"Which part?"
"The being your girl part. It's like we're going steady."
"Is this where I give you my class ring?" he teased as the waiter returned with artichoke dip and freshly made pita chips.
"Most definitely. And I'll need a picture for my locker."
"Nude?" I almost choked on my sip of wine, glancing around to make sure no one could hear us.
"Sure. Here, let me take it now," I said, holding up my phone like I was expecting him to strip in the middle of the swanky restaurant.
He tugged at his shirt, revealing a section of his chiseled abs. "Works for me."
I giggled but didn't stop him, deciding to call his bluff.
His shirt made it up to his pecs before he conceded. "I think you would have let me keep going."
"You better believe it. Dinner and a show, baby," I teased, grinning wickedly.
"I knew it. I've created a monster." He pretended to frown, but the effect was ruined when he slid his leg along mine under the table. "You're just using me for my body," he added.
"Well, that's a given. Have you seen your abs?"
He clutched his heart as the waiter came out with our salads. "I'm wounded. I'm nothing but your sex toy."
I blushed as the waiter grinned broadly.
"I got you something," he said once the waiter left.
My eyes widened. "You did?" I was used to receiving little gifts from Mom growing up. She was one of those people who would spot special little things wherever she happened to be that she knew a particular person would love.
This was my first gift from a guy I wasn't related to.
"Close your eyes," he directed.
I eyed him skeptically for a moment. If Zach, Tony and Riley had taught me anything, it was that you never closed your eyes when they wanted to give you something. That's how I ended up with a handful of worms one time and a small snake in my lap another time. Dad had threatened to ground them for life after the second prank since he wasn't overly fond of snakes.
"Close them," he repeated.
"Fine, but you better not be handing me some yucky bug or anything."
He chuckled but waited for me to close my eyes.
Reluctantly, I let my eyelids slide closed. He took my hand in his and I instinctively snatched it back. "Sorry, habit," I said.
He took my hand again and caressed my palm with his finger before I felt the touch of cool metal slide over my fingers and onto my wrist. "You can open them now."
Opening my eyes, I saw a silver bangle on my wrist with a metal ornament pressed on the center. It only took me a moment to realize the ornament was an etching of a peacock feather. Overwhelmed, I ran a finger over it, trying to hold back tears.
"To new beginnings," Alec said, reaching for my hand.
I opened my mouth to thank him, but the dinging of my phone interrupted me. I looked at my phone that I had deliberately placed face down on the table. I knew the text was from Olivia. As soon as I flipped it over, I would know if all our hard work had paid off. Her text would confirm whether the story, the gorgeous cover, endless teasers and help from my blogger and author friends had been enough.
"Do you want me to look?" Alec asked.
I shook my head. "No, I got it." I dragged my lip between my teeth, gnawing slightly like I had been doing all my life when I was nervous. Reaching for my phone, I closed my eyes, holding it face down in my palm as I chanted in my head. Please be good news. Please be good news. I flipped the phone and opened my eyes, spotting the one-word text I had been stressing over. My head lowered and I slumped backward into my seat.
Alec grabbed my hand to comfort me. "Shit, babe. Is it bad news?"
I looked up, unable to hide the smile that lit up my face. I turned the phone to show him Olivia's text that read: ROCKSTAR!!!!!!!!!
Alec was up and out of his seat, pulling me into his arms before I could catch my breath. "Holy shit, babe, you did it. New beginnings." His enthusiasm caught the attention of just about every table in the small restaurant. Any other time I would have been mortified over such a display, but at that moment I felt nothing but pure joy.
***
"I think I need a tub like this," I said, using my foot to turn off the water of the oversized tub Alec and I were sharing. A mix-up in reservations had resulted in us getting a deluxe top-floor corner room with a king-sized bed, a sixty-inch television and a tub that was easily three times the size of the one in my apartment. We spent our first night in Atlanta christening the bed with the blinds open, which provided a spectacular view of the city's lights.
I sat with my legs stretched out in front of me and my back tucked against Alec's chest. He plucked my bottle of bath gel off the side of the tub and poured a liberal amount onto his palm. Rubbing his hands together, he reached around my shoulders and began slowly soaping my breasts. "It definitely has its perks," he agreed, using his thumb to circle my nipples that were already hard.
I tilted my head to the side as he moved my hair to lick a droplet of water off my shoulder. "A regular bath alone will never measure up again," I purred.
"Is that a way of telling me taking baths together will be part of my regular duties?"
I tilted my head back to look at him. "You'll obviously have to apply for the position."
"I'm sure I have the proper skills," he murmured, smoothing his hand in slow circles across my lower stomach. "Consider this my audition."
"Mmmmm, I don't know. I can be pretty demanding." I could feel him pressed against my lower back, making it clear he was enjoying his work. His hand dipped below the mound of suds around us and I moaned with pleasure when his finger slid inside me. Tilting my head so I could find his lips, I gripped the side of the tub, rocking my hips against his hand that was taking me to the edge.
"I want you, now," Alec whispered against my lips. He stood suddenly, pulling me to my feet. We stepped over the side of the tub onto a plush bath mat where he scooped me off my feet and carried me to the large bed. Neither of us cared about the water and soap dripping from our slick bodies.
I waited on the bed as he prepared himself before climbing on top of me. He slid slowly inside, filling me completely. We stared intensely into each other's eyes as he moved. The emotions of the last few days welled up inside me, bringing me on the verge of weeping. I'd been trying to hold back my feelings for him, but they were screaming to be expressed. We were so close and I couldn't help crying out. "I love you." The words spilled from my lips as we both found our release.
I closed my eyes, waiting with bated breath as his body stalled. I wasn't expecting him to return the sentiment. We were in the early stages of a relationship. Hell, in my own books I had always put my characters through trials and tribulations before admitting their love for one another. I had just blurted it out unexpectedly in the throes of passion. It was too soon. We hadn't suffered enough to feel love yet. I was rushing our story. If I could have retracted the words, I would have, but they were hanging in the air like giant neon signs. Obviously, I needed to stick to writing other people's love stories since I was failing at my own.
Alec still hadn't responded and my self-loathing turned to panic. My mind searched for a way to save the situation. I could make a joke of it. Tell him I was referring to something else. If I had time, I could have asked Olivia how to take my foot out of my mouth. The problem was I had said, "I love YOU." Not, "I love the bed," or "I love that sexy mole on your shoulder." There was no disguising what he had heard.
I watched with hooded eyes as he stood up and walked away, which wasn't anything new. He always went to the bathroom after we made love to dispose of things. It would be what he looked like when he came out that would determine his state of mind.
I knew the moment he opened the door, fastening the jeans he had worn before we climbed in the tub together. Suddenly feeling vulnerable and exposed, I dragged the sheet up to cover my naked body as I scooted against the headboard.
Alec stood in the doorway with
indecision written all over his face. In a sense, I felt bad for springing my feelings on him, but I hadn't planned for it to happen that way. Now the only emotion I felt in my thudding chest was anxiety. I waited without saying anything.
"Nicole..." His voice trailed off and he raked a hand through his hair, searching for the words.
Unable to wait any longer, I jumped in to add an explanation. "Look, I'm not asking you to say it. It's fast. I realize that, but I also can't help the way I feel." Listening to my own words aloud, it sounded like I was trying to defend myself, which I hated. There was a fine line between offering an explanation and defending your actions. The second made me feel like I had done something wrong. It wasn't that big a deal. I told him I loved him. So what? He could take it or leave it.
He moved to the edge of the bed and sat down. As he looked into my eyes, I realized it was a big deal to him. I could have written the next words that would leave his lips. They were spelled out in his eyes and in his actions. The way he held himself, the way he no longer reached for me said everything. "Nicole, those words change everything. I'm not in a place in my life where I can reciprocate something of that magnitude." He sounded so wounded, I nearly wept.
"You don't need to reciprocate anything. Just because I feel a certain way doesn't mean you have to." My words sounded desperate, which was worse than sounding like I was defending myself.
He made a move to touch my hand, but I pulled back before he could reach me. "Nicole, that wouldn't be fair to you. You deserve better. If I wasn't a selfish bastard, I would have stuck to my rules and never started this in the first place. It's not your fault. This sits entirely on my shoulders."
"Great, so we fuck and now I get pitied. I suppose you regret all of it, right?"
He shook his head. "That's not what I'm saying. I just think you misinterpreted what was happening between us. I shouldn't have misled you."
I looked at him incredulously. Alec had revealed the chink in his armor that so many other guys possessed. "Alec, it sounds like you misled yourself. It's funny that I was the virgin you felt you had to tiptoe around and yet, you don't seem to know shit about women." He tried to speak again, but I interrupted him. "Like all guys, you think you can have both sides of the coin. Fuck me as much as you want, and expect me to feel nothing. I mean, come on. I tell you I love you and we're over? How fucked up is that?" Explaining myself no longer became important. He had pissed me off.
He sighed, scrubbing the light fuzz on his chin. "It's for the best. If we kept this up, your feelings would keep getting stronger. It would make it even harder when whatever this is comes to an end."
I snorted. "The 'THIS' that you keep referring to is a relationship, and I'm pretty sure I can control my feelings." I wanted to sound resolute, but my argument held no water. If I could have kept my feelings in check, we wouldn't have been having this conversation. We'd be naked, snuggled up in bed together rather than ending things. Tears of anger threatened to spring to my eyes, but I willed them back. I would not cry.
He opened his mouth to reply, but the ringing of his phone distracted him. Taking a peek at the screen, he jumped from the bed to answer. "Candace?" He sounded concerned. Glancing at the clock, I saw it was almost ten p.m. Way too late for a casual chat about Lily. "When?" I could faintly hear Candace through the phone. It sounded like she had mentioned something about a hospital. Alec's knuckles turned white as he gripped his phone.
Climbing from the bed, I opened the dresser drawer and pulled out some clothes to throw on.
"I'll catch the first flight home." He paused as Candace spoke over him. "It doesn't matter. If Lily is asking for me, I'll walk over fucking glass to get to her. Hell, I can drive it in six hours. Just tell my girl I'll be there soon."
He hung up the phone and jerked his suitcase from the closet in one fluid movement. "What happened?" After our fight, I was apprehensive to ask, but I truly cared.
"Candace took Lily to the park after work tonight and she fell from the top of the jungle gym. She broke her arm and has a concussion," he said, throwing clothes into his suitcase with little regard for neatness. "The hospital is keeping her overnight for observation." He wouldn't look at me when he spoke, but continued to toss his belongings into the suitcase. "She's asking for me."
I gasped, placing my hand over my mouth. "Oh no. I'm so sorry. I'll come with you," I said, grabbing my own bag from the closet.
He looked up from zipping his suitcase. "You can't. You have the signing tomorrow."
I paused. The event had totally slipped my mind. "So, this is an emergency." I barely had to give the decision any thought. Family came first.
He turned to face me. "Nicole, you can't do that to your readers. They're excited to see you. Especially considering Wicked Lovely is doing so well. It's important for you to stay here. You need to keep your face out there. This week more than ever."
I bristled slightly at his words. I knew I needed to be here. This signing could be the most important one of my life. Wicked Lovely was still sailing up the charts, and I was absolutely floored by the amount of support that had been pouring in. All of that aside, I wanted to be there for him. I could tell he was worried, and I wanted to be his rock for once.
I grabbed my clothes from the dresser and shoved them into my suitcase.
"Nicole, stop. I don't want you to go." He took one last quick look around before lifting his suitcase from the bed and walking swiftly to the door. "My life was already derailed once. I can't allow myself to get caught in a relationship that will distract me from my goals." He turned and left, leaving the door to close softly behind him.
His final words were like a sucker punch to the stomach. When I was eight years old, I had climbed from the back of my uncle's pickup truck and my foot got caught on the tailgate. I ended up kissing the pavement. For several minutes afterward, I remained on the cement, unable to breathe and convinced I was going to die. The pain from the fall had been intense, but the fear of not being able to take a breath eclipsed that. Alec's statement had done the same thing.
I slumped to the floor, gasping for air. Dragging my knees up to my chest, I bracketed my head between my legs, wishing the pain would stop. There was nothing I could say or do. Alec had already hurt me once when he rejected me the first time. The fact that he had done it again was on me. I had set myself up for heartbreak.
Chapter Eighteen
I snatched up one of the extra pillows next to me and pressed it against my face. The sun was just beginning to rise and my eyes rejected the light. I'd tossed and turned the entire night, unable to get comfortable. The bed was too big. The room was too quiet. It seemed like everything was bound and determined to keep me up.
I squeezed my eyes closed beneath the pillow, wishing for a few hours of respite. The signing wasn't until later that afternoon. If I could have just turned my brain off and stopped thinking about Alec, I could have at least slept the time away.
An hour later, I finally gave up in frustration. I threw the pillow across the room, knocking over a table lamp and a half-empty can of Diet Coke I'd left there the night before.
Sighing, I grabbed tissues from a nearby box and tried mopping up the mess. The tissues were cheap and did nothing but fall apart as I blotted the carpet. Tossing a handful of shredded tissue pieces into the trash can, I stood up and headed for the bathroom. I was sick of this room. It was nothing but a constant reminder of our fight the night before. I wanted out.
I turned on the harsh and probing bathroom light, refusing to look at the oversized tub in the corner.
I climbed into the separate shower stall and made quick work of brushing my teeth and washing my face before leaving the bathroom in a hurry. There was a vanity mirror over the dresser near the bed where I did my hair and makeup. I opted out of blow-drying my hair, sweeping it up into a high ponytail instead. It may have been too casual for the signing, but I was past caring. I just wanted to escape the oppressiveness of the room.
Grabbing
my gear for the signing, I decided to leave my banner behind. Putting it up was never easy, and I had gotten used to Alec taking care of it for me. I stowed my laptop in my shoulder bag, along with my phone and wallet. The signing wasn't for several hours, but the hotel had a Starbucks in the lobby, and I planned on getting a little work done.
With the exception of the day after the release of Wicked Lovely, I'd been slacking on my social media time during the past few weeks and figured I would take the opportunity to catch up. If I still found myself with extra time, I'd start to draft out the second book in the series.
Glad to have a plan that would keep me busy, I left my room and headed for the elevators. I felt a brief stirring of déjà vu as I heard the sound of a door opening behind me. My pulse quickened as my heart nearly jumped out of my chest. I could hear the sound of shoes swishing across the carpeted floor, but I couldn't bring myself to turn around. It was the first time I had found myself alone in a hotel hallway since the attack. An overwhelming sensation of fear clawed its way up my throat like a hungry beast. I was ready to scream.
"Hey, Nicole. Is that you? I didn't know you were on this floor," a familiar voice called after me, dousing my fear.
Turning around, I spotted Karen, an author I'd been friends with since the beginning. She was closer to my mom's age, but we'd formed a close bond after discovering our shared love for books and cats. "Karen," I said, exhaling. "I didn't know you were doing this signing."
She gave me a quick hug. "I signed on at the last minute when they had a cancellation. Where's the steamy cover model I've heard so much about? I've been stalking all the pictures these past few weeks. You two are too adorable for words. If my Stan and I weren't getting ready to celebrate our twentieth, I'd be awfully tempted to get my own hunk."
I blanched at her words. Up until now, I hadn't considered the fact that Alec and I weren't very discreet about our affair. Affair. It seemed like an odd choice to describe what we had shared, but I guess it was accurate. I had set out to lose my virginity, and Alec had given me more than he probably planned. That was all I should have expected and asked for. It certainly wouldn't be healthy to regret what happened. He'd made my first time special and hot as hell.