She pulled her arms out of the sleeves of her dress, then let it fall to the floor.
"Wanna hang that up?"
She let out a soft laugh. "Not high on my priority list right now."
"Good."
She stepped out of the dress and kicked off her heels.
Nick moved her to face him. "I appreciate you dressing up for me tonight, Ellie, but I have to tell you that you look amazing in your underwear."
She blushed as his gaze traveled over her body. "You realize it's been a long time since someone has seen me naked. Or almost naked."
He smoothed his hand over her shoulder and down her arm, linking his fingers with hers. "You have a body meant to be worshipped."
Her heart pounded a fast rhythm against her chest. This obviously wasn't her first time, but it sure felt that way. She still remembered all the components and what to do, though. In fact, the anticipation and mental visuals of how good this was going to be were what drove her.
She reached for Nick's shirt, concentrating on undoing each button, pulling the fabric apart so she could unveil his amazing abs. She lifted her gaze to his face. "No, you have an incredible body, Nick."
He gave that half smile, the one that was so incredibly sexy it made her nipples tighten. "How about we get naked and do some joint worshipping, then?"
Her mind was awash in all the things she'd been fantasizing about doing with Nick before chastising herself for thinking her fantasies were wrong.
But nothing was wrong tonight. Everything felt right. She was finally going with her feelings and taking what she wanted.
So when Nick unzipped his pants and shrugged out of those and his boxer briefs, she held her breath, then sighed in appreciation as he stood before her completely naked.
Oh. Yes. This was definitely what she wanted.
And when he stepped forward to unhook her bra, pulling the straps slowly down her arms, all she could think was one word.
Hurry.
But then he paused, tracing his fingers down the space between her breasts.
"I was looking forward to seeing what you wore on that long silver chain that's always tucked into your clothes."
She'd worn John's wedding ring on that chain. Tonight, she'd taken it off and put it in her jewelry box.
A chapter closed. So she could open a new chapter with Nick.
"I tucked it away in a special place for safekeeping."
"Okay." He teased the swell of her breasts, making her breath catch.
He tangled his hands in her hair and kissed her, sweeping her senses into a maelstrom of desire and passion. A blast of heat seared through her nerve endings.
Suddenly she was swept up--literally--in Nick's arms. He looked down at her.
"Have I told you lately how beautiful you are?"
His words made her feel cherished. "Have I told you lately how much I appreciate you saying that?"
His lips curved as he walked her to the bed. He held her with one hand, using the other to jerk the comforter down to the end of the bed before laying her down on the mattress. He slid next to her, then over her, kissing her until her body felt like it was on fire. She wrapped a leg around him, arching against him, her mind awash with the unique sensations of feeling Nick's body rubbing against hers.
"Ellie."
She felt like she was floating on a cloud of sensual bliss. "Mmm-hmmm."
He smoothed his hand down her arm. "Open your eyes."
She lifted her lids to find Nick staring down at her. "What is it?" she asked.
His hand drifted over her breast, making her gasp. "Just making sure you're with me."
She brushed his hair from his face and smiled up at him. "I know who's touching me. I know who I'm in bed with right now. Kiss me, Nick."
He bent and took her mouth in a kiss that was pure passion, that made her forget anything but the feel of his hands across her flesh, his breath mingling with hers, and the scrape of his beard stubble across her neck as he began a slow trek south with his tongue.
Nerve endings that hadn't been awakened in years leaped to joyous life as he flicked his tongue over her nipple, then drew it into his mouth and sucked. She slid her fingers into the silken softness of his hair, lost in the raw sensation of what he was doing to her.
She was damp, aroused, and desperately needy in ways she couldn't articulate. At least not verbally. Instead, she told Nick how she felt with gasps and moans and the arching of her back, asking for more of that intense pleasure.
And oh, did he give it to her.
He made his way down to her sex, and when his tongue glided over her clit, she gasped. Heat engulfed her, a thousand points of pleasure quivering within her. She'd almost forgotten what it was like to be strung up with taut desire until she couldn't stand it.
And when she came, it was with a cry she couldn't hold back. The force of her orgasm blasted through her. She craved this release, needed it like she needed breath. She soaked it in, reveled in it, and let herself fall.
It was glorious.
She was still heaving breaths when Nick kissed his way up her body to lick and nip at her breasts. She wasn't sure she was going to be able to take all this bliss.
Though she was going to give it her all, because she didn't want this to end.
"I'll be right back," he whispered, brushing his lips over hers.
He disappeared out the door, and she sucked in a deep breath and stared up at the ceiling.
"Wow." She'd forgotten how amazing sex could be.
Nick came back in the room holding a condom wrapper in his hand. He climbed onto the bed and rested his hand on her hip.
She flipped onto her side to face him.
"Everything okay?"
She sighed. "Everything is...really good." She touched his face, rubbing her fingers across the stubble of beard on his jawline. "You have an incredible jawline. Have I ever mentioned that?"
He slanted a sexy smile at her. "Not that I remember. But do continue."
She moved her fingers over his bottom lip, shivering with desire as she remembered where his mouth had been just a few minutes earlier. "Also, you have an amazing, extremely talented mouth."
He grinned. "Glad you think so. Wait till you see what I can do with my amazing, extremely talented dick."
She laughed. "Oh, really. You're that confident in your...skills?"
He waved the condom wrapper back and forth. "Absolutely."
She rolled onto her back and stretched. "Show me."
"Spoken by a true Missouri woman."
He got up on his knees, tore the wrapper open, and slid the condom on. Given that he hadn't lost his rather impressive erection when he'd left the room, she hoped there was an element of truth in his bold statement.
She was more than ready for this, and when he leaned down and covered her body with his, she sighed in contentment, wrapping her legs around his hips.
He looked down at her. "I sense you're in a hurry."
"You have no idea."
"Oh, I have an idea. I've been thinking about doing this for a long time. But, you know, sex should never be hurried."
"Says the guy whose cock is currently rubbing up against me."
He grinned. "Yeah, but we have all night."
He surged against her, teasing her and making her want to grab hold of his most important asset and take control. But then he kissed her--a soft, sweet kiss that made her lose all thought except for the utter perfection of his mouth. She tangled her fingers in his hair, lost in the softness of it. Maybe she wasn't in such a hurry, because the way he kissed her made her want to stay like this all night, just kissing each other, entwined together, passion fusing the two of them into one.
But then he slid inside of her, and she moaned against his mouth.
Oh, yes, this was so much better.
Their tongues collided, the kiss deepening to one of hard passion as their bodies connected in the most intimate of ways.
Every time he moved within
her, her body wept with sensual joy. She felt Nick everywhere, in the way his hands moved along her rib cage to cup her breasts, in every kiss, in every murmured word.
She opened her eyes to see the hard passion in his. He swept her hair away from her face, and she felt the stun of an emotional connection with Nick she hadn't been prepared for. So instead, she arched her back, letting passion take over, letting her body overtake her mind and her emotions.
Fortunately, he went with her, deepening his thrusts until she trembled through an incredible orgasm that left her shaking, but in the best way. Nick gripped her hip and drove into her, then shuddered as he came.
He buried his face in her neck, kissing her there, eliciting chills that ran along her skin.
She was out of breath, and her body had gone lax.
It had been so, so good.
Faint warning bells pinged in her head as reality tried to make its way to the surface.
But she pushed them aside as Nick rolled off of her and pulled her against him.
Reality could wait until morning. Tonight, she had Nick, and she was going to enjoy every second of this time she would share with him.
Tomorrow--and all that reality would bring--could wait.
Chapter Thirteen
Nick woke before dawn, rolled over, and nuzzled against Ellie, pressing his lips against her neck.
"Mmm," was all she said, then reached behind her to slide her fingers into his hair. "Yes."
He smiled at that, then rolled her over to kiss her. She responded, warm and welcoming, her fingers wrapped around his neck.
But then she pulled back.
"Fran has to work today. I have to go get Henry."
He lifted his head to look at the clock on his nightstand. It was six a.m.
Ugh.
The reality of having kids.
"You sleep in a while longer," he said. "I'll go get Henry."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
She lifted up and brushed her lips across his. "Thank you."
"For what? The outstanding night of sex?"
She offered up a satisfied smile. "Definitely for that. But for getting Henry."
"Hey, no problem."
He got out of bed and grabbed his clothes, slid into them, and zipped up his jeans. "I'll see you later."
He left her room and went to his, used the bathroom, and picked up his phone. He really wanted to brew a cup of coffee first, but he'd better go grab Henry.
Then coffee.
Fran was already up and in her scrubs when he got there.
"He was awesome and we had a great time," Fran said.
Henry came to the door, his tiny backpack in his hands. He handed it off to Nick. "We made our own pizza last night, Uncle Nick."
"You did?"
"Yeah. And I got to help with the dough and put the sauce on it. And I got to sprinkle the cheese. I really like cheese."
Fran grinned at Nick. "It was an extremely cheesy pizza."
Nick could well imagine. "Hey, I know Henry. He's a cheesy kind of kid."
Henry giggled.
"Thanks for having him over."
"I hope you had a good night." Fran looked at him expectantly, but he wasn't the kind of guy to kiss and tell.
Instead, he kissed Fran on the cheek. "Talk to you later, Fran."
"Bye, Aunt Fran," Henry said, giving her a big hug. "Thanks for letting me hang out with you and Mark."
They went to the car and Henry talked nonstop about pretty much every minute of his time with Fran and Mark.
"Where's Momma?" Henry asked as he threw his backpack on the sofa.
"She's still sleeping." Then Nick thought about what he'd said. "I guess."
"I'm hungry."
"Did Fran feed you breakfast?"
"Yup. Mark did. Cereal. I want pancakes now."
"Pancakes can wait until after I've had coffee, buddy."
"Okay. But not too long, 'kay?"
"I'll do my best."
Henry gave him a dubious look, then ran into his room to play.
Nick headed straight for the kitchen to brew a cup of coffee. He stayed right there for the first few sips, then made his way into the living room and put his feet up on the coffee table, scanning the news on his phone. He checked the weather, too. It was supposed to snow later today.
It might be a good day to get their Christmas tree. They could decorate it while it snowed outside. Henry would love that.
He heard the door to Ellie's room open. She came down the hall, stopping when she saw him. She offered up a hesitant smile.
"Where's Henry?"
"In his room playing."
"Oh, okay. I want to say hi to him."
She turned around and went back down the hall. Nick heard talking, then Henry's giggle. Then Ellie's laugh. Hearing the two of them together was often a gut punch.
Henry loved his Momma. And he knew how much Ellie loved Henry.
She came out of his room.
"Did he tell you he wanted pancakes?" Nick asked.
Ellie nodded. "About five times. I told him I needed coffee first."
Nick laughed. "Same thing I told him."
She walked past him and went into the kitchen. He figured she'd join him on the sofa, so he resumed reading the news. It was a few minutes later when he realized she hadn't come in to sit next to him. He turned around to see her leaning against the kitchen counter, staring off into space.
"Ellie?"
She jerked her head up. "Yes?"
"You coming in here to drink your coffee?"
"Oh. Uh, sure."
Something was off. Nick wasn't sure what, but when she sat in the chair instead of next to him on the sofa, he knew something was definitely wrong.
"What is it?" he asked.
"What do you mean?"
"You're sitting as far away from me as you can without being in another room. What's going on?"
"Nothing." She set her coffee cup down and pulled the blanket that was draped over the chair onto her lap. "I was cold, and this chair has the blanket."
He pointed to the thick blanket behind him. "There's one right here."
She looked at the blanket, then at him. "Oh. Right. Forgot about that one."
She didn't forget about it. Ellie always made sure there were plenty of blankets in the living room in the winter because she was always cold. "What's wrong?"
She started to speak, but then the bedroom door opened and Henry came running down the hall, throwing himself onto Ellie's lap.
Ellie squeezed Henry and kissed his cheek. "My sweet boy."
Henry pulled away, then leaped onto Nick's lap. "Is it time for breakfast yet?"
"Sure," Nick said, wrestling with the wriggling monster. "You ready for pancakes?"
Henry giggled. "Nope. Now I want cupcakes."
"Nice try, kid. How about pancakes and fruit and a big glass of milk?"
"Okay."
"Sound good to you, Ellie?"
Ellie nodded. "Sure."
Nick got up and started breakfast. Ellie joined him, and Henry dragged some toys in the living room to play with.
"It's supposed to snow today," he said as he worked on making the pancakes while Ellie washed and sliced the fruit.
"Is it?"
"Yeah. I thought we might go get the Christmas tree today and decorate the house. Henry would enjoy that while it's snowing."
"Sure. Sounds great."
Typically Ellie came up with any excuse she could to avoid getting the tree or decorating the house. She was either deep in thought about something else or maybe she was finally over the whole anti-Christmas thing.
"Ellie."
She looked up at him. "What?"
"Christmas tree today. Then decorating."
"I said that was fine, Nick."
"Okay. Just double-checking."
Something was definitely off about her, but he couldn't keep asking her about it while Henry was in the vicinity. So he'd have to wait unt
il later.
He just hoped it didn't have anything to do with what had happened between them last night. Because, to him, last night had been perfect. She'd been perfect. He wanted to build on that, start a relationship with her, out in the open. Sure, they'd have to take things slow, introduce the change in their relationship to Henry in a way he'd understand.
Nick was in love with Ellie. He hoped she felt the same way, but until they sat down and talked about how they felt about each other, he wouldn't know where he stood.
Hopefully they could do that soon.
In the meantime, they were going to get this Christmas thing moving along. The fact Ellie was agreeable about the tree and decorations was a good sign.
That, at least, was a step in the right direction. So maybe things were changing for the better.
Chapter Fourteen
Ellie felt like she'd been moving through a thick blanket of fog all day long. She was grateful to have Nick along to help with Henry. Once they'd announced they were going shopping to pick out the Christmas tree, Henry's enthusiasm level had gone from his usual exuberance to bouncing off the walls. He was even more enthused when snow started falling, earlier than forecast.
Thick white flakes fell as they'd wandered the tree lot, Henry pulling her along like it was already Christmas, yelling at the top of his lungs, "How about this one, Momma?"
Ellie was not ready to deal with Henry's level of enthusiasm right now. Not when she was so far in her head, deep in thought about Nick, about what had happened between them last night. She had to figure out a way to tell him that, while last night had been amazing, had been more than she could ever dream of, it couldn't be repeated.
Fortunately, Nick had Henry well in hand and she tried to nod at all the appropriate times so Nick would think she was involved in the decision-making.
Frankly, she didn't care. One tree was just as good as another as far as she was concerned. It were green, it smelled good, and it were pretty once you got the lights and the ornaments on it. And, hopefully as soon as possible after Christmas, it would come down. She was doing her best to get into the holiday spirit, but she could only handle so much.
They stopped in front of a noble fir that she thought was way too big.
"It's the perfect size," Nick said.
"It's great, Momma. Can we have this one?" Henry tilted his head and stared up at the tree, snowflakes already covering his navy blue beanie.