see
that.
 

“I can take care of it, but I bet you’re used to
snapping your fingers and people do what you say. Am I right?” He wraps his
arms around my shoulders, hugging me, and I realize I’ve never felt more safe
and content in my life. What is this man doing to me? He’ll have me dependent
on him if I’m not careful.

      
He laughs.
“Usually the people I deal with aren’t defiant. They either know that I know
what’s best, or understand it’s going to always be my way.”

“Defiant?” I snort.

“Yes, and I can tell that you and I are going to
have an issue with that. You are difficult at every turn.” He inhales my hair
and sighs.

“If you keep using words like defiant, then yes we
are going to have issues.” I turn my face and body so I can snuggle in his
arms. He chuckles lightly before placing a soft kiss on the top of my head. I
could get used to being here. I really like the way I feel tucked against
Nick’s body with his arms wrapped around me.

After a
lazy Sunday at Nick’s house, the next couple of weeks seem to fly by. I don’t
remember the last time I was ever this happy. I conceded on the house search
and I let Nick have his way when he brought me to a cozy beach-front property
the following Monday. Much to my irritation, the house was perfect. It’s going
to cost me a fortune, but the beach is totally worth it.

The house
is only about 2500 square feet, but who needs a big house when the ocean is
your backyard? Not me. My house has three bedrooms and two and half bathrooms
with an open floor plan. It’s everything I could want; it’s modern but still has
a warm homey feeling.

Somehow, I
managed to close in five days. I’m pretty sure Nick had something to do with
that, but I decided not to question it. I’m too in love with my house to think
about the negatives or the craziness. The fact that I landed a house in Mali-fucking-bu
for a cool two-million dollars is a steal. Of course, that’s after the three
mil I depleted out of my savings account to use as a down payment. I’m a good
photographer, but I’m not that high in demand to make those figures. The money
came from an inheritance left to me when my father died. I wasn’t able to use
it until I turned twenty-five. This is certainly good use of all that money.

I spent
most of the first two weeks picking out furniture and accessories. After
waiting on deliveries, I spent the next week arranging everything. I did not
concede on that end.

Nick really
didn’t understand.

Part of the
fun of a new house is picking out all new stuff. Every day something arrives,
and it’s like Christmas morning opening presents. I don’t remember the last
time I had this much fun. When Luke and I picked out furniture for the
apartment, he whined until I gave in to what he wanted.

Jenny
worked for me this past Wednesday since the store will be closed for Memorial
Day weekend on Saturday, so I’ve had the whole week off to get my home in
order. I really could have been an interior designer if I didn't loved
photography so much. I’m so proud of me. Nope, no shame in that. I’d shout it from
the rooftops if I could. I love what I do and work damn hard at it. By late
afternoon on Friday, every space is filled.

I’m hanging
my last set of black and white photos on a bare wall in my living room when I
hear a scratching sound at the door. I pull my head in the direction of
the front door where I see Nick walking through. The dogs come running in,
jumping on my oversized plush chair in the living room. Niko claimed that spot
his first night here. The four of us have stayed the last two nights in my new
home so far. I love Nick’s house, really I do, but nothing compares to living
literally on the beach. It’s awesome. I wake up to the sound and smell of
the sea.

“Need any
help?” I ask as I step down from the step stool. Nick has his arms full with grocery
bags. Instead of a Friday night out with just my friends, I talked them into a
cookout at my new place. My friends readily agreed. The house is on the small
size compared to the others in my neighborhood; however, I have a huge deck. I
plan to make a lot of use out of it. 

“No, we
have everything. You relax, babe. You’ve been quite the busy woman this week
and you’ve done a great job filling it with a lot of shit,” he says as Nikki
walks in the door carrying more groceries. I roll my eyes at his comment.

“Damn, can
I get you to do this to my house? Shannon, everything looks great.” She is
looking in every direction as she walks to the kitchen following her brother.
This is the first time she has been back inside since the day I closed on it.
The place was completely bare last week.

I follow
behind them. “Did you two buy enough food?” I ask with a hint of sarcasm as I
peek into each bag being nosy.

“Just shut
up and put the meat in the refrigerator. You’re not the one that has to cook
all this shit for everyone,” Nick says, taking out multiple bottles of wine and
champagne out of a brown bag. He’s not being an ass. He’s smiling and jacking
with me. I’ve learned in the last couple of days, he does and says things just
to get a rise out of me. I think the man loves to start arguments.

Luke has
finally stopped texting me. I guess he’s got the hint that we aren’t getting
back together after the last message I sent him. The fucker actual called my
mother, who in turn called me, trying to plead his case.

Yeah…really.

Apparently,
she didn’t see the cheating as a big deal. After she found out my new boyfriend
was the CEO of a multimillion-dollar publishing company, she changed her tune.
Needless to say, I hung up the phone after a five minute conversation and
haven’t bothered to call her back. I haven’t even told her where I’ve moved to.

I never
told Nick about the text messages Luke kept sending me. It would have been one
more thing to make him flipping mad. I’ve been having a pretty awesome week and
didn’t need anything to piss him off. Our relationship is new and fresh. I don’t
want any more damn drama.

“Looks like
you two have everything under control. I’m going to grab a shower before
everyone starts to arrive.” I walk out of the kitchen and head for our bedroom. Your
room, Shannon. Not yours and Nick’s. Slow the fuck down. You’re starting to
sound just like him.

Walking
through the bedroom into the master bathroom, I turn on the shower. I quickly
shed my clothes and toss them in the overflowing hamper. Somehow, my closet has
accumulated more of Nick’s clothes than all the clothes I own, hence why the
hamper is overflowing. He changes more times in a day than Stacy does, and
she’s a prima donna. I step into the shower and wash the day’s dirt away.  

Even though
I have been working hard at prepping my house, I still feel like I’ve been a
slacker at work. I haven’t made an appearance all week. Mainly because Jeffery
Chaney has been asking for an appointment with me all week from what Jenny has
told me via our phone calls. Apparently, he is remodeling his office and wants
to showcase my work. Nick is going to love this. I’m not looking forward to
that conversation.

Once my
hair is cleaned and I’ve shaved, I turn off the water and step out. After
drying off, I wrap the towel around my body and go to the sink where it takes
nearly ten minutes to dry all my hair. See, this is the real reason why I like
the air-dry method. Less time, but I don’t have the option today. Not that I
plan to style it. I’m more of the comb-through-and-go type.

I walk out
of the bathroom into the closet and hunt for an outfit. No dress tonight. I’m
at home, and I want to be comfortable. I opt for a pair of dark blue jeans, my
fitted Avenged Sevenfold t-shirt, and complete my ensemble with black Yellow Box
flip-flops. 

Perfect.

I finish up
and head back in the bathroom to apply a light layer of makeup and I’m good to
go. Why women feel the need to pile on tons of makeup is beyond me. All that
shit makes me feel like I need to wash my face, so I opt for minimal.

As I walk
back into the bedroom, I see Niko and Charmin curled up at the foot of our…I
mean,
my
bed. Good thing I
bought that doggy stairs for the bed, much to Nick’s annoyance. Charmin
wouldn’t have been able to get up there if I hadn’t.

They aren’t
used to a lot of noise or people, so I imagine people have started to gather. I
notice the bedside clock reads 6:58pm as I’m walking out of the room. Sure
enough, more of my friends have filtered into my house.

As I walk
out the backdoor, I see Nick at the grill cooking, and it smells wonderful.
Jase is standing next to him talking and drinking a beer. Nikki, Stacy, Ben,
and Kyle are hanging out talking in the lounge area of the deck. Katelyn is
hanging onto Shane’s arm with a beer in the other. Since when does she drink
beer? Yeah, something is going on with those two and I aim to find out.

I walk to
where they are standing next to the railing. “And what are you two up to over
here?” I ask while giving Katelyn a knowing look.

“Just talking,”
Katelyn says, returning my look that clearly says why the fuck are you
interrupting us?

Shane
breaks our stare. “I’m going to go hang out with my boys,” he says and gives
Katelyn a peck on the cheek. As he is walking away, she can’t keep her eyes off
his backside.

I snap my
fingers in front of her face saying, “Got it bad, do we?”

She rolls
her eyes and takes a sip of her beer. “Like you’re one to talk. You’ve been
shacked up with dreamy eyes for over two weeks now. I wasn’t sure you even
remembered you had friends.” 

Touché.

“He must
lay some serious pipe,” she adds, and I bust out into giggles. God…does he
ever. Just thinking about his pipe makes my face flush scarlet red.

“So I hit
that nail head on, huh?” she snickers. I don’t respond, but she already knows
the answer. I snatch her beer and take a sip.

“What’s up
with you and Mr. Tall, Dark and Oh So Sexy?” I ask as I hand her beer back to
her.

“Girl, I
don’t remember the last time my girly parts have seen so much action.” She
can’t stop glancing at him. I move beside her and we both lean back against the
railing, staring at the men.

“That good,
huh?” I ask as I reach for her beer again and take another sip.

“Fuck yes,”
she declares, snatching her beer back and downing the rest of its contents.

“Come on,
let’s go hang out with the others.” We both pop off the railing at the same
time and walk over to the
 
seating
area where Nikki, Stacy, Ben, and Kyle are still talking. Apparently, they are
discussing Knocked Out when I take a seat on Ben’s lap. Katelyn crunches in the
middle of Stacy and Nikki on the couch.

“Did you
know Nikki owns Knocked Out?” Ben asks me.

“No, I did
not,” I answer. That’s cool. Perhaps I’ll switch gyms if Nick doesn’t mind. I
saw a few people boxing when I was there a few weeks ago. I’ve been so busy
with the house that I haven’t been to a boxing class since I met Nick.

“You know
Shannon boxes,” Kyle chimes in talking to Nikki.

“Really?” Nikki
says looking at me. She sounds excited. “That’s awesome. Tomorrow you have to
come up there and show me how good you are.”

“Sure, but
it’s been a couple of weeks. I probably suck already.” I doubt I suck, but no
need to boast in front of a professional. I’m pretty sure she could kick my ass
in less than five seconds.

“Shannon
doesn’t suck. She’s been boxing since high school,” Stacy tells her. Like she
knows how good I am. None of my friends have seen me box before, so I’m not
sure why she thinks I’m good.

“I only do
it for a great workout to stay in shape,” I lie to all of them. Really, I do it
so I don’t feel helpless and weak again. That’s not something I ever want to
face again. I shut that awful thought out of my mind and get off Ben’s lap when
I see Nick walking in my direction. I meet him half-way.

“Beer?” he
asks, holding a Rolling Rock out in front of me.

“Yes, thank
you.” I happily take it and down half the bottle. There are just some things
that should stay buried deep in the past.

The rest of
the night goes great. The food is outstanding and my friends are getting along
great with Nick’s. Things couldn’t be more perfect than in this moment.

* * * * *

The next
morning, I get up and cook breakfast while Nick is still sleeping. The dogs
follow me out of the bedroom and I let them out onto the deck. It’s not too
early. The clock on the stove reads 8:03am. I guess all my stragglers from last
night already left this morning. I remember Ben crashing in Niko’s chair, and
Kyle was asleep on the couch when I went to bed.

I grab a
large skillet from under the stove and set it to medium heat on the gas range.
Reaching into a cabinet, I pull out a large bowl. I want to make pancakes, so I
grab all the ingredients I need and start whipping the batter up.

I’m not a
great cook; well, if I’m honest, I don’t even qualify as a good cook. This
batter comes from a box of Bisquick with a little milk and eggs added. I put a bit
of oil in the pan just as Nick places his hands on my hips and leans down to
kiss my neck, causing me to squirm a little as his facial hair tickles my skin.

“Good
morning to you too,” I say as I set the oil down on the counter and turn around
facing him. Nick and I have settled into a routine that is light and easy. I’m
not so sure I should be feeling as good as I do. I love spending as much time
with him as possible. When I’m with him, everything seems to flow naturally,
but in the back of my head, there is this voice that keeps saying, “Slow down”.
I just don’t want to listen to it.

“It is
certainly a good morning if I’m waking up to someone cooking me breakfast.” He
wraps his arms around my waist and I wrap mine around his neck. No, that pesky
voice needs to jump off a damn cliff and drown. I like feeling this happy with
Nick.

“Don’t get
too excited. I’m not a chef, and it’s only pancakes.” I stand up on my tippy
toes and kiss him on the lips. He releases me to go to the backdoor to let the
dogs in. Once they are in, he grabs their food and fills their bowls.